Are Your Social Media Posts Engaging and Memorable?

So you've started posting on Facebook and Instagram on a regular basis - that's a great start! But are you making your posts engaging and memorable? 

I don't know about you, but when I scroll through my Facebook and Instagram feeds, I realise that gone are the days when I like every other post. It takes something a little bit more unique to make me stop and look.

So how are we going to get our potential customers to stop, look, and hopefully like and follow our posts?

Making Our Posts Engaging and Memorable

For example, when we are looking for someone to decorate a forthcoming event, which would you prefer: Working with an event organiser who you can relate to and make a personal connection with or with a faceless company that simply shows endless photographs on their Instagram account? This is a tough call, as stunning decor photographs on Instagram can be arresting and a great attention grabber. But we also have to remember that what we see is not always what we get! 

The more memorable and likeable your business appears to be, the higher the likelihood that customers will pick you over someone else. So how do we get our potential customers to stop, look, and hopefully follow our posts?

Social Storytelling

I recently read an article by Jade Fraser - BAPIA's (Balloon and Party Industry Alliance) Social Media Manager - Your Social Media Checklist. With Jade's permission I am sharing it with you here, as it explains so how to turn a simple post into a great story! 

"We’ve spoken before about the importance of storytelling when it comes to sales. The more memorable and likeable you can make your business, the higher the likelihood that customers will pick you over someone else. You may think that the day to day of your business isn’t exciting enough for storytelling but think again. Next time you’re stuck for what to say, follow this simple storytelling checklist. Take Jenny for instance, who recently went on a training course. Imagine Jenny has uploaded this photo with the following caption:

“Team work! Group column building at the BAPIA Chris Adamo cba Tour. #bapiaparty

Now, Jenny thinks about the day again, this time considering the following questions: 

 

Checklist 

 

1. What’s happening in this picture? 

          2. Did anything funny or relatable happen at the time? 

          3. What did I do well in this situation? 

          4. How might this benefit my customers? 5

5. What’s next for me?

After following the checklist, Jenny realised she actually had a lot to share about the day:

 “Team work making the dream work at the BAPIA Chris Adamo, CBA, Tour. The day started off shaky - I realised I’d walked into the wrong conference room when the overhead projector read ‘Travel Expo’ - oops, typical me! Things soon picked up though; I mastered these columns Chris showed us really quickly, woohoo! Expect to see LOTS more fun, new designs from me this year. Next, I want to master weaving flowers into my designs, ready for wedding season! #bapiaparty”

Do you see how, with a bit of storytelling, the same post becomes much more appealing and memorable? Though it may seem like a minor thing, you should consider every social media post as an advertisement for your business. Generally, it takes at least six exposures to an advert before a customer commits to sale. So, in a sea of social media posts, it’s really important that yours stand out. A post with a descriptive, well-thought-out caption will stand out a lot more in the middle of a scrolling session."

I found another great example of storytelling when I looked through my Instagram feed this morning. Born To Party in Sydney, Australia, shared a great photograph of an abstract organic balloon wall that they recently made. They talk about how big the wall is, about how they love to create new colours and how they think the design will look fabulous in Pink! Their post is colourful, exciting and charming, everything a customer what's to see! 

Personally, I know that this information will really benefit my own social media posts. When I look at my Instagram posts, I can see that with a little bit more thought and a few more words, I can transform my posts into something that my potential and current followers want to see.

A huge thank you to Jade and BAPIA for sharing this post with The Very Best Balloon Blog! For more great articles by Jade click HERE for a direct link.

Happy Ballooning!


Sue
www.suebowler.com
#suebowler

Develop Your Twisting Skills and Add Value To Your Everyday Designs

Ballerina Design By Sue Bowler, CBA.

So maybe you're a balloon artist and twisting is just not your thing. Maybe you are scared to work with entertainer balloons, as they always seem to pop or go down quickly?

It personally took me a while before I really gained confidence working with the Q's. Even then, I know that I will never be at the same level as those who enter the incredible Colour Quest competitions, which produce fabulous creations like this wonderful Flying Dragon by Li Tao, Huangshi, China, which won 3rd Place (tie) 2019 ColorQuest Chrome™ Blue category. 









But what I do know is that by learning to use them, I have been able to add value to my designs, and make them much more appealing!

It might be as simple as adding a string of precision bubbles around an 18" balloon, then finishing it with a twisted bow, like the design on the left.









If you would like to learn how to make this design or be inspired by other designs featuring this technique, check out one of my past blog posts, which includes a great step-by-step video that you can follow: Learn How To Create Precision Bubbles to Add Value to Your Designs.






Basic twisting is made up of a few simple techniques. Jackie Ochitwa, CBA, of With A Twist Balloon Creations in Alberta, Canada, has very kindly made an easy to follow video that will teach you how to:

Make Bubbles

Lock Twist

Loop Twist

Pinch Twist

Tulip or Apple Twist

Marriage Twist

Bend a Balloon

Poodle Tail

Jackie has more great easy-to-follow tutorials on her Facebook Page - just click HERE for a direct link.

Earlier this year Balloon Magic was launched as an online publication available to read for FREE on Qualatex.com.  The online issue offers content like you’ve never seen before! Including the latest balloon news, step-by-step recipes and video tutorials, all translated into 5 languages!

As a decorator you may not have considered Balloon Magic as relevant to you or the type of decor that you usually make. However, I promise you that this magazine will inspire you and give you the tools to create new and exciting designs.

In issue One, Vadim Shushkanov's shared a one of his top selling designs - "Gentleman with Flower" which only uses 3 balloons! Watch his 5 minute video tutorial to master this cute and extremely sellable design! Click HERE for a direct link.

Online video tutorial by Vadim Shuhkanov, CBA, Moscow, Russia.

And if you are feeling a little more adventurous, try out Nicole Greg's fabulous Toucan design, which would be a fun addition to any tropical theme party! This is available as an easy to follow video tutorial, and it's free and available on Balloon Magic - click HERE for a direct link.

Online Video Tutorial by Nicole Greg, CBA, Nifty Entertainment, Adelaide, Australia.

My granddaughters birthday was a few weeks ago, and I decided to challenge myself to make one of Jackie's beautiful fairies as a gift for her. Jackie made a very easy to follow video tutorial, which is free for QBN members in the "Magic in the Air" article in Images 2019 Issue 2, and is also available as a payable download.

If you are not a QBN member but would like to learn how to make this adorable fairy, click HERE for a direct link.

Jackie Ochitwa's Fairy design made by me!

If I could offer one tip that really helped me when I was learning to twist balloons, it is to ensure that you always remove the tension from the balloons that you are twisting. That means that when you inflate the "Q" balloon, ensure that you allow a little puff of air to escape from the balloon before you tie it. When you squeeze the balloon, it should feel soft and not tight. You should continue to remove the tension as you twist by simply squeezing the balloon before you make your twist, this will ensure that your balloon remains soft.

As I mentioned at the start of this post, understanding some of the more basic twisting techniques will really allow you to expand your balloon repertoire. Adding a little character or fairy to a balloon bouquet can really transform a design and take it to a whole new level! 

A huge thank you to Jackie who made the "Essential Twists for Balloon Artists" video, and for all the inspiring design ideas shared by the many balloon artists featured in Balloon Images and Balloon Magic.

Happy Balloon Twisting!

Sue
www.suebowler.com
#suebowler

A Few Highlights from My Recent Canadian Simply Organics Balloon Tour.

Traveling to new and exciting places is definitely one of the perks of being a Qualatex Instructor. Sadly, we don't always get the time or the opportunities to really see much of the countries that we work in when we do get to go. But when those opportunities do arise, we certainly do what we can to grasp them.

Earlier this year, I was invited by Pioneer Canada to teach at three locations - Montreal, Toronto and Calgary. This was truly a dream come true, as Canada has been on the top of my bucket list of places that I wanted to teach/visit. And as a bonus my husband John, who works for Premium Balloon Accessories was able to join me for the tour!

The first stop of the tour was in Boucherville, Montreal. Boucherville is a suburb of Montreal on the South shore of the Saint Lawrence River and is the home of two Qualatex distributors - BLC International Inc. and SKS.

Alex & Ellie Ventura teaching
their balloon wall design .

Our tour started with a two-day training event with both myself as well as the very talented Alexandra and Ellie Ventura of Pacha Balloon Creations, in Vaughan, Ontario. Alex and Ellie's class was based around organic style decor. Their class including their fabulous Rose Gold  Microfoil Balloon Wall which they embellished with organic features. They also created a lovely canopy design, and wowed us all with the awesome Q-Boom system to explode two 3' Giant balloons! 

A huge shout out to the fabulous Lynn from SKS for being the translator for our classes! 

Lots of hands-on opportunities, learning great ideas and techniques!

Alex and Ellie show the delegates how to make these awesome numbers
using the organic style and in pastel colours! 

I love this wall, the precision of the foils versus the freeform flow of the organics! 

How cool is the Q Boom - Exploding Balloon System! 

So what did I learn from my time in Montreal? First of all, I never realised that Montreal was on an Island! The language spoken is predominantly French. They have a famous food called poutine - poutine is a dish that includes French fries and cheese curds topped with a brown gravy - it sounds very interesting, but I was sadly never able to try it! 

After a seven hour road trip we arrived at our next tour destination - Toronto, the home of Pioneer Balloon Canada, Colin Stewart and of course, the recent NBA Championship Team, the Toronto Raptors! 

The Tour Bus Crew! 

After another very successful days training, and another group of very happy delegates, we were able to take a (sort of) day off!

Time to visit the home of Chrome! 

How cool is this artwork that is on display in the entrance of the Canadian head office! 

For me, getting the opportunity to visit one of the balloon production plants can only be equated to being like a child in a candy store. How exciting was it that on the day we visited, Chrome balloons were being made and what an amazing to sight it was to see. 

What did I learn during my time in Toronto? Well, Pioneer Canada's head office is only 45 minutes from Niagara Falls! Wow, what a magnificent sight that was! 

Fun fact: did you know that the lovely LaDonna Belcher funded her very first balloon convention by selling hot dogs! Here is LaDonna showing Paul Baker, Pioneer Canada's National Sales Manager and our official tour guide, exactly how it's done! 

LaDonna shared this story with the delegates in Boucherville and Toronto after talking to them about WBC 2021. Her belief is that if you are determined enough to do something there is always a way to do it and I could not agree more! 





Our third and final stop of our Canadian Tour was in Calgary. As this was a travel day, Paul AKA #paulsfault decided that we should leave bright and early - a wonderful 4am start so that we could spend the day once we arrived in Calgary visiting Banff with the promise to see some amazing Canadian wildlife! Jackie Ochitwa was to be my final tour teaching buddy and she joined us for the day.

Once we arrived in Banff, we were treated to a famous Canadian delicacy - Beaver Tails! So what I learned here was that Beaver Tails are not actually the backend of a beaver, but are in fact a sweet pastry treat made of dough covered in sugar, cinnamon and other delicious toppings! 

The final stop of our days adventure was at the stunning Lake Louise. This was such an incredible place with the most beautiful scenery, and a place that I would definitely love to visit again. As for seeing some of Canda's amazing wildlife, we saw a chipmunk, deer, horses and a few ducks... not exactly bears, moose or anything more exciting - definitely #paulsfault








My final training day in Calgary was shared with Jackie. Working with Jackie is always such a pleasure. We each taught for half of the day and it was such a great way to end my Canadian adventure!

Jackie Ochitwa teaching some of her amazing designs in Calgary

Sue Bowler adding those finishing touches to her organic frame

John and I wearing our wonderful Canadian Hoodies!

I would like to conclude my Canadian adventure by saying this was a fabulous experience this was for both John and myself. It was an incredible honour to be invited to teach in such a beautiful country. We met some truly talented and very gracious attendee's. Our hosts at Pioneer Canada were simply the best - thank you MaryLynn! With a very special mention to the lovely Paul Baker, who kept us well and truly entertained for the entire tour, the adorable Glory, fabulous Sandra and the dazzling Daniela. And finally to my fellow extremely talented instructors Alex, Ellie and Jackie who were a dream to work with! I hope that I get the opportunity to return one day! 

Happy Ballooning!

Sue
www.suebowler.com
#suebowler

Using Facebook's Pages to view Features - How Do You Discover How Your Competitors are Doing on Facebook

We all know that spending time working on social media can be very time consuming. But how great would it be if we could find a way to see what our competitors, the businesses that we admire, or other like-minded businesses are doing on their business Facebook pages. If we could see how and why these businesses are working so well, we could easily try to imitate and follow a similar strategy!

This can be done, using Facebook's Pages to Watch, which is hidden away in Facebook Insights!

Insights can be found at the top of your Facebook business page - you can use this tool to maximise your sharing/posting strategy. This data will help you to understand more clearly what works best for you, while avoiding the things that don’t. If you don't see Insights, click on More.

To find the Pages To Watch feature, you need to scroll down past Your 5 Most Recent Posts:

So what is so great about the Pages to Watch feature?

This feature is particularly useful if you want to see what types of posts are working for your competitors or other businesses like yours. 

You can see exactly what content they are posting, how often they are posting, and when they are posting. You can also view which posts have the most engagement.

With all that information, you can start looking at your own posts and analysing what you could do differently. When you use your insights information, you know which posts work best for you and which get the most reaction. When you learn this, you will be able to create more posts that mirror your successful posts. 

You should post videos occasionally, as they always seems to get more engagement. Or maybe you need to post more regularly? The great thing is that you can compare your activity against the pages that you are watching and you can see quickly if you efforts are working! 

You can watch any brand page on Facebook you want—you don’t even have to like the page. If you have 100 to 10,000 fans, you can create a list of up to 100 pages to watch. 

I would recommend you look at a minimum of five other pages to get started, the more you watch the more opportunities you will get to see what is making them more successful than you. 

The businesses you "watch" are in order of total Page likes, from highest to lowest. Depending on whose pages you view, your business is placed within that ranking to see how you compare with the rest - and oh boy does this kick-start your competitive drive!

If you've never used Insights, you should try to implement them into your daily social media activity, or at least make a goal to check them once a week. This tool is packed with tons of valuable information that will truly help your social media efforts! 

I expect you would like to know whose pages I watch... well, I'm not telling! ;) But, I do enjoy seeing how my renewed efforts are making my page more productive than those that I am following!

Happy Ballooning!

Sue Bowler
www.suebowler.com
#suebowler

Inspiration for Under the Sea Theme Parties

Perfect for all ages, the "Under the Sea" theme remains one of the top design ideas for party decor.

Fabulous "Under the Sea" Decor created by Cenário Balões of São Paulo, Brazil.

For me, this is one of those themes that you can really let your creativity run wild. 

When I look for inspiration for theme parties, I often look at children books, one of my favourite being  "The Rainbow Fish".

"The Rainbow Fish written by Marcus Pfister was orgiginally published in German, but then later translated into English by J. Alison James. This book tells a story of a fish who, though he does not have rainbow scales, has still very colourful ones. He has very special scales — one that are silver and shiny."

Not only is this book incredibly charming, it is also beautifully illustrated with a fabulous palette of colours and lots of sparkle － which is also perfect for confetti-filled balloons! As soon as I saw the beautiful backdrop created by Luiz Carlos da Costa Silva of Cenário Balões, it immediately took me back the fabulous Rainbow Fish stories - remember, our job is not to just create decor but to also create the wonderful memories that it makes!

Beautiful entrance decor by Cenário Balões

Qualatex^® Chrome™️ Balloons, are perfect for this theme, featuring that stunning metallic shine. And that Chrome balloon mermaid tail is perfect in every way!




Did you know that we can take Chrome balloons to another level? Check out the Custom Colour chart to find out how to make some of these fabulous new colours using Chrome, Jewel Tone and Pastel Pearls that are rich, radiant and reflective - perfect for under the water theme decor. If you would like to download this chart, click on the link.

TIP: It's very easy to custom colour using 7" Chrome balloons with 5" Jewel Tones - although the 7" balloon is slightly bigger it will easily fit inside a 5" balloon.

This Quick Link^® base was designed for a window display that I designed for a Mermaid theme. I used a mix of under-sized Chrome and "Jewel Chrome", double-stuffed balloons as the fillers.










How cute is the "Party Narwhal" balloon (below) - I have to be honest, until I saw this balloon, I had never heard of Narwhals before!

Often dubbed the unicorns of the sea (and considered to be the closest that we will ever see to a living unicorn), narwhals are strange and beautiful creatures with long tusks protruding from their heads, like a unicorn.

Once again, the lovely Jackie Ochitwa waved her magic  wand and designed this adorable and extremely sellable 2nd birthday design - look at the fishtail on the number two balloon.The use of a 13" Crescent Moon balloon as a tail is so clever!











Mermaids are still really popular, and with a remake of Disney's Little Mermaid in the works, it will soon be the number one must have party decor for girls! Last year, Jackie very kindly shared her Mermaid balloon sculpture design with Balloon Magic, so just in case you missed it, I've included in this blogpost- thank you Jackie! 

Here are some of our special shape Microfoil^® Balloons that are perfect for this theme:

40" Party Narwhal
38" Enchanting Mermaid
35" Amazing Octopus
43" Fashionable Fish
30" Super Sea Star

To complete this inspirational blog post, I would like to share more remarkable under the sea installations. The incredible Cenário Balões team from Brazil was able to craft these outstanding octopuses.

Decor created by Cenário Balões of São Paulo, Brazil.

Decor created by Cenário Balões of São Paulo, Brazil.

Decor created by Cenário Balões of São Paulo, Brazil.

This is a theme that will always be popular! If you have a shop or store window, why not you let your creativity flow and give yourself the chance to see the reaction from your customers, and use your designs to inspire your online customers too! 

A huge thank you Luiz Carlos and his fabulous team for sharing some of their amazing work and to Jackie for her fabulous Mermaid video tutorial! 

Happy Ballooning!


Sue
www.suebowler.com
#suebowler