It’s
the buzzword of the year: authenticity. Something millennial businesses have in
spades and older generations can’t seem to find the formula for. Consumers
today would rather shop from businesses they trust, can relate to, or share the
same values as. For companies that were always successful with traditional
marketing methods, it’s never been more important to get with the times. How
can you be authentic in your marketing?
Storytelling
is the crux of authentic marketing. It’s what gives your brand a personality, a
history, and a purpose. The contents of your brand story are what make you
different from your competitors. In the past, marketing campaigns would focus
on products or services. Now, it’s better to use your brand story to explain a
problem that we can all relate to. Then, as the solution, naturally suggest
your products or services.
Next
to having a brand story, the second-best way to market your businesses
authentically is to have a social purpose. Look at the shoe brand, Toms. This
multi-million-dollar B-corporation connects with socially conscious consumers
(i.e. most of today’s consumers). For every pair of shoes purchased, Toms
donates a pair to a child in need. Consumers can buy a pair of shoes and feel
good about their money also supporting a worthy cause. Toms has expertly crafted
their brand story and used their social purpose in their marketing.
So,
how can you apply these strategies to your business?
First, you need to do a deep dive into your brand’s mission. Why did your business
get created? What problem does it solve? What obstacles has your business
faced? How have you overcome those challenges? What is your why?
Consider working with a brand strategist to help you craft your
story in an authentic and marketable way.
Second, get charitable. Is there a charity or organization your company aligns with
and could support? For example, if you’re a women’s clothing brand, consider
supporting a women’s empowerment organization. If you offer tutoring services,
consider supporting an organization that provides books to low-income
libraries. Find a cause that aligns with your business.
Third, be transparent. Be open about your business practices and the ways you’ve
improved to be more socially conscious. It’s okay if your company didn’t start
as an eco-friendly, fair-trade business. Highlight how you’ve improved, who you
are now, and the ways you’ve grown as a brand.
Fourth, get personal with your audience. The face of your business needs to
be a face, not a logo. Networking is a major facet of your marketing
strategy that needs to be authentic and social media is the perfect channel for
it. Give potential customers a real sense of who you are as a brand through
your posts, live videos, stories, and engagement. You could post behind-the-scenes
live videos, interviews with experts, and success stories (not one-and-done
testimonials!). Respond to comments and direct messages like a human, not a
customer service bot.
Is
making the transition to being more authentic is stressing you out? You’re not
alone. This is a challenging obstacle for many brands who’ve always relied on
traditional marketing. If you need help developing your brand and getting
authentic online, send us a message or give us a call.
Video
content has become an integral part of successful digital marketing, especially
on social media. Once considered a side-strategy in diverse marketing plans,
brands are now devoting entire marketing teams to develop their video content.
What changed? You could say the proof is in the pudding. Video content
outperforms all other types of digital content.
Why does video content perform so well? What makes it shine brighter than images
and text?
There
are a few reasons. First, in 2018 we saw the emergence of “authenticity” as the
most desired trait in a brand. Today’s consumers want to see real, transparent,
and human brands with a conscience. Brands that use video can show their
customers a more raw and exclusive perspective of who they are. Video is
amazing for telling stories, explaining a problem, and demonstrating a
solution. A 2019 study reported that consumers
prefer lower-quality, realistic videos over highly-edited and top quality ones.
To them, the lower quality of video comes off as more authentic and less
manipulated by a marketing team.
Here
are some statistics showing the impressive performance of video content:
Consumers say they want to see video content 50% more than any other content from
brands
Saying the word “video” in your email subject line increases
the open rate by 19%
Then,
there’s the shareability of video content on social media; it’s the
revolutionized word of mouth marketing. 92% of video watchers share the content with
their peers. If a brand makes one compelling video that viewers resonate with,
it could be shared to thousands or even millions of people. Of course, you
shouldn’t create a video with the hopes of it going viral because that would be
inauthentic. The point is that doing video content well can lead to an
explosion of awareness.
So,
what are the most successful types of videos to make?
If
you sell a product, demonstration videos are crucial to showing customers how
to use it. You should have an easy-to-understand version on your Facebook page
as well as your other social profiles. Then, tap into influencer marketing;
hire an influencer to do a product demo on their social channels. Next, turn
your case studies into video format. These are your success stories that show
just how effective your business is at solving a problem. You don’t want to
only show a customer giving their testimonial; tell a story. Let the audience
get to know the customer and relate to them. Some other effective types of
videos are expert interviews, behind the scenes, event promotion, company
culture, and vlogs.
On
social media, live videos are the way of the future. Users are already spending three times as much time watching
live videos than pre-recorded ones. It can be intimidating to put yourself out
there on live video, but you’ll be rewarded with higher engagement and more
traffic. Contact us to learn more about video content
and how to include it in your social media marketing efforts.
When Instagram was created, the coolest features were the filters and frames. You could post “instant” memories to your feed for your friends to see. Today, the platform is increasingly used for business and influence. Hence, the hidden likes test and development of business accounts. If you thought the hidden likes test on Instagram was big, just wait. There are even more interesting tests and developments coming down the pipeline. These two new changes target today’s users: businesses and influencers.
1. Like Separation by Time
The more you know about your audience, the more you can optimize your profile for them. That’s why Instagram Insights tells you when your audience is most active on the app. You can see which days have the highest reach and the age range of your followers. This new change will only improve your ability to learn about your users.
When you want to see how many likes your post has, you click the bolded text beside“Liked by.” With this upcoming feature, you’ll be able to see which likes have come in most recently. Instead of one giant tally of every user that likes your post, you can see who liked it and when. They’ll be separated by “New” and“Earlier” sections. This is immensely beneficial for businesses that want to engage with accounts that engage with them. It can teach you the types of posts certain followers interact with and when. Albeit a small change, it could be huge for social media strategy.Unfollow Counts
2. Unfollow Counts
Instagram provided the platform for a career that has never existed in history: the influencer.High-profile users, like influencers and celebrities, are eligible for Creator Accounts. These accounts come with specific insights that dive deeper than the insights for Business Accounts. One of the new metrics slowly being rolled out are unfollower counts. Until now, you could only see how many followers you gained in a period. By doing some basic math, you could see how many you lost. Now, the Insights Page has a section for your unfollower count based on days, weeks, and months.
This change is super helpful for influencers and their social strategies. In a world where follower counts equal pay checks, understanding when and why you lose followers is crucial. We already know the “follow-unfollow” strategy that affects follower counts. What about the reasons non-business users have for unfollowing? If you can learn more about that, you can potentially grow your follower count exponentially.
Instagram’s updates and changes are exciting and intriguing. They can also be intimidating to those who rely on Instagram for their business’ marketing. If you’re interested in upgrading your Instagram strategy to keep up with the changes, contact us today!
WhenInstagram started, it was meant to be a creative, community-based social platform. It was a way to share your images, micro-blog in the captions, and find your tribe with hashtags. In the last couple of years, we’ve seen the dark side of Instagram emerge. Popularity measured through likes and follows overtook the desire to post authentic content. Self-esteem and self-worth for many users hung in limbo as they waited for the likes to roll in. The mental health of these users declined as they continued to compare themselves to others. Instagram is now trying to change that.
In Canada, Instagram is running a “hidden likes” test. If you post an image, you’ll be able to see how many users “like” your post. However, users cannot see how many likes your post is getting. This removes our ability to compare our posts to others based on likes.
Why is Instagram doing this? What does it mean for influencers, brand ambassadors, and social media companies? It means we need to take a more human approach to the digital space. The constant judgement and comparison on social platforms are causing mental health problems for users, most notably for teenagers. With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, Instagram’s new test couldn’t have come at a better time.
Removing the visibility of likes from posts encourages users to stop deriving self-worth from their social media accounts. It’s crucial that younger, more impressionable users don’t depend on Instagram for their self-esteem. Low self-esteem can lead to anxiety, depression, and more severe mental illnesses. We applaud Instagram for realizing how their features were contributing to the decline in mental health among their younger users.
In terms of businesses and social media companies, we need to shift the metrics we focus on. Likes seemed a critical metric, but they were never the most ideal form of engagement. Comments and direct messages are more valuable. At SocialEyes Communications, we believe in growing your genuine engagement rate.That means creating content that your target customers find true value in. Some posts were known to get more likes, but now it’s time to focus on posts that boost other types of engagement. This is a positive and exciting change for businesses.
Forget comparing your numbers to your competitors. Improve the quality and authenticity of your content to boost engagement, and thus, conversions. What are some ways you can do this? Engage with your followers’ accounts and comment on their posts. Show the love you want to receive. Ask relevant and genuine questions as your CTAs. Interact with the users who answer in your comments. Don’t respond by simply liking their comment; engage and start a conversation. Show the human side of your brand in this digital space.
If you need some help updating your Instagram strategy with the new hidden likes feature, contact us today!
It has never been so easy to create and post amazing content. You don’t have to be a graphic designer or a social media manager. Run your social media account like a professional with a few simple but effective apps. Here are three we found recently that we absolutely love! Whether you need help posting consistently or creating images that land, these apps can help.
Apphi
Any social media strategist will tell you there’s an optimal time to post your Instagram stories. For some industries, that’s before and after the workday. For others, it’s on weekends or during lunch breaks. What do you do if the best time to post for your followers isn’t the best time for you? That’s where Apphi comes in. This sleek and easy to use app does something other scheduling apps don’t: it lets you schedule posts and stories. Running multiple Insta accounts? No problem; Apphi lets you decide when your stories will go live foreach account, in one sitting. And, you can do it all from the desktop version or the mobile app. Apphi takes the stress of posting stories in real time away so you can focus on engaging with your followers.
Mojo
Have you ever wondered how some Instagram accounts get such beautiful images? They must spend hours making graphics, right? Wrong. Most big accounts use graphic design apps like Mojo. With Mojo, you get access to 40 different templates that you can customize and edit to your liking. Choose from 50 different fonts, tons of colours, and share your creation to any platform. The coolest feature on Mojo? You can animate the images or add animated text to your Instagram stories. Make the text or images gradually appear or show up with a bang. Animation makes your stories stand out from the competition and engages your viewers.
Spark Post
From the creators of Photoshop comes an app that allows you to edit your images and create graphics from your smartphone. No prior knowledge of Photoshop is needed, just download Spark Post and start creating. Spark Post gives you professionally designed templates, filters, and text effects. You can even source free photos within the app to use in your content. Looking to create branded content for your business account? Spark Post allows you to create branded graphics and add them to any post you create. Everything from the colours to the font to the animation is on-brand. Spark Post is used for social posts, YouTube thumbnails, posters, blog headers, memes, and more.
With fantastic apps like these available for download, there’s nothing stopping you from producing flawless content. Create, schedule, and share your customized content from your smartphone. If you’re interested in learning how to take your social media strategies to the next level, contact us today!
In-Person
Networking- It’s Still as Important as Ever
Social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and
Instagram make it easy to connect to customers and clients. You create posts
that show what your brand is about. Followers relate to or believe in your
brand and reach out to form a connection. Through likes, comments, and direct
messages, a high genuine engagement rate leads to more sales. It’s a flawless
process, right?
Although a strong digital marketing presence is
crucial in today’s business climate, it shouldn’t be your only focus. Studies
show that authentic, in-person networking is as important as a digital
presence. Why is in-person networking so beneficial when we have social media?
Clear communication relies on visual cues. The way you
stand when talking to someone, your eye contact, and the amount you smile
affect their perspective of you. Often, these things allow the person you are
conversing with to fully understand what you’re saying. There’s more clarity
available in person than in text only. Consider the effort Presidents put in to
meet with other leaders in person. Think of the massive industry conferences
that allow you to learn from and socialize with each other. There is immense
value in communicating in person.
Have you ever noticed how much of your competition is
on Instagram? Anyone can start a profile, grow followers, and claim to be an
expert. You get real credibility when people see you in-person demonstrating
your expertise. That could mean giving a speech, leading a workshop, or simply
socializing at a networking event. You can show that you’re the real deal in
person, not just another account with stolen infographics.
In-person networking leads to the people you interact
with remembering you. Do you remember every profile you browsed through on
LinkedIn? Likely not. However, you will remember the conversation you had with
that potential client about their upcoming holiday. They will remember you
because you showed interest in their needs specifically. The connections you
make in-person are far more memorable than digital ones.
Here are some jaw-dropping
stats to prove how necessary in-person networking is to your
business:
Although 59% say they’re using
technology for digital meetings, 84% prefer to meet in-person.
85% believe that in-person
conferences lead to stronger and more meaningful business relationships.
Every dollar that a company spends
on business travel for networking purposes results in $12.50 ROI.
All that being said, you need a healthy mix of both
in-person and digital networking for success. Exclusively focusing on one over
the other will not help you reach your success potential. When you connect with
someone in-person, follow up with them digitally. When you connect with someone
digitally, let them know about an event you’ll be speaking at or attending.
These two mediums complement and support each other. Using them cohesively in
your marketing strategy will yield better results than focusing on one or the
other.
If you need help creating a marketing strategy that
incorporates both in-person and digital elements, contact us today!
