We have been using Publer for the past couple of years, and it has been great. In 2020 is where it started to really shine. Before the pandemic, we would use Publer to post and manage our social content, thinking it was a useful tool, and that was about it. When the pandemic hit, it became an invaluable part of our digital marketing strategy that helped keep the lights on in the house.

To explain our story, I need to backtrack a little. My wife (Stephanie) manages an event management business called Pink Caviar Events, and I run Simply 360 a virtual tour and Google Street View business. We were planning to wind back my business as virtual tours in Australia (at the time) were relatively unknown, and Pink Caviar Events was growing from strength to strength each year. My skills were needed to help further develop her business. This is how Publer helped both our companies survive and manage during a difficult time.

Simply 360

When the pandemic hit, two things happened overnight. Firstly I had a rush of inquiries, and secondly, there was a rush of people buying low-end 360 cameras creating an instant barrage of competition. We had to ramp up rapidly and focus on our digital marketing with AdWords, EDMs, and social content, along with staffing and infrastructure.

Double click in the virtual tour to make it go fullscreen, or click here

Analytics

It was not a matter of posting content but focusing on the right type of content. Many of our 360 panoramic images are not recognized by major social platforms except for Facebook and YouTube (Find out more about Native 360 Social Media Sites). Understanding the right type of content to suit each platform was critical for us. We learned quickly that our Little Planet photos are excellent for engagement on Instagram and our blog/portfolio posts proved excellent for B2B inquiries. This helped us cut through the swarm of competition that suddenly appeared.

Case Study: Instagram

Our posts for photos on Instagram used to get up to 4 likes (at best). In 2020 using Publer’s multitude of features, including analysis of posting times, hashtag recommendations, geotagging, and brushing up on content strategies from Publer’s blog, we easily increased engagement.

The two images below were posted on Instagram in 2018 (left) and 2020 (right). The picture from 2018 has 13 likes, but in 2020 the same post using all the available tools from Publer has 92 likes. On average, now we achieve anywhere from 4 – 20 times what we used to get beforehand on Instagram.

SYdney 360 Little Planet Comparison

2018: 13 Likes – 2020: 92 likes

Gave us valuable time back

I was on the road a lot, traveling to many places in Sydney. In many cases, I was staying overnight in regional towns for work. When you drive around or are on location completing projects, the last thing on your mind is to post to your social channels. In conjunction with analytics, I created and scheduled content for weeks/months in advance. A combination of Google Analytics and Publer Analytics helped us determine the best times for our social and blog content.

Geotagging came at the right time

A feature that arrived at the right time when the pandemic first hit was Geotagging. Servicing such a large area like Sydney and NSW, it was important to tag where we were. Not only did it help our clients with visibility but also show prospective clients the areas that we work in. This feature really helped us reach clients that would not have heard of or seen us on social media traditionally.

Simply 360 Instagram Social Media Post

The ability to geotag where we are posting from became great for exposure for us and our clients!

Blog posting

During this year, the plugin we used for automatically sharing our newly published blogs to social stopped working. I wanted to find a solution so I could still share them but didn’t want to buy another plugin. After speaking with the CEO of Publer, he gave me some valuable insights into Publer and advised me how I could use their platform to share my blogs. This also saved me time and money.

Pink Caviar Events

When the pandemic hit in March, my wife’s business was hit severely as events could not operate with the government restrictions on mass gatherings. Overnight everything changed. Pink Caviar Events had to halt operations, reduce staffing and expenses, and re-strategize immediately.

Managing public image

With the events industry effectively on lockdown, the news focused on weddings and corporate event cancellations. Constantly being reached for comment and holding multiple interviews in March/April meant we had to manage our public image carefully. Having to rearrange and create new content, especially in the beginning it was very easy to do and manage through Publer.

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One less thing to think about

At the beginning of 2020 (before the pandemic hit), Pink Caviar Events was going through a restructure. When the pandemic hit this project became the top priority for the Pink Caviar Team. We found that after a day of using Publer, we easily redesigned our Social Media strategy, including posting times, watermarking, and content creation. We didn’t have to think about it again. It was a lot easier to adapt with Publer than any of our other digital channels.

We use every Publer feature/advantage from watermarking, hashtags, geotagging, tagging clients, cross-posting, and more.

Hashtag to your heart’s content

In 2019, we suggested adding the ability to check your post for appropriate hashtags to Publer’s features. This was implemented in 2020. Working in events, it’s a constantly evolving market. Knowing what to hashtag for each post is important. When this feature launched our hashtag game went to another level, and it resulted in higher engagement across our main channels (especially through Instagram).

It’s not just about the tech

One feature/benefit that you will not find on their features/benefits or feature roadmap is the customer experience they provide. We have used other social media management services in the past, and they lack 2 things that Publer does well. Firstly Publer listens to their customers. We have had questions and issues, and the team at Publer has been more than happy to help find a solution in a minimal amount of time.

Secondly, they are always growing and adding features. While writing this blog, I took a look at the previous social media management tool we used. In the last 2 years, they have added very few features and not much at all. Publer is constantly growing its user experience, features and is open to ideas to grow. An example was I suggested their size limit on images was too small, as most modern phones produce images larger than this. They saw the idea’s logic and removed the cap within 24 hours for a better mobile experience. Fast and efficient!

Double click in the virtual tour to make it go fullscreen or click here

Publer helped us in more ways than one

As you have read above, my wife and I have completely different businesses. One was an established business that overnight shut down while the other was winding down and became incredibly busy overnight. With these 2 very different businesses in very different situations, the one tool that helped us when times were tough was Publer. If there is one thing to take away from this blog it’s to give it a go as you have so much to gain.