What would you do if the moon fell from the night sky…?
Maverick is the most loveable doggie. He’s cute, cuddly and super smart. Maverick and the Boy love to play. One day, they even get to play with the Moon!
Come and join the adventure and help Maverick and the Boy use their Magic to get the Moon back into the sky!
Maverick, The Moon and Me is a visual, interactive story for young children and their families with Magic and beautiful live music.
Creating and developing advertising on social media can be a minefield. When you get it right, great things can happen. But, if you get it wrong it can cost you a lot of money.
Gil David, Founder of Run DMG, has spent over 13 years in sales, marketing, and business management, as well as over five years running social media adverts for a wide range of clients, including beauty chains and ecommerce stores, online coaches, and nationwide fitness franchises.
As someone who has worked with social media advertising budgets from a few hundred pounds to £150,000 plus, Gil has a wealth of experience and tips to share.
Gil delivered an insightful session on Facebook and Instagram advertising at a Lunchtime Learning session facilitated by the Cathedral Quarter BID (Business Improvement District).
Gil’s first point may come as a bit of a surprise to many, he said: “One thing I won’t focus on in this session is targeting. It’s talked about a lot but it’s pretty straightforward to do and it isn’t as important as some of the other elements.
“If you have a smaller budget, targeting might be more important, or if your product or service is much more niche. But if your product or service would interest a wide range of people and your main market is within Northern Ireland, the actual size of the market is too small to overly benefit from very specific targeting.
“For example, in comparison with running advertising campaigns in America where there are millions more people.”
With that out of the way, Gil went on to explain some of his key tips and tricks to running successful Instagram and Facebook adverts.
1. Get the Facebook pixel installed on your website
Gil explained: “This is a simple piece of code that you may be able to install yourself using a plugin or app, but if not, your web developer should be able to do this for you very quickly. The pixel is good not just for monitoring your ad performance but also for optimising adverts.”
To comply with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) you should have a cookie policy on your website anyway, but if you install the Facebook pixel make sure to update this, along with any other Privacy Notices, so your website users know what data you are collecting and how you plan to use it.
2. Don’t jump straight to the sales pitch
This is especially so if you aren’t a well known brand, consumers go through a process before making a purchase – they need to know who you are, they need to like you, they need to trust you, then they’ll make the decision to buy.
“This process fits nicely into a sales funnel where your adverts aim to increase awareness of your brand in the first instance, then to encourage interest in your products and services, before leading to a prospective customer making a purchase” said Gil, adding: “From there you can retarget customers for more sales, or to cross-sell other products and services.”
It’s unlikely that you will achieve significant sales the first time you run adverts on social media. Potential customers should first become familiar with your company and understand the benefits that your product or service will offer them, before they make the decision to purchase.
3. Get the creative right
When it comes to adverts on social media, it is estimated that the creative (or imagery) element used contributes 47% to the overall sales contribution (targeting is 9%). The image or still (if using video) needs to be eye-catching, with videos of 30 seconds duration generally being viewed as ideal. This depends on the complexity of the product or service you offer and the needs of your target audience.
Square 1:1 ratio (1080×1080) or tall 4:5 ratio (1080×1350) works best on Facebook and Instagram and remember to include text or captions in the video because most people tend to watch with the sound off.
4. Entice with good copy.
Gil said: “Your offer should state who you are, what you do, and give customers a reason for them to purchase.”
And he gave these examples:
Bad Offer – We are NI’s biggest bed store. 20% off today!
Better Offer – The widest range of beds in NI. 20% off today.
Best Offer – Say goodbye to sore backs and enjoy a great night’s sleep every time with our Snooze Guarantee. NI’s widest range of beds. Get 20% off when you shop today at Sleepys.
5. Always be testing
Gil revealed: “Test as many versions of your advert as your budget allows for. Around seven out of ten ads fail. Check on your ad results regularly. You should know within 2,000 to 3,000 impressions if the ad is successful or not. Aim for a 1% click through rate, and around £1 cost per click. Though this can depend a lot on your product or service. Stop those ads that aren’t working and double down on those that are.”
Armagh County Museum, Market Place Theatre and Brownlow House follow Navan Centre & Fort and FE McWilliam Gallery in opening their doors
Several more of Armagh’s top visitor attractions will reopen their doors in August, including Armagh County Museum, Brownlow House and the Market Place Theatre, it was confirmed today.
FE McWilliam Gallery in Banbridge and Armagh’s Navan Fort & Centre reopened this week.
With new safety measures introduced which adhere to government and public and health guidance, Armagh Country Museum opens on Wednesday 12 August from 10am until 4pm and admission is free.
The oldest county museum on the island of Ireland and set in Armagh City’s beautiful tree-lined Mall, its collections capture centuries of stories relating to the people who lived, worked and had connections with this famous city and historic county. With collections ranging from local history and fine art to archaeology and natural history, this is the ideal place to experience a flavour of the famous ‘orchard county’.
You can also enjoy the museum’s newest exhibition, Troubles Art, which continues until October and which draws from the art collection at National Museums Northern Ireland featuring artists’ response to the troubles and border counties. Part of the Making the Future project, a cross-border cultural heritage programme funded through the PEACE IV Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), it’s definitely worth a visit.
Another place to explore this summer is Armagh’s much-loved Market Place Theatre – just a short stroll from the Mall – and is preparing to reopen safely for visitors from Friday 7 August. This flagship venue will be open from Thursday to Saturday every week from 10am to 4pm, welcoming visitors to view a fantastic photographic exhibition by Vincent Loughran in its spacious gallery.
The Market Place Theatre’s hugely popular interactive workshop programme will also resume on Saturdays throughout August. Places are still available for creating your own Macramé Plant Holder on 15 August. Unfortunately all other workshops are sold out. Booking for the Macramé workshop and further information is available by contacting the box office during its opening hours on 028 3752 1821 or through www.visitarmagh.com/marketplacetheatre.
Meanwhile, the grand Elizabethan Brownlow House safely reopens to visitors on Monday 4 August in Lurgan Park, Northern Ireland’s largest and most beautiful urban park. Built in age of grandeur and cultured tastes, Lurgan Castle as it’s known locally is an imposing building situated just a few minutes’ walk from the Lurgan town centre. Built in 1833, this Grade A listed destination should be on everyone’s itinerary this summer.
Visitor safety is a priority across all reopening venues and new measures are firmly in place for the everyone’s health and wellbeing.
For more information and ideas on things to do, places to visit, eat, drink and enjoy, www.visitarmagh.com.
Belfast’s First Citizen was the first official visitor to the world-class experience since it closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak on 18th March 2020. At the sneak preview, he experienced Titanic Belfast’s one-way, self-guided themed tour throughout the galleries and SS Nomadic, which from the 1st – 31st August 2020 can be enjoyed for free by NHS workers as a thank you for their work during the pandemic.
Judith Owens, Chief Executive of Titanic Belfast commented, “We are absolutely delighted to open our doors again. Welcoming visitors, telling stories and creating experiences is what we do best. Now more than ever, we need the support of our city and Northern Ireland, and we’ve been working away behind the scenes to ensure that those who come to visit have a truly memorable Titanic experience. For us, home is where the heart is and this has never been more apparent. As one of Belfast’s iconic symbols, we are always keen to play our part and reflect the city’s spirit. While everyone in Northern Ireland has done their bit, our NHS staff, from emergency services to healthcare workers, were are on the front line dealing with the spread of coronavirus and this is our way of saying thank you to our local heroes for their hard work and bravery.”
Throughout the pandemic, Titanic Belfast was a symbol of Northern Ireland’s spirit and sported a colourful rainbow illumination at night as a display of positivity and hope and lit up blue for Clap for Carers as a gesture of its appreciation to the NHS.
The Lord Mayor of Belfast, Alderman Frank McCoubrey commented, “Titanic Belfast is synonymous with Belfast, it is an inspiring testament to RMS Titanic and our city. As First citizen, it was a privilege to be its first official visitor and experience the enhancements it has made for locals this year. There is no doubt that discovering the world-famous story on our doorstep evokes a sense of civic pride and I would encourage locals to support the world-leading attraction by visiting this summer.”
In addition to its one-way, self-guided themed tour, visitors will be able to experience its award-winning outdoor Discovery Tour, Titanic Foundation’s Out of Stores Exhibition and its new Maritime Mile Treasure Trail, which will be launched in August.
Kerrie Sweeney, Chief Executive of Titanic Foundation Limited, the charity that owns the iconic building, explained “Together with Titanic Belfast, we wanted to offer more for our visitors. That’s why we have opened our archives for the ‘Out of Stores’ Exhibition in Titanic Belfast’s Andrews Gallery for those who want to learn more about the men who built the ship and will be launching our new Maritime Mile Treasure Trail so that local people and visitors can discover the history ingrained in this area whilst enjoying this expansive outdoor space in the heart of the city.”
Titanic Belfast is ‘We’re Good to Go’ registered and its Galley Café will be taking part in the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ Initiative. It will be accepting pre-bookings only and operating on a reduced capacity to allow for physical distancing. It has also implemented stringent protocol around hygiene, while staff will be practicing and encouraging physical distancing measures at all times. For those NHS frontline workers that would like to avail of the free admission must claim their ticket before their visit by phoning Titanic Belfast in advance. For more information visit titanicbelfast.com.
Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council is showing support for the local tourism providers through funding of £82k to market and promote the Borough as a location for visitors to enjoy and experience.
As part of this project, the Council will be working in partnership with Tourism NI through its ‘small step to a Giant Adventure Campaign’ to maximise the promotion of tourism, accommodation and hospitality providers in the Borough.
There are also plans to develop activity taster sessions, tours and itineraries to highlight the outdoor experiences the Borough has to offer which will be rolled out in the coming months. A grants programme will also be developed to specifically address current industry deficiencies and act as a catalyst for further tourism development.
Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Councillor Jim Montgomery said, “The tourism sector has been hit hard by the recent pandemic and it is promising to see this investment from Council. We have a vast offering of exceptional places to eat, stay and enjoy in our Borough and this funding will help promote and attract people to come and visit the Antrim and Newtownabbey area through the planned marketing campaigns and initiatives.”
A unique story-trail adventure is coming to Coleraine this summer to encourage families back to the town centre.
Organised by Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s Town & Village Management team, the Monster Hero Safari aims to bring back safe family fun after the restrictions and challenges of recent months.
10 Monster Heroes have been spotted around the streets of Coleraine and we need you to find them! Start your Safari by finding your first character hidden in a shop window. Tap or scan with your smart phone and learn the names, stories and powers of all 10 colourful characters to unlock your free ebook about their adventures.
There is a nominal fee (minimum £2) to take part with all money raised going to NHS Charities Together, but the Town & Village Management team has made it free for the first 1000 participants.
Encouraging families to participate, the Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council Alderman Mark Fielding said: “I’m delighted to see that Coleraine is taking part in this UK-wide initiative to draw people back to the town centre.
“The pedestrianised shopping area provides the ideal space for an activity like this, and the outdoor trail is a great way to find out more about the town’s retail offering and mix of independent businesses and well-known names. It’s crucial that we support our local towns and villages as they re-open again and I hope lots of families choose to visit Coleraine and enjoy everything the town has to offer while continuing to be mindful about ongoing health guidelines.”
Coleraine’s Monster Hero Safari will begin on Friday 31st July and run until Friday 4th September.
Titanic Belfast, Hillsborough Castle and Ulster Museum to give visitors a giant welcome once again
A number of Northern Ireland’s most popular visitor attractions will reopen this week offering even more fantastic options for the perfect day-trip or staycation activity this year.
On Thursday July 30, The Ulster Museum and Hillsborough Castle and Gardens reopened after lockdown while on Saturday August 1, the award-winning Titanic Belfast will give a giant welcome to visitors once again as they immerse in the world-famous story.
There will be even more to explore in the coming weeks, as the Ulster Folk Museum and Ulster American Folk Park will both reopen on August 13 while it’s full steam ahead for the Ulster Transport Museum to reopen its doors on August 20.
Tick these cultural experiences off your bucket list as part of your amazing adventures in the coming months, with plenty of world-class museums and heritage spots to explore:
Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, County Down, reopened July 30
On a 45-minute tour of the elegant Georgian castle, in the charming village of Hillsborough, you follow in the footsteps of world leaders and meander through plush and lovingly restored State Rooms. There are many layers of stories here, and your guide will share hundreds of years’ worth of tales, about celebrations, entertainment, diplomacy and negotiations.You can also enjoy the beautiful craft giftshop and award-winning food from the Yellow Door café. You must pre-book your ticket. Castle and garden tickets: Adult £13.70, Child £6.80. https://www.hrp.org.uk/hillsborough-castle/
Ulster Museum, Belfast, reopened July 30
Everywhere you look in Belfast there is history to be seen and The National Museums are a great place to start. The Ulster Museum, a world to captivate the curious, this treasure house of the past and present offers something for art lovers, history buffs, excited children and the simply curious. Dive into the discovery zones of art, history and science as the museum’s impressive collections take you across Ireland to all corners of the globe. Admission to the Ulster Museum is free.https://www.nmni.com/home.aspx
Titanic Belfast, reopening August 1
The shimmering star-shaped Titanic Belfast is the biggest and best experience of the most famous ship in the world. Take your time and enjoy the journey over nine interactive galleries featuring special effects, dark rides and full-scale reconstructions. Walk through Victorian Belfast and meet the men who spent four years building the ill-fated ship before visiting the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, her final resting place. Prices include adult £19, children between 5-16 £8.50, children under 5 go free, family ticket £46.50. https://titanicbelfast.com/
Ulster Folk Museum, County Down, reopening August 13
Step back in time and experience what life was like in Ulster over 100 years ago. Wander Ulster Folk Museum’s rolling countryside and bustling town filled with authentic, period buildings. You’ll find an old-time picture house, post office and corner shop on streets inhabited by people in period dress. Try your hand at basket weaving or see a blacksmith hard at work. Take a ride on an old bus into the countryside, where whitewashed farmhouses dot the fields. Meet some of the horses, donkeys and hens that kept the rural world turning. Book tickets online in advance to guarantee your timeslot, with a range of ticket options available. https://www.nmni.com/home.aspx
Ulster American Folk Park, County Tyrone, reopening August 13
Immerse yourself in the story of the brave emigrants who made the journey across the Atlantic to America hundreds of years ago. Wander the well-trodden pathways of rural Ulster, complete with a bustling street and welcoming farmhouses. Become part of family life in thatched cottages, learn lessons in the schoolhouse, see traditional crafts brought to life and taste some good old-fashioned fayre. Board a full-scale emigrant ship and experience the cramped quarters where hundreds of people lived during their twelve-week Atlantic crossing. Book tickets online in advance to guarantee your timeslot, with a range of ticket options available. https://www.nmni.com/home.aspx
Ulster Transport Museum, County Down, reopening August 20
If you’re a railway enthusiast, you’ve a treat in store at the Ulster Transport Museum. There’s an impressive collection of steam locomotives, passenger carriages and goods wagons to explore. Be transported back in time and explore one of the most comprehensive transport collections in Europe. You’ll find majestic locomotives, horse-drawn carriages, vintage motorbikes, and cars at the museum, along with exhibits of historical materials including photographs of the Titanic. Book tickets online in advance to guarantee your timeslot, with a range of ticket options available. https://www.nmni.com/home.aspx
Titanic Belfast, Hillsborough Castle and Gardens along with all National Museums NI premises have received the ‘We’re Good to Go’ industry standard, meaning that visitors can return safely in the knowledge that the museums each adhere to government and public health guidance on Covid-19.
Everyone is also reminded that booking in advance is required and numbers will be limited in order to comply with social distancing protocols.
Stay local while still getting away at discovernorthernireland.com. #DiscoverNI #EmbraceAGiantSpirit
The award-winning Antrim Castle Gardens can now offer much more to visitors as further services are restored. Crowned Tourism Northern Ireland’s Best Site Authentic Experience in 2019 and awarded a four-star excellent quality grading earlier this year, this visitor attraction is ready to welcome visitors from across Northern Ireland and beyond.
Antrim Castle Gardens was a safe haven for local residents during lockdown with the grounds accessible for daily exercise, bringing benefits to physical and mental wellbeing. As restrictions have gradually relaxed the Gardens has welcome many returning visitors, both local and from further afield.
Early July saw the opening of the Garden Coffee Shop, Clotworthy Courtyard and toilet facilities and now additional attractions including the Parterre Garden and Garden Heritage Space will reopen from Saturday 1 August. The overflow car park and gift shop will reopen from Monday 3 August.
The Oriel Gallery will showcase the work of local artist Sorrell Wills, a past President of the Ulster Society of Women’s Artists, whose exhibition featuring many well-loved local scenes, opens on Saturday 8 August. Sorrell herself will be in residence throughout much of the exhibition demonstrating her creativity and skill.
Small outdoor Weddings made a welcome return in June and Clotworthy House meeting spaces are now also available to book, accommodating for now a maximum of six people, to meet with appropriate social distancing.
Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Councillor Jim Montgomery said “Nestled beside our town centre Antrim Castle Gardens is often described as the ‘Jewel in the Crown of Antrim Town’. During the lockdown period the Gardens were a haven as many locals flocked to this beautiful setting for calm amongst the chaos whilst making the most of the beautiful weather. As restrictions are lifted, visitor numbers continue to grow and I am pleased we are able to offer our full services again making the visitor experience much more appealing.”
With the promotion of ‘Staycations’, encouraging people to holiday at home this year, it is expected that Antrim Castle Gardens will prove to be a very popular visitor attraction for the months ahead in turn providing welcome economic support to the Borough.
If you have yet to visit these Majestic Gardens make a date now as it is a great day out for all ages to enjoy.
Established over 50 years ago, Queen’s Film Theatre is Northern Ireland’s only arthouse cinema, showing a diverse range of films for a diverse audience.
In recent years they have relied heavily on their clever use of Facebook in order to drive audiences to the theatre.
Ellen Reay has been the Marketing Coordinator at Queen’s Film Theatre since 2019. She has an MA in Arts Administration and Cultural Policy from University of London, and before returning to Northern Ireland to work at QFT, she previously worked in marketing for the Barbican Centre in London, the Independent Cinema Office, and London International Festival of Theatre.
Ellen talked about her experiences of using Facebook to promote the theatre, as well as some tips and tricks she has picked up along the way.
She said: “When I started working for QFT I inherited their social media strategy, which aimed to pinpoint the focus of our social media efforts.
“It focused on communication, information, and collaboration, but the overarching theme was community.
“Based on this, I shifted our focus to encouraging the community (developing the brand), informing the community (generating sales), and helping the community (offering customer service via social media).”
Here are Ellen’s key takeaways from the session:
1. Encouraging the Community (Developing the Brand)
Ellen explained that there was a massive spike in engagement on the QFT Facebook page when they celebrated the 50th anniversary of QFT with the QFT50 campaign.
“This campaign gave us the freedom to talk more about our organisation and our history. We created two new campaigns on Facebook – #TBT and #WeAreQFT. #TBT, or throwback-Thursday, is not a new campaign, but it gave us an easy and recognisable way to share our history with our audience.
“We digitised our archive of programmes and image stock, so rather than them gathering dust, we were able to share them with our followers.
“#WeAreQFT was inspired by social media accounts like ‘Humans of New York. Every week a member of the QFT community is put in the spotlight. This could be a member of staff, a regular customer, or a special guest.
“We created a questionnaire for the feature and then share the answers in the post. These posts perform exceptionally well for us, with roughly a 60% increase in reach and 670% increase in engagement compared to other posts on our page.
“The plan is to run these campaigns for a year and then take stock, with a six-month review in between. We are looking for what commonalities there are in the posts that perform well compared with those that don’t, as well as checking if there is a clear better time for QFT to post.”
2.Informing the Community (Generating Sales)
QFT have between two and 20 showings per week, and Ellen explained they rarely get a lead time that is longer than six weeks.
She added: “To keep us agile and responsive, we have a weekly posting schedule and the rest of our content is directed by trends or business needs. We have a weekly marketing meeting, and currently post approximately every hour each weekday.
“Monday is ‘Monday Madness’ with £4 tickets, Tuesday is #WeAreQFT, Wednesday is the following week’s programme, Thursday is #TBT, and Friday is Fresh Film Friday where we talk about a new release.
“We make a lot of our own content by putting our branding over film imagery, but we also share independent content such as reviews for films that can encourage debate.
“Facebook Events are really important to us. Special Screenings are added as events. Where a post about a screening might get 2,000 impressions, an event for the same screening would get around 32,000 impressions.”
3. Helping the Community (Customer Service via Facebook)
“We have a contact number and contact page on our website, but we are finding more and more that people are turning to social media to make enquiries or ask for advice” said Ellen, adding: “We use Facebook Messenger for customer service. We communicate in an automatic reply how long it should take to receive a response, and we also use automatic replies for frequently asked questions.”
QFT’s successful use of Facebook to market their business should inspire small business owners to try new things on the platform.
When considering your Facebook strategy Ellen said: “Think about your strategy, your brand, personalising your content, using word of mouth, and make sure to evaluate and review performance and make tweaks based on the results.
“A lot of marketers are short on time, but this step is important. Also, while Facebook is a key component of our marketing strategy and a lot of what we do is organic, to get your brand in front of a new audience, you generally have to pay for some Facebook advertising.”
Enjoy world class cooking and produce with Eat Out to Help Out scheme
Tourism Northern Ireland is encouraging local people to explore Northern Ireland’s world-class food scene during their staycations with the Eat Out to Help Out scheme. There’s never been a better time to enjoy Northern Ireland’s outstanding restaurants, gastro pubs, cafés and other eateries after the government vowed to pick up part of your bill throughout August. And better yet, the offer is unlimited!
From 3 to 31 August, Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme will see meals being discounted by 50%, up to a maximum of £10 per person including children (alcohol and service charges not included), in a bid to give the economy a post-lockdown boost.
What do you need to do? Absolutely nothing! Just simply look out for participating hotels, pubs and restaurants displaying the logo, and make sure to book a table.
Participating restaurants will automatically have the discount applied to customers’ bills on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays during August. There is now a portal of participating restaurants available – simply enter your postcode and find venues within a 5 mile radius that are taking part in the initiative.
Tourism NI Experience Development Officer for Food and Drink, Gary Quate said: “During lockdown, we all had our time to shine in the kitchen, or otherwise! The people of Northern Ireland deserve some culinary repose and there has never been a better time to support our local industry.
“From Michelin rated restaurants to fantastic gastro pubs, the food scene in Northern Ireland is flourishing. Our talented chefs look forward to serving up some of the best local produce that Northern Ireland is renowned for. The Eat Out to Help Out scheme is a fantastic opportunity for diners to embrace a giant taste of Northern Ireland.”
