Catherine Hills 🐝

Founder of Brass Bee Marketing. Loves gardens, whisky, dry humour & bright interiors. Helps designers & creative entrepreneurs to be #socialmedia superstars 🐝

[Catherine Hills 🐝 @brassbeelancer]

@dlwp @ThreadStudiosUK In addition, exploring more traditional marketing options, like email marketing and physical posters and flyers, are looking like reliable and effective alternatives.

[Catherine Hills 🐝 @brassbeelancer]

🐝 Thrilled to be a panellist at the 1st Learn Share Network event by @dlwp & @ThreadStudiosUK in Bexhill on Thurs eve!

Cassandra Ash, Head of Marketing at De La Warr Pavilion, & Caroline Kent, owner of Scribble and Daub, were also on the panel.

📸| Thread Studios

[Catherine Hills 🐝 @brassbeelancer]

@dlwp @ThreadStudiosUK However, the overall consensus was that authenticity, creativity, and meaningful connections remain key, even as the digital landscape continues to evolve.

[Catherine Hills 🐝 @brassbeelancer]

1) Stop making so many constant and often pointless changes to the platform. 2) Give businesses their organic reach back again. 3) Allow links into captions. What are YOUR suggestions?

[Catherine Hills 🐝 @brassbeelancer]

🤔 What would you change if you owned Instagram?

Many small businesses feel that Instagram has changed too much over the years - and not for the better.

What would you change to make it better for businesses?

[Catherine Hills 🐝 @brassbeelancer]

🐝 Post cautiously on Instagram right now, as not everyone's profiles have transitioned yet.

Some grids seem to be switching back and forth between formats. Others present differently for different people. For now, ensure your content works in both portrait and square formats.

[Catherine Hills 🐝 @brassbeelancer]

Why is this important? Smaller businesses in particular worry about maintaining a level of professionalism on their social media pages. But your audiences need to have an emotional connection to your brand, and a simple 'thank you, we appreciate you' can go a long way!

[Catherine Hills 🐝 @brassbeelancer]

Christmas is a great time to share appreciation for your followers. Thank them for their support through the year with a heartfelt message.

Think of it as your own version of the traditional Christmas speech (there's a reason why the royal family have been doing it since 1932!)

[Catherine Hills 🐝 @brassbeelancer]

⭐ Another positive review, this time from local family business Booyah Vitality, who we had the pleasure of working with earlier this year as they launched their refreshed brand and new website.

Thank you so much, Booyah!

[Catherine Hills 🐝 @brassbeelancer]

Stuck for social media content ideas at Christmas? Share reviews, testimonials & positive comments about your brand.

While these posts don’t typically get as much engagement as other content, they STILL matter because they build trust and re-inforce brand credibility.

[Catherine Hills 🐝 @brassbeelancer]

Christmas hashtags are overused! Using bigger, more frequently used hashtags will ensure your posts get buried under everyone else's content.

Use no more than x3 small to medium-sized hashtags in your content, or hashtags that are trending in that moment.

#SeasonalMarketing

[Catherine Hills 🐝 @brassbeelancer]

🎅 REMEMBER: Social media ads are MORE EXPENSIVE at Christmas than any other time of the year - but audiences are also BUYING more now at Christmas - so while they cost more, your customers are more primed to engage with your ads.

#christmasmarketing #seasonalstrategies

[Catherine Hills 🐝 @brassbeelancer]

🎄 If you're struggling to maintain visibility on your socials in December, set a budget for targeted social media ads to counteract the decline in organic reach.

Remember - reach drops for EVERYONE in the lead-up to Christmas so businesses have to adapt their usual strategy.

[Catherine Hills 🐝 @brassbeelancer]

📽️ Video content is here to stay, whether we like it or not (and we know that many small businesses don’t like it).

Video captures attention, earns more shares, and is more memorable. 🚀 Audiences prefer video content, and this trend shows no signs of slowing down in 2025.

[Catherine Hills 🐝 @brassbeelancer]

Want a Christmas social media idea? 🎁 Create a series of gift guides that match your products or services with a specific customer type e.g. gifts for gardeners, gifts for animal lovers, gifts for kids.

This makes it easy for your busy customers to find the perfect presents!

[Catherine Hills 🐝 @brassbeelancer]

Keep checking to see when your audience is most active and schedule your posts accordingly!

REMEMBER: Your active times may be different during the Christmas season as audiences behave differently!

[Catherine Hills 🐝 @brassbeelancer]

Forget the filters and comparison traps - your social media audiences crave real connection, not unrealistic perfection.

Ditch the filters and share your real self with the world. Authenticity is your superpower!

#socialmediamarketing101 #smallbusinesstips

[Catherine Hills 🐝 @brassbeelancer]

Algorithms typically reward social media accounts that use the latest tools - because they want people to start using them!

To combat low reach and engagement, try out new features as soon as you see them appear.

#SocialMediaGrowth