Ally Simpson

Coffee NI on Instagram

Posted by Ally Simpson | Aug 3, 2015 |

Keeping a close eye on how your social media accounts are performing is an important aspect of engaging and building an audience. There are a number of ways to do this but, we love Iconosquare for its easy to use site and the detailed analysis you get. To give you an idea of the kind of information that can be useful to you we decided to share a snapshot of Coffee NI on Instagram. Some of the stats below are evident just by looking at the Instagram profile in the app on your phone but Iconosquare gives you much more than that....

Ballymena Today loves vscocam

Posted by Ally Simpson | Jul 20, 2015 |

Anyone with a smart phone can take a photograph now. The quality of our phone cameras just gets better and better. Does that make us better photographers? Probably not but, we now have an array of great tools at our fingertips to help us achieve better results. Work at it, practice and don’t post every single image online but also, see what others are doing, be inspired. Good photographs of your business and your products could be the big difference between building an audience on social media and standing still on the Internet. Great images are key to representing yourself and your business online, get out your phone and start using it. There will be times when you need a photographer and a big camera for sure, but for all the times in between, get that phone out! Ballymena today loves vscocam for a few reasons. The quality of the app is excellent but we also love their philosophy… This is about all of us, the creative community, banding together for the sake of beauty and doing what we love. This is about pouring every ounce of blood, sweat and tears into something worth believing in. This is about the power of art for art’s sake and the belief that a photo can change perspectives, moods, and lives. This is about a worldwide movement of millions creating for the love...

Ballymena Today loves Apple Music

Posted by Ally Simpson | Jul 10, 2015 |

We are profoundly passionate about music. It’s a force that’s driven and inspired us from day one. So we’ve set out to make it better. To bring you more music than ever with access to millions of songs for just £9.99 a month, or £14.99 for your family. To give you personal recommendations from people who know and love music. To deepen the connection between artists and fans. To reimagine radio with a 24/7, global station. This is Apple Music. And it’s just the beginning. These are bold words but we’ve come to know that Apple make bold statements and bold products to back up them up. Not long ago we wrote about how we loved Spotify here but, will Apple Music affect their recent years of dominance in the online music streaming world? For now I have cancelled my Spotify subscription and am taking advantage of the three month free trial offered by Apple. Will we stick with Apple or return to Spotify? That remains to be seen… but, here are some initial things we love about Apple Music so far. Oh, and one thing we don’t like. The App Having all of our music in one place is a feature that you get right across all of the Apple Music locations but on a phone, this is a super easy and helpful feature that we love. Being...

Make your content original

Posted by Ally Simpson | Jul 2, 2015 |

If you are going to have an impact on social media you have to work hard to make your content original. You have the freedom to take it any direction you want, be creative. Recycling content and ideas from other sources will work occasionally and might build an audience for you but, trying to scour the web for other peoples ideas is exhausting and offers fewer rewards than originality. Ballymena Today is leading a local online charge with original content. We interact with you and your local business and create content that is relevant for you at the time of publishing. This is in a constant state of change as you evolve and as we stand alongside you on the Internet. We will strive to be original. Always. Around our growing community in Ballymena we encourage originality because, your business and your journey is completely unique to you. You should tell your story your way. What happens when you get copied There is a fine line between stealing and copying ideas on social media but, let’s not forget that vast chunks of the Internet are driven by unoriginal thought and re-published content. It is what it is. From blog post ideas & content themes to hashtags it’s almost inevitable that your ideas will be used by others. Ours are… But, we have been leaders and influencers creating community in a...

You and Your Customers

Posted by Ally Simpson | Jun 15, 2015 |

Your Customers have all the power There has never been a time when customers are more likely to share their experiences with your business online, on Facebook, Twitter and on blogs. The product they bought, the service they received, your premises… everything is up for scrutiny and ready to be shared with the masses. Customer service is important That’s a no-brainer right? In the busyness of retail or in many other businesses, this is hard to get right 100% of the time. There are no easy quick fixes, we all need to work hard to get this right. If you get it wrong prepare to be mentioned online. How will you respond? Your business can be more visible We’ve been banging this drum about your business being online, using social media and engaging with a growing audience. If you don’t take control of what is being said about you online, your customers just might do it for you, which is great if it’s positive… but not so great if they have criticisms. Marketing your business is free You can promote, market and build an audience of potential customers for free. It may not be straight-forward to build a big audience on social media, it will take time and energy but, you and your customers can connect for free in more ways and with more effect now than at any...

Author: Ally Simpson

Ballymena Today loves vscocam

Ballymena Today loves Apple Music

Make your content original

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