Samantha Collier

Articles by: Samantha Collier

Samantha Collier

Samantha Collier is the owner-operator of What's Next Consulting, a digital marketing and copywriting firm in Newcastle upon Tyne, U.K.

Samantha's marketing career began in 2008 as a social media strategist at the British Broadcasting Corporation. She has since worked for Silverbean, a marketing agency, and as an in-house marketer for the Mayborn Group (baby product manufacturers), Accapi Group (European distributors), Ocado (online grocer), and Master Debonair (menswear retailer).

Samantha holds a B.A. in History with honors from Northumbria University and an M.A. in Radio Production and Management from the University of Sunderland.

Connect with Sam on LinkedIn or via email.

Influencers & Affiliates
The Rise of De-influencers

March 8, 2023 • Samantha Collier

De-influencers address consumers' desire for authenticity and transparency. It's the anecdote to over-the-top marketing pitches.
Social Media
Is Reddit Open for Business?

February 23, 2023 • Samantha Collier

The new "Reddit for Business" ad offerings can help merchants reach target audiences. But beware: Reddit is not for the fainted-hearted.
Customer Service
6 Customer Service Examples from Online Retailers

February 13, 2023 • Samantha Collier

Changing consumer expectations and advances in technology provide merchants the opportunity to test customer support options. Many reduce costs while improving shoppers' experiences.
Social Media
8 TikTok Content Ideas for Merchants

February 9, 2023 • Samantha Collier

TikTok is much more than teens and dance videos. Users represent seemingly every demographic and interest. It's an opportunity for merchants and brands to connect with their audiences.
Social Media
Is BeReal for Real?

January 23, 2023 • Samantha Collier

BeReal users post instant, immediate photos of their daily activities. The site has scaled to 73 million monthly users. But what's the revenue model?
Customer Service
8 Customer Service Channels for Ecommerce

January 10, 2023 • Samantha Collier

Online customer service ranges from live agents to static FAQs. Here are eight common customer service options with pros and cons of each.
Social Media
Using WhatsApp for Ecommerce

December 13, 2022 • Samantha Collier

WhatsApp offers ecommerce merchants an excellent engagement and sales channel. Here's how to get started.
Social Media
Social Media Platform Updates for November 2022

November 29, 2022 • Samantha Collier

Here are the latest feature updates from leading social media platforms — Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and more.
Social Media
Comparing Social Media Scheduling Tools

November 8, 2022 • Samantha Collier

Social media scheduling tools streamline what was once a manual, burdensome task. Selecting a tool depends largely on a user's preferred channels and features.
Social Media
Will Ads on Instagram Reduce Organic Reach?

February 1, 2016 • Samantha Collier

Instagram has become one of the most popular social media apps, with over 400 million active monthly users and 80 million photos uploaded daily. Instagram’s move to open up advertising ...
Social Media
Tips, Tricks to Optimize a YouTube Channel

January 4, 2016 • Samantha Collier

Using YouTube for your business is easy. Simply set up a channel and start uploading videos. But as your investment in video grows, so does the pressure to make sure ...
Social Media
Using the New Twitter Polls for Ecommerce

December 1, 2015 • Samantha Collier

Twitter announced its new polling feature in October and quickly rolled it out across the desktop site, mobile site, and mobile app. Here is Twitter’s announcement video. Coming soon! We’re rolling out the ability for everyone ...
Social Media
Retail Brands Embrace Emojis, for Marketing

November 3, 2015 • Samantha Collier

Emojis are symbols or icons that express an idea or an emotion. Unlike emoticons, which use plain text to create a facial expression — like this :-D — emojis are ...
Social Media
6 Social Media Lessons from the BBC, for Ecommerce

October 5, 2015 • Samantha Collier

The British Broadcasting Corporation operates 11 U.K.-based radio networks, 10 television channels, and popular consumer broadcasts — such as Top Gear, The Great British Bake Off, and Strictly Come Dancing.
Social Media
Optimizing Instagram for Ecommerce: 10 Tips

September 2, 2015 • Samantha Collier

With 300 million active monthly users and 30 billion photos shared to date, Instagram is one of social media’s great success stories. This social channel is entirely visual, focused on ...
Social Media
Little-known Social Media Features that Boost Engagement

July 28, 2015 • Samantha Collier

Once you come to grips with social media, the main functions of each network — posting, sharing, liking, commenting — become second nature. But there’s a hidden world of advanced ...
Social Media
8 Content Formats to Jazz-up Social Media Posts

July 1, 2015 • Samantha Collier

It can be easy to fall back on tried and trusted formats when developing content for social media channels. Sometimes there isn’t time to think more widely about the types ...
Social Media
5 Tools to Plan and Post Social Media Content

June 1, 2015 • Samantha Collier

Planning social media content across multiple platforms can be complicated. Social media schedules typically include multiple events and wider marketing initiatives; a seemingly simple social media plan can quickly turn complex. In this post,
Social Media
Meerkat, Periscope Pioneer Video-streaming Apps

April 28, 2015 • Samantha Collier

Periscope and Meerkat are apps that stream video content live and promote the streams through Twitter. These apps take real-time communication into the era of unlimited mobile data packages. Previously, Twitter ...
Social Media
Comparing Facebook Video to YouTube, for Ecommerce

April 1, 2015 • Samantha Collier

Facebook’s video capabilities are gaining momentum, with new functionality and advertising options. Video is taking over our Facebook newsfeeds. Many ecommerce video marketers are starting to question whether they should emphasize Facebook ...
Social Media
6 Compelling Twitter Lessons from Small Businesses

March 2, 2015 • Samantha Collier

There are plenty of ways that small businesses can grow a Twitter following without spending a lot of money. Here are six examples. Tyres 2 U: @tyres2u Twitter followers: 7,350 Tyres 2 U ...
Social Media
WhatsApp to Change Social Media Marketing?

January 29, 2015 • Samantha Collier

WhatsApp is a mobile messaging app that allows users to communicate via free SMS style messages within the app. It launched in 2009 and gained popularity as a way of ...
Social Media
Review Social Media Channels for 2015

January 5, 2015 • Samantha Collier

This article will address how to review and retool social media marketing for 2015, to improve its effectiveness. 1. Conduct a Channel Audit You can’t retool until you know what you have to work ...
Social Media
8 Favorite Social Media Campaigns in 2014

December 3, 2014 • Samantha Collier

It’s time to round up the social media campaigns in 2014 that have stood out from the crowd. Here are my favorites. 1. Cancer Research #NoMakeUpSelfie First up is a huge charity ...
Social Media
Social Media-based Customer Service: Dos and Don’ts

October 31, 2014 • Samantha Collier

Customer service can make or break an online business. A willingness by merchants to address customer feedback demonstrates concern, which helps assure new shoppers. It also encourages repeat purchases. Merchants increasingly ...
Social Media
4 Ways to Create Social Media Images, for Ecommerce

September 24, 2014 • Samantha Collier

The use of quality images can be the difference between 50 or 500 social media followers. From Facebook to Twitter to Pinterest to Tumblr, the emphasis is now on imagery.
Social Media
4 Alternative Social Sites for Ecommerce Merchants

August 29, 2014 • Samantha Collier

Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are the social media sites most used by ecommerce merchants. Google+ and Pinterest are quickly gaining ground. However, these are not the only social platforms that ...
Social Media
Instagram vs. Vine: Which Is Better for Ecommerce?

July 29, 2014 • Samantha Collier

Instagram added video to its app in the summer of 2013. This feature came just five months after the launch of Vine, the video-sharing app. Both apps allow the creation ...
Social Media
Reddit for Ecommerce Marketers: Dos and Don’ts

June 30, 2014 • Samantha Collier

Reddit is a thriving social community based around sharing content. With more than 113 million monthly unique users, you may think this would be the perfect place for ecommerce marketers.
Social Media
What Does Snapchat Mean for Ecommerce?

April 30, 2014 • Samantha Collier

Snapchat has been one of the biggest social media breakthroughs of the last year. With limited web presence, this mobile-only messaging app focuses on personal and time-limited content. Snapchat’s private ...