by tradesmeninsights | Mar 2, 2021 | Social Marketing, Tradesmen Insights
by Andrew Poulsen, Content Engineer, Sonnhalter
In past blog posts, we’ve discussed some of the ways companies can hit the ground running with Instagram and make it a useful cog in their marketing machine. Now that you’ve set up an account, accumulated some followers and fired off some posts, you may be wondering why your posts haven’t performed as well as you had hoped. The reason may be that your posts aren’t optimized for the best possible engagement. What do I mean by that? Well, as you may have noticed, your Instagram feed is no longer chronological. Instead, the feed is actually run by an ever-changing algorithm that is constantly trying to figure out and prioritize and show you posts that you are most likely to interact or engage with.
While Instagram hasn’t publicly divulged the specifics of its algorithm, those able to read between the lines understand that getting the most exposure on the platform comes down to engagement, not just “likes” and a regular posting routine. What this means is that the algorithm is specifically looking for posts that users spend time and interact with, or content that will illicit more shares, saves, comments and longer video views. So, how can you get better engagement and overall performance with your Instagram channel? Here are five suggestions!
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Create content that users will “save” or “share.”
Instagram now has a “save” feature which allows users to archive photos and videos into a special folder that they can view later. Saving a post signals to the algorithm that a user found the post to be worthwhile, which helps boost the post’s visibility. Additionally, if a user “shares” a post via direct message, that also scores better for the algorithm than standard likes and comments. As a company, there are plenty of ways you can create savable or shareable content. Examples include infographics, how-to videos, tips, tricks and sharing fun content created by influencers.
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Post when your followers are most likely to be online.
While posting daily (or at least 4-5 times a week) is crucial for growing your channel, posting at the wrong time can cost you meaningful exposure. Since Instagram’s algorithm favors posts that receive a lot of interaction in a short amount of time, it’s important to post when your followers are most active and have the best chance to see your content. While early first thing in the morning, lunchtime and right after 5 p.m. are generally viewed as acceptable times to post, Instagram now offers business accounts an Insights tab that allows you see the exact hours your followers are most engaged.
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Improve the quality of your content.
This one might seem obvious, but if your content isn’t working, maybe it’s time to take a step back and see things from the user’s perspective and what they would like to see. Everyone on Instagram is fighting for attention, so what can you do to pull people in? Consider posts with real people, good lighting or some sort of action shot. If you’re making a video, try to get right to the point within the first couple seconds to grab people’s attention and try to make the length as short as possible to increase your views. Or, think of a thoughtful caption with helpful product or how-to info that your followers would want to read. These minor tweaks can help keep eyeballs on your content for longer periods of time, which will lead to a boost in the algorithm.
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Explore all of Instagram’s new features.
Another tactic that both pleases the algorithm and gives you more ways to interact with your audience is utilizing all of Instagram features for content creation. A few years ago, Instagram introduced Stories, a feature that allows users to share short clips and moments that disappeared after 24 hours, and IGTV, a feature for long-form videos that allows users to create content that more resembles vlogs and other web series. Last summer, Instagram introduced Reels to compete with Tik Tok and give users a space to easily share and swipe through 15-second and 30-second clips with all kinds of audio and visual effects. While not every company is the right fit for trying to replicate the kind of Instagram content that goes viral or participating in the latest meme or social media “challenge,” companies need to research these features and see if there is a natural segue to use them for fun product demos, instructional videos, Q&As and other types of engaging content your followers might engage. As previously stated, when it comes to engagement, the longer a user is looking at your content, the better. Plus, Instagram has been known to reward accounts that utilize more of its features.
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Monitor what works and what doesn’t work.
Any social media manager will tell you that a successful Instagram account is one that is flexible, persistent and versatile. Don’t be afraid to experiment with a variety of different content types and see which ones your audience responds to best. Analyze the elements of your posts that seemed to start a conversation in the comments or received a lot of saves and shares and let that steer you in the right direction. While some of these metrics can be viewed in your Insights tab, companies interested in taking a deeper dive into these analytics should consider social media listening and monitoring services like Agorapulse, Sprout Social and many others.
While we can’t anticipate the next big change in Instagram’s algorithm or user experience, I believe making a strong commitment to making quality, engaging content on a regular basis will always be in a company’s best interest.
To read more about optimizing your company’s efforts on Instagram, read:
Getting the Most Out of Your Company’s Instagram Account (Part 1)
Getting the Most Out of Your Company’s Instagram Account (Part 2)
by tradesmeninsights | Oct 29, 2020 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing, Tradesmen Insights
Join Matt Sonnhalter for a Marketing Minute to learn more about the exciting potential of incorporating Instagram into your social media plan!
To view other videos from Sonnhalter, visit our YouTube channel here and let us know if there’s a B2T marketing topic you’d like us to cover.
by tradesmeninsights | Jun 22, 2018 | Marketing Tips, Marketing Trends, Public Relations, Social Marketing, Tradesmen Insights
By Andrew Poulsen, PR Technician
In less than 10 years, social media has evolved from a fun distraction to keep in touch with college friends and distant relatives, to an essential tool needed by any brand looking to engage with its customers or maintain relevance amongst its competitors. Regardless of how millennials feel about the Baconator® or Moons Over My Hammy®, brands like Wendy’s and Denny’s are winning over young people more and more every day with their funny and relatable social media presence. While not every company needs to adopt to the latest meme or pop culture phenomenon to have a healthy online presence, social media has opened the door for brands to be transparent and relatable in new and exciting ways.
By now, companies from international brands to local muffler shops are utilizing Facebook and Twitter to engage and share company news, updates, sales, etc. But over the past few years, we’ve seen more brands incorporating Instagram into their social media plan. What was once considered a platform exclusive to tech-savvy young people with smartphones, Instagram is now just ubiquitous across all demographics as Facebook and Twitter. And businesses across all industries are starting to take notice. That’s because, if used correctly, the app’s photo and video features allow a new way for brands to give their audience a peek behind the curtain. Here are five ways your company can take advantage of the unique features Instagram has to offer.
Give Your Audience Something Different
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram all bring something different to the table, otherwise we wouldn’t need to be on so many different social media platforms. While this seems obvious, companies often make the mistake of letting their social media content be too similar across all platforms. Instead, companies should reward their audience for following all their pages by giving them content exclusive from the other platforms. For Instagram, this can be a fun look behind the scenes of your office, documenting a company picnic, making a short how-to video or hosting some sort of fan-generated photo contest. Just make sure it is unique to the platform in some way.
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by tradesmeninsights | Jan 28, 2015 | Social Marketing
Today we have a guest post from Carli Evilsiver, Marketing Coordinator at WTWH Media.
Social media marketing is becoming common across all types of industries, but some B2B companies are still hesitant to jump on the social media bandwagon. B2B companies have many reasons for believing they should not be on social media, but they are misinformed. Keep reading to find out why.
Photo courtesy of Carli Evilsiver, WTWH Media
I’m not sure how to do it: Companies might avoid social media because they do not understand it. They are sometimes intimidated by social media marketing because it is new, changes every day and can be difficult to create a strategy for social media.
Solution: Companies should research social media platforms, learn the basics and determine which platforms would be a good fit for their company. A common mistake is joining every platform. Not only is doing so a lot of work – as social media needs to be updated regularly – but the audience may not be there. Prospective manufacturing customers, for instance, probably are not on Instagram. Companies can also seek out social media training.
I don’t have time: Possibly the most common and valid reason a company isn’t on social media is the inability to devote time to another task. Social media marketing uses time and energy to set up and maintain.
Solution: Marketers who have too much to do and too little time should consider outsourcing their B2B social media marketing. Outsourcing social media is a great option for companies who want to be on social media but don’t know how to begin or don’t have enough time. By handing over the responsibilities to a professional social media manager, companies can rest assured that their social media channels will be updated daily in the correct format. An added benefit of outsourcing social media is the analysis and measurement that an experienced professional can provide.
There is no ROI: Any time resources are invested in a project, a boss will want to know what their Return On Investment is. It can be difficult to determine the effectiveness of social media marketing and unfortunately some companies think there is no ROI from social media.
Solution: Every social media strategy should include specific goals and a way to measure success. Tracking likes, follows and re-tweets is just the beginning. Other ways to measure success include website clicks, downloads and other measurable actions originating from social media.
Social Media is only for B2C: A common misconception is that social media marketing is effective only for companies marketing to the end-user. They might believe social media marketing is just for fun, creative and sexy industries, or that their clients aren’t on social media. Many B2B companies set up a LinkedIn and think the other social media platforms wouldn’t work for their company.
Solution: Marketers should recognize that if social media is used correctly it is effective for B2B. Success on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter requires companies to share interesting and relevant content. A mistake many companies make is sharing only promotional content. They should be engaging in conversations and sharing based on their audiences’ interests.
I don’t have anything to post: Another reason companies avoid setting up shop on social media is the worry they don’t have anything to say. Companies don’t always realize the amount of content they have already that could easily be shared on social media.
Solution: Companies should follow an 80/20 rule when posting on social media. Only 20% of content should be directly related to the company while 80% should be industry-related news. Social media is a great platform to promote a company’s brand, share blog posts or send out press releases. While marketers should take advantage of the opportunity to promote their company they need to remember that the audience will get bored of sales pitches. Try sharing a funny blog post or a great article about something going on in the industry. The re-tweets and likes received will expand reach and could lead to more followers.
by tradesmeninsights | Jun 12, 2014 | Events/Trade Shows, Marketing Trends
By Matt Sonnhalter, Vision Architect
I recently attended the Business Marketing Association (BMA) global conference which was held in Chicago May 28-30, 2014. The largest B2B marketing conference in the world, BMA14 was attended by a record 950 B2B marketers from 450 firms, 33 states and 12 nations.
The 2014 BMA conference also deployed two digital platforms—Livecube and ISEBOX—to enable speakers to take polls and attendees to ask questions, follow tweets, share photos and access conference content. If you are in charge of planning live events/conferences, I would suggest checking out these two resources.
The 3-day conference was jam packed with content – featuring 79 speakers and presenters leading 41 sessions—three pre-conference programs, nine panels, 12 keynotes and 17 firestarters. These sessions covered a wide array of topics and trends of critical interest and importance to B2B marketers today. Someone at the conference referenced the amount of information presented was like drinking from a fire hydrant!
Here are a few themes I saw throughout the entire conference:
Big Data
It’s becoming more and more difficult for marketers in today’s environment and I thought one illustration that did a great job of representing our challenge was the Marketing Technology Landscape graphic by ChiefMartec.com. We are surrounded by data, but starved for insights; that is, data does not automatically equal insight. Today’s marketers need to solve both analytical and creative issues as we continue to trend toward extreme personalization…segments of one.
Mobile
Since mobile devices are the predominant way people globally access the web and information, mobile is a critical factor when planning future marketing efforts. Here are a few stats from the conference that help reinforce the importance of mobile:
- Mobile data usage doubled in 2013
- In the US, 1 of every 5 minutes spent on mobile are on either Facebook or Instagram
- More Facebook users globally now engage the site via their mobile device compared to their desktop
- 78% access Twitter via a mobile device
Social Media
Social media continues to be a key component of the B2B marketing mix, with Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube still being the main ones utilized by B2B marketers. There was a great session by Tim Washer from CISCO on “How to bring humor to B2B storytelling.” Just because you work in B2B marketing does not mean you need to be devoid of humor…check out some of these examples shared by Tim:
You can view/download videos and documents from the entire conference here: http://bma.isebox.net/.
