The devil works hard, but the Instagram development team works harder… It seems like every week there is a new feature to try.

Honestly, it can be a lot… even for us, and we work in Social Media. But as always, we’ve got your back… so we put together a handy list of new features you may want to utilize! Here they are:

“Add Yours” Sticker

Chances are you’ve already seen at least one person share the new “Add Yours” sticker to their Story. The sticker is exactly how it sounds: you add a photo that matches whatever the prompt is.

The “Add Yours” sticker is set up to be a chain reaction that starts with the poster’s followers and then spreads to any user on Instagram. It’s a huge opportunity for reaching a new audience and driving engagement.

How to:

1. Tap to add a new Story
2. Tap the Sticker icon
3. Choose Add Yours Sticker
4. Type a theme or choose from the available questions/topics
5. Post the Story

Link In Stories For Everyone

FINALLY—everyone has the ability to add links in their Instagram Story— now via Stickers. (Yes, even those with less than 10K followers!)

Instagram has officially retired the Swipe Up link in Stories that was exclusive to those with 10k+ followers. Now Link Stickers appear on screen just like any other Instagram Stories sticker — but with the addition of a link icon!

What makes this great news even better is that now viewers can react and reply to a Story that includes a link, which allows for more engagement. Previously, Stories with links could not be replied to.

“Collab” On Feed & Reels

Collabs allow users to be able to co-create & co-post Instagram feed posts and Reels – allowing both accounts to potentially reach new audiences through each other.

How to:

Once you upload your post, go to the Share screen like you normally do, but then tap “Tag People.”

There will be a choice in the bottom right to “Invite Collaborator.” Tap that & search to find the user you want to collab with.

Upload Photos And Videos From Desktop

Users can now post Feed images or videos from the desktop app on their computer!

How to:

Log in to Instagram on a PC or Mac and click “+” at the top of the screen.

Then drag and drop a photo or video from your computer, edit your visual, write your caption, add your hashtags, and then post!

Text-To-Speech Feature On Instagram Reels

Yep, this popular TikTok feature is now available on Instagram Reels!

This new feature is great for story telling. It’s a robotic voice-over that sounds a little like Siri (or Alexa for you Android users).

How to:

First, use the regular text tool and type out what you’d like to say onto your Story.

Then, tap on the text button at the bottom of the screen until the “hidden” menu pops up, then select “Text-to-Speech.”

“Limits” To Hide Abusive Messages

Instagram is finally working hard to protect its users from abusive or bullying comments and DMs.

“Limits” now allows users to limit or hide comments/messages coming from users who are not following or who have just followed.

This option is available globally for all Instagram users using the app.

How to:

1. Got to Settings
2. Then Privacy
3. Then Limits
4. Choose what group you would like to limit and for how long
5. Click Turn On

Hidden Words

Like “Limits,” another feature that Instagram hopes will protect users and have a positive impact on mental health is the option to hide certain words in comments or direct messages.

This feature allows users to filter certain words, phrases, and emojis that they find offensive. Any message or comment that includes a hidden word will be redirected to a separate “hidden” folder.

How to:

1. Go to Settings
2. Then Privacy
3. Then Hidden Words
4. Choose what words you want to filter

Instagram Reels Play Bonuses

Facebook (Err… Meta) recently announced that they are committed to investing over $1 Billion in programs for creators through 2022.

To sum it up: creators make money based on the number of plays their Reels get.

As long as you have a business or creator account (and access to the program) all you have to do is share a Reel to Facebook or Instagram. Instagram will pay out on Reels that get at least 1,000 views over a 30-day period.

Final Thoughts

Whew! You made it through the list. Like we always say… don’t feel like you have to do it all or keep up with those pesky Joneses… But did you see a few you’d like to try? We hope so!

If after reading all of this you’re just DONE trying to go this alone, we would love to help with a social media strategy session or even full social media account management. Let’s chat!

A few weeks ago Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, said, “Instagram is no longer a photo-sharing app, but instead is a general entertainment app” in an Instagram Live that sent the media, business owners, and social media managers into somewhat of a tizzy.

While everyone was freaking out, we were thinking… Cue the shot of Joey and Phoebe in Season 5 of FRIENDS acting like they didn’t already know about Chandler and Monica—

(Side note, this was such a great FRIENDS moment. And Season 5 is arguably the best…)

Anyway, while media outlets really took this and ran with it, the truth is, Mosseri didn’t really tell us anything that we didn’t really already know.

Instagram hasn’t been primarily a photo sharing app for square shaped photos for some time now. Stories, IGTV, Reels, and other forms of video have been extremely important on the app for a while. Mosseri did say that photos aren’t going anywhere. He’s simply saying that they’re not the sole function of the app anymore. So really, not much is changing!

If you’re still primarily sharing photos, that’s awesome! Let’s all take a moment to breathe and let’s get into what he DID say.

What Are the Major Current Areas of Focus for the App?

In the Instagram Live, Mosseri stated that the app will be focussing on four key areas going forward: Video, Shopping, Messaging, and Creators.

“People are looking to Instagram to be entertained, there’s stiff competition and there’s more to do. Then we have to embrace that. And that means change,” Mosseri said.

1. Video—This one’s pretty self explanatory. Videos, specifically Reels, are extremely important in the algorithm and a great way to be seen by a much wider audience. It’s also no surprise that anyone wanting to grow their Instagram today needs to be on Reels.

2. Shopping—During the video, Mosseri mentioned that it was in fact the COVID-19 Pandemic that “accelerated the shift of commerce from offline to online by a number of years, and we’re trying to lean into that trend” through its shopping features.

Instagram debuted the Shopping in Reels feature last December which allows sellers and influencers to tag their products for sale within their Reels (while the ability to tag products in the main feed has been available for some time now).

3. Messaging—Instagram also launched the Rooms feature earlier this year, which allows up to four users to chat live with one another simultaneously.

4. Creators—And finally, last month, Instagram unveiled features to help creators monetize their audience.

What Should You Do Now?

Here’s what you can do:

1. Keep posting your photos! The main feed isnt going to disappear. Photos are still (and will continue to be) a big part of Instagram.

2. Dive into more video. Whether it’s Stories or Reels, we think it’s definitely time you try it out. Start anywhere… just start! And have fun with it.

3. If you’re a creator or product-based business, set up and utilize the shopping features!

4. If your business is service-based, sync up with others in your community or in your field to chat and educate your audiences about your services or industry!

Final Thoughts

Instagram hasn’t been primarily a photo sharing app in a while, so anyone panicking is just “manufacturing rage,” as Sharon McMahon (AKA @sharonsaysso on Instagram) would say.

BTW If you’re not following Sharon, you’re going to want to get on that. She’s the best.

And hey, if you’re a little worried that you need to produce more video content for Instagram but don’t know how, we’re always here to help.

Social media — we all love to hate it. But in all reality, it’s one of the most convenient, not to mention (mostly) free ways to distribute content, reach new people, and engage potential clients or customers.

While Google boasts in being responsible for over 50% of total visits to websites, according to a recent study, social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter combined were not far behind, driving 30%.

This means there is a huge opportunity to increase your website traffic and ultimately your conversions through social media if you do it the right way!

Each social channel has unique tools and reaches a different demographic, so each should have a different strategy. For the best ROI, you’ll want to ensure you’re using the platforms where your target audience is hanging out and that while you’re there, you’re using that platform to its fullest potential.

With what seems like a constantly changing digital landscape, creating unique, targeted posts for each social platform may seem like a challenge, but trust us, it’s well-worth it. So we’re here to guide you through the process of creating a successful social media strategy tailored to each specific platform.

Facebook

Facebook has recently made it a bit more tricky for businesses to be seen without paid promotion, which is pretty frustrating to say the least, but growing your business on Facebook isn’t impossible.

You can definitely choose to boost posts and do paid advertising, but there are also a few free ways to get your business out there on Facebook!

We highly recommend joining local Facebook groups for networking purposes. This is one of the most important strategies on Facebook to increase visibility and referrals without paid advertising.

Getting website traffic from Facebook through sharing useful blogs and articles is another strategy we highly recommend. When sharing articles from your site, some additional tips for creating captivating and engaging Facebook posts include:

1. Create a click-worthy title
2. Add an eye-catching quote from your content
3. Use a list to break out some of your key points

Instagram

Instagram is obviously a more visual platform, and from main grid video & photo posts, Stories, Reels, and IGTV, you have a lot of options.

A new rising trend on Instagram is to utilize longer captions as a micro-blog post in order to share valuable content with followers.

Here are a few different ways you can make the most of Instagram:

1. Behind-the-Scenes: Is your team working on a fun project? Doing a team-building exercise? Watering your office plants? These are all fun things to share in short BTS videos.
2. Educational Tips & Tricks: With attention spans shorter than ever, if you want to keep your audience engaged, you should definitely be adding value to their lives. Give them a bit (but not too much ????) of your extensive knowledge of your industry. Get your audience wanting more! We’ve actually found the more you share, the more some people value your expertise enough to contact you and become a client.
3. User-Generated Content: You can encourage your audience to post about you on their own pages (AKA: User Generated Content) by sharing tagged posts on your own feed. Some studies show that user-generated content can grow an Instagram account by over 500 percent in a year.

LinkedIn

First let’s talk demographics: LinkedIn’s users are slightly more likely to be men than women, and most of their active users are over the age of 30. LinkedIn is a great place to share job openings, company news, and professional content. It’s also a great place to network!

Pro tip: If you want to drive engagement on LinkedIn, attach an image, a video, or a link to your website. In fact, according to LinkedIn, “images generally result in a 98% higher comment rate” and “links and videos that automatically play in the feed usually result in a 75% higher share rate.”

Final Thoughts

We know this list is by no means exhaustive, but we wanted to provide you with some nuggets of advice as you curate different strategies for the different social media platforms you use to grow your business.

And as you may have noticed, we didn’t mention Twitter, Pinterest, or TikTok. We know every small business is different, but right now, we currently do not recommend for small businesses who are trying to reach local audiences to spend too much time on those platforms, unless it is for a very specific reason.

Speaking of, we’re happy to chat more about that if you’d like to set up a free 20 minute social media strategy session.

From Jensen Karp’s large Twitter following, to his high profile connections, to his last name being Karp, to his famous wife’s last name being Fishel (we could go on…), the Cinnamon Crunch Shrimp fiasco was poised with potential to be the perfect storm.

The Back Story

If you need the full run-down on this situation, you can find that here.

But basically, Jensen Karp took to Twitter in March claiming that he found shrimp tails and what *looked* like mouse droppings in his Family-Pack of Cinnamon Toast Crunch from a local Costco. ????

Quick note to brands before we get into the nitty gritty: Of course, every customer is important. But… well… famous customers with large Twitter followings may warrant an extra bit of thought and planning. After all, every brand longs for celebrities to tweet about them and for the chance to “go viral” on social media, but not like this!

When any customer—but especially a celebrity—shares a shockingly negative experience online, there’s potential for a PR nightmare. Perhaps the most shocking part of this story, though, is that a brand as large as General Mills didn’t have a PR crisis team prepared.

In 2021, people expect prompt responses to their messages and questions. And we get it— the last thing a brand should do is respond too quickly to a negative review, with risk of emotions flaring. But there’s a fine line between taking the time to think of a professional response and well… taking so long that people become angry.

In this case, it’s not that the brand didn’t respond quickly, because they did. However, the replies were sent by lower-level employees who clearly didn’t have the tools necessary to properly handle the delicate situation. Higher-ups, on the other hand, seemed disconnected and unconcerned for far too long, allowing the whole issue to spiral out of control.

Let’s look at a few lessons from this event.

What Exactly Went Wrong?

It was obvious by the messages that this whole situation was initially (and poorly) handled by social media managers. So for many people, it was too little too late, when General Mills CEO Jeff Harmening finally appeared on CNBC later and said, ‘Based on the information we have right now, it is highly unlikely this occurred at a General Mills facility… So right now, we’re in the process of working with that consumer to try to figure out, kind of, what happened between when it left our docks and when he opened it.”

Here are the biggest mistakes:

1. The Brand Voice & Tone

Tone is a very big deal. This is true across the board in life but especially on social media. And the tone of all the replies to Karp was just… not right for the situation.

It seemed the Cinnamon Toast Crunch employees used the same exact tone and response to someone finding shrimp parts in their breakfast cereal as they would to someone upset that there wasn’t enough cinnamon for their taste. The response was definitely too light-hearted and the resolution they provided (another free box of cereal) was definitely not appropriate here either.

2. They Minimized Karp’s Complaint

At many points the employee(s) seemed to minimize Karp’s concerns, even telling him that they decided it was not shrimp. Do we even have to elaborate on how this was a mistake? ???? Probably not–and the result was exactly what you would expect. Karp was so upset that he continued to further investigate the box, and that’s when he found the alleged rat droppings. If they would have handled his complaint with care, he may not have kept digging (and posting). As a small business, how can you apply that? Always take complaints seriously even if you suspect they aren’t valid.

3. Social Media Managers Were Made to Act as Crisis Managers

One of the biggest lessons here is that social media managers should not be required to handle high-level complaints. And one of the biggest mistakes in this case was the amount of communication that happened before the situation was properly escalated. It’s important to train and empower your social media managers to quickly escalate cases that are clearly out of the ordinary or more serious, and then create a clear pathway and line of communication for them to do that. It seems like even Jensen Karp intuitively knew this:

How to Get it Right

1. Have Brand Voice Guidelines & Protocols for Different Situations

The last thing you want when you just ate rat poop is someone to seem super aloof or light-hearted in their response. The same is true for all sorts of situations your customers could be messaging your company about via email or social media. So, set guidelines for how your customer service or social media teams should respond to certain concerns. Or, have a plan in place to quickly handle more complicated situations from a higher level. Which brings us to…

2. Have a Plan to Quickly Escalate Emergency Situations

We recommend establishing a detailed crisis plan that is well-known to anyone who works on your company’s social media platforms. There needs to be a quick and clear pathway for employees to take when needing to alert the right people higher up in the organization who are poised to handle more potentially serious PR problems.

3. Have a PR Expert On Staff or On Call

PR can be expensive, but so is a PR nightmare. We think it’s a good idea to do your research and create a relationship with a good PR person/team, so you can utilize them quickly on an as-needed basis. Even if you don’t regularly need PR, have someone on call for times of crisis, and be ready to listen to and implement their expertise. Team Tangible loves that all of our ongoing clients feel comfortable to message us the minute they have a concern, so we can provide professional PR guidance on a small business level.

Brands Who Got it Right

To end on a positive note, we’re sharing our favorite potential PR fiasco that we think was handled quickly and immaculately: Enter CrockPot.

We don’t know if CrockPot had the PR team of the century on-hand or if they just had someone on staff who was smart enough to act as quickly as possible, but when (spoiler alert) what looked like a Crock Pot caught on fire and ultimately led to the death of one of television’s most beloved fathers on This is Us, the brand acted quickly on Twitter.

While this situation had the potential to crack even well-resourced brands, and most companies when faced with something like this could have been tempted to take a defensive stand (much like Cinnamon Toast Crunch), Crock Pot created a #CrockPotIsInnocent hashtag campaign that was handled extremely well. It was serious, but also fun. The brand also shared real statistics and safety information about their products, assuring their audience that:

1. That no CrockPot has ever caught fire in the history of the company
2. They perform extensive safety testing to ensure that they will not catch on fire
3. That they will continue to test to make sure that it never does happen

They got their loyal CrockPot fans (and we all know some CrockPot enthusiasts…) to fight on their behalf using the hashtag. It was extremely well done and just fun enough, because after all, it’s television, and as a brand you don’t want to come across as TOO serious or TOO out of touch.

In fact, we did some research and it turns out that the Shorty Awards agree with us and even awarded them with first place for “Best Hashtag, Real Time Response.”

Final Thoughts

Every company needs a PR plan, even if you don’t have a PR team. And if you have the money, hire a good PR team. Otherwise, employees may be left winging it in a crisis and well, we’ve seen how that turns out.

In the age of the internet, even if something like this is a hoax, it still has the potential to ruin a brand depending on their response to it. When brands fail to be calm or empathetic, they can violate the trust of their followers and the price they pay can be big. This goes for both large and small businesses.

Your business may not be as large-scaled as General Mills, so maybe you think you don’t have to worry about something going viral… until a local influencer or a well-connected mom has something negative to say. Trust us. And make a plan!

If you need help, we’ve got you covered.

It doesn’t matter what size or even what type of business you own, influencer marketing can be a huge benefit to you. If you think about it, famous people have been selling things to the masses for years, whether through commercials or print ads. Influencers just represent a new age of celebrity, and compared to traditional celebrities or commercial actors, social media influencers are actually seen as much more relatable to the average consumer.

In fact, data from MuseFind shows 92% of consumers trust an influencer more than an advertisement or traditional celebrity endorsement. I mean come on, do you really think Jennifer Anniston colors her hair with an at-home box dye kit? ????

Influencers are seen as more trustworthy because they post real thoughts and moments from their daily lives, so their followers actually build a virtual relationship with them, so much so that many would consider themselves to be virtual friends!

Okay that’s all good and well, but what does it mean for your business?

Why You Should Work With An Influencer

Influencers can…

• Build your brand’s following
• Increase your credibility
• Bring in more sales, new leads, and conversions

Okay that sounds intriguing…

6 Steps to The Perfect Influencer Partnership

So how do you actually BEGIN to work with influencers? We have 6 simple steps to get you well on your way!

1. Determine Campaign Goals

What are you trying to accomplish by working with an influencer? Brand awareness? Increase product sales? Encourage more user generated content? Before you can properly choose an influencer to represent your brand, you need to know exactly what you want your business to be known for and what you want to accomplish with your campaign.

2. Define Your Campaign Audience

What kind of audience are you trying to reach? It’s important to learn about and identify the exact type of customer you’re going after to help you determine what type of content and which influencer will best appeal to them. You likely know exactly who your target audience is, but you may need to dig a little deeper to understand what type of media your audience is consuming. You want your target audience to align with the influencer’s following.

3. Set Your Budget and Choose An Influencer Type

There are So. Many. Different. types of influencers on social media today, all with completely different followings. There are macro-influencers like actors or Youtubers who have MASSIVE followings, but if you’re not one of the few companies that can afford the $500,000 Kim Kardashashian reportedly charges for an Instagram post, there are other plenty of other options for you! There are also micro-influencers (i.e. stay-at-home moms who share their favorite life hacks with a couple thousand followers). Each type of influencer has its own benefits. So if you’re struggling to get responses from celebrities/influencers, or if they’re asking for more money than you have in the budget, micro-influencers can be a great option for you. In fact, they’re just as or even more effective because of the trust they’ve built with their following and their dedication to building a larger audience. Working with a micro-influencer also allows you to test multiple markets at once to see which get the best ROI. (You can also check out our blog on how to choose the right micro-influencer for tips on getting started.)

4. Choose Your Influencer & Review Their Work

After you find an influencer that works for your brand, take time to look over their page and try to get to know them. Look at what they are posting for other brands to make sure it’s high-quality and they keep their end of other deals they make! Then begin liking, commenting, and replying to their posts to get them familiar with your brand at least a few weeks before you message them. Make sure to include a unique message that directly references things they’ve posted in the past. Some influencers are being bombarded with hundreds of messages a day so you’ve got to find a way to stand out.

5. Finalize Campaign Expectations With Your Influencer

Alright, you did it. You have an influencer and they’ve agreed to post for you! You’re done, right? Unfortunately, not quite. You should be friendly, open to suggestions, but also be extremely clear what your expectations are for the campaign. (Pro Tip: get it in writing and have them sign it!) There’s nothing worse than spending weeks trying to find an influencer and then their post goes out with incorrect or insufficient information about your brand. Or even worse, they never even post (It happens A LOT unfortunately). Don’t forget to thank, compensate, and support your influencer’s posts even after the campaign is over! This helps to build trust with them to keep doors open in the future.

6. Measure Your Results

You’re almost done! Lastly, it’s a great idea to measure your results and determine the level of success you had in reaching your audience with the help of that influencer. How many people did it reach? How many of those people followed your brand after seeing the post? Did the campaign bring in conversions? If the influencer’s reach went above your expectations, make sure to let them know and show your gratitude! If it didn’t meet your expectations, it’s okay! Just take that information and let it guide your decisions going forward about who you choose to work with.

Final Thoughts

OK, so maybe it’s not THAT simple. Influencer marketing requires a lot of time and well thought out planning, but the ROI can be well worth it. If you need help, we’re always here for a one-on-one strategy session. Hit us up here.

If you’ve been in a #MOOD ever since Instagram took away the Recent Hashtags tab in November during the election and stayed there through what we’ll lovingly call the “December Drop” in engagement, we’re here for you. (Isn’t that what businesses are supposed to say now-a-days? ????) But for real… we are.

Every year in December, Instagram rolls out shiny, new changes to everyone’s favorite thing: the algorithm. Add in the distraction of holidays, and this leads to an annual period of low engagement across the board.

Is There Something Wrong With Me If My Engagement Is Down?

This is really annoying, but it’s nothing new, so trust us… there’s nothing wrong with you if your engagement has been down, and it will level out eventually. But in the meantime, we have some tips that may help you boost your engagement, and maybe even get it higher than it was before the recent slump!

Before we get to our #tips for boosting engagement, let’s bust some algorithm myths we’ve seen circulating the interwebs. Is it too soon to say #fakenews? Got it. Let’s get to the list.

The Current Top 3 Instagram Algorithm Myths:

Myth #1 — Instagram Will Punish You If You Edit Your Published Posts

There’s a rumor out there that Instagram will punish you if you edit a post after it is published. There’s even a popular post with what we’re guessing is just anecdotal evidence showing two posts with drastically different engagement, one of which was edited. Here’s the thing. Instagram will not punish you for using a feature they provided to help you. There is tons of evidence showing that editing posts doesn’t hurt engagement. And at the end of the day, if Instagram didn’t want people to edit their posts, they would have never added an edit button. Looking at you, Twitter.

Myth #2 — Instagram Will Punish You If You Use Too Many Hashtags

Here’s another case of “why would Instagram punish you for using a feature they provided?” Instagram currently allows accounts to use up to 30 hashtags per post. If they wanted you to use 10 hashtags, that would be the max. So our advice is to maximize reach by using as many hashtags as you can.

Myth #3 — Instagram Will Punish You If You Use A Partner App To Schedule Posts

Different rumor, same answer. Instagram allows a few official partner apps to schedule and auto-publish posts to their app. Official Partner is code for $$$. Considering Instagram is making money through these apps, it’s highly unlikely that they would punish the apps on their platform. That’s just bad business.

The Current Top 3 Instagram Algorithm Boosting Tips

Tip #1 — Be Consistent

It’s no secret that the algorithm encourages posting as much as you can. But if you don’t have the margin to post quality content every day twice a day (because literally who does?), the next best thing to posting all the time is to be consistent over time. Our advice is to post consistently at the same time over a long period of time, post 3x per week on the same days each week, or posting every other day. Do this for a while and see if anything changes!

Tip #2 — Use Reels

Specifics about the algorithm are usually debated, but one that is agreed upon across the board is that Instagram Reels are currently boosted and favored in the algorithm. If you’re not posting Reels, the algorithm is going to punish all your posts. If you post Reels, the algorithm will reward you with engagement across all of your posts, not just Reels. So if you have the margin, get your creativity on.

Tip #3 — Use #AllOfTheFeatures

Instagram likes when you use all of the things, and we mean all of the things. Feed posts, Stories, Reels, IGTV, Shoppable posts, lions, tigers, and bears… oh my, that was a dad joke. Sorry. Anyway, this includes special features on Stories like the “I Voted” sticker, polls, sliders, etc, etc. So buy in… do all the things… make a deal with the Devi— Okay too far. I think we may be in a #mood, too.

Final Thoughts

We know this seems like a lot. If you can’t do it all, don’t go crazy trying to keep up with the Algorithm Joneses. Just do what you can when you can. Try some of these tips. A little change is better than nothing. And as always, if you’ve thought about outsourcing social media for your own sanity and to maximize your ROI, we’d love to help!

Maybe you’ve been wondering how to effectively use Instagram Stories for a while, and now you’re overwhelmed with the newest Instagram feature, Reels. ????

Maybe you have no idea what types of content are better suited for each different feature on the platform. Why should your brand care about them? And, most important, how can you take advantage of these features to grow your business?

You’re definitely not alone! And we’re here to help. Let’s start from the beginning…

What Is an Instagram Story?

A Story is mobile content shared in vertical orientation that’s only visible for 24 hours once posted (unless it’s made into a Highlight). Stories formats include: photo, video, boomerang, text, GIFs, and livestream. You can then add filters, polls, sliders, stickers, GIFs, and text to make your Story stand out!

Why Use Stories?

The biggest positives of using Stories are:

1. They’re given the highest priority spot when a user opens Instagram. Before a user ever scrolls, they have the option to view Stories, and many users watch Stories before ever scrolling down their feed.
2. Stories are a full-screen format which allows for a distraction-free viewing experience. It’s a chance for your brand to take up a user’s entire screen, which is rare on social media.

F8 is an annual conference held by Facebook, intended for developers and entrepreneurs who build products and services around the website. According to a presentation from Facebook at F82019:

• 56% of people say they use Stories on three or more platforms at least 1 time/week, and 57% agree that Stories make them feel part of a larger community.
• 1 in 2 people surveyed say they have visited a website—and 31% have gone to a store—to buy a product/service as a result of having seen it in Stories.

What Makes a Great Instagram Story?

Here are some tips for making great Stories directly from Facebook also shared at F8 2019:

1. Get Creative – creativity can make or break your Stories.
2. Use high-resolution Visuals – 56% of a brand’s sales lift can be attributed to the quality of the creative.
3. Feel the Need for Speed – Capitalizing on quick, dynamic content allows brands to meet users’ expectations and sustain their attention. Think “burst mode” rather than “long take.”
4. Keep it Vertical – Creating your content in a vertical format makes the most of the screen real estate you have available.
5. Use Clear CTAs – As much as possible, give a Call to Action. The more clear it is, the higher the chance that you get the response you want.
6. Test and Learn – Stories are a great chance for a free focus group. If you’re not yet seeing the results you expect, it’s definitely worth trying different things and switching it up to understand which stimuli your audience best responds to. Use Story Polls and Question Boxes to ask them what they want to see more of!

What are Reels?

Reels is Instagram’s latest feature that launched at the start of August 2020 to compete with the highly popular TikTok app. Instagram users can now create bite-sized videos sharing tips, inspiration, or light-hearted content.
What Should You Share in Reels?

Your Reels content doesn’t have to be brand new. You can use existing content from your blog, podcast, and social channels and simply adjust it to work well on Reels.

1. Educational Content – Do you share informational or educational content in the captions of your main Instagram feed posts? Great. And if you’re not, you definitely should!???? Just take those points, condense them into bullets, and share them on a fun video!
2. Behind-The-Scenes – Is your team working on a fun project? Doing a team-building exercise? Watering your office plants? These are all fun things to share in short BTS videos.
3. Your Brand Differentiators – What makes your company unique? What sets you apart? Share that with your following in an engaging video!

Conclusion

Stories are tested and here to stay, while Reels are super fresh. The jury’s out on whether or not Reels are around for the long haul, but brands that invest in this trend will definitely reap the rewards in the algorithm! ????

But hey, don’t feel like you have to do it all. If the only time you can commit to Instagram is by posting regularly in your main feed, do that and do it well! If you have 3 minutes to film a quick “Hello!” on your Stories weekly or snap a pic of some new products when they come in, that’s great, too!

However, if you know you want to utilize these features to grow your brand awareness and your bottom line, but you don’t have the time to commit to it, a social media marketing company or freelancer can be a great asset for you!

Have you been stumped on how to grow your social media following and therefore grow your business? Maybe you’re posting regularly, highlighting your product or service with great photos, adding Stories, and yet still, your following doesn’t really seem to be growing and you don’t seem to be gaining any new customers from it.

So what gives? The most important question to ask yourself is…

Are You Someone Worth Following?

This can be a hard question to answer for yourself without any bias. So maybe grab a few trusted friends and talk through the following questions:

What value do you add to your followers’ feeds?
When looking through your feed, do you see that you just talk about and sell your products/services all the time?
Do you give away anything of value or any expertise?

Now that you’ve thought through these a bit, let’s get into what things we’ve seen followers value on Instagram.

What Makes Someone Valuable on Social Media?

The term “value” can mean something different to everyone. For some it may mean financial incentive for your social media following through exclusive deals or giveaway. For others it may mean valuable information or expertise in the form of helpful tips and tricks. While for others it’s a personal connection to another business owner through a behind-the-scenes look at you and your business.

While value can mean many different things to different people, we’ve put together a short list of some things that are considered universally valuable across a wide audience.

1. Get Personal

Owning a business can sometimes feel really lonely! No one ever truly prepares you for how much entrepreneurship takes over your whole life. So providing a behind the scenes look into your life and your business can be really valuable for other business owners. Share your wins, your losses, and the lessons learned, because chances are, someone who follows you has been through it or will go through it at some point! Social media really is about connection after all.

2. Answer Questions

A great idea is to keep track of the most frequently asked questions, then spotlight and respond to one at least weekly on your social media platforms. You can even make this interactive through Instagram Stories. Once a week or once a month (whatever you have time for), you can put up a Question Box in your Story and then do either a Live Q&A or answer each question in a separate Story.
Pro tip— Also add some of those to your main feed with a great photo!

3. Hold Contests & Give Special Discounts

It’s a great idea to host giveaways and contests exclusive to your social media followers. Offer a special discount every now and then in your Stories or create a contest in the comment section of a post. This gives your followers an incentive to make sure they check your content regularly and not just scroll past.

Pro Tip— Team up with other local businesses for your giveaways. This helps grow both of your followings. And local businesses supporting each other is just amazing on every level.

4. Involve Your Online Community

Your social media following can be really useful to you in helping you learn and grow professionally. Ask your community their opinion. Utilize Polls in your Stories. They’re essentially a free focus group. When you involve your audience in decision making, whether it be picking a new service, a new color, or a new scent (etc, etc), they feel like they’re really a part of something they love. And community is everything online. (Have we said that already?)

You can even encourage them to post about you on their own pages (AKA: User Generated Content) by sharing tagged posts on your own feed.

5. Give Away *Some* Knowledge

We’re not saying to give away all your hard-earned secrets or proprietary information, but it is important to give your followers some value through education or tips & tricks you’ve learned along the way. Pick some 3000-foot-level tips to share regularly. Get your audience wanting more! We’ve actually found the more you share, the more some people value your expertise enough to contact you and become a client!

A Few Don’ts Before You Go

Now that we’ve talked about what TO do, we feel the need to mention just a few things NOT to do.

1. Don’t just show your products— As we briefly mentioned earlier, followers come to social media to ENGAGE with you, not just to be sold to. If you’re only sharing product info and photos, people may get sick of it after a few months.

2. Don’t spam— If you post too much, especially in Stories, people will become numb to them, then annoyed by them, and then unfollow your account. So post regularly, but make sure those tick marks aren’t little dots day after day.

3. Don’t post “canned” captions— People want to engage with REAL people with actual personalities, not Instagram bots. So be sure to show them a real idea of who you actually are. Canned captions are not only basic, but they actually may trigger the algorithm as non-unique content, which the algorithm doesn’t like.

Conclusion

If you don’t have time to do a lot on social media, that’s okay. Something is better than nothing. The most important thing to remember is not to JUST sell. If you can only create 10 posts a month, make sure they have diverse content and provide something worth a follow. And as always, if reading this stresses you out more than it helps, we’re here to take this off your plate!

As a brand operating in 2020, it can be really easy to get caught up in your social media follower count, but we’d like to propose that even more so than followers, engagement should be your main focus. Having a ton of followers on social media is meaningless if none of them are engaging with you, telling people about you, or buying from you.

Engagement is important because it indicates whether what you’re posting is of value to your audience. And it can even affect your ability to grow your audience. Let’s dive into it…

Why Is Engagement Important?

1. The Infamous Algorithms – Facebook and Instagram both use algorithms to determine what content to show users based on a range of factors, and the most significant one is engagement. If your followers aren’t engaging with your posts, this essentially tells the algorithm that your content doesn’t resonate with your audience. And vice versa. If you get a lot of engagement, the algorithm will reward you with even more reach.

When that happens, the algorithm may end up determining that your posts are not relevant and therefore reduce your reach, meaning it will actually hide your posts from your followers. And alas, this just perpetuates the cycle of low engagement. If people aren’t seeing your posts, how can they engage with them? (How do you get out of the cycle? We’ll get there…)

2. Engagement Builds Content Builds Sales – Engagement is important because it ultimately helps build relationships that are sustainable. And building sustainable relationships with your customers is critical to the success of your sales funnel.

If your audience is engaged, it means they like you! Congrats. And a lot of times when you have an engaged audience, a really, really cool thing starts to happen— they start creating user generated content. This is the dream, y’all! When users create content about your brand of their own volition, for free, and post it to their page…. it promotes your brand to their extended network. It’s essentially free word-of-mouth advertising.

So How Can You Boost Your Engagement?

1. Interactive Stories – Give your followers a reason to engage. Stories are a super easy way to do this. Create a poll. Open up a question box. Let them in on your processes. Ask them their opinion! People want to feel a part of something, especially brands they love.

2. Calls to Action – Give your followers a reason to engage in your captions. Give them a reason to comment. Ask a question. Ask them their favorite emoji, their favorite memory of your brand, or their favorite product! Ask what they want to see more of on your page.

3. Giveaways – This one is a great way to grow your following and your engagement at the same time. Plus your followers get free stuff. In the business we call that a win-win-win. (Get it? Someone will win…the giveaway…that’s the third win. ???? We’ll see ourselves out.) Pro tip: make it easy and fun. The more steps needed, the less likely your audience will join in.

Conclusion

If you have low engagement now, you really don’t need more followers, you need more engaged followers. Building engagement takes time, so don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t happen right away. Get to it. Stick with it. And have fun! Social media is a lot better when it’s fun.

The very first thing we do with our clients is always to figure out their target demographic, AKA their ideal customer (which we talked about in this marketing blog, if you want a refresher). This is such an important step because, depending on who you want to reach, the way you go about it will be completely different. If 75% of your clients are Baby Boomers… odds are, SnapChat is a waste of time, but ads on search engines and targeted email campaigns are a great place to focus your marketing efforts. If your target audience is Millennials or Gen Z, you virtually HAVE to be on Instagram. But we’ll get to more of that later… Basically, before you do anything else, you need to figure out who you are currently selling to and also who you want to reach, then determine where those people are buying products or booking services: digitally or in-store? And if digitally, what platforms are they using?

Where Is Your Target Customer?

One thing is true across every generation—consumers are buying online. According to a recent study, 2/3 of Millennials prefer buying online vs. in-store. While Gen X is about 50/50, and Baby Boomers are 60/40 in favor of buying in-store over online.

So everyone is online, but where exactly are they? The term “online” is too vague for today’s world. Where are they buying? Social media? Amazon? Google? Email?

Social Media use is declining across the board with Millennials and Gen Z except on one platform: Instagram. Gen Z is also continually present on SnapChat. However, Gen X is the most active on Facebook, while Boomers are also active on Facebook but make many of their purchasing decisions from emails or results on search engines.

While numbers may be down, Millennials and Gen Z are still absolutely using social media, mainly Instagram, to purchase products. And Gen X and Baby Boomers are also on social media, but they’re less likely to use it as a tool for shopping decisions. So where are the older generations purchasing online?

Here’s a closer look at different statistics and strategies by generation:

Baby Boomers

Many people assume Baby Boomers don’t buy online, which couldn’t be further from the truth. They absolutely do. In fact, the top 3 ways to reach them are television, search engines, and email marketing. Baby Boomers are actually way more likely to purchase from search results on Google or Bing than from social media.

While print-based direct marketing is often used to target Baby Boomers, recent studies show that they aren’t engaging with direct mail and brochures/catalogs like they used to. Print materials and radio are no longer likely to get Baby Boomers to move online to learn more. However, television has still been found more effective in getting Baby Boomers to find out more information about what they saw, and then purchase online.

So, if your target audience is between the ages of 55 and 75, you should absolutely be upping your SEO and email marketing strategies and using your marketing budget there rather than on print collateral or social media ads.

Gen X

Generation X is a fancy name for people born between 1965 & 1980. This generation has way fewer people than Millennials or Baby Boomers… but don’t count them out. Even though they’re a smaller generation, they have huge purchasing power. On average, their income is higher than the national average as well as the averages of all the other generations.

Gen X-ers still have a fondness of traditional TV and newspapers, but they also research online. So, if you’re running TV commercials or even newspaper ads, you’ll still want to make sure your online presence is strong. If your online presence is weak, Gen X won’t buy.

Here are some recent Gen X statistics:

• 95 percent use Facebook
• 35 percent use LinkedIn
• 25 percent post regularly on Twitter

Since such a high percentage of Generation X-ers use Facebook, this is the social media platform to use to market to them.

One great thing about Gen X-ers is that they are extremely brand loyal. So, if you can get them in the door and give them a good experience, they will stay.

Here’s a tip—make sure to reward loyalty in some way, whether it’s a discount or fee item after a certain amount of purchases, or just with a nice thank you email. This will go a long way with Gen X.

Millennials

So, how do you get and keep the ever elusive Millennials?

Well, we can tell you for sure that sales isn’t it. Millennials are a tough crowd to please, and if you push too hard for a sale, they’re bound to pull away, because most Millennials are turned off by traditional sales and ads.

Millennials are definitely not going to be “sold to” easily. They need to believe in something to purchase it. And Millennials, more than any other generation, use multiple sources of information to form their opinions. For example, they’ll look to reviews, comments, friends’ opinions, and more to decide what products they can trust.

Millennials love to be involved and feel a part of a community with a brand. They often want to feel they are a part of co-creating something useful or relevant.

So find ways to include them…. Ask their advice via Instagram comments, engage in polls in your Instagram Stories. Maybe do a giveaway or contest for the best idea. Millennials will give you GREAT ideas, and they’ll also feel a part of a community. That’s a huge win for both of you.

So, whether you grab their attention via Instagram, Facebook, or email marketing, Millennials want to know your “why.” They want to hear your story because that’s largely what draws them in. Once you’ve drawn them in, they’ll stay if you continue to offer them great customer service and a great product.

Influencer Marketing is a great way to catch them because the influencer is often sharing your story with them as well as a personal note about why they love the product or service. Here’s a recent article on Influencer Marketing if you want to learn more about that. Influencer marketing is a new word of mouth tactic that has worked very well with Millennials and Gen Z. Additionally, brand ambassador programs are hugely effective if positioned correctly.

Gen Z

Speaking of Gen Z, AKA anyone born between 1996 and 2010, it is a BIG generation, outnumbering Millennials by about a million. Gen Z is also the first truly digital generation from birth. Gen Z-ers spend almost 75% of their leisure time online. Let. That. Sink. In. That’s a lot of time! They’re constantly bombarded by content and advertising and have been their whole lives, so a lot of it can easily become white noise.

Gen Z, more than any other generation, sees technology as a tool for social change. Unlike Millennials who have historically complained online, Gen Z makes moves.

Gen Z wants to change the world, and brands will need to take note. Social and environmental causes have been a big deal for Millennials, but they are almost necessary for Gen Z. Think sea turtles and plastic straws. Gen Z has made HUGE moves in changing brands, and we aren’t talking small companies. We’re talking Starbucks, American Airlines, and United to name a few.

All this to say, marketers must think about social causes when engaging with Gen Z-ers. They want to know you care about waste, fair wages, sustainability, and other causes. So show them that you do.

They’re not reading the paper or watching cable… but you can grab them on SnapChat, Tik Tok, and Instagram. And get some influencers on board with your team.

Conclusion

So again, where are your people? Go there. What works for one age can make another one run, so learn about them and meet them where they’re at. Here’s a recent article that highlights the amount of time each generation is spending on different platforms.

And as always, if you need help, you know where to find us. ????