Ash Read

Ash Read

A collection of posts by Ash Read

WebsiteX (Twitter)

A collection of 111 posts

ToolsJul 26, 2022
24 Best Social Media Apps to Help You Create Epic Social Media Content

Knowing you have to create new content for multiple social media channels every day can feel a little daunting, especially when you consider the range of disciplines needed to be successful. Nowadays, every marketer and business owner has to be part designer, photographer, videographer, copywriter, and editor, among other jobs. Thankfully, there are now a lot of easy-to-use tools out there to make these jobs more seamless for us all. What’s even better, with the right apps, you can create, pub

COVID-19: Social Media Management in Times of Crisis

These are times of fast-changing news around COVID-19. It’s clear that what we are facing — not just as marketers, as friends, and parents and colleagues — is unprecedented. And we’re all in it together.

Case StudiesAug 22, 2019
5 Marketing Lessons from Daily Harvest’s Journey to Shipping One Million Smoothies

Launched in 2015, Daily Harvest has become one of the fastest growing direct-to-consumer food brands in the world. * In 2017, it raised over $43m — with investors like Gwyneth Paltrow and Serena Williams * It shipped over one million smoothies in just one year after la

Buffer NewsAug 6, 2019
Announcing Hashtag Manager: A New Tool to Help You Save and Organize Hashtags for Instagram

Today we’re launching Hashtag Manager to help you save and organize hashtags for Instagram. Get started with Buffer for Instagram here . Over the years, hashtags have become an important part of any Instagram marketing strategy . By adding hashtags to your content you

InstagramJun 26, 2019
How tentree Took Over Instagram: Behind a Record-Breaking Social Media Campaign

If you spotted a little green tree making its way around Instagram back in April, you certainly weren’t alone. For Earth Week 2019, Canadian clothing brand tentree created one of the most-liked posts in Instagram history, generating over 15 million likes and helping the brand to spread its mission to plant more trees. But how did it come together? What made this campaign strike a chord with so many people? And what did the strategy behind its virality look like?

Ugly Drinks’ Four Secrets to Disrupting a $392 Billion Industry

Great businesses see the future differently. * Apple made CD’s redundant, and gave us 1,000 songs in our pocket * Airbnb took travel, and made us all feel at home across globe * Netflix made video rentals a thing of the past, and disrupted the Oscars And now, Ugly Drinks is creating a new, healthier future for the $392 billion soft drinks industry,

Case StudiesFeb 5, 2019
Building an Ecommerce Business: From Zero to $100,000 in Revenue from Instagram Ads

In February 2017, when Remi and his girlfriend Alondra were visiting Tokyo, the last thing they were thinking about was starting a business together. But a chance discovery in a Tokyo stationery store changed everything for the couple. “We stumbled upon a shelf full of stickers made by B-Side Label,” Remi explained. “The stickers were extremely high-quality and unlike anything we had ever seen.” The pair purchased a few stickers and didn’t think any more of it until the following day when they

Case StudiesFeb 4, 2019
How to Sell on Instagram: A Stories Strategy That’s Generated ‘Hundreds of Thousands’ in Sales

Prefer audio? Press play to listen to this post. This post is part of our Instagram Marketing Strategy series. The series provides you with actionable insights and lessons on how businesses are using Instagram. Next up, Jay Perkins shares how Kettlebell Kings has used Instagram to generate ‘hundreds of thousands of dollars’ in revenue.  “We all had what I guess you call ‘real jobs’,” Jay Perkins told me. Back in 2013, Jay worked at Bigcommerce, an e-commerce software provid

InstagramFeb 4, 2019
How Instagram Helps Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit to Serve Over 250,000 Customers Per Year

This post is part of our Instagram Marketing Strategy series . The series provides you with actionable insights and lessons on how businesses are using Instagram. Next up, Tarah Boyleston shows us how Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit uses Instagram to drive in-store sales. Snap, filter, post, then eat. If you’re a millennial, Instagramming your meals is probably a guilty pleasure, and an occasional part of your mealtime routine. An incredible 69 percent of

The Power of Purpose: How Taking a Stand Helps Brands to Win Customer’s Hearts (and Business)

Black Friday is the busiest shopping day of the year in the U.S., with more than 116 million people hitting the shops in search of a great deal. But REI, an outdoor clothing and equipment brand, does Black Friday differently to other retailers. For the fourth year in a row, REI closed its doors on Black Friday 2018, giving every one of its 12,000 employees the day off to enjoy the

FacebookNov 27, 2018
Life After the News Feed: Why Facebook is Shifting to Stories (And Why Your Business Should Too)

In life and business, though, change is inevitable. And just as popular culture, music, and fashion move on, Facebook should too.

Lend Us Your Thoughts: Buffer’s State of Social 2019 Survey

Our annual State of Social report will be coming out soon, and we need your help. Last year, more than 1,800 marketers shared their thoughts on social media marketing for our second annual report. And as 2019 is on the horizon, we’d love your help to make this year’s report even better! If you can spare a few minutes, we’d be keen to hear your thoughts on the current state of the social media industry. We anticipate it’ll take no longer than 3-5 minutes to complete. Click the ‘Start’ button b

How a Branded Hashtag Campaign Helped Tommy’s Superfoods to Reach More Than One Million People

When Tommy Williams was growing up in Austin Texas, he probably didn’t think his love for cooking and local farmers markets would lead to starting a nationally-recognized food brand. But that’s exactly what happened. Williams began to embrace his entrepreneurial spirit after college. As a graduate, he started selling a variety of salsas and spice mixes in local retailers — and this is where his passion for promoting a healthier way of eating really came to the fore. In 2014, Tommy’s Superfood

ToolsNov 15, 2018
Introducing Stories Creator: Quickly Create Thumb-Stopping Content for Stories

As a social media marketer, a big part of your job is to build awareness of your brand and drive conversions on various social channels. This could mean creating an engaging video for Facebook. Planning out and scheduling your tweets for the week. Writing a thought-provoking article for LinkedIn Pulse. The list goes on… You do all of this because you want to use the unique, native features of each channel to connect with your audience. You want everyone to have the best possible experience e

Why Personalization is the Next Big Opportunity in Social Media Marketing

Social media marketers are always looking to uncover the “next big thing”, and as we head into 2019 personalized social media engagement is becoming the latest must-have strategy for businesses of all sizes. According to recent Epsilon research , 80 percent of consumers are more likely to do business with a company if it offers a persona

Buffer NewsOct 9, 2018
Introducing SocialChat by Buffer, the Easiest Way to Start Conversations With Website Visitors

Today, we’re excited to launch, SocialChat by Buffer, a simple, free tool that enables visitors to start social media conversations on your website. Each and every day, people visit your website to learn more about your business. The problem is a large percentage of websites don’t really support visitors in helping them to find what they want. In reality, most website visits are simply ignored — that was excusable a couple of years back, but not so much now. People in 2018 don’t want to have

AdvertisingOct 4, 2018
Do Twitter Ads Really Work? A Surprising Experiment: 17.2 Million Views From a Single Twitter Thread

As the New Year approaches, many of us find ourselves in a reflective mood. And that’s exactly how JotForm founder, Aytekin ‏Tank, felt as 2017 was drawing to a close. As he walked along the Embarcadero, one of the liveliest and most scenic areas in San Francisco, looking back on the year, he was a little zoned out to everything happening around him. Meditative. Introspective. Contemplative. He had many things to celebrate: JotForm had grown to a team of more than 130 people across the globe,

FacebookSep 26, 2018
Facebook Stories Hits 300 Million Users and Rolls Out Ads Globally

Today, Facebook has announced that it’s rolling out Facebook Stories Ads to advertisers globally. More than 300 million people use Facebook Stories and Messenger Stories every day. Since Snapchat debuted the Stories format back in 2013, it has taken over the social media landscape. Facebook first introduced the format to one of its properties in 2016 with the launch of Instagram Stories [https://buffer.com

How to Master Vertical Video and Stories: Introducing Our New Email Series

Today we’re launching a short email series enabling anyone to understand the importance of vertical video, and how to get started with the format. The Stories format, first popularized by Snapchat, has changed the social media landscape. The format, which encourages users to share short, vertical videos and images has presented marketers, creators, and individuals with innovative, interactive storytelling experiences — and has spearheaded the vertical video revolution. More than one billion p

Q4 Content Calendar: Important Dates and Campaign Ideas for Small Businesses

The last quarter of the year is always a busy one for marketers. Between October and the end of December, we have the holiday season, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and more. Each of these dates provides an opportunity for your business to connect with your audience and target customers. And though it might seem like there’s too much to keep on top of, with a bit of advance planning, it’s possible to ensure you don’t miss a beat in Q4. To help, we’ve put together this Q4 content calen

Case StudiesSep 13, 2018
AJ&Smart Has Generated More Than €2 Million in Sales from Social Media: Here’s How

* Product design and innovation studio AJ&Smart has generated more than €2million from clients who first discovered it on social media. * Ninety percent of AJ&Smart’s new clients now come from social media referrals, replacing word-of-mouth as the #1 source of new business. * Social media has helped AJ&Smart’s client base to go global. It was a cold January morning in Berlin, Germany, and Jonathan Courtney was feeling a bit stuck. Nearly six years had passed since he founded design ag

AdvertisingSep 10, 2018
LinkedIn Dynamic Ads Enable Marketers to Engage Prospects with Ads Automatically Personalized to Them

LinkedIn now has more than 500 million users and if you want to reach business decision-makers, it could be the perfect place for you to market your business — especially with the addition of a new, personalized ad format. Introducing Dynamic Ads LinkedIn has released a new ad-type called Dynamic Ads . In the Dynamic Ads launch b

To Give Your Marketing Meaning, Start With Your Mission

The greatest marketing campaigns are the ones that connect with us, inspire action and leave a lasting impact. Think Casey Neistat’s ‘Make It Count ‘ collaboration with Nike, Airbnb’s ‘Belong Anywhere ‘ or Patagonia’s ‘ Fighting for Public Lands ‘. Very few businesses ever achieve anything that connects with their audience like these campaigns. In fact,