LinkedIn is an unusual case when it comes to online platforms. At the very exact moment, it’s a job-hunting portal, a promotional tool, an online forum, and a respectable business media website. It has more personal identifiable information on consumers than any other form of platform.
On Instagram and Facebook, few people know where you went to college or what organizations you donate for. However, on LinkedIn, all of that information is visible to your contacts.
As a result, marketing yourselves on LinkedIn appears to be a little distinctive. While publishing must-read announcements and communicating amongst your community in the comments thread are still crucial parts of a well-rounded business plan, there are several other things you may attempt.
Whatever line of employment you really like to advertise on LinkedIn, it all originates with your personal account. You should have an appealing account to reach prospective customers and clients. It should explain to people what you are doing personally and offer them an incentive to interact with you.
The header, title, and description of one’s account explains exactly everything one is capable of. Utilize your Professional profile to precisely identify yourselves – share what you do, what your goals are, and how it can contribute to others.
The entirety of your LinkedIn promotional campaign will be formed on the basis of your presence. Spending a lot of time now to fine-tune it will help you network further.
It is indeed crucial to maintain a consistent and up-to-date image for your organization, that has its own corporate, personal page. The graphics, colors, and information on this blog must match your homepage and other social networking accounts your company has.
The website should indeed be periodically updated to keep the company relevant and give the impression that it is still in operation. We’ve all come across a business’s presence on social media that is only refreshed maybe once every month, if at all, or even worse, hasn’t really been modified in seasons. Establishing a LinkedIn profile and then failing to update that is worse than possessing none at all.
Excellent material can be very specialized and should achieve two objectives. It must first educate people on how and where to resolve an issue or help others to do their respective jobs more effectively. It should subsequently position you as a public intellectual in that field. If you provide true value to the consumer, each facet will automatically lead to greater engagement. It’s just simple human nature, and it works.
Joining LinkedIn forums that are applicable to your targeted audience is a suggestion we provide to self-employed people. Even though this is a wonderful method to ‘hear in’ on some of what your consumers are saying, but local entrepreneurs may also have opportunities to contribute or make suggestions.
More crucially, even if you’re not in any engagement, you may contact people of forums you’re in. LinkedIn InMail is a terrific strategy that can save expense while creating relationships with prospective buyers because it piles up rapidly.
This is how to identify your perfect, fully prepared consumers on LinkedIn instantly: To begin, establish your personal Resource group. After you’ve established your network, go out there and connect with as many forums as you can as it enables you to pair up to 50 altogether.
The very next move is to choose which of the new organizations you’ve entered and begin prospecting on the Participants section. Once you’ve been authorized as a member of the team, go to Participants, then narrow down the queue of participants by browsing for certain job postings or other criteria to find your perfect candidates, and afterward offer individuals to enter your community by sending them a personalized proposal.
That’s when these individuals enter your LinkedIn forums, and you’ll have some of your “catch in a bucket” – all of your best pitchers in one spot! You have absolute authority over this Professional network, ensuring that no opponents gain access, and then you can share essential contributions and vital information with your customers.
Also, you can showcase your meaningful information about them without making outright sales techniques or spamming them. Moreover, you even have an e-mail database, a sales pitch of your most important potential and existing customers, and other features. This is an excellent strategy for establishing your business and generating connections to help your local business thrive.
Another way to grow your brand on LinkedIn is to enhance your e-mail list. LinkedIn offers you a feature to message 50 individuals at the same time. Make use of this feature and add as many e-mails as you can to your brand.
This will blow up your brand as it will be more prominent to other people. You can also set up a direct link to your e-mail on the e-mail signup page for more people to discover your brand. Personalize your e-mails and layout the detailed structure of what your brand has to offer if other brands sign up for your e-mail list.
Show interest in their e-mail list as well, as it helps you to garner good faith and image from other brands. Many successful entrepreneurs are known to follow this step to boost their page and, subsequently, their brand. Therefore, enhancing your e-mail list is an important step that will help your brand to grow.
It would be best if you had your brand and page pop up in individual users’ feeds. Therefore, you need to utilize the practice of sponsored updates on LinkedIn. It will push your posts onto pages of several other users. An impressive feature of “pay per click” and/or “pay per 1000” works for this.
Apart from choosing your location, age, and gender, you can also customize according to job title, name of the company, job function, specialization skills, basic skills, groups, and schools. This eventually helps the users choose their preferred industry while dodging the ones they are not looking for.
You can use sponsors to promote your brand and page to the audience you would like to cater to. This helps to put up good leadership and quality content in front of the targeted audience. The visitor count on your website can grow significantly if you can put out your firm’s content wisely through sponsors.
Sponsors target a specific audience to cater to, and it helps the visitor count on your website leading to subsequent prosperous sales for your brand.
LinkedIn is all related to digital marketing. For your marketing game to grow, you need to make as many connections as possible. Connections matter as you need to show up on the search results. This is only possible if you are connected with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-degree connections.
You can grow your connections on LinkedIn through several ways. The primary key to growing connections is to post and regularly update information about your firm. You can comment on connections of the 3rd degree as it will make your brand more prominent and help you grow. Personalize your connection requests by accepting users from your niche.
Another way to grow your connections is by participating in groups. Join groups that are related to your niche and actively participate. This will help with your website visitor count and help your firm grow.
A more convenient part of the LinkedIn marketing tool is filtering through the targeting option in your posts. The page admin can target posts by selecting the specifications required, for example, industry, geography, language, organizations, job, seniority, etc.
If you have a considerable amount of money that you can invest, then opt for LinkedIn Ads. LinkedIn ads are available in various formats and optimize a brand’s growth by increasing its reach outside of its following.
You can even get personalized options and can address members by their names. The LinkedIn targeting system is beneficial for small businesses, as they can pinpoint who is interested in buying their product and who is not, therefore reaching the right audience.
To target the right kind of audience, you need to be actively engaged. Communication is vital in finding out your target customers. To promote your brand or company on LinkedIn, you need to keep posting updates and stories. It might sound like too much, but it works. Moreover, LinkedIn’s particular algorithm is biased towards content that has more likes, so post stories to engage your customers/potential customers.
You can also create posts that directly engage with your customers. Doing a Questions and Answers session with your followers can help you understand their demands. You can also post behind-the-scenes situations with your customers to keep it authentic.
You should be engaging with your customers in any way possible. Engagement ensures enhanced reach, suitable for your brand, and connecting you effectively with your customers. However, it would help if you stayed in the limelight when it comes to your customers. Here are some ways which will help you do that.
It would be best to do some networking to spread awareness about your brand and what it stands for. One way you can do that is by joining groups related to your business. For example, if your business deals with social media marketing, you can search “social media marketing groups,” and get a list of various groups there. Make connections in the group, and reach more customers.
Try to be consistent when it comes to posting and engaging with your customers. Uploading content at a regular time helps build trust with customers. So choosing a schedule and sticking to it will be great for your brand and the customers who will know when to expect content from you.
The dimensions of social media portrayals appear to vary on a regular basis.
In a flash, you’ve created the ideal profile cover page. The very next thing you know, it has already been scaled and turned into a distorted mess.
It really doesn’t help that exact proportions, and image sizes are more difficult to reach than a reasonable political debate on the newsfeed.
Multimedia dominates the media platforms’ environment, whether it was a commercial advertisement, clip, daily event, or maybe even a joke. Using photos and text to successfully represent your social media marketing campaign has already become increasingly vital.
Your business’s graphic image is typically the first element your consumers perceive and maybe the only thing they retain in this fast-paced era of the internet. However, if you use our reference to social networking sites dimensions, it won’t be tough!
As of 2021, the most important social media picture proportions are listed underneath.
I’m sure you don’t want me to tell you how effective aesthetic resources are in your promotion. Rather, here’s what you want or need to know about image resolution on all of the massive social networking networks.
When it comes to developing a range of quality videos and photos, there seems to be a bunch to get perfect. You must ensure that any photos you use do not violate copyright rules. You’ll need to acquire high-quality photographs if you don’t have any own photography. It would be best if you found out where the resources are willing to assist you in improving your social networking site’s pictures. Furthermore, you must ensure that your networking site image sizes are correct. And it’s critical to have that correctly because:
● It prevents pixelation and inconvenient picture distortion. And by preventing this, your photographs will appear more polished.
● Every media platform’s network’s newsfeed will be optimized because of your pictures. This may help to boost participation.
● It guarantees that your viewer understands the entire image. Several of your company’s branding may be chopped off due to improper size.
● It has the ability to make your prospective material fool-proof. Knowing how to deal with social networking sites’ picture dimensions now might save you time and effort ahead whenever networks alter how pictures are shown.
● It has the ability to make your prospective material fool-proof. Knowing how to deal with social networking sites’ picture dimensions now might save you time and effort ahead whenever networks alter how pictures are shown.
We go further into information for each platform beneath. However, this picture has the social networking sites’ picture dimensions you’re very likely searching about. So, read on to know more about the image dimensions for each of the social media sites.
Instagram is a great picture-sharing social networking site. It’s the greatest location to exhibit off your current abilities, down close to creating an intriguing layout out of the order in which your photographs’ previews appear.
Instagram is built on pictures, which must highlight the importance of adhering to such size image restrictions. Guarantee that your display picture is easily identifiable so that visitors may discover you more easily via searching or exploration.
● Appears at a resolution of 110 × 110 inches on your account.
● Preserve a 1:1 screen resolution when taking a squared picture.
Instagram has always been about the photographs and videos that your followers see in their feeds. In reality, images captured with Instagram’s original app have a greater resolution than others.
● Instagram photos now have a resolution of 1080 x 1080 pixels.
● These photographs are still toned down to 612 × 612 pixels on Instagram.
● About 510 x 510 pixels, appear in the newsfeed.
● 1080 x 1920 pixels is the ideal dimension.
● A minimal level dimension of 600 x 1067 is required.
● 9:16 is the main parameter.
LinkedIn is indeed the largest and most influential community, with 468 million active monthly users. Whereas other social media sites may be helpful for generating traffic and clients, LinkedIn is a terrific way to find a talented workforce and interact with other leading organizations. And on this platform, just like the others, you have to pay full attention to the correct picture size. And for that, all you would need to do is go through the segment below.
300 by 300 pixels
LinkedIn switched to a new design for social accounts but preserved the boxed symbol for business pages. The LinkedIn personal profile elements, on the other hand, are quite basic. It’s critical to have the width just perfect.
● At least 300 by 300 pixels is required.
● The file size limit is 10 megabytes.
● JPG, GIF, and PNG are examples of picture formats.
1584 x 396
● 1584 x 396 pixels is the required resolution.
● The file size limit is 4MB.
● JPG, PNG, and GIF are examples of picture formats.
300 × 300 pixel
● The required resolution is 300 x 300 pixels.
● At least 300 by 300 pixels is required.
● 4MB limit in a square layout.
● PNG, JPG, and GIF are examples of file formats.
1128 x 191 pixel
● 1128 x 191 pixels is the ideal dimension.
● A limit size of the file of 4MB is allowed.
● PNG, JPG, and GIF are examples of picture formats.
1200 x 627 pixel
● Related to mobile sizing, the suggested picture or link size is 1200 x 627 pixels.
● PNG, JPG, and GIF are examples of picture formats.
To learn more, visit the LinkedIn help center.
● Computer resolution: 820 x 312 pixels
● Mobile device resolution: 640 x 360 pixels
● 400 x 150 pixels is the size limit.
● Just under 100KB is the recommended file size.
● 1200 x 630 pixels is the ideal dimension.
● 600 x 315 pixels is the size limit.
● The required dimensions of the photo are 1200 x 628 pixels.
● This is around a two-to-one ratio.
● After you’ve published activity to your calendar, you won’t be able to change the dimensions of your activity cover picture.
● Facebook specifies a threshold screen resolution of “30,000 pixels in any width, and fewer than 135,000,000 pixels in overall amount.”
● 2:1 dimension
● The picture dimension is 1080 x 1920 pixels.
● Stories take up the complete screen. That’s a 9:16 main parameter.
● Use a picture with a width of fewer than 500 pixels.
● Facebook Post advertisement dimensions must be at least 1080 by 1080 pixels.
● At least a resolution of 600 x 600 pixels is required.
● The ratio of 1.91:1 to 1:1.
● A limit image file of 30 MB is allowed.
● Advertising must be at least 1080 × 1080 pixels in size.
● Dimensions must be at least 254 x 133 pixels.
● The ratio is 1:1. (Keep in mind that this is a computer ad type.)
● A resolution of a minimum of 1080 x 1080 pixels is required.
● 1.91:1 to 1:1 ratio
Limited file size of 30 MB is allowed.
● A resolution of at least 1080 x 1080 pixels is required.
● The ratio is 1:1.
● A limit file size of 30 MB is allowed.
● A resolution should be of at least 1080 x 1080 pixels.
● A minimum resolution must be 600 x 600 pixels.
● 1.91:1 to 1:1 ratio.
● Maximal file size of 30 MB is allowed.
● 1080 x 1080 pixels
● 1.91:1 to 1:1 ratio
● Maximum file size of 30 MB is allowed.
● A resolution of at least 1080 x 1080 pixels is required.
● The ratio is 1:1.
● Size must be at least 254 x 133 pixels
● The allowance of the image file is 30 MB.
● 1080 by 1080 pixels in dimension.
● 9:16 is the ratio.
● You require a minimum width of 500 pixels.
Learn more at the YouTube help center.
● The required resolution is 800 x 800 pixels.
● JPG, GIF, BMP, and PNG are examples of picture formats.
Photo for the Channel Cover: 2,048 x 1,152 pixels● Picture Resolution: 2560 x 1440 pixels is preferred.
● Mobile and online users have access to a secure zone with a resolution of 1546 x 423 pixels.
● 4MB is the limit of the image size.
● JPG, GIF, BMP, and PNG are examples of picture formats.
● The aspect ratio of media must be 16:9.
● Videos with a lower aspect ratio, like 4:3, would be pillar boxed to accommodate.
● 200 × 200 pixels is the least picture dimension.
● 2MB is the limit of the image size.
● For banner photographs on Twitter, the pixel value is 1500 × 500 pixels.
● It’s essential to choose the largest size possible to ensure that the picture is prospective.
● The aspect ratio of the banner pictures is 3:1.
● 600 x 335 pixels is the size limit.
● On a computer, any aperture within 2:1 and 1:1 is best. And on smartphones, the requirements are 2:1, 3:4, and 16:9.
● GIF, JPG, and PNG are all accepted media.
● On smartphones, photographs and Images can be up to 5MB in size. On the net, you can upload up to 15MB.
Picture dimensions for Twitter cards:● 120 x 120 pixels is the size limit.
● GIF, JPG, and PNG are all accepted types.
● 1MB is the limit size.
● For the greatest results, use photos with a resolution of at least 600 x 335 pixels.
● 800 x 418 pixels with a 1.91:1 screen resolution.
● For a 1:1 viewing angle, use 800 x 800 pixels.
● The maximum size is 20MB.
● 800 x 800 pixels with a 1:1 aspect ratio.
● The image resolution is 1.91:1 with a resolution of 800 x 418 pixels.
● The maximum picture size is 3MB.
Carousels with a 1:1 viewing angle● 800 x 800 pixels.
● The ratio is 1.91:1 with a resolution of 800 x 418 pixels.
● The maximum file size is 20MB.
● 800 x 418 pixels for a 1.91:1 ratio on the Instant Messaging cards.
● 800 x 418 pixels fThe picture size limit is 3MB.
As a business, your public profile can be the first perception a prospective customer receives of you. You’ll come across as either genuine and competent or outmoded and unscrupulous, depending on the quality of your social media postings and photographs.
To ensure that you belong to the first classification, make sure your photographs are high-resolution, classy, on point, and suitably proportioned. Rather than assuming which social networking sites picture sizes will perform effectively, you now have a plan to assist you.
Are you looking for a team of professionals to handle your social media and market your brand online? Let us take care of your social media management to take your brand to the next level, contact our team of marketing specialists today!
New Year’s can be disregarded as a holiday; however, with a rundown of New Year marketing thoughts, you will not commit that error. While the facts confirm that shopper spending drops in January, remember that it doesn’t vanish by and large. Saying a sensational goodbye, brands chose to get inventive and brilliant with their campaigns and posts. We should simply say that the outgoing year is somewhat a cornerstone for being more imaginative as of now. While a couple of brands go through the straightforward, innovative course, different brands choose to think critically and synchronize their New Year campaigns with their brand philosophy.
Here we investigate how creative ideas to ring in the New Year can be imaginative. The web-based media space shall look lively and brilliant as it is loaded up with New Year wishes. Everything necessary to craft an excellent marketing campaign is a brief period of imagination to keep clients energized after all the gift-giving during the holidays. Yet, assuming you’re low on both of those, we’ve assembled five plans to kick you off.
One of the most effective methods for increasing traffic is to discover what people are seeking right now and then develop your content accordingly. Examining the data should be part of your New Year’s resolutions. It is critical that you understand what people are looking for. If you have an online store, this might help you support discounts rapidly. Individuals, for the most part, start thinking about their lives as the year comes to a close, and they soon begin to set objectives for themselves.
During the Christmas or Hanukkah season, many businesses use email marketing software to send emails. Set your company out from the crowd by sending something before New Year’s Eve. If you feel the urge to stand out from the competition, you may even send an email before the New Year. More significant chances are being noticed since people’s inboxes are often overflowing with messages on New Year’s Day. Send out unusual ideas to certain groups of your supporters, as well as email-only details that you aren’t publicizing on social media or your website.
You may even include a discount code or recall a suggestion for your email to improve it even further. You might also organize a giveaway challenge for a select group of loyal customers. This results in highly valuable, watched content while also providing your brand a boost.
Request that followers submit Christmas recordings with their own clips and your selected hashtag, containing your product or both, and provide something enticing in exchange. Keep this in mind when you plan your January marketing strategy. Connect with your online media audience by asking them to submit remarks or tales that stirred them in the preceding year. It may be anything: a personal tale, a comment from a celebrity, or something they’ve read or seen. You might have the substance on several platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and even Facebook. Each of these has a unique set of engagement options.
Your content should also be tailored to your specific demands, utilizing catchphrases that have larger search traffic. This will also increase visitors to your website. Keep it short, to the point, and direct. Get some information about them or publish their New Year’s resolutions on Facebook for a chance to win a prize.
If you offered a prize for images of a holiday feast, follow up by asking how fans dealt with their other holiday chores. Afterwards, award them for something quirky and unusual that your customers did during the holiday season. It doesn’t have to be directly related to your business; this is more about building relationships. Consider New Year’s driven developments that will benefit your company the most. If you own a clothing store, offer a special discount on apparel, adornments, and splendor items that shine. If you own a liquor shop, combine a bottle of wine with a pair of wine glasses as a complimentary item to make festive bundles perfect for gifting as presents for New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Regardless of whether you’re not shipping a new product, having a unique discount on New Year’s Day is a great idea. To generate enthusiasm among buyers, the advancement should ideally be New Year driven. Begin the new year by giving discounts on a variety of items. If you’re stuck for new year’s advancement ideas and don’t have any new items to sell, simply reduce the items in your store!
While your Christmas sales may have ended, there may be clients who are waiting for greater bargains. This is a fantastic opportunity to provide those customers a chance to buy your stuff. Flash offers are fantastic New Year’s marketing ideas, and they can help you get your Christmas merchandise out. Get out your Christmas product and make it a point to get your clients to act right away. Many shoppers wait until after the holidays to take advantage of offers like this. Nonetheless, keep in mind that such consumers are unlikely to be your greatest future clients. Therefore this should mostly be considered as a way to get rid of excess inventory.
Obviously, you can’t anticipate the same high as you would during the Christmas sales, but it will help you sustain the dramatic decline that most company owners see in sales towards the end of the year. If you don’t want to perform another special task right now, you may extend your Christmas discounts until January or February.
Having a stale old website or physical store from the Christmas season shall never bode well with returning customers. Within a matter of a few days, not only do you have to try and list new products, but you must try and offer a new look and feel to customers for the New Year so that they are encouraged to look around and make more purchases. In order to execute this successfully, given below are a few ideas.
If you own a private company, efficient drop-offs or product deployments are critical to the success of your business over the holidays. However, the start of the year might be an incredible opportunity to launch a brand-new product. A fantastic new year’s marketing strategy would include significant promotional activities throughout December, which would eventually lead to product shipment. When the clock strikes midnight, you can ship the merchandise.
Rather than repeating commercials and promoting the same things, your new year marketing should focus on new products. Persuade your clients to try something out of the ordinary, something truly novel. People are incredibly open to change in the first two or three months of the year, so here is your chance to capitalize on that enthusiasm.
A simple tagline may do wonders for your company. If you’ve been doing your rounds, you’ve probably seen this tagline used more than once. You can’t expect your new year’s marketing effort to be productive if you keep repeating and using the same advertisements.
This may appear to be counterproductive because all of the gifts have been purchased and unwrapped, but the ideal customer for your product may be ready to purchase. This opportunity to sell will be bolstered if you purposefully promote this upcoming new product throughout December alongside your exciting holiday dispatches or bargains. On the other hand, you may also direct exceptional New Year’s freebies. New Year marketing ideas, such as this one, may help you create buzz about your business.
Despite the online sales boom, it is suggested that businesses that have an offline presence also focus on some unique marketing strategies to capitalize on offline business as well. This shall help in growing the brand in a very sustainable and proportionate manner.
If you have a physical presence, you may decorate your showcase window with a New Year’s theme. This is one of those misguided yet important New Year’s marketing ideas that you should use this holiday season. This may be anything like a New Year’s Eve theme in which your items are used. It’s bound to catch the attention of by-passers. You can also elect to display banners and standards in high-traffic areas.
You may use any assistance that is relevant to your business and is associated with the New Year; merely make an honest attempt to get people through the door. This might include areas like shopping malls and marketplaces where people go to buy New Year’s Eve treats. If people see your pennants there, your things will stick in their minds. This can help you create brand awareness, which can lead to transactions.
While the New Year time is great and everyone is in a festive mood, there shall be a sudden dip right after. As a shrewd businessman, you must try and stay ahead of the slump. Thus, by using creative marketing ideas, one can continue being the talk of the town and keeping their brand in the limelight by executing some fine planning before ringing in the New Year itself!
Deals do tend to fall down following the Christmas season. Here’s a suggestion that will make a huge impact in terms of energy: Launch a post-New Year’s Eve promotion. This arrangement can begin in the New Year with exciting discounts, and you may be able to attract customers to your business. If you own a physical store, consider everything your customers would require throughout a long day of profit, mostly winter products and fitness goods. Regardless of whether you want to try something pricey, you may get a simple upgrade that provides a good discount. You can advertise the advancement via web-based media as well as other marketing tactics.
You may also include goods in your promotion that will help clients achieve their goals. For example, a home equipment business may market air fryers to aid in the development of eating habits.
Having a development plan that expressly targets this group of customers may be beneficial to you. You may create an atmosphere in which your clients will be compelled to value their body for what it is worth. At the same time, you can progress to a stable way of life through advancement. Everything else being equivalent, you can run developments of clothing and even advertise them in this manner.
Disseminate these developments using all available marketing channels. You should also guarantee that the progress is for a specific product that is associated with the objective. You may persuade them to buy by emphasizing its benefits and giving a discount.
The highs and the lows of the Holiday season peak with New Year’s and then wanes off eventually. The above-given tips shall help you in both times. With credible New Year marketing ideas and tactics, you may capitalize on this event. Sending out offers, challenges, new products, and New Year’s greetings may go a long way toward building your brand’s image and increasing sales. So, what are you waiting for? Go get creative with your marketing tactics and win some customers!
Need help getting started? Our marketing specialists can help! Contact us today.
The holiday season is a critical time for corporate branding. In terms of how shoppers behave, the holidays are exceptional for the most part. Similarly, the holidays themselves are crucial for all businesses and thus, it is the best time to boost your holiday marketing efforts to manage corporate income. Buyers frequently spend more, going all out to spend on goods, meals, fashion, and everything else that goes into ‘living the good life’.
An all-around planned holiday marketing approach may help with infusing a significant rise in sales and retaining customers by strengthening relationships with them. Around this time, there is a lot of competition in the business world. They make every effort to close as many agreements as possible before the year comes to an end. Those that organize their assignments correctly earn a lot of money during this time.
A strong marketing endeavor can attract customers who are ready to spend by completing urgent or unplanned shopping or who are preparing for the year ahead and researching who to go with for particular administrations or commodities. To be at the forefront of their thoughts provides you an undeniable advantage over your competitors. If Christmas is still a long way off on your calendar, don’t sit idle since your opportunities will not. People generally start browsing for Christmas buying options well in advance of the big day. However, with so many variables to consider in your Christmas marketing, this is no easy task. So in this article, we’ve gathered all the information you’ll need to launch a successful Christmas campaign.
Christmas is a time to share the joy and have a good time. There are a lot of folks in the pub that are full of enthusiasm. Joining the Festive theme to your business marketing activities brings this spirit to your firm as well, making customer connections very straightforward. Brands may increase their revenue by leveraging the marketing effort of providing free gifts with each purchase during the holidays. It is an excellent method to engage in the Christmas spirit and give away free items. Indeed, even anything as simple as putting up designs in your business or hosting an internet-based Christmas-themed crusade on the web may effectively imply offers. It all comes down to your marketing budget and effort.
The returns will be satisfactory if you have a substantial financial plan and are well-versed in your target demographic. This will make it easier for you to achieve your goal of higher deals faster and in a shorter amount of time. It makes your consumers happy and gets them in the purchasing mood. You can provide something inexpensive that does not necessitate additional shipping expenditures. Finally, it is critical to recognize the power of free shipping.
Followers, active existing customers, and promoters of your content are all excited about the possibilities that should be capitalized on. It might be difficult to communicate with your clients in some instances; however, it is easier over the holidays. That is all anybody is talking about. It serves as an icebreaker for you to connect with them. It is an opportunity for you to get valuable knowledge that you can apply to improve your products and services. Segment your present clientele and send mailers to all of them informing them of the proposal. Remember that no two clients are the same, so remember to personalize them and add a touch of warmth.
Your supporters should be rewarded with early access to deals before the Christmas rush. This aids you in attracting consumers to purchase in advance of the holidays. It gives you the advantages to make transactions straight away, prior to the holiday, free for all. It makes it easier to supervise and fulfill orders prior to the holiday chaos. A sense of exclusivity and one-of-a-kind service will make VIP clientele happy and keep them shopping for a long time.
Your fans will feel special since they can obtain a good discount right now, before everyone else. Aside from emails, you might also communicate with your customers with SMS text. If they are connected to the internet through a mobile device, they are also monitoring their social media apps. This sort of marketing is specialized, and only a few companies employ it.
Aside from the standard blogging when on a long trip and so on, people are also seeking to present their friends and family. Because the number of online clients continues to grow, establishing a web-based media strategy is critical. For other firms, collaborating with superstars is the primary Christmas marketing plan. It generates awareness around your company since powerhouses will frequently post on all of their social platforms about the upcoming holiday shopping events.
To employ internet advertising, you must be consistent, precise, and not overly forceful. Content should be created and disseminated at various levels and at regular intervals. Computerization may aid in enhancing the impact of the proper material to be pushed out in the long run.
This marketing plan will aid you in reaching out to new audiences and increasing brand awareness. Influencer holiday marketing activities help you extend openness by targeting niche populations who are likely to move over at a rapid pace.
With online media freebies, a firm may increase its branding while also assisting its ardent customers. It is also critical for attracting a new fan audience that is not yet aware of your brand. A simple Christmas challenge idea would be to commemorate your product or service for the most imaginative replica, approach, or content. The winners receive free goodies, gift cards, and special privileges.
Establish and present a theme where the audience may interact with the company. Your social media platforms and website are important avenues via which the public may collaborate with you. A revamped landing page strategy and Christmas season content demonstrates a higher degree of devotion, which improves the customer experience. You may improve your site by adding major aspects that benefit from a fresh look, especially around the holidays. The Christmas season may account for over one-third of yearly sales for businesses, making it the ideal time to see a significant increase in revenue. As a result, optimizing your website for holiday visitors might be the most effective holiday marketing strategy.
Attractive display pages help the client find the information they’re looking for. If your promoting is consistent across the buyer’s feed, it adds to the constant buying experience. Plan guidelines and pop-ups that provide information about a large site-wide sale or a large bargain on an entire product category. Holiday-motivated calls to action are an excellent approach to get your online customers in the purchasing mood. Make an attempt to enhance these to get the most significant exchanges over the holiday season by utilizing the resources. If you’re a small entrepreneur, digitalization is your best friend.
Combos and Gift Packs are an excellent idea for holiday sales. They are extremely popular among customers since they provide more significant value than standalone items. They are also made available at a low cost. Certainly, every client looks for it. During the holidays, many browse with the intention of purchasing towards the end. They might not recognize what they’re looking for, especially if they’re looking for presents, which is why you should market. Assist them in making the purchase.
Customers are in a frenzy before the holidays to find that “perfect surprise” for their family members and friends. In the course of that pursuit, they will also make a purchase from a new player in the market. Businesses could consider using both consumer loyalty and client security in their statistical surveys.
Offering bundled items at low prices will increase the number of deals you obtain and raise your average revenue. It is fundamental, especially for internet-based enterprises. Make it more convincing by identifying the combinations or providing a hashtag to attract people from favorable channels. To create a more optimal arrangement, pair your smash hit goods with related products.
There might be a variety of reasons why clients are unable to take advantage of the offers. Many firms widen their Christmas marketing efforts in order to attract these clients. Foster a relationship with new clients by providing some incredible last-minute deals.
The largest concern for last possible moment shoppers is if the presents will arrive on time. Play on their emotions and prevail on them with streamlined service that is certain to arrive on time. Any marketing efforts, for the most part, allow new clients to find you. Because people buy throughout the Christmas season, marketing exposes you to a much larger pool of people to whom you may reach out to bring back customers.
Christmas is an excellent opportunity for you to gain valuable insights that you can apply to improve your goods. Consideration of offline channels may be a fantastic holiday marketing endeavor. Businesses should consider focusing on unconnected platforms such as TV and radio advertisements throughout the holidays to capture the attention of customers.
Engaging screen initiatives and TV advertising assist in reaching a larger group of people, making your Christmas marketing effort more productive. You may communicate with potential customers through unconnected channels who may have missed out on holiday deals through web-based channels.
If you have a large budget, you might run advertisements at various phases – Pay – per – click promotions, Google advertisements, Facebook promotional campaigns, and LinkedIn promotions. You may create a quest based on your interest group’s location. With the increase in digital purchasing, it is vital that your company be visible on the web and stands out from the competition. There are several instruments that aid with supervision at various levels.
Recognize and categorize your major interest group, then collect goal encounters concerning them. Learn about their preferred channels; do they prefer to consume info on their workstation or on their mobile device? These experiences aid in making educated marketing decisions for holiday promotions. Brands must expand or adjust their pursuit perceivability in order to join a possible client’s purchaser venture. With your Christmas branding exercises, provide straightforward yet illuminating information. Examine the potential effects of improving your profit plan, remember to provide free delivery for your promotion, and combine your brand with a consistent and quick purchasing experience.
You want to mine the information from different assets – site, online media, survey locales, outsider roads. Reviewing the presentation of the past Christmas data can assist you with understanding the conduct of your main interest group. You can become familiar with the past patterns better and what they meant for the development of your business. Requesting all the data will assist with characterizing targets for a superior holiday marketing strategy. Alluding to this report one year from now would assist you with refining your targets, objectives, and abilities for the following year’s holiday plans.
Right after Christmas, one can experience the bliss of starting life on a fresh page in the new year. Hence, post-Christmas, though the festive spirit may be dwindling, there is certainly yet a sizeable number of customers who are looking to splurge, exchange gifts and celebrate, so don’t dial down on the marketing; until the first week of January!
You may have seen a couple of Christmas marketing ideas that you have been executing as of no, a few activities that are ready to go, and some that require substitution in a way that sustains your holiday target of acquiring more transactions. The Christmas vacation is almost certainly the finest time to form a passionate relationship with your customer group. By segmenting your clients for a really tailored experience, making your deals simple to promote, and communicating the ideas and possibilities consistently via your platforms, you are positioning your company for maximum success for the next Christmas season.
Have you checked your Instagram stats recently? Possibly you keep records of the comments on your post or have a sense of how many followers you get each week. However, have you gone through the metrics and looked through the data? If somehow the response is no, now might be the time to start!
Examining your Instagram insights will help you realize how the site is doing as a component of your entire marketing plan and enable you to develop and expand your brand using this strong, crowded media network.
We’ll clarify whether Instagram metrics are essential and lead you through each of the statistics choices offered in this post. Further, we’ll highlight whether the metrics are most important for overall organizational objectives, so you understand where to put your efforts. And then, we’ll give you a quick rundown of our preferred Instagram analytics techniques.
Looking at current Instagram stats is an excellent starting point if you really want to expand your online presence.
Instagram stats may assist you in identifying your intended audience, improving your marketing plan, and reaching out to new people. Let’s get this ball rolling.
With more than 25 million Official Instagram accounts and more than 200 million Influencer marketing, viewing at minimum one of these every day, it’s evident that companies value this marketing technique. However, if you don’t even know who visits your profiles or clicks on your advertisements, how your postings succeed, how captivating your content is, or how much value your presence generates, spending quality time on the platforms might be a pointless exercise.
If you don’t review your Instagram stats on a constant schedule, you might have been:
This is only a sample of the stuff you might be doing differently if you looked at IG data quite frequently. The insights you get can help you develop how you utilize the network to obtain more benefits for companies, potentially making Instagram a further important part of your digital marketing plan. Let’s go through the statistics without any further hemming and hawing!
Instagram statistics are by far the most effective approach to figure out who your target demographic is, where they’re more engaging, and what kind of material they’re particularly interested in.
Without such a degree of understanding, you’re basically working in the blind when it comes to developing a content marketing strategy that produces results for your company or business.
Picking the correct parameters to measure and understanding how to comprehend them, on the other hand, can be more complex than it appears.
Each business or company will have its own set of goals (ranging from raising social media following to expanding clicks and revenues). Hence the most significant analytics vary from one to another.
What’s the best way to begin? WELL, by having a good understanding of your corporate strategy, you can determine which measurements are most useful in achieving those.
You’ll be capable of getting a lot more out of your Popular Social media platform once you’ve specified your ambitions because you’ll have specific expectations to track in your social media stories.
One of several advantages we encourage upgrading to an Instagram Business or creative profile because Social Media analytics (in-app statistics) are only available to a company or creative accounts.
The critical success factors are referred to as metrics (KPIs). If you want to increase your viewer’s involvement with your business, you will look at your interaction stats to see if it was succeeding. However, before we can go any farther, let’s go over their descriptions in detail.
Such are most of the statistics for your Instagram accounts, profiles, and posts that you could conceivably inspect. Instagram data analysis could be accessed through three different channels: Instagram Insights through the smartphone device, Artist Studio, or from an outside platform.
Understanding your viewers’ insights is an excellent way to know about whoever you’re communicating to, allowing you to personalize your web presence and post durations appropriately.
On Instagram, go to the Analysis tab, read down to “Your Viewer,” and click “See More.
You’ll be eligible to see a summary of your watcher breakdown for up to three months from this one, which includes:
In Social media such as Instagram, there really are two ways of obtaining feed post data analysis.
The very first route is via the Analysis tab. Scroll to the bottom to “Content You Shared” and click the cursor next to your most past posts.
Users could even organize up to two years’ worth of feed posts using a variety of measurements from this page:
If you have Instagram’s Shoppers attributes activated, you might very well see further choices available. It is a nice method to get a comprehensive view of the material that has scored the highest over a specified time frame.
Instagram Stories data analysis, like Social media feed articles, can be found in the Insights menu bar or by scrolling up on a real-time Instagram story.
Scroll to the bottom to “Content You Shared” on the Insights menu bar and click the cursor next to your most recent headlines. Users can arrange up to 3 months of stories depending on the relevant criteria from here:
Examining the achievement of your Instagram Stories is an excellent way to determine which types of Instagram Stories are most effective for your product.
Simply click on a real-time story and choose the insights symbol on the left side of the page for a much more precise and realistic outline.
Here are some examples:
Keep an eye on the Exited criterion, as it can indicate where your viewers stopped being interested in your content — rather than something to prevent in the long term. The native stories data analysis on Instagram are only accessible for 1 month.
The data analysis for Instagram Reels is a relatively recent addition to the Analysis section.
Users can get to them by opening the Instagram Insights menu or by opening a particular Reel and tapping the 3 dot symbol.
Plays, account holders managed to reach, likes, people commenting, saves, and shares are all metrics. Viewpoints of reels distributed on Instagram Stories would be included in the total number of views.
Users can see the effectiveness of two to three years’ value of IGTV video content via Instagram’s Insights menu bar, just as you can with Instagram account posts.
Read down to “Content You Shared” and touch the cursor next to your most recent IGTV clips to access information.
From this one, you can extract and score your IGTV clips based on a variety of evaluation criteria:
You’ll get a great suggestion of what material you could perhaps persist in generating by analyzing which clips kept your audiences intrigued and participated. Moreover, the more deeply involved your viewer is, you can increase the possibility of being favored by the Instagram methodology.
Live Stream algorithms on Instagram are now accessible via the Insights menu bar. Moreover, users can view the total number of customers reached, as well as the peak simultaneous watchers, comment sections, and shares among other users.
You must have stronger insight into social media analytics and how to analyze your account by this point. If you want to overperform your challenge and remain relevant and exciting, you can’t afford to ignore your Instagram analysis tools.
Numerous Instagram methods are available, but it is eventually essential to decide which ones will fit best. When customers first begin their data analysis adventure, they typically start with Instagram Insights. However, as your account grows in popularity and your hopes rise, you’ll require more information. We hope you manage to find this guide helpful in monitoring your KPIs and enhancing your subject matter!
You’ll see, there are 100s of Instagram measures you could indeed monitor and review on. But attempting to record and monitor them all isn’t always the best use of your time.
A thorough understanding of your company’s targets, as well as the vital Instagram measures which will help you improve those, is often a more accurate strategy.
Then when you’ve defined your objectives, it’s beneficial to create an online report. In that way, you can detect your improvements in an aesthetically compelling and easier-to-digest format.
Experiment with new goals, tinker with your techniques and modify your subject matter to see how much adheres. And the outcomes may astound you — of course, in a pleasant manner.
If you’re looking for assistance for measuring the success of your efforts and helping to manage your day-to-day on social media. Our social media experts are here for you! Give us a call and we’ll be happy to assist you in reaching your brand goals.
Today, Facebook has over 2.89 billion active, monthly users worldwide, and Instagram has been holding its own with roughly one billion active, monthly users.
Considering that Facebook and Instagram amalgamated, which has enabled users to easily post across both platforms at once, there’s a very high chance that small business owners and brand managers will be able to target niche audiences and expand their customer bases using Facebook and Instagram.
Not only are these joint social media platforms excellent places to organically advertise and spread brand awareness, but businesses can now sell directly to their followers and visitors via Facebook and Instagram Shop.
This is all to say that in 2021, every business should have a strong, engaging presence on both Facebook and Instagram.
Do you?
If you’ve gotten behind the 8-ball, fear not. FTx 360 can quickly and effectively set up your Facebook and Instagram business accounts, and join both within Facebook Business Manager so that you’re able to start posting, engaging, and selling within hours. Contact us to learn about our rates and social media marketing services.
Or, you can use this concise how-to guide for beginners to create your own business accounts on Facebook and Instagram.
First things first, take a deep breath! This is not going to be as complicated as you might think. In order to create a business page on Facebook, however, you’ll need to have a personal Facebook account if you don’t already have one. Once you set up a personal account, follow these steps.
Step 1:
Step 2:
Step 3:
Step 4:
Step 5:
Step 6:
Creating an Instagram Business account is actually faster than it sounds and far easier than creating a Facebook Business account.
Step 1:
Step 2:
Step 3:
There’s no sense in attempting to manage your Facebook and Instagram accounts from separate dashboards. Luckily, you can merge the two accounts and access all of your content within Facebook Business Manager. The most beneficial aspect you’ll experience once you do this is that from one well-organized dashboard you can schedule posts and launch & manage all of your advertising campaigns that will run on both platforms. You will also be able to review your business Insights and analyze your follower & visitor data more easily and comprehensively, because the information will be consolidated from both platforms.
1 Step from Facebook:
Once you link your accounts from within your Facebook Business Page, you will not need to take further action. That being said, if you prefer to link your accounts from within your Instagram Business account, then use the following:
1 Step from Instagram:
That wraps up the steps you’ll need to take in order to create your Facebook and Instagram Business accounts. This article has only been an introduction to the world of how you can market your brand on Facebook and Instagram. If you’re ready to dive in head first, check out our Facebook Marketing Do’s and Dont’s, What’s New on Instagram in 2021, and 3 Ways to Increase Social Engagement.
Would you rather partner with a digital marketing agency for all of your Facebook and social media campaigns? FTx 360 could be the right agency for you. Our social media marketing specialists have created and launched impactful online marketing campaigns for businesses from all industries. From redesigning your company logo to rebranding your Facebook Business Page, we do it all and aim to please! Contact us to learn more about what FTx 360 can do for you.
Your Facebook marketing strategies have the power to either grow your brand quickly or waste your time. You don’t want to be pouring your time and energy into using marketing strategies on Facebook that are destined to fail, which means that your top priority should be to research the strategies that will work and avoid the ones that won’t.
You’ve come to the right place. The social media marketing specialists at FTx 360 have done the research for you. Based on market trends and first-hand experience, our Facebook marketing experts have put together a helpful list of Do’s & Don’ts to ensure that the time and energy you spend on Facebook will not only grow your brand quickly but also increase your bottom line.
In this article, you’ll also learn about the different Facebook Business Manager administrative roles that you can assign to your employees. And finally, we will wrap up the article by laying out five key marketing areas to be mindful of as you create, schedule, and manage your Facebook marketing.
The vast majority of Facebook users not only log onto the social platform daily, they basically live on it, and no, we aren’t using hyperbole. Most people who have a Facebook account keep the site open on their desktop or laptop computer all day long so that they can scroll through their feed whenever they feel like it. They also keep their smartphones nearby and as soon as a push notification from Facebook pops up, guess what they do? They swipe into the app to check out the alert.
All this is to say that if you use Facebook correctly, you will have the full attention of your audience. But first things first, be sure that you aren’t guilty of any of these self-sabotaging “don’ts.”
If you didn’t know, yes, it’s possible to purchase Facebook Page “likes” and even post “likes.” Years ago, when Facebook instilled an algorithm to identify and promote Pages with the most “likes,” a ton of ethically-questionable companies began selling “likes” to any business that would buy. The concept seemed logical. Purchase 1,000 or 20,000 Facebook “likes” from a company, then real people will discover and like your Page, and business revenue will increase, right? Except that’s not what happens. Because the “likes” are from fake accounts or bots, organic engagement never results. Plus, real Facebook users can tell. The fact of the matter is that the more fake “likes” you have, the lower your organic reach and post engagement will be.
This is extremely important, especially for businesses that are using Facebook to increase their overall revenue. Just because your marketing goal is to convert followers into paying customers doesn’t mean that 100% of your Facebook posts, ads, and Stories should be promotional. In other words, don’t use Facebook to constantly push your products or services. If you do, you’ll only end up losing your audience as followers “unfollow” you, “mute” you for 30 days, or block you altogether.
How many hashtags should you use in a typical Facebook post? Honestly, we don’t have a straight answer. The goalposts keep moving. For the longest time, the “no more than 30 hashtags” rule was applicable. We even advised ways to tuck hashtags beneath an attention-grabbing caption or post them into the first comment, and for a while that was sound advice. However, as of writing this article, it looks like including as few as five hashtags is ideal, and if you want to follow the hashtag trend, you should work them into your caption sentences instead of listing them out below the caption.
There’s a fine line between using an attention-grabbing heading and one that’s obviously click-bait. A basic rule of thumb to live by is to be honest and avoid exaggerating. Now, there are two kinds of headings you will use. When you share a web page link, a headline will automatically generate from the third-party’s website. In this instance, make sure the web page you’re sharing is appropriate for your brand and relevant to your audience. The other kind of heading is the one you compose yourself, which could have to do with an upcoming promotion or a business milestone. Just be sure to caption the information honestly rather than exaggerating the content with a shocking headline.
Eventually, you could receive a negative comment or customer review on your Facebook Page. How you respond is extremely important. The last thing you want to do is come across sounding callous, defensive, or downright argumentative. Do not argue with customers, followers, and visitors on your Facebook Page in view of the public. Even responding with an explanation could run the risk of being perceived as argumentative. Instead, reply promptly with a professional-sounding invitation for them to call, DM, or email your company. For all customer service complaints, just remember, it’s best to handle the matter privately.
Facebook Shops are growing in popularity due in large part to the fact that customers love the convenience of having the option to buy goods directly on Facebook. No brand should overlook the importance of setting up a Facebook Shop, but strangely, a lot of eCommerce retailers are guilty of this. Many eCommerce retailers assume that Facebook users will click their website button and willingly navigate out of the Facebook app in order to shop on their website. Don’t make this mistake. As a matter of fact, Facebook users are becoming less and less willing to navigate out of Facebook just to shop. Even if you have an eCommerce site, you should set up a Facebook Shop.
Now that you understand what not to do on Facebook, you probably want to learn about what you should do to capture the attention of your audience, grow your followers, and convert users, visitors, and followers into loyal customers. In a nutshell, you need to focus on presenting a clear brand image to your social media followers, which includes using a distinct voice to communicate with your followers and personally relate to your audience. If you’re using Facebook to gain B2B clients, make sure every post looks and sounds polished and professional. Are you a pet retailer? Punch up your posts with as much personality as possible! You get the idea…
Without further ado, here’s our list of must-do’s!
Once upon a time, business owners created Facebook Pages to promote websites and it worked. People found those businesses on Facebook and then visited their websites. Nowadays, Facebook Pages actually function like their own little business websites, which means that you’re going to want to encourage inbound traffic to your Page. You can do this by using your business website to promote your Facebook Page. Include clickable Facebook icons on every page of your website. You should also display your actual Facebook Page content feed on at least one page of your site. Even if website visitors only hop over to Facebook to “like” your Page, it’ll be worth it.
We can’t overstate the benefits of using Facebook Live and we wish more business owners would get into the habit of regularly broadcasting branded messages using this innovative Facebook feature. Facebook Live enables you to livestream events, lessons, performances, lectures, or anything you like. Viewers can watch the live broadcast from their smartphones, computers, or connected TV, and they can also react, share, and comment in real-time. We encourage business owners to use Facebook Live to broadcast 3 to 5-minute messages to build brand awareness. Branded messages can address your company’s mission, purpose, and goals.
Facebook users expect to receive a response within 30 minutes when they send a Direct Message, especially if they’re using DM to reach customer service due to an issue. For this reason, it’s extremely important to respond quickly to any Facebook DMs you receive. In fact, if you’re slow to respond, you could lose sales. We also recommend that you respond quickly to the comments under your Facebook posts as well, even if it’s simply to acknowledge a kind comment or answer a question. As an added bonus, the faster you respond, the higher Facebook will elevate your Page.
What is “compelling content”? The answer to this question will depend on who your audience includes. That being said, any post that provokes engagement will be compelling. Use your Facebook posts to ask questions. Questions naturally provoke responses because followers will feel compelled to answer them. You can also use CTAs in your posts, offer valuable information, embed a survey or pole, or post an evocative image. The trick here is to remember that the goal of the post is to start a conversation, which means that when your followers begin to comment, be sure to respond and keep the engagement going.
Not all of your Facebook posts have to be original content that you’ve created. In fact, your followers will appreciate gaining insights into your opinions and perspective on relevant topics, which is why it’s a good idea to share articles and links to other relevant websites. By sharing interesting, relevant information with your followers, you can spark engagement and start conversations in the comments. Also, be sure to share the links to any blog articles that you’ve written within a few hours of publishing. This will help pull traffic to your blog and also trigger conversations about the article itself.
The more pictures, photos, and videos you use in your Facebook posts, the better. People love social media in general because it’s highly visual. Be mindful of how your posts will appear in the average user’s Facebook feed. Try to find ways to ensure your posts are eye-catching and impossible to “scroll by.” You want your followers to stop scrolling when they see your posts, and using dynamic photos, stunning pictures, and attention-grabbing videos can help. This rule also applies to any Facebook ads you run, and remember, you can always use paid “boosts” to promote your most popular posts.
One of the most beneficial aspects of marketing your brand on Facebook is that you can split the marketing workload between multiple people thanks to Facebook Business Manager. Instead of handling 100% of your Facebook marketing yourself, you can assign roles to your employees.
There are many administrative roles that you can set within Facebook Business Manager, which include:
● Admin: Can manage all aspects of the Page. They can publish and send Messenger messages as the Page, respond to and delete comments on the Page, post from Instagram to Facebook, create ads, see who created a post or comment, view insights, and assign Page roles. If an Instagram account is connected to the Page, they can respond to and delete comments, send Direct Messages, sync business contact info and create ads.
● Editor: Can publish content and send Messenger messages as the Page, respond to and delete comments on the Page, create ads, see who created a post or comment, post from Instagram to Facebook, and view insights. If an Instagram account is connected to the Page, they can respond to and delete comments, send Direct Messages, sync business contact info and create ads.
● Moderator: Can send Messenger messages as the Page, respond to and delete comments on the Page, create ads, see who created a post or comment, and view insights. If an Instagram account is connected to the Page, they can respond to Instagram comments, send Direct Messages and create ads.
● Advertiser: Can create ads, see who created a post or comment, and view insights. If an Instagram account is connected to the Page, they can create ads.
● Analyst: Can see which admin created a post or comment and view insights.
As you can see, each Facebook administrative role defined above has a different level of access and responsibility. Admins have full access to the Facebook Business Page, and can create ads, view insights, respond to comments, and send Direct Messages. Whereas Analysts have the least amount of access and can only create posts, comment on posts, and view insights.
APPLY THE DO’S & DON’TS TO YOUR FACEBOOK MARKETING STRATEGY
Let’s assume you understand the do’s and don’ts of Facebook marketing, and you’re committed to applying the do’s. You’ve even hired a few trustworthy and passionate helpers to manage your Facebook Page. There are a few more strategizing steps you’ll need to address before your Facebook Page will be ready to roll like a well-oiled machine. These steps involve understanding who your audience is, how to communicate with them, and figuring out when they want to hear from you.
Once you know all that, the content that your entire team creates, schedules, and manages will spark user engagement and help you gain enthusiastic followers who turn into customers.
You can easily identify who your Facebook audience is by checking out the demographics of your CRM software. If you’ve had your Facebook Page for a while, you can also use the insights feature within Facebook Business Manager to understand the types of followers who engage with your Page.
You can take identifying your audience one step further by developing key buyer personas for your brand. A buyer persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer that’s based on your own market research as well as the real data you collect about your existing customers from your CRM.
The simplest way to leverage the audience insights you’ve compiled is to use the demographic information when you place your next Facebook ad. The best digital marketing campaign will target the right audience and you can only do this if you accurately leverage your audience insights, build a targeted marketing strategy, and run ads that spark engagement.
The key to success is planning ahead, and using your Facebook Page to help every area of your business succeed is no different. We strongly suggest that you use a social media content calendar like this one, which you can download and start using today, to keep your posts organized.
It shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that as a social platform, Facebook has peak hours and dark hours. That being said, your specific audience might be the most active on Facebook on certain days, or within certain windows of time on certain days. For example, if your target audience is comprised of nightclub owners, then the best days and times to reach them is probably from dusk until dawn Friday and Saturday nights. You get the idea, just be sure to research the best days and times to post on Facebook to reach your niche audience.
Would you rather partner with a digital marketing agency for all of your Facebook and social media campaigns? FTx 360 could be the right firm for you. Our social media marketing specialists have created and launched impactful marketing campaigns for businesses from all industries. From redesigning your company logo to rebranding your Facebook Business Page, we do it all and aim to please! Contact us to learn more about what FTx 360 can do for you.
Convenience is everything to consumers these days. Just as in-store retail shoppers would be seriously annoyed if cashiers told them to visit the retailer’s eCommerce site in order to buy all the items in their carts, today’s consumers do not want to leave the social media platforms they’re scrolling through in order to buy the amazing merchandise they’re looking at.
Are you featuring merchandise on your Instagram profile? If so, it’s because you want visitors to buy those items. Trust us, your visitors definitely want to have fast access to purchase the items you post on social, and we’re here to say that redirecting your Facebook and Instagram visitors to your eCommerce site is not going to make your visitors happy.
Instagram and Facebook now offer a new platform feature called Shop. Barely a year old, Shop is an eCommerce feature that enables your visitors to purchase your merchandise directly from your social profiles. Yes, by utilizing Shop, your Facebook profile is transformed into an eCommerce store unto itself, likewise your Instagram profile.
And the best part is that because Instagram and Facebook are connected, you only have to set up one Shop within Facebook (or Instagram) and you’ll be able to sell your goods on both platforms.
Consider this article your step-by-step how-to guide for setting up a Shop on Facebook, which will enable you to sell your goods on both platforms. And yes, we are going to focus on setting up your Facebook Shop which will link to Instagram, enabling you to sell on both platforms.
Let’s get started.
In order to set up your Shops through Facebook, you will need to have a Facebook Business Manager account. If you don’t have one, don’t worry. Turning your regular Facebook account into a Business Manager account is as easy as clicking a few buttons. Simply log in to Facebook, navigate to your Facebook page, and click the Edit Page button at the top right of the page.
Next, click on the Basic Information tab, which you’ll find at the left-hand side of the toolbar that appears across the top of your screen. A drop-down menu will appear. Click Category, select Local Businesses and Places, and when another drop-down menu appears, select the Type of Business that best describes your page. Save your changes.
Once your Business Manager account has been created following the steps we just covered, you will be ready to start building your Facebook & Instagram Shop via the Facebook Business Manager.
● Log in to Facebook Business Manager
● In the upper-left corner, click the horizontal bars icon
● Click Shortcuts
● A drop-down menu will appear, scroll down until you see Commerce Manager
● Click Commerce Manager
● Click Get Started
You will be presented with two options:
● Manage with Commerce Manager
● Sync & Manage with a Partner
You will have to choose one or the other.
If you already have an eCommerce platform, Shopify store, or similar, then select “Sync & Manage with a Partner.” If not, then choose “Commerce Manager.”
Commerce Manager is a great option for retailers who don’t have a pre-existing eCommerce site and aren’t prepared to create one just for the sake of selling goods on social media. You do not need any expertise to set up your Shop via Commerce Manager within Facebook Business Manager.
Commerce Manager is also an ideal option for businesses that primarily sell services, but want to attract new customers on social media by offering select merchandise. For example, SaaS businesses might use Instagram & Facebook Shops to sell computer cases, cell phone cases, electronic & hardware accessories, and swag, not because retailing those items is their core purpose, but because their social media profiles and posts contain critical information about the software they sell as a service. By magnetizing visitors to their page via Shop, their visitors will learn about their core SaaS business and hopefully become interested in purchasing Saas through their business website.
● Click Manage with Commerce Manager
● Click Next
You will see three options, which are:
● Checkout on Another Website
● Checkout with Facebook or Instagram
● Checkout with Messaging
The option to Checkout on Another Website is as literal as it gets. This option will enable your social shoppers to purchase your goods on another website such as Etsy or another platform that does not have a partner integration with Facebook & Instagram. We actually do not recommend this option since it will cause your social visitors to navigate away from Facebook and Instagram.
Checkout with Facebook or Instagram is the option to choose if you want to be able to sell immediately on these platforms.
The final option, Checkout with Messaging, enables your social visitors to purchase through the IM / DM messaging features of Facebook and Instagram. Pretty cool! This option, however, is limited, so we don’t recommend that you go this route during the set-up process. That being said, once you set up your Shop, your social visitors will still have the option to purchase via messenger!
● Click Checkout with Facebook or Instagram
● Click Next
The set-up manager will ask you where do you want to sell from?
● Choose Ad Account from Business Manager
● Click Continue
You will then be presented with a page that says, Setting Up a Test Account.
There are three primary steps to this process:
● Entering your business information
● Setting up your inventory and shipping preferences
● Setting up your bank account where purchase payments will be deposited
In the next section, we will walk you through all three steps.
Entering in your business information is a straightforward process. Once you’ve entered this information, it’s time to start entering your merchandise inventory. Here you will either create an inventory catalog or link Facebook to your pre-standing inventory catalog if you have one. This step is very easy to do if you already have a Shopify store.
If you don’t have a Shopify store or another eStore that has partnered with Facebook & Instagram, then you can manually enter each inventory item, along with all the pertinent information for each item including photos, descriptions, and prices. This could take some time so be sure to plan ahead.
Once all of your inventory items are entered and saved, click Next, and fill out the Shipping Options prompts. You can set up Standard Shipping, Expedited Shipping, and Rush Shipping. Even though you can always change these later from the Commerce Manager, try to fill out as much information as possible during this step.
That being said, we want to emphasize how important this step really is. Right now, Facebook & Instagram places massive importance on retailers’ shipping capabilities. So much so, in fact, that if and when you launch a Facebook & Instagram ad campaign, the bidding and ad placement process will factor in your shipping capabilities. Shipping directly impacts customer satisfaction so you must be completely honest when filling out the shipping section of your Shop. For example, if you cannot live up to Rush Shipping, then do not include it as a shipping option for your Shop customers.
For all of the shipping options that you are confident you can live up to, click the Edit icon to the right of the option and fill out the information, which includes Estimated Days to Delivery, Price, Price Per Additional Items, and Cart Minimum for Free Shipping.
Pay particular attention to the Estimated Days to Delivery field. As we mentioned, you must be honest, but please be realistic, too. Do you project that it could take 20 days to ship an order? Facebook is not going to like that. You may need to reinforce your shipping department, hire who needs to be hired, and implement the best shipping operations as possible so that the “estimated days to delivery” that you’re capable of offering your customers will please Facebook as well as your shoppers. For the sake of full disclosure, 3 – 7 days for a delivery timeline is acceptable. Any shipments that take longer than that are not generally considered competitive, unless you’re using Drop Ship via a distributor or manufacturer. In that case, you need an even larger buffer. Remember, your customers would rather have a realistic estimate than a delivery promise you cannot fulfill.
The next Shipping Options field to fill out is the Price. Unlike Amazon and other eCommerce platforms that offer advanced intelligence and customized shipping cost estimations, Facebook Shop is not capable of this. Instead, you will have to plug in a fixed shipping cost that will be used to deliver all orders to any location. For example, if you plug in $10, you will collect $10 per order. If the order is 50 lbs and the destination is 3,000 miles away, you’re probably going to lose money. But if your goods tend to be light, such as 5 ounces, then shipping to a destination that’s clear across the US for $10 is reasonable.
The Price Per Additional Item should be reasonable, as well. Remember, profiting from the shipping costs you collect from your customers is a big no-no, but at the same time, you don’t want to lose money. Be careful when you calculate these figures, and be mindful that you will also need to calculate the Cart Minimum for Free Shipping. Will your customers need to purchase $50-worth of goods or $100-worth in order to receive free shipping? Do the math and try to get that figure as low as possible.
You will go through the same process and fill out the same fields for Expedited Shipping and Rush Shipping if you are able to offer those shipping options. If not, then do not select them. Once you’ve completed the Set Your Shipping Options page, click Next.
You do not need to draft a legally-binding return policy, because Facebook supplies one. However, you will need to plug in how many days a customer has to return an item. Thirty days is fairly standard for retail, so we recommend that you allow customers to return items for up to 30 days if they want a payment refund for their purchase. But the return policy time frame is really up to you. That being said, the information you supply here is extremely important and Facebook will penalize your future ads if you plug in an unreasonable time frame, such as stating that customers only have 5 days to return items. Finally, enter in the Customer Service Email address that visitors and customers can use to contact you, and click Save.
You will be redirected to the Setting Up a Test Account page where you must now fill out the 3rd and final section of your Shop—Payouts. This section is as straightforward as it gets. Simply enter in all of your banking information, business information, and tax information, and click Save.
Once you’ve completed those sections of entering your business information, setting up your inventory and shipping preferences, and setting up your bank account where purchase payments will be deposited, you can then begin to focus on your product catalog.
As we mentioned earlier, you can either link to Shopify or another partnered eCommerce online platform or enter your products manually. But the set-up manager will walk you through this.
To start:
● Click Catalog
● Click Items
Here you will have three options:
● Add Manually
● Use Bulk Upload
● Use a Pixel
The next section of this how-to article will focus on the process to Add Manually.
● Click Add Manually
You will see a form with blank fields and upload boxes where you can enter in product information, photos, descriptions, and prices. Pay particular attention to the Content ID fields. If your catalog is relatively large or if you’re pulling your catalog in through Shopify, you may need to include a Content ID per item in your Facebook Shop. In this case, the Content IDs will be your SKU codes or UPCs. That being said, entering Content IDs is optional, so you can leave these fields blank if you prefer.
A cool aspect to be mindful of is that you can create an automatic discount that your visitors will see. Let us explain. The difference between the Sale Price and the Price fields will appear to your visitors as an item’s discount. For example, if you enter an item sale price of $50 and plug in $100 for the “price” of that item, then your product page will show a $50 discount. However, if you enter a Sale Price of $50 and leave the Price field blank, then the product page will only show one sale price with no discount. Depending on the sales you’re managing, you can adjust your products’ Sales Prices versus Prices.
There are more fields within each Product page, including Variations, which pertains to various sizes and / or colors of your products. If such variations apply to your products, then be sure to fill these out so that your visitors can see all of the item options that are available.
As you can probably tell, manually filling out a Product Page for every inventory item you have within your catalog will be a time consuming process. For this reason, we don’t recommend that you enter your items manually unless you do not have a product catalog ready to import.
You can also Activate & Deactivate inventory items and set your on-hand inventory quantities.
This is the really fun part, and best of all, designing the look of your Facebook & Instagram storefronts won’t be time consuming since the Shop platform has highly limited options. That being said, by adjusting and modifying the stylistic options that are available to you, you will be able to present your unique brand to your social visitors in the right light.
On the left-hand side of your Facebook Shop screen, under Catalog, you will see an icon for Shops.
● Click Shops
You will be able to start setting up your storefront.
Once the Shops page loads, you will see your Facebook account as a visitor. Based on what you see, you can enter additional information and change the design layout and features to your liking, though there aren’t that many variables to toy with.
● Click Style
You will be able to change the design colors and theme colors of your Shop to suit your unique brand, including the color of the links and buttons that appear and the text content, font, and alignment. You can also use Tiles to spruce up the exact layout of your Shop. You can also group your items into Collections for an even more stylized layout. Take your time and play around with the options until your Shop captures and presents your brand exactly how you want!
Why do we recommend that you create your Shop on Facebook and not Instagram? We’ve lived and learned, and therefore we strongly advise that you set up your Shop within Facebook, as opposed to setting up your Shop from Instagram. Though these two platforms are conjoined thanks to Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram a number of years back, the Shop set-up process differs between the two. In our collective experience, the Facebook Shop set-up process and the functionality that subsequently results on both Facebook & Instagram is superior to that which is offered by Instagram.
Want the social media marketing experts at FTx 360 to set up and handle your Facebook & Instagram Shops? Our social media management team can have you up-and-running in no time! Contact us to learn about our rates and what FTx 360 can do for your business.
In 2021, social media has gone way beyond digitally connecting friends online and providing a place for them to socialize.
Social media platforms are in large part providing businesses with secondary, virtual, operational hubs.
Take Facebook for example. Within this single social media platform, a company can promote products, maintain an eCommerce store, and handle customer service inquiries, all while posting regularly and engaging with followers.
If you’re a business owner who isn’t using social media as an extension of your everyday operations, you’re missing out on a major business opportunity that has the potential to expand your customer base and increase overall revenue.
Integrating social media into your business strategy will afford your brand countless benefits, including:
● Social media can spread brand awareness
● Social media can expand your customer base
● Social media can encourage online engagement
● Social media can increase the virality of your brand
Social media is such a powerful tool for business growth, in fact, that you don’t have to use every platform under the sun. Simply maintaining accounts on one or two social platforms will be enough to support your business needs and social media goals.
If you need help determining the best social platforms for your company, we recommend that you take a moment to read our prior article, Which Social Media Platforms Are Right For Your Business?
If you’re already clear on which social platforms will best serve your business needs, it’s time to get even clearer on how you can use those social platforms to grow your business, which will be the focus of this article.
Before you can really get started utilizing social media for your business, be sure to complete the following actions so that your social accounts are ready for action:
● Fill out your social profile(s) with your company’s telephone number, email address, and other contact information, and be sure to include a concise description of your business.
● For your Instagram account, add to the description box any affiliated IG account handles your company has, such as your customer service and help desk accounts; and be sure to add your branded hashtags as well, if applicable.
● For your Twitter account, keep your bio short and personable, and don’t forget to include your website and the Twitter handles of your affiliated accounts, if applicable.
● For your LinkedIn account, connect your business profile page to your website blog, if applicable, so that published blogs automatically post to your page.
Once you have all of your social media accounts set up, the next critical step is to add social media icons to your website, email signature, newsletter footer, and any other digital marketing tool your company uses. These social media icons should have clickable links that will direct users to your social media account.
Are your bases covered? If so, let’s dive into the specifics of what you can do to make the most out of your social media accounts.
You will experience far more engagement and social success if you regularly and consistently publish posts on your social media accounts, as opposed to only publishing posts ad hoc when the mood strikes you. Business profiles that consistently post twice a week end up generating more valuable social interactions than businesses that post three times during a single day and then fail to post for eight consecutive days. Adhering to a realistic posting schedule should be your first step towards effectively utilizing social media for your business. We recommend that you specifically integrate the following types of social posts into your organic posting schedule:
● Products & Services Posts that Use “Tags”—1x per week
● Contest or Giveaway Promotions—2x per year
● Posts with Hashtags that Target Your Audience & Location—1x per week
In addition to these specialized posts, be sure to develop a consistent posting schedule that features the kind of content and conversation starters that best represent your brand.
This social posting idea only relates to Facebook & Instagram, or any social platform that offers an in-app eCommerce store. Assuming you have set up your business’s social accounts as well as in-app eCommerce, the biggest benefit of using product tagging in your posts is that the click-through rates of your posts will increase, which will help you gain visibility and increase direct sales.
When a social media contest or giveaway is executed properly, it’s a powerful way to build immediate social engagement and long-term followers. Social users might not automatically know that your brand exists, but by including the right hashtags in your social contest, social users will quickly find out exactly who you are!
Did you know that every social media post has the potential to target your audience? By including specific hashtags you can help to target the audience you want. Location tagging can also help draw in the right audience, especially if your business has a brick-and-mortar location.
Businesses that use social media to the fullest provide their social visitors and followers with the option to shop directly on their platforms, ask questions, and leave comments. In other words, these savvy businesses provide customer service to their social visitors. Directly within the platforms, customer service representatives can respond to questions and concerns, as well as shift public customer service conversations into private DMs when it will best serve the customer. By providing social media users with customer service avenues on social platforms, businesses are able to meet customers where they are, which ultimately results in better customer satisfaction. Here are three tips you can use when integrating customer service into your social accounts:
● Amp Up the Human Connection by Being Personable & Humble
● Carefully Compose Any Auto Replies You Set Up
● Use Direct Message CTAs at the Bottom of Your Social Responses
The most important tip we can give you when it comes to integrating customer service avenues into your social accounts is to designate a real-life employee to manage the interactions and responses in a timely fashion.
The days of generic auto-replies are long gone, but unfortunately, a lot of businesses still use these canned, antiquated responses when it comes to social media. Yes, Facebook, Instagram, and other social platforms provide you with auto-reply templates that can be used in your DMs and Chat Messages, but unless a real-life person is overseeing them, it could backfire badly.
If your staff is really pressed for time, then compose FAQ responses that they can choose from, and remember, as time-consuming as it may be to personally respond to every social question, comment, and DM, replying with personality and humility will get you a lot further in terms of building customer relationships than letting a chatbot spew out nonsense replies.
As your customer service representatives monitor your social accounts for the purposes of responding to user questions, comments, and concerns, they will need the option of shifting the conversation from the public feed to a private DM, or Direct Message. This option is now available. Your customer service reps can include a DM link to the bottom of their responding comments when interacting with users on social.
For as little as $20 per day, you can run sponsored content on Facebook & Instagram for a fixed duration of time and see a massive ROI. “Sponsored content” is a type of native advertising that is available to marketers on Facebook & Instagram. Chances are, you’ve seen more than your fair share of sponsored content on these joined platforms, and you may have even formed opinions about why they work. By placing sponsored content ads, you can target your niche demographic within a location radius, which means that your promotional advertisement will definitely reach your ideal customers. There’s really no downside to running sponsored content on the social media platforms Facebook & Instagram, especially if you run your ad for a limited time and with a specific business goal in mind. We recommend using sponsored content to promote “social only” discounts and to collect email addresses for your loyalty program, newsletter, and other marketing needs. But above all else, respect Facebook’s new “Personal Attributes” policy or your ad will never see the light of day.
● Obey Facebook’s “Personal Attributes” Policy or Perish!
● Offer “Social Only” Promotions
● Use Lead Generation CTAs
Let’s take a look at the specifics of these three pointers:
The Facebook Personal Attributes Policy was recently added to the list of “prohibited content” that Facebook restricts. If you’re going to run any kind of ad on Facebook, we strongly recommend that you become intimate with this policy. In essence, Facebook’s advertising policy prohibits the use of mentioning the “personal attributes” of the viewer, including but not limited to their ethnicity, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, and the list goes on. Think you can type the words “you,” “your,” “you’re,” and “other” in your ads? Think again… and read the policy.
A great way to generate, track, and analyze social engagement is to run a sponsored ad that features a discount or deal that’s only available to social users on social media. Exclusivity has long remained a strong promoting factor when it comes to successful sales campaigns, so by making an upcoming sale exclusively available on social media, you can gain followers, increase engagement, and boost sales, all in one fell swoop.
This type of sponsored content is the gift that keeps on giving. By launching a lead generation sponsored content campaign, you can collect email addresses that can be used indefinitely, even after your ad stops running. Just be sure to correctly insert your web-based privacy policy into the backend of the lead generation form. A fast workaround, if you don’t have a privacy policy published on your website, is to create one using Google Docs, set the “share” to “anyone on the internet with this link can view” and plug the Google Doc URL into the lead generation form… or call the marketing experts at FTx 360 and we’ll handle it for you.
One of the easiest ways to organically grow your social media followers and get the word out about your brand is to occasionally remind your followers that they can find your brand on other social media platforms. An effective way to cross-pollinate your audiences is to highlight the variety of content your other channels provide. For example, if you primarily manage Twitter and YouTube accounts, you can interest your Twitter followers in checking out your YouTube channel by highlighting the long-form video content you’re offering exclusively on YouTube. By providing different content on different platforms, which will be the focus of the next section of this article, you will give your followers a reason to follow you on every platform you use for your business. Apply the following tips to your cross-promotional goals:
● Use a Content Scheduling Calendar
● Expand Your Online Presence
● Make Trending Topics the Focus of Certain Posts
In addition to applying the specific tips we just listed, be sure to use social media to network with non-competing businesses and brands. By building your own professional network on social media, you can cross-promote with other brands to reach their audiences and vice versa.
Planning the publication of daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly social media marketing posts can be daunting, which is why we strongly recommend you use a content scheduling calendar, like this one offered by FTx 360—2021 Content Schedule Calendar. By relying on a content calendar to organize your social posts, you can take the guesswork out of planning, which will bring you one step closer to reaching your marketing goals.
Using multiple social platforms has the power to expand the online presence of your brand, so long as you don’t spread yourself too thin in the process. As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, pick only one or two social platforms to focus on and be sure that you’re offering unique content on each one. The more you interact on social media and the more you include your social handles in your emails, newsletters, and other digital correspondence, the quicker you’ll get the word out about your brand online.
If you’re struggling with a bit of writer’s block in terms of trying to figure out what type of content to post, try incorporating topical, timely, trending conversations into your scheduled posts. Depending on what’s going on in the world, what’s popular in the media, and what’s recently gone viral on social media, make a post about it! There’s only one caveat: do your best to stay away from controversial topics such as politics and religion.
As we mentioned in the last section of this article, offering different content on different platforms is one of the smartest social media marketing moves you can make. One of the biggest mistakes that businesses make when managing accounts on multiple social platforms is repeating identical content on every channel. Think about it, if the content you present is the same across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, why in the world would a single individual need to follow all of your accounts? They certainly won’t benefit from it if they do. Just because every Facebook post you publish could automatically post to Instagram, doesn’t mean you should actually use this function. Instead, tailor your content for each platform, or better yet, publish unique content on every platform account you manage. As you do, bear these rules of thumb in mind:
● Maximize the Visual & Minimize the Text
● Use Social Media Optimization Strategies
● Prioritize Building Relationships Over Gaining Followers
Before we take a closer look at each of these, we want to take a moment to emphasize that every social post you publish could and should feel like the start of a personal conversation with your followers. Inviting each follower into what feels like a personalized, one-on-one conversation will yield the greatest customer-relationship-building results.
Speaking in broad terms, all social media platforms are more visual than readable. Meaning, social posts that feature photos and videos perform much better than posts that only feature written text. Even Twitter, which has always been text-centric, has incorporated photos, GIFs, polls, surveys, and graphs to help users add visual elements. This is why we recommend that you amplify the visuals of your social posts and streamline your captions.
Social media optimization simply refers to using your social media networks to manage and grow your business’s online presence. There are specific ways you can accomplish this as part of your overall digital marketing strategy. Key optimization tactics include using social media to direct visitors to your website, promoting the eCommerce offerings of your social account to convert followers into customers, and integrating lead generation forms into your promos and ads to collect valuable customer information that you can leverage in your future email marketing and / or SMS text message campaigns.
The final piece of advice that we’ll leave you with is to not be so hard on yourself when it comes to growth on social media. Social media automatically places a very high premium on followers, and there’s a user perception that social accounts with millions of followers are “better” than social accounts with only hundreds. The reality, however, couldn’t be further from the truth. Rather than obsess over gaining followers and trying to attain thousands of followers as if doing so will give your brand clout, instead we recommend that you focus on building genuine relationships with your social followers, even if you only have one hundred. Remember, not every follower you have on social media will be your customer, but every relationship you build on social media with a follower will produce a customer for life.
Have you hesitated to look for a digital marketing agency to handle all of your social media and market your brand online? Have you assumed you wouldn’t be able to afford management services or a marketing specialist to develop your next social media marketing campaign? What if we told you that FTx 360 can work within any budget to create a stunning online campaign that influences people to love your brand? For more information about the social media marketing services at FTx 360 and how our team can benefit your bottom line without breaking the bank, contact us today.
Instagram has had quite an evolution. Just two short years after launching in 2010, the photo-sharing app was acquired by Facebook for a sum of money that shocked the then-burgeoning social media industry—$1 billion. While the price tag seemed jaw-droppingly high at the time, Mark Zuckerberg had no choice but to make Instagram’s founder, Kevin Systrom, an offer he couldn’t refuse or else Facebook would’ve seen a nosedive in users, engagement, and revenue. Yes, Instagram was that big of a threat.
The acquisition occurred right around the time that other social media platforms were launching and rising in popularity. Platforms such as Vine, Snapchat, and Periscope each brought unique features to the market, which pushed Instagram to update and enhance its photo capturing features as well as add additional features that diversified its engagement capabilities.
“We’re no longer a photo-sharing app. The number one reason people say that they use Instagram, in research, is to be entertained.” —Adam Moserri, CEO of Instagram
In a lot of ways, Instagram has not stopped evolving since it was launched over a decade ago. Today, Instagram users can shop, video chat, watch IGTV channels, and engage with other users on the platform in countless ways. Businesses can advertise and interact with potential customers, all while building their brand and social media presence.
Instagram has launched many improvements throughout the first half of 2021, and more features are yet to arrive as summer turns to autumn later this year. Here are the new Instagram features and how you can make them work for you.
There are upwards of twenty Instagram updates, upgrades, improvements, and new feature launches to watch out for in 2021—far too many to cover in one article. So, we decided to focus this section on five new Instagram features that are most relevant to your business account.
Since its inception, Instagram has been an in-app platform, exclusively. Unlike Facebook, which allows users full access to their platform via desktop and laptop computers, Instagram made it virtually impossible to comfortably navigate, upload posts, comment, and DM via computer. Though users could sign in to Instagram on their computers to search hashtags and view profiles, the platform intentionally disincentivized this option. Well, all that has changed. As of the middle of last year, Instagram has upgraded its desktop features so that users can DM. The messenger API update that Instagram used to accomplish this also allows users to DM multimedia files such as photos, images, gifs, pictures, and other kinds of media, as well as start group chats. Even more exciting is the DM messenger interface, which offers better organization and an ability to access and manage your DM conversations across account profiles so long as they’re integrated. There are a few caveats, however. Messenger API for Instagram will have a staggered rollout as follows:
● Starting June, only IG business accounts that have between 10,000 and 100,000 followers will have access to this new Messenger API.
● Starting July, this new Messenger API will be available for business accounts with between 1,000 and 100,000 followers.
● Finally, by the end of the third quarter, 2021, all business IG accounts will have access to Messenger API.
Though Instagram has offered business accounts for years, only at the beginning of 2021 did they launch their Professional Dashboard, a new organizational tab for Instagram’s business account users. The purpose of Professional Dashboard is to consolidate other business account features in one place—features such as Badges, Instagram Shop, Checkout, and Branded Content. By consolidating these tools and resources into one central hub, Instagram hopes to better assist businesses to reach their marketing goals. There are three key features of Professional Dashboard that will help you stay organized and productive:
● Performance Tracking: this feature allows business account users the ability to analyze trends and study engagement insights, among other critical metrics.
● Business Growth: this feature helps business account users discover new marketing tools that will help them run their accounts more efficiently to build up their businesses. Most importantly, this feature allows users to check the monetization status of their ad campaigns.
● Stay Informed: this feature shows business account users personalized, curated, educational resources that will help them promote their businesses on Instagram. These resources include tips, tricks, guidance, and inspiration.
Shocker of all shockers—recently, Instagram initiated the option to hide “likes” so that they aren’t displayed! Why would a user want to hide the number of likes their post has? The answer is complicated. Psychologically, social media has done a number on all of us, especially young people. Research has proven that these platforms are physiologically addictive and impact the mental health of users. Users often experience a “high” when their posts receive a ton of engagement such as likes, comments, and shares. That’s all fine and dandy, but unfortunately, when users experience low engagement with their posts, it actually affects their mood, making them feel low, disappointed, and dejected. Instagram, and its parent company, Facebook, have decided to give users the option to hide the number of likes their posts have so that other users can’t see. Time will tell if this new feature positively improves user experience.
This feature isn’t too new. Suggested Posts actually launched in the middle of last year, but it’s still catching on, so we wanted to mention it. The purpose of Suggested Posts is to expose Instagram users to other user accounts, both business and personal, that they might enjoy. Suggested Posts only appear once a user has finished scrolling through the most recent posts of the accounts they follow in their feed. The actual posts of other users that are suggested will be relevant to the user’s personal preferences and interests. Instagram’s machine learning A.I. uses an algorithm to determine what a user likes based on the other accounts they follow and posts they “like.” At the moment, Instagram is still playing around with this feature and compiling user feedback. Due to the fact that there is no current way to turn this feature off, many users have complained that Suggested Posts are intrusive and at times infuriating. Have you encountered Suggested Posts? What do you think? The general consensus at FTx 360 is that they seem to be the “personal account” version of straightforward Instagram advertising. Meaning that we’re keeping our eye on them.
Interactive stickers for Instagram stories is easily our favorite new feature! The concept of story stickers emerged a few years ago, but in the last few months, Instagram has really leveled up its sticker game by adding brand new story stickers that provide far better interactive user experiences. If you’re unfamiliar, the purpose of story stickers is to add clickable links to your posts. In essence, these stickers serve as in-app CTAs, which can be a powerful marketing tool for businesses. Right now, the most popular stickers available on Instagram are Location, @Mention, #Hashtag, Donation, Music, Poll, Questions, Challenge, DM Me, Countdown, Quiz, Stay Home, Food Orders, Gift Cards, and Support Small Business. Let’s look at the story stickers that can best support your business’s Instagram marketing efforts:
● DM Me sticker: Instagram launched this new story sticker to help users DM business accounts easily and promote messaging interaction. By altering the DM Me text to state “Get More Info,” this particular sticker can become a powerful CTA that drives private discussions about products and services that could lead to sales.
● Food Orders sticker: if you own a restaurant, coffee shop, or quick-serve business, this story sticker is for you. The Food Orders sticker enables users to tap the sticker and get redirected immediately to your business’s online ordering platform. Connecting with popular food delivery service platforms such as GrubHub, Uber Eats, or DoorDash is possible with this sticker.
● Support Small Business sticker: this story sticker is excellent for businesses that want to partner with other non-competing businesses and cross-promote each other’s products and services. With the Support Small Business sticker, you can tag the business you’ve partnered with, which will introduce your visitors to the other business, and vice versa. By tapping the sticker, visitors will be redirected to your partner’s IG account or website, depending.
In addition to the Big Five that we covered in our last section, there are thirteen additional features to be aware of, which will be the focus of this section. These features affect both business and personal accounts.
At long last, Instagram offers in-app eCommerce solutions for business accounts. This Shop feature has to be accessed through your Facebook business account, however, since the platforms are married.
Depending on the nature of your business, you may have several Instagram accounts that appear under a larger umbrella company. Previously, there was no way to post the same content across multiple accounts, but now there is. This feature is a bona fide time saver.
Featuring user-generated content has become a highly effective social media marketing strategy, but efficiently “sharing” and “reposting” user-generated content hasn’t always been so easy on Instagram when it comes to stories. Instagram improved this by creating notifications for business account handles that users “tag” in their stories. If you’re tagged in a story, a notification will appear in your account.
In their effort to save businesses even more time, Instagram now offers Create Mode—a way to create, save, and reuse story templates. If you’re in the habit of including stickers, text, and a lot of bells and whistles in your story posts, this Create Mode template feature will save you a ton of time in the long run.
“Have you ever wanted to turn off your video or audio when you’re Live? Now you can. Hopefully, this gives you more flexibility and lessens any pressure to look or sound a certain way during a Live.” —Adam Moserri, CEO of Instagram
Have you ever hosted an Instagram Live only to have your child, dog, or neighbor make an unwelcomed, albeit unintentional, intrusion? Even Live videos you record at the office can be suddenly sabotaged by the unexpected. There’s nothing worse than scrambling to quiet a mysterious noise or correct a visual issue while your entire virtual audience looks on. That’s why Instagram now offers an “Off” option, allowing users to easily and quickly turn off their video, audio, or both.
Instagram TV, or IGTV for short, offers long form video content (longer than 60 seconds). This content format has grown in popularity, which is why Instagram is now working to promote IGTV channels and episodes. Using organic reach, Instagram will include IGTV Previews as though they are regular posts. The only downside is that you will have no control over the preview content. Instead, Instagram will automatically play a 15-second clip from your IGTV episode as a preview.
Using the Instagram app can be a huge drain on cell phone battery life, which is why Instagram launched Dark Mode, a “dim” version of its content. The main difference is that Dark Mode features a black background, as opposed to the traditional white background.
Taking a cue from Google, Instagram now divides its Inbox into three tabs—Primary, General, and Requests. Messages from users you follow or who follow you will show up in the Primary tab, and the rest will appear in the Requests tab, which you can then manually move to either Primary or General.
We’re not sure how we feel about Instagram’s new “Suggested Unfollow” feature… Instagram will now suggest to users, not accounts they should follow, but rather current accounts that they should unfollow due to the fact that they haven’t been engaging with those accounts anyway. Generally speaking, the accounts that Instagram will suggest you “unfollow” will be the accounts in your “Least Interacted With” list.
Sometimes, it’s necessary to block a follower. Sad, but true. But what if you don’t want to completely cut your profile off from a follower? That’s where Remove Followers comes in handy, Instagram’s “soft block” feature. In your Followers list, you’ll now see Remove buttons next to each account name. Simply tap “remove” and the follower won’t be blocked from finding your account in the future, they just won’t see your posts anymore since they’re no longer following you.
Instagram Alt Text is a great new feature for business accounts that want to cater to their followers who are visually impaired. With Instagram Alt Text, you can compose shorter captions that will appear in large print font. As an added bonus, using Alt Text is another opportunity to plug in SEO keywords and hashtags that Instagram will pick up.
As an alternative to Remove Followers, Instagram now offers the new Restrict Accounts feature that enables users to disable a follower’s ability to comment on their posts. Originally, this feature was designed to fight online bullying, but it’s helpful for businesses, as well.
Depending on the nature of your business and the content of your social media account, it might be appropriate to prevent users who are under a certain age from accessing your posts. For example, vape retailers and CBD shops might want to restrict underage users from viewing their content. With the Age Limit feature, you can “hide” your profile from younger audiences by defining the “minimum age” setting within your account. Once a minimum age has been set, only users who meet the age minimum will have access to your profile, posts, and stories.
Instagram remains the most popular photo-sharing app, and yet this social media platform has evolved to become so much more. Instagram’s success and continued popularity are due in large part to its ability to adopt and mimic the successful features that competing social platforms offer.
At the moment, the social platform that’s giving Instagram the biggest run for its money is TikTok. TikTok is young, fun, and growing at a rate that has been making other social media platforms very nervous. Currently, TikTok has over 1 billion active users across the world, but why? What makes TikTok so appealing?
What makes TikTok unique is the app’s discovery feed, known as the “For You” page. This view serves as the user’s primary timeline, or feed, and it uses a special algorithm to populate the most optimal and personalized content for the user. The algorithm’s artificial intelligence uses machine learning to record, analyze, and leverage the specific posts that a user interacts with in order to show them highly relevant content that they’re likely to enjoy.
Unlike competing social media platforms that foster social networks and connections with people you know in real life, TikTok actually does the opposite by connecting users with content that’s generated outside of their social circles.
Why mention this?
TikTok is a bigger threat to Instagram right now than any other social media platform, and Instagram knows it. Over the course of the past year, Instagram users have begun to split their social media time between Instagram and TikTok, which has affected Instagram’s user engagement as well as its ad revenue.
What’s Instagram doing about it?
Instagram plans to study TikTok and adopt as many popular TikTok features as it can.
“The important thing is that people are seeing stories that resonate with them and are meaningful to them.” —Adam Moserri, CEO of Instagram
Truth be told, Instagram isn’t suffering due to TikTok… yet. Instagram is still the #1 platform in conjunction with Facebook for effective advertising. In fact, posting regularly on Instagram for marketing purposes will gain you more followers and daily interactions than posting on TikTok at the moment… But we’re definitely watching both platforms closely.
As of writing this article, TikTok has upgraded its ads, making them personalized and also unavoidable. Meaning, users can no longer opt-out of seeing ads on the platform. This upgrade took place in April earlier this year, and the marketing specialists at FTx 360 are still tracking ad performance metrics to determine if advertising on TikTok will at some point rival placing targeted ads on Instagram.
If the scales tip in TikTok’s favor, we’ll let you know! In the meantime, Instagram is where it’s at for social media marketing if your content contains highly visual photos and videos.
FTx 360 provides social media marketing services that can help you get the most out of your social media presence, increase social engagement, build followers, and convert users and followers into website visitors and loyal customers. No matter how big or small your business is today, or what industry you’re in, our team of experienced digital marketers can increase social engagement for your brand on Instagram, Facebook, and other social platforms. Using paid advertisements, PPC Marketing, and social media marketing strategies, our marketers combine the power of hashtags, SEO, and geo-targeting to deliver results. Contact us to discover what FTx 360 can do for your brand.
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