Category: Social Media Tips and Tricks

  • 8 Tools for Social Media Success

    What 8 Tools Are Needed for Success on Social Media?

    The 8 Tools for Social Media Success, like the magic bullet for social media! What are the things that will help you get the most out of the work you do, besides hiring JRH Graphics!

    As a business consultant that focuses on social media management, I am always asked about the tools I use. I was recently asked to name the 8 tools for social media success. I couldn’t because everyone needs different things. What I could do is provide 8 types of tools needed for social media success. The difference is that there are hundreds of tools out there. Thousands more articles about what tools to use. You also have about 1 million people telling you that you are doing it wrong without providing any information on how to do it right.

    So I am not going to do that. Instead, I am going to tell you what I use and why I like it and then you can decide if it will work for you. For a couple of tools, I will make recommendations based on needs. But lets first start with what types of tools I feel are essential for you to be successful on social media.

    Types of Tools Needed for Social Media

    1. Tools to capture the moment and post it
      1. A Great point and shoot or DSLR camera
      2. A smartphone
      3.  scheduling tool
    2.  Tools for promoting and creating
      1. A simple tool for creating social media posts that involve a little graphic design
      2. Free stock photo site you like
      3. A photo editor or photo editing app
    3. Tools for Tracking and ROI
      1. Hashtag research tool
      2. Social Listening and Analytics tool

    Yeah, that’s a lot of things just to start, thank goodness some of the tools I am going to recommend cover a few different roles and do it well.

    Tools to Capture the Moment and Post It

    1. A great camera is essential, yes an iPhone can take great pictures but it is still a phone. If you are going to be active on social media and want to share moments from your life as you see them I recommend investing in a great point and shoot or if you are inclined a DSLR camera. You will find yourself using it more, loving it and taking great photos. This camera will also help you shoot video which is becoming a must.
    2. A smartphone is essential, sorry I can not imagine working full time on social media without the newest smartphone out there as I am constantly on my phone and pushing it to do more and more each day. I might also recommend a few extra charging cords and a backup battery.
    3. A scheduling tool! This is your number 1 must have tool. As a social media manager who does work for numerous clients, I use HeyOrca. I am a happy member of the pod when it comes to this tool as it has eliminated spreadsheets and constant google sheet updates and allows me to send clients previews of posts as they will appear. If you are doing social media for yourself there are a couple tools out there that I have used that do the job well. Prior to HeyOrca, I was a Hootsuite user and still use some of the services they provide. The great thing about HootSuite is that you can schedule, monitor, and react to your posts from the tool. It also has a solid analytics suite and for many, it will be a good tool to help keep your content flowing.

    Tools to Promote and Create

    As a business, you will not only need to capture real authentic moments to share but you will also need to promote things. Like your business, events, ideas, sales, webinars etc and so on. So what tools are there out on the market to help you do this.

    1. I personally think that the best tool out there to create social posts is Adobe Spark. I have used it non-stop since discovering it years ago and it has improved over time. If you are a graphic designer you will see it as a stripped down InDesign or Illustrator but the functionality and the results are clean and professional. Plus, I feel like you have more control over the outcome than with tools such as Canva. However, many people swear by Canva! I recommend trying them both and picking the one that works best for you!
    2. As much as I hate stock photos there is a place for them in the creation of social media content. So, I figured a solid list of free stock photo sites would be useful. Be careful to check on the license of all stock photos to make sure that you understand how they can be used before you use them. Generally, you are looking for images marked as CC0 aka Creative Commons Zero. This means you can copy, modify, distribute and use the photos for free, including commercial purposes, without asking permission from or providing attribution to the photographer.

    Free Stock Photos

    1. Gratisography Gratisography is one of the most interesting of the free stock photo sites due to the quirky style of photographer Ryan McGuire. All of the photos are high-resolution and royalty-free—ready for your use wherever you please.
    2.  Pixabay Pixabay offers over 490,000 free images and videos for both personal and commercial use.
    3. Unsplash Unsplash offers 10 new photos every 10 days via an email subscription and on their website. All photos are licensed under Creative Commons Zero.
    4. Negative Space This site adds new free CC0 stock photos every week. These images are searchable by category, position, and color.
    5. Life of Pix Life of Pix is a collection of free high resolution stock images donated to the public domain by the Leeroy Advertising Agency in Montreal.
    6. Pexels The free stock images on Pexels are curated from sites such as Gratisography, Unsplash, and Little Visuals. All of the photos on the site are licensed under the Creative Commons Zero

    A Photo Editing Tool

    New camera? Check! Tons of photos taken? Check! But none of the photos are quite right… now what do you do? This is the beauty of a great photo editing app! A photo shot with a high resolution in good light can become an amazing picture with just a touch of editing on a good photo editing app. I personally recommend Adobe PS Express.

    Adobe Photoshop Express (a go-to app)

    This compact little app can be intimidating to start with but it is a powerhouse of photo editing once you realize all it can do from the palm of your hand. From cropping to a adjusting the horizontal and vertical skew. Light, color, detail and effect adjustments that you can break down or opt for a full auto adjustment. It includes Red-eye reduction, ability to add text, add borders, fix blemishes and export to photoshop. It also includes a good set of filters to help brighten or add color to your photo. I provide a quick tutorial with screenshots on this awesome app here!

    Tools for Tracking and ROI

    A simple hashtag is your gateway to discovery on Twitter and Instagram. But how do you know what hashtags to use and what hashtags to avoid? The popular tags are always changing and whats trending may impact the hashtags that are used. What about branded tags? Following tags? We all need a bit of help keeping up and that’s why there are tools for this…

    Use Twitter and Instagram

    Pop around on the platforms, look at the people you are following, look at who they are following, what hashtags do they use that bring you to content like the content you want to be discovered for? Make a list of those hashtags. Repeat the process as you grow and explore the platforms.

    Want some other tools

    1. RiteTag: With RiteTag, you can get instant feedback on your hashtags and get recommendations of hashtags not to use. This tool is very flexible and it can give you analytics on any hashtag that you are following, not just the ones that you’re actively using
    2. Keyhole.co lets you track Twitter and Instagram hashtags in real-time. This tool will tell you the number of posts that contain your hashtag within a specific time period, how many users are using it, and each post’s reach and number of impressions. It has multiple paid options after a free trial period. 
    3. Hootsuite again has a huge suite of services that can be easily managed from your dashboard within their platform including hashtag research and tracking.
    4. Are you in the photography world, I use Focalmark for my photos and images and it autogenerates a list that I can then edit add or subtract from to get a full list to add.
    5. Hashtagify- I have not used this one much, but Hashtagify will give you all the information that you need to know about how your brand hashtags are being used. Information includes the top influencers that are using the tags and it’ll show you example posts and reach.

    Measuring It All

    And with all of these tools, if you have no way of measuring the success of your strategy then what is the purpose. So the last group of tools needed to be successful on social media are the analytics, metrics, and social listening tools. Keyhole published a list of the top 25 Social Media Metrics tools to help measure ROI that is still fairly relevant. I have personally used and like Buffer, HootSuite, BuzzSumo and Simply Measured.

    For many of you, Hootsuite will be your starting point for a lot of your social media tools needs based on their extensive suite of services across all the needs of a small business for social media. I do recommend exploring as many tools out there but be aware of inconsistencies in your calendar and marketing and how they can detract from brand identity. 

    In Conclusion the 8 Tools Are …

    Up to you to decide.  Which ones work best for you.

    All of these tools should be helping you to focus on the endgame. Creating engaging content for your followers. The edutaining content that they want. If any of these tools is taking away from that then it is not the right tool for you. That is the best way to measure the value of a particular tool and how it works specifically for you.

    Best of luck finding the combination of that suits your needs and keep in mind it is what works for you and your followers.

  • The Buzz Around the Social Media Algorithms

    The Buzz Around the Social Media Algorithms

    Algorithm 2018 and Your Social Media Strategy

    There has been a lot of chat about the 2018 Algorithm on all social media and what they mean to businesses. A lot of people have been whining about how Facebook is hurting their advertisers that pay the bills. More even thinking that Instagram is being unfair in how they are handling what is seen. And before everyone jumps on the bandwagon lets all take a step back and think. Are these changes really hurting you, or are they pushing you forward. Making you take that next terrifying step?  Which in my opinion isn’t that terrifying and shouldn’t really change the core of your strategy anyway.

    The Specifics of the Algorithm Don’t Matter

    Yes, I said it, when you boil it down the specifics of the algorithm absolutely DO NOT MATTER! It really doesn’t, yeah you will need to change maybe how you deliver an idea, switch to a heavier video strategy, utilize more live streaming, use stories, or use fewer hashtags and put them in your caption so they really matter. Make those minor changes, watch what happens and then continue to evolve and respond to your testing. Those things are not the core of your strategy and if they are, I hate to break it to you, you are doin’ it wrong!

    Why I am So Harsh

    Yeah I know I am being harsh. But the thing is those are all minor things. The big deal, the major focus is creating great content that people engage with and then engaging with them. Guess what, CONTENT IS STILL KING!!!! Content will always be king, content is thinking about changing the spelling of his name to KONTENT… he knows he is that big of a deal.

    KONTENT IS KING

    So we have accepted KONTENT as the king! Now, take a deep breath cause stability is here … If you create content that is “edutaining” as in it educates and entertains your followers you win!  If it is something that they actually engage with and you are a smart business person and you engage back, you are golden. All that is really changing is the best method of delivery. It really all boils down to having a great content strategy. Plan it in advance, build it around goals and promotions, and then fill in the specifics as you go and test what works best now within the algorithms.

    Your Content Strategy

    So, yes build out a content strategy in advance. Have a plan for what you are posting and make sure that it is brand appropriate and fulfills the needs of your audience in some way. You should review your plan before you put throw it out there. You should regularly review the results of your plan and adapt as you go. Tweak it to make sure it is still reaching the people that you want to reach. Review and make sure it is appropriate to your brand.

    You Shouldn’t

    The one thing that has made me crazy this week is the idea that these changes require you to throw your entire plan out the window. Rethink everything and throw lots of buzz words and shit at the wall and see what sticks. THAT IS NOT WHAT YOU SHOULD RESORT TO.

    Facebook simply and quite well stated that they wanted to make the time people spend on social media more meaningful… why is that a threat to your business? That should be your goal as well, create content that will make people’s time on social media more meaningful. Instagram’s algorithm change may test your content and see how well it does by releasing it to 10% of people and then if it does well it gets released to the rest. If you create content that the first 10% engage with then it will be released to the rest.

    Wait a minute, they are building the test in for you, don’t get angry, thank Instagram because now all you need to do is see what things engaged really poorly from the start and make less of that content, the stuff that does well you know that you should create more of that content.

    Your overall strategy does not need to change if you are creating great content and engaging with your followers. If you are putting crap content out, or using other people’s content and not actively engaging with followers then you need to worry your content won’t be seen. And honestly, it shouldn’t be seen, put in an effort.

    What changes do matter

    So what does matter with all of these changes? I highly recommend you start a group that is attached to your business page on Facebook as I believe that a lot of the engagement will happen in this community and then get put out by your followers. Dive into video head first. You should not be afraid to go live (I still am). I recommend reviewing your hashtag strategy on Instagram and make sure that you are responding to all your followers quickly.  Be okay with having fewer interactions and be okay with having more engaged followers. Ask followers what kind of content they want to see. Get them involved in your content strategy. Keep your feeds clean and brand appropriate but don’t be afraid to show some personality and quirkiness in your stories.

    And finally I have always recommended this, plan ahead but don’t over plan your calendar. Only schedule 70-75 percent of your posts in advance and leave room in your plan for some trendy posts and user-generated content.

    Now, relax, stop whining, and create great content! Guess what I bet this plan works for 2019 too!

  • Building A Community Around Your Brand

    Building A Community Around Your Brand

    Community and Social

    Community and social media have been tied together since the dawn of the social media era. However, the more I look at the social and social media landscape the more I believe that building a community around your brand is going to be an essential part of all businesses strategies in the upcoming year. According to Hootsuite in their Social Trends 2018 Webinar real customer communities, micro-influencers, and ‘people like me’ take center stage as consumer trust continues to decline. So now is the time to put the ball into play and make sure you are nurturing a customer community that will advocate for your brand in 2018 and beyond.

    The Decline of Consumer Trust in the System

    The decline in consumer trust is a major indicator pointing to the increased importance of building a community around your brand. The lack of trust in authority figures is shockingly low according to Edelman’s 2017 Trust Barometer. Only 37% of the public trust CEOs. 29% trust government officials, and 85% of the public lack faith in the entire system. So, with this incredibly low level of trust in the system who are people looking to for advice and guidance? They are looking toward peers. A peer is considered by 60% of people asked to be very or extremely credible (the same as experts). “People like me” are the experts, the people they trust. They have the same likes, experience the same problems, and use the same products. This change alone has thrown marketers for a loop.

    The Uber Mega Influencer Lacks Authenticity

    Influencer marketing is a key part of community building. An influencer is a “person like you” they are just the coolest friend of the group. But the key to influencer marketing is having someone who does actually use the brand they are representing. 2017 marked the end of the celebrity influencer era, 2018 will mark the rise of the mini and micro-influencers. Consumers are looking for a more authentic spokesperson. For today’s consumer a peer to peer review, and employee testimonial or a customer’s story can carry more weight than the celebrity endorsement. The rise of the mini-influencer is another reason it is important to build your community. Tapping into the feedback from your community will lead to the discovery of these key assets and personas. It will also provide invaluable insight into a customers journey and what customers are looking for from your brand.

    True Belonging

    The third reason I believe that building a community around your brand will be an essential step is based on Brene Brown’s research on shame, vulnerability, and true belonging. Brown states in her book Braving the Wilderness, “Belonging is the innate human desire to be part of something larger than us. Because this yearning is so primal, we often try to acquire it by fitting in and by seeking approval, which are not only hollow substitutes for belonging but often barriers to it. Because true belonging only happens when we present our authentic, imperfect selves to the world, our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self-acceptance.” To get a fuller understanding of the concepts she studies check out TED Talks for two phenomenal thought-provoking talks. But for my purposes here, the concept is simple, humans want to belong to a community. An idea larger than ourselves. If a brand is able to provide that, you have a win on your hands.

    So we all agree, community building around our brand is essential, right? Okay, good! Now, how exactly do we build a community, where will we build this community, and what does it really look like. The answer is simple yet complex, it is different for everyone! But I believe the following are must have parts of the formula…

    Defined Brand + Engaging Story + Inspiring Leadership + Focus on Consumer + Goes Above and Beyond Daily

    Define Your Brand, What it Is and What it is Not!

    Want a little guidance on brand identity v. brand check out this post

    You can not build a community around a brand that is not defined so your first step of community building is defining what your brand is and is not. Is your brand representative of something? What does it sound like, taste like, feel like, and how does it look on paper (logos etc)? How do you want your followers to feel when they use your brand or product? Is it exclusive? What do you include and what do you make sure to leave out? What would your brand post about on social media?

    After you define your brand you explore your differentiators. Are you different from your competition? What is different about your product? Why will people choose you over another brand? Taking a deep look at what makes you different from all the other brands. This will help you define what makes your brand special. And it will help you be able to define and communicate key differentiators to your followers.

    Tell Your Story

    If you are not telling your story, you are not doing your job. Your story sells. Stories win over customers. A story is the difference between success and failure, Your story is your golden ticket. Make sure that you feature your real, authentic brand story. Whatever your story is it is essential to your business and your brand. It is how you got to where you are. It is the basis for what you do. And your story will continue to develop as you continue to learn and grow. Your story is human, unscripted and real and it what allows you and your brand to connect with the community at large.

    Give Members A Reason to Join

    What will members get for being a part of your community? Inside information, special discounts, cool swag? Not ready to take a hit on the bottom line to encourage community membership and engagement? Then encourage the development of an inside language, inside jokes, memes, or other member exclusive items that set them apart from non-members, just make sure that you have a plan in place to get new members up to speed.

    Make Sure Your Focus is the Customer or Follower

    Real engagement and meaningful interaction should be the focus of your brand community. What questions do your followers have? Why did they join your community in the first place? What information can you provide them that can help them in their everyday life. Your goal is to have real relationships with these followers not just see how many followers you can quickly add so that you can boast about the numbers reached.

    Don’t be Afraid to Engage and Inspire

    You have a great brand, people like you, some may want to be like you. It is likely that some of your followers look up to you, and that is okay. Engage in the conversation when it’s appropriate and lead the conversation if you see a chance to inspire someone. Your followers want to be inspired and they want to feel like they are part of something (your brand) important!

    Speaking of Being A Part of Something Important

    Ask your community questions and listen listen listen listen to all of the feedback that you get. Your followers and community members want you to be successful and they have ideas! Listen to the ideas that they have, listen to the feedback they provide, listen to the chatter amongst group members. Then after you have listened to what they have to say make sure that you take some action based on the feedback you are provided. Every single person counts and listening to all the ideas, taking the time to really understand the feedback and then acting on it shows that you value your community members and that alone can be the win for your company.

    Let Your Brand Ambassadors Be Ambassadors

    Let your brand ambassadors be ambassadors and let them speak to your story, your product and your brand in their own words. If you think this is crazy then you are fucking insane! Brand ambassadors are employees, influencers and regular customers that like and support your brand. They believe in you and support your company. These people have actually spent time activating people. Encouraging them to try your offerings. Brought you new followers. They do this because they are passionate about something that you do. Let them share that passion in their own words. Allow their passion to show. How they choose to speak and what they choose to say should be up to them. Don’t fill their mouths with your uninspiring quotes, and perfectly word-crafted statements. Those statements are bullshit and your followers see thru them.

    Go Above and Beyond All Day Every Day

    It does not matter if you are dealing with your best customer or the browser that never buys anything. Your goal should always be to surprise and delight your customers and followers. All Day! Every Day! It is never a good idea to discount your customers or followers, you never know what that breakthrough moment for one customer could be your breakthrough moment, period! Read Discounting Your Customers

    Over the course of my 18-year retail career, my proudest and most impactful campaign was not a campaign at all it was a crazy bet. I challenged my team to ask everyone if they wanted their gifts wrapped, and to wrap each and every item they wanted wrapped at the counter as part of the checkout process. And that year we wrapped every present bought with us, some presents bought at other stores and that year we destroyed our sales budget for Christmas and had delighted hundreds of neighborhood customers and followers. People came throughout the year and asked us if we would be doing that again, or if we could wrap a birthday present for them, of course we could it was a little niche we had won simply because we were the only ones doing it.

    What is Your Little Niche?

    Whether it is on social media, or something that you can do at your storefront, what is your niche and how can you do a little something that will surprise and delight your customers? Can you figure out how you and your team can go above and beyond to exceed customer expectations everyday?

    In my opinion this is the make it or break it moment for your business and for building a brand community. Nail this and you win!

  • Crystal Ball 2018: Predictions for Social Media in the New Year

    Our Crystal Ball Predictions for Social Media and Social Media Marketing?

    Here at JRH Graphics, we actually hate predictions. AKA a random guess! But content planning is important. So, we took a look at our crystal ball (the internets) and tried to assess the social media predictions for 2018. The perusal of articles and posts by talented writers and companies and helped us compile this list. Including some of what we believe will happen based on these trends and what we are seeing ourselves. We want to help you manage your social media. Make smart plans. And slay the year so here is what we think (aka guess)!The TrendThe PredictionsTakeaway

    Instagram Killing it With Stories

    Instagram Stories will continue to capitalize on the successes of 2017 and will continue to gain popularity. Stories are just over 1 year old, yet over 200 million users utilize the feature monthly. More than the number of users on Snapchat, plus with opportunities to tie in e-commerce the future looks bright for Instagram Stories.If you are not already using stories to engage followers then it is time to start using them. Stories are a great way to provide followers and non-followers with an exclusive behind the scenes look of your brand, tell your story and engage customers and potential customers. Check out some tips here!

    The Customer Experience from Start to Finish

    The customer experience throughout the entire life-cycle is incredibly important. Your brand is built on the experiences that customers have. This could be anything from in-store customer service experience, to seeing your items at a local reseller or seeing one of your business’s posts Facebook. Every interaction impacts brand! 

    Creating a great experience for the customer is more likely to help you gain brand loyalists. Negative online experiences, bad customer service,  late delivery of an order, or inconsistent messaging can all hurt your business and they WILL NOT USE YOUR BUSINESS AGAIN. Make no mistake they have other choices.

    No customers = no brand loyalists = no champions of your brand = fewer customer = fewer sales = bye bye businessLock this one down in 2018. Make sure all your employees.  Anyone with customer contact.  Or anyone who creates a policy that will impact a customer. KNOWS THAT THE CUSTOMER COMES FIRST. Create a loyalty program to reward followers and customers. Encourage and reward feedback from customers that post reviews (good or bad). Pay attention to these reviews. You can be certain your customers are reading them. Go Above and Beyond. Everyday. All Day. Until it hurts!

    Content Creation Still Remains Incredibly Important

    What kind of content are you creating? Is it informative? Entertaining yet educational? Is your content unique to your brand and offer greater insight for your followers?

    An overwhelming 70% of people said they’d rather learn about a business via an article instead of an advertisement. Content marketing is cheaper than regular marketing and drives more leads so content marketing will continue to grow. Blog posts, infographics, video, live stream, stories, photos, articles, and so on is all part of content marketing.

    Content creation. Is hard.  It is even harder to do when running your business.  If you don’t have time, consider outsourcing your content creation or certain aspects of your social media to a local company focused on your growth like JRH Graphics. Find the company that meets your content creation needs!

    Great Job Getting On Social and Creating Content But What’s Next?

    Oh c’mon you knew this was going to happen!! In 2017, there were more than 50 million small businesses using social media pages to interact with their customers. Great. Many of these businesses are creating content to educate and inform customers. Awesome.

    But, many consumers are starting to get tired of sponsored or branded content and are skipping over it! Well, shit! Consumers are going to outside sources to get information not directly to brands. Brands are going to need to create more content with independently verifiable information and sources in order for this content to gain traction and help market.Now what? Stop creating content? No continue creating content but use stats and specifics that apply to more than just your company. Share content that can be verified independently. Pro Tip: Look at how you are collaborating, is it possible that one of your past collaborators would be able to create valuable content.

    Get Your Toolkit Today and Start Planning:  Collaboration Toolkit & Pre-Collab Worksheet

    Influencer Marketing Goes Micro

    Over 90% of marketers that utilize influencer marketing believe that it is successful and with traditional marketing continuing to struggle with social more and more companies are likely to move towards this form of marketing. But Influencer Marketing is stepping away from mega-influencers who represent multiple brands.

    Mega-Influencers or spokespeople are not where companies are getting a return on investment. This is why Influencer Marketing is starting to go micro. Followers and consumers are looking for actual people within a community that has invested and real followers.If you are already engaging with influencers are you getting the return on investment you should be? Have you looked at other options or begun to look at the opportunities that may be available from micro-influencers or brand advocates. Also look to create a community around your brand and make sure your influencers are a part of that community. PRO TIP: Don’t end your relationship with an influencer at the end of a contract. Continue to engage!

    Rise of Augmented Reality

    Both the iPhone 8 and the iPhone X have ground-breaking new chips that allow for extraordinary augmented reality experiences. Social Media is likely to incorporate some of these features for their platforms as soon as possible and will likely look for innovative ways to do so. Possible early uses include selfie filters with celebrities or brands having the ability to project products into our homes. What other possibilities do you see from this trend?Small businesses should actively observe what is happening with augmented reality as it develops. It is likely that large companies will be the first to jump on this trend but as social media platforms change and include this technology look to see if it makes sense for you to utilize.

    Gen Z Enters the Workforce

    The impact of the Gen Z generation is about to be felt with marketers as these 22-year-olds are about to enter the workforce. As they step into the workforce and they will gain more buying power and become more important to organizations. We just got used to millennials but its time to change again.

    Engagement on platforms where Gen Z resides will be key. How are they engaging with companies and changing the way you do business?Actively observe the developments and pay attention to trends here. Small businesses may have a bit more time to react to Gen-Z, but start looking for opportunities now. Key platforms will include YouTube, Live Streaming Sites, and possibly still some Snapchat. Key practices will include transparency and authenticity.

    It’s Going to Be All About Live

    Live messaging apps and live streaming are going to become more ingrained in the mainstream. Over 2.5 billion people are utilizing live messaging apps and live streaming is making up a large part of video content consumed. Brands will need to begin looking at options to engage on these live apps when followers are looking for them.Live gives businesses many opportunities to show off the behind the scenes, tell a story, give followers special benefits and to be unscripted. Live messaging is a good place to begin working with bots, but don’t forget the human touch!

    So, What Do You Think?

    Those are some of the trends we believe will be dominating social media this upcoming year, based on our readings, and what we are seeing with our clients. We invite you to share your thoughts throughout the year below! To read some of the articles we read and to draw tour own conclusions then please visit these links.

    Forbes: Social Media 2018

    Hootsuite: 2018 Social Media Trends 

    https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/300813

    Socialmediatoday: Trends to Watch Out For in 2018 

  • Planning Your Social Media Content Calendar for 2018

    Tips for Planning Your 2018 Social Media Content Calendar

    It’s not too late to make a plan

    Have you started planning out your social media content calendar for 2018 yet? Don’t worry it is not too late, despite what everyone may be saying to you. It is not too late! Yes, it would be great if you had started 6 months ago, but I am a realist. I run my own small business, I know that doing things 6 months in advance is a pie in the sky dream that we almost never can reach. And I am the first to say, that is okay! To help out I am letting you in on some great ways to plan your content calendar that will actually alleviate stress, streamline projects, and fit into an overall business plan. The best part is these tips are useful for planning a week of content, or a year of content.

    Where to start?

    In order to get the most out of your social media, your content calendar should be closely tied to your overall business goals for the year. So the first thing you should do is define your goals for 2018 (or whatever time period you are planning content for). Then define the who, what, when, where, why, how and how much for each of your goals. After that, decide how your social media can help you reach those goals and that will be the basis of your content calendar.

    Next up, decide what tool you will be using to keep your calendar, as a social media manager I utilize Hey Orca to manage the calendars of multiple clients and gain approvals, but you can use a spreadsheet, a handwritten calendar, or tools like Hootsuite or SproutSocial its all up to you.

    Once you decide on the tool you can begin mapping out your content step by step. Make sure you are keeping your business goals in mind throughout the process. Here are steps I take with clients when planning content calendars.

    1) Holidays

    Don’t miss a holiday in 2018 and have your social media posts ready to go by marking all the key holidays down on your calendar right from the start. If you are using HeyOrca or Hootsuite you can even schedule last year’s posts as placeholders or update them with the appropriate year and info if they were successful. Want some help with planning for the Holidays? Check out this infographic from “Social Media Today”

    2) Review Last Year

    Review 2017 and look for the successful promotions, themes, and sales. What did well and will “anniversary” in 2018? What will not anniversary but you have sales numbers that you will need to compensate for? Mark all of these instances on the calendar. For those that will not anniversary what opportunities do you have to build on successful promotions or create a new one based on the parameters that lead to success last year.

    3) Monthly Themes

    Now that you have the Holidays and successes from last year penciled in, its time to look at what content you will be adding to the calendar. A great way to do this is by creating themes for the months. In my past life as a Bookstore manager, our general book department would live by the monthly themes, we would have an overarching theme each month i.e. African American History Month or Banned Book Month or Valentines Day. Followed by sub-themes like for Valentine’s Day sub-themes like Romance Novels, Books About Love, Teen Angst etc. This is a great way to divide your content calendar as well, as it gives you direction and focus. Themes can be a great guide if a post doesn’t fit into the theme that doesn’t mean you don’t use it at all. Themes can also help you plan your blog content, write one blog a month based on the theme you have for your content. 12 blog posts a year should seem do-able, right?

    What’s Next?

    So you have your themes laid out, now what do you do next? It is time to start laying down your campaigns. Take a look at all you have compiled and begin to lay in the campaigns that you are going to run this year. Your campaigns should be tied to your themes but they do not necessarily need to just be the theme.

    An example of this is with the garden center I work closely with our theme for January is New Year, New Items. The theme for February is Valentine’s Day. However, the campaign that we will be focusing on the three weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day is our “Say I Love You Longer” campaign! So, on the calendar for the garden center, I penciled in this campaign. I also added a campaign leading up to St. Patrick’s Day “Plants Behaving Badly”

    Pro Tip:

    Add links to the best and worst posts of these campaigns from the previous year. These provide some guidance on what worked and what can be eliminated.

    After The Campaign Lay Down!

    After the campaign lay down it is time to start filling in the specific posts. Here are a few things to keep in mind when filling in the specific posts, even if you are focusing on a single campaign.

    • Consistency is key to social media plan to post at least once a day on all platforms
    • Make sure all posts are reflective of your current brand standards. Update posts that were used in the past to reflect current brand standards.
    • Only schedule approximately 75-80% of your monthly content in advance leaving about 20% of your posts unscheduled.  This allows for flex, reposting user-generated content, and posts that are timely or ultra-local in nature. This 20% allows you to be current and timely while still having a majority of your content ready to go!
    • Remember the 80/20 rule still applies to all your content posted.
    • Vary your content. Make sure it is edutaining in nature! Need suggestions on what to post? Check out the 9 Suggested Posts for every Business 
    • Evergreen Content is your friend, don’t be afraid to build a library of it. If you want some direction on this check out the HubSpot article I linked to above!
    • Schedule your 12 blog posts now and begin writing them when you have the time.
    • Don’t forget about video content and social selling opportunities.
    • Are you collaborating with other businesses? Make sure to leave space in the schedule for cross-promotional and collaborative posts. Hop on over to the shop to get your hands on the collaboration toolkit to start planning your partnerships now.
    • Take into account the social media trends we are expecting in 2018. Review this awesome article from Entrepreneur Magazine about the 10 Things to Plan for in 2018. Chances are this will be the subject of my next post!

    And then…

    So now you have the tips and a few extra minutes! Go start the process of planning your social media calendar for next year now! If you have questions or concerns please feel free to ask and check out the Social Media Tools in the Shop as well!

    Ah yes, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

  • Strategies to Expand Your Reach on Social Media

    What Strategies Will Expand Your Reach on Social?

    What strategies should I use to expand my social media reach quickly? is there an easy way to gain a following on social? What strategies will help jumpstart my social media and make sure that my content is seen? How do I get more people to like my stuff? This post was inspired by my clients and that ask to increase their visibility, influence etc on social media. And don’t get me wrong I love these questions and I love to share my knowledge with folks. The one thing that I warn you of is I am not going to provide you with a quick fix. I don’t believe that one exists. You gotta hustle hard if you want to see results!

    Some Basic Strategies

    Yeah, I don’t believe in quick fixes but here are a few strategies to optimize what you are doing on social…

    1) Get your friends, family loved one and co-workers where appropriate to follow and share your profiles. Engage with them and provide the content that they want to see, its a start and if they share content it expands your reach.

    2) Include your profiles everywhere you can with a message encouraging them to follow you along with the benefits of following you where space allows. Don’t forget to include in email signatures, business pages, LinkedIn Profile, alignable profiles,  on business cards and visible on the website above the fold.

    3) Search important Hashtags within your niche and favorite interesting tweets.

    4) Retweet, Repost, or share content you like and join conversations to engage new followers

    5) Link to high-quality content on your site/blog

    6) Provide useful and edutaining tips that relate to your field of work and provide useful and actionable info to your followers

    7) Use a branded #hashtag

    8) Get a wider reach by promoting events that you are attending using the appropriate hashtag combined with your profile name and or hashtag so posts show on event with a link back to your profiles. Its another way to engage others effectively.

    9) Show followers a bit of the behind the scenes for some realness

    10) Don’t forget to promote your profiles and include them in content you create

    11) Share your brand story as well as your story

    12) Ask this important question to your followers on a fairly regular basis “How can I help you?” and when someone responds, help them. This si a major part of an effective engagement strategy.

    13) Want some additional tips, tricks, and strategies I recommend to clients and followers? Check out this collection of social media tidbits! 

    An Important Note On Content:

    Before exploring some strategies a bit more in depth, I want to be sure that I clarify the importance of content! Content is king, always will be and that is why you can’t try to get around it the easy way. The two essentials for a successful social media strategy are ENGAGE FOLLOWERS AND PROVIDE GREAT CONTENT!

    The content you create should be aimed at EDUTAINING your followers by being informational, educational and fun. Great content will always win so focus on creating that and let the rest fall into place. It takes time but you want to be a thought leader, a resource, and an innovative thinker content creation is the surefire way, Your followers may not need your services right now but if you are sharing winning content that educates and informs them they will think of you first when they need you!

    The “Advanced” Strategies to Extend Your Reach

    I say advanced but really these are all essential things that all businesses on social media should do in order to get the most out of what they are doing on social media!

    1- Brand

    Make sure your brand identity is fully developed, down to knowing what you would post and wouldn’t post, and how you want followers to perceive your brand. Know Your Brand, Be Your Brand, Believe In Your Brand

    2- Social Mission

    Have a clearly defined mission and goals for social media as well as what success will look like for your brand. In this mission include if the goal is to sell on social, influence or educate. My recommendation is always to educate and engage by creating great content!

    3- Audience

    You can not create a content strategy until you know your audience. What type of person/business do you want to attract? Do you know their interests and needs? What problems do they have and how can you solve them? where do they get their information or what websites do they read daily? Understanding your audience is fundamental to creating content that they’ll find valuable.

    4- Be a thought leader in your niche

    Share content that highlights your innovative thoughts and ways of handling situations. You can also share content of other thought leaders and well-respected members within your niche.

    5- Communicate and Engage

    Promote two-way communication on your social media platforms by asking questions to your followers and encouraging them to share questions and ideas via comments on your social media. Then answer and engage those who share with you. Provide them useful information that they can see the value in. Don’t only link to your website link to other respected people in the industry as well.

    6- Social Service

    Build brand ambassadors by providing stellar “social service” and encouraging followers to share experiences with your brand. Provide an incentive for followers sharing reviews both good and bad (seriously), ask for feedback regularly on social, and act upon the feedback you get.

    7- Interaction

    Interact with other profiles regularly and provide thoughtful and relevant comments when commenting. This will give your brand more exposure especially if you target very popular posts, where several people will receive a newsfeed update with your comment. But beware of wasting time posting on posts that are “too popular” this is a judgment call but if you are comment number 300 on a post people may not be paying attention anymore.

    8- Collaboration

    Message interesting pages that you think your target audience follows and propose doing a featured post about them or their site and ask if they will do the same. Or work together on an event, or do a photoshoot together. Collaboration is key to social media success. See my blog post on collaboration.

    9- Quality not Quantity

    Focus on quality not quantity in regards to both your blog posts and your followers. As long as you have a consistent posting schedule that features high-quality content you will be good. In regards to followers, I’d take 400 fans who engage with my content and generate business over 5,000 who are indifferent to my business any day!

    10- Vary What You Post

    Experiment with different types of posts and mix things up a bit. Ask questions, share a behind-the-scenes picture of your workspace, or take advantage of the social aspect to ask for ideas, feedback, and input. Get creative and keep things interesting for your followers.I’d always recommend seeking and sharing the best content with others too. As well as helping to build trust and relationships, this helps your channels become a destination for people looking to learn and be inspired. See 9 Posts Every Business Should Try on Social

    11- 80/20

    Remember the 80/20 Rule 80% of what you post should be educational, informative, useful or funny 20% should be promotional… Or, as author Gary Vaynerchuk puts it: give, give, give, then ask… see more Gary V. here… 

    12 Be yourself and it is okay to be funny

    Keeping your audience in mind at all times but that does not mean hide who you are. Your personality is the key to

    Social media is also a great place to share a little more of you, whether behind the scenes shots or sneak peeks of a new product you’re working on. Trust is a huge component of the buying process; letting people in a little help your readers feel like they’re trusted, which in turn helps them to trust you too.

    13- Influencers to Influence Step 1

    Find influencers in your niche to engage with because following them and engaging with their posts by liking, commenting and sharing (without overdoing it, of course) you put yourself on their radar and may well find that they’ll reciprocate later!

    14- Use Images, Always

    Use relevant high-quality images as images have a much higher engagement than just text or links,

    15-DIALOGUE AND RESPECT

    Think about paying it forward. As well as responding to messages, be proactive and start conversations. Congratulate people on their achievements, comment on and share relevant posts and offer your input when someone asks a question. Seek to add value and make meaningful connections. Doing this has not only helped my business, it’s helped me make new friends too!

    16. Stop. Review. Revise. Restart

    Regularly using the metrics and feedback from followers as your guide. While you are doing this also review what others are doing, get ideas and see how you can do something that works for your brand

  • 9 Types of Posts Every Business Should Try on Social Media

    The 9 Essential Posts for Businesses on Social Media

    This post is aimed at those businesses just starting out on social media and for those looking to diversify what they are posting to make sure they are hitting the recommended 80/20 ratio. When you are just starting out it is easy to feel overwhelmed by a posting calendar, and if you are stuck in a rut it may be hard to see a way out. These 9 social media posts are a great way to round out your content and make sure that you are educating and informing your followers.

    • PRODUCT POSTS
    • CUSTOMER POSTS
    • EMPLOYEE-CENTRIC
    • A DAY IN THE LIFE
    • MOTIVATIONAL
    • FOOD POSTS
    • IN THE HOOD POSTS
    • GIVEAWAYS AND CONTESTS
    • EDUCATIONAL

    Product Posts

    These seem easy but be sure to constantly post or repost the same content about your product. Keep it fresh. Get content from your customers or “product in the wild” posts. Also, make sure to highlight what features and benefits users will get from your product that differentiates it from the products of your competitors.

    Customer-centric Posts

    Customer-centric posts focus not only on the overall customer experience but this is also where a lot of your user-generated content comes from. User-generated content is huge for a business because when you share that content the creator is much more likely to also share the content with followers. And beyond that it shows followers you care about how you engage with your customers and encourages them to share without even asking.

    Day in the Life

    Highlight things that usually happen at your company a pre-opening chat, lunchtime discussion, shared news about employees. Remember Instagram is very visual so make sure you have a good brand appropriate visual if you are sharing on Insta. Think of these as a quick filtered peek into the back of the house.

    Motivation

    Yes, you see these all over the place, motivational quotes on #motivationalmonday or any other days of the week when a little pick me up are in order. Keep these visuals and the quotes brand-appropriate and try to share posts that you find meaningful and provide followers with background about your business.

    Food

    Want some more social media gold? Then post about food, babies or dogs!! Food is a great way to have a fun light post mixed in… feature a new restaurant or favorite dish. These non-branded lighter posts are a great way to break up some of the content you post. And while they are not branded, you can always figure out a way to tie them back to the brand or business.

    Neighborhood Posts

    I call these the “In the Hood” posts. They touch on the things happening in the community around you. It does not mayyer if they are lighthearted and silly or seriously important. What is important is that you are engaging the potential clients that are immediately in your area. Its another avenue you an use to tell your story and sho people why they should believe in your brand. These posts also allow you to partner with other businesses in your neighborhood to magnifying your reach.

    Giveaways & Contests

    Product launch, new item, a special time of the year… make it super special with a giveaway or contest. Its a great way to gain followers. Encourage them to follow you on social media as a way to be eligible for prize. You can also generate interest by givving away free tools that help followers solve a problem. Keep in mind that if you are running a contest or giveaway make sure to post appropriate disclaimers and follow all posted rules!

    Educational Posts

    Remember you are trying to establish yourself as an expert in your field you should be EDUTAINING your followers. When you EDUTAIN you are providing information that is Educational Useful and Entertaining. Share fun little bits of knowledge or inside info on what you do. Ask them what they want to know and then educate them. The type of info should be useful to help people win trivia contests in bars, you are not teaching them how to be an astrophysicist.

    Employee-centric

    These are probably the hardest to do but they are also what gives any business a heart on social media. These are peeks into what the culture of your business is. Remember however to always be on brand! Below are two broad options for employee-centric posts, I recommend regularly using both.

    Employee Takeover

    These on Facebook and Instagram and are combined between the story and your feed with just a couple refined images in the feed that are on brand and the rest the story. The story can be less refined it is set up to be snapchatty for a reason!

    Employee Profiles

    These are a bit harder but they are great for morale and a great way to feature specific employee on social media. Ask a set of questions to an employee and take some cool fun photos and viola.

    The 9 Essential Posts on Video

    Jonathan reviews this important Framework for businesses in a video. A video he ironically did as part of one of his one challenges based on creating Video Content for each of the 9 Essential Post Categories!JTBBJTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjI1NjAlMjIlMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjIzMTUlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkJTJGRUYxcUZlcjhYdWslMjIlMjBmcmFtZWJvcmRlciUzRCUyMjAlMjIlMjBhbGxvdyUzRCUyMmFjY2VsZXJvbWV0ZXIlM0IlMjBhdXRvcGxheSUzQiUyMGVuY3J5cHRlZC1tZWRpYSUzQiUyMGd5cm9zY29wZSUzQiUyMHBpY3R1cmUtaW4tcGljdHVyZSUyMiUyMGFsbG93ZnVsbHNjcmVlbiUzRSUzQyUyRmlmcmFtZSUzRSUwQQ==

    Things to Keep In Mind

    With all of these posts it is imperative you keep a few things in mind. The most important being the 80/20 Rule of Social Media. 80% of what you post should be informative, entertaining and useful for your followers with only 20% being promotional. And secondly, you are looking to engage customers and position yourself as an expert in your field. Conversations will get you followers! Useful information gets you followers! Real engagement will get you followers! Hounding and sales pitches will get you ignored!

    Need more assistance?

    We are here to help. JRH Graphics can provide you with sample posts and social media recommendations customized for your business? Get these 9 Posts Customized

    Or get the 9 Posts Worksheet to do it yourself

    Want to schedule a free 30-minute social media consultation with a member of the JRH Graphics team? Just tap that link! We would love to sit down with you and see how we can help!

     

     

    https://jrhgraphics.com/product/free-30-minute-social-media-consultation-call/

  • It Started With An Orchid

    How an Orchid Began A Mutually Beneficial Collaborative Relationship!

    This story of collaboration starts with an idea and an orchid! The main cast of characters includes a retail manager taking on a new line of work, a newly established garden center focusing on orchids and succulents and a very kind, business-minded and inspiring “influencer” who does more than influence.

    This story highlights what can happen when businesses play well in the sandbox of life together, understand the benefits of partnership; and having a defined and well-respected brand.

    In the Beginning:

    It was a simple idea and one that I list below as a way to collaborate with other influencers and companies. We reached out to @blonde_inthedistrict (Dani Sauter) to see if she would like an Urban Jungle orchid leading up to Valentine’s Day, all we were asking for in return was a post on Instagram before the holiday. In actuality, what Urban Jungle got in return was a brand ambassador, a believer in the Urban Jungle brand and by extension a believer in JRH Graphics. And because she believes in JRH graphics she has supported other brands that I represent when the missions and beliefs are a good match, like most recently with Lea Berry Coaching!

    Lea and Dani Get Down to Business Tips

    Both strong business women the photo collaboration started early in the morning and was a lively exchange between Lea and Dani the entire time. They exchanged tips and trick, learned from one another and of course slayed more than a few photos that 21-year-old photographer Callum (ce_photogs) shot. Callum and I chatted about our photography experiences and the importance of social media and expanding reach. I know that I watched closely as he set up and framed shots and listened to how he directed his models. After all, it was an opportunity to show this old dog some new tricks!

    Combining Strengths and Learning New Tricks

    Learning and teaching is one of the values I share with the businesses and influencers I agree to work with. Exchanges of knowledge, ability to learn from one another’s successes and mistakes; as well as combining the strength and reach of collaborators is the most important reason to collaborate.

    Other Benefits of Collaborating Include

    • inspiration
    • Re-enforce the idea that you are a leading expert in your field
    • Expanded Reach
    • Expanded exposure and increased following
    • Future collaborations and partnerships
    • Increased sales
    • New Audiences
    • A different POV
    • New friends, mentors, and people who support your mission
    • A partner in crime to help you come up with those amazingly great ideas.
    • Not a bad goody bag huh?!?

    All photos by @ce_photogs on Instagram!

    So Here is Some Useful Collaboration Information

    So I blabbered on and on about my experience with a portion of a collaboration but here is the useful stuff. Some info on influencers, questions to ask yourself pre-collab, what to look for from a collaboration and types of collaborations

    Collaborations:

    An agreement between brands to work together on a project with the intention of creating something. In many cases on social the brands are working together to create content that will engage both of their followers.

    Influencer:

    An influencer is an individual who has an impact on a specific niche of social media. Influencers are normal people, who are often connected to key consumer groups, industry associations or community tribes. The importance of influencers is best understood when you look at who millennials look to for advice, influencers are peers of the groups they influence so as a brand if you want to gain the inside connection to a certain group look to see who the influencers are in that group.

    Do Collabs have to be with an influencer?

    Absolutely not, collaborations can be with other brands, people that make complementing items and other media members. Anyone! Businesses and influencers and bloggers and plain ole normal folks can all work together like one big happy supportive family!

    What to Look for Pre-Collaboration:

    Be smart and strategic in the way that you approach collaborations, know your audience and what they would like to see from your collaborations

    Will you be developing content that is edutaining for your followers?

    Do collaborators share a vision and a brand identity with you?

    Are the lines of communication and brainstorming open and easy? Do you feel comfortable sharing ideas with one another?

    Will the benefits be equal for all brands?

    How will you promote the collaboration and what do you hope to get out of it?

    Do you feel like you will be able to learn from the collaborator?

    Types of Collaborations:

    Be creative in your collaborations look at what your strengths are and the strengths of the other brands involved and how you can use them. Here are some ways to collaborate:

    Giveaways: Woohoo free stuff!

    Giveaway an item you wish to promote to influencers and other businesses and ask if they will post about it on social or via a blog if they like it!  I am a strong believer that in these situations when you believe in your product you should not even have to ask them to share- your product will do the work for you. I also believe in follow-up. If you do not hear anything back then follow-up with them, they may be busy and not had time or they may have useful feedback!

    Photoshoots

    Photoshoots are a great way to collaborate because lets face it, we all need 9 zillion pictures a year to have the amount of content needed to keep our Instagram feeds alive an fresh, so these collaborations are great ways to get to know people and plan future collaborations, get some new photographers some exposure, and keep you feed fresh with new content!

    Guest Posts and Story Takeovers

    Guest posts on your blog or story takeovers are great ways to expand your audiences and expose your followers to new and edutaining content that is created by the partner. Keeps things fresh and exposes followers to a different POV!

    Photo Contests

    Photo Contests or Competitions: It engages followers and encourages them to contribute to your page. Each follower has their own circle of friends and can be viewed as mini-influencers each able to expand the reach of your brand with this type of collaboration. The other bonus of this type of collaboration is the creation of user-generated content which is awesome. When you share user-generated content you are engaging your followers with content that they are more likely to share, thus increasing your reach .

    Get Influencers to Compete

    Influencer competitions: Similar to above just engaging influencers within a certain market to highlight your brand and gain exposure.

  • Use Stories to Tell Your Story

    Stories are the New Black

    Across my social media, my Tuesday Social Media Stat was about Instagram Stories because if you aren’t talking about Influencers or Insta Stories you are so talking about old news! There are over 200 MILLION people who use Instagram Stories every day. That is a lot of customers using stories so using stories the right way can make a major difference. So here are some tips and tricks to using Instagram Stories!

    Side Note

    It is social media, none of us are sure we are doing it the right way because it is so new.  This information is based on some research on what seems to be working for companies and some great campaigns I have personally seen work. I also mention some I have personally contributed to that have been successful. I would love to hear other tips tricks and ideas, because if you aren’t innovating on social media- well- YOU ARE BORING!

    What should I Use Stories For?

    So what do I think you should be using your Instagram Stories for? I think it is a great opportunity to show the heart of your brand (your people, your values, your customer care, and your differentiators) in a manner that is perceived as less polished,  and more unadulterated. Keep in mind that I said perceived… while it is okay to be less buttoned-up less spokesperson(y) in your stories you should still remain true to your brand as should anyone representing your brand in your stories! So here are five ways I suggest you go about it, a few extra tips and tricks to wrap up, and an example of a stellar use of stories from J. Crew that even includes a great way to measure ROI!

    A Day in the Life

    Get this… people like to shop at businesses that represent their values and that they can easily identify with,. A great way of promoting your brand via stories is by handing over your Instagram handle to an employee and let them post “A Day in the Life” story posts. Remember to keep them creative, and interactive. Some can even be quick and spontaneous. In my past life, we would post a snap from a store managers huddle showing what the team was working on. For these posts, I also recommend having a quick list of dos and don’t for the person you are handing the handle over to! (Click for a FREE generic day in the life stories tool)

    Use Stories to Tease

    Tease an event, promotion, or something happening on another platform. It is okay to promote one of your platforms using another! Plus using stories to tease an event and/or promotion keeps your feed clean and curated the way Instagram is intended! But seriously you can post a 50% off sale creatively 2-3 times in a story and no clogged feed or posts to go back and archive later.

    Go Live

    Go Live and after done add it to your story! Yup, that’s right your live video can be saved and used as a story for 24 hours now. So you went live, had an expert to discuss the wonderful new yoga pants that make you look up to 90 pounds slimmer and only five people joined in… now that’s ok!  Save the video to your story and more people will have access to that awesome information! And next time before you go live… promote it in your story, on Facebook, on Twitter and let people know you are throwing a party!

    Celebrate

    Celebrate a company milestone or a professional one that an employee has reached, it’s a great way to highlight accomplishments, pat yourself on the back without looking too cocky and it engages employees! This is a win-win situation because we know that engaged employees are great employees and awesome brand ambassadors!

    Support Blog Content

    Have your blog and stories work together. Part of any businesses goal on social media is to establish themselves as experts in the field by providing useful tips and tricks and answering followers questions. Many accomplish this via an online blog so why not promote the blog while establishing yourself as an expert via a story. As a social media manager, I use my clients’ blogs to create sometimes what feels like endless posts!  A well-written blog post is chock full of bite size information perfect for stories and posts. Think of the blog as the Thanksgiving Turkey and the posts and stories as the turkey sandwiches and you’ll be on the right track!

    Your company probably has more EDUTAINING stories than you give it credit for and stories show the heart of your brand and heart equals engagement and engagement equal loyal customers which equals sales! That’s the long way to get to what I used to preach as a retail manager when talking about customer service- STORIES SELL! Plain and simple!

    CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO READ HOW J. CREW SLAYED IT WITH INSTAGRAM STORIES AND SOLD OUT OF THE INSTAGRAM ONLY PRODUCT IN HOURS!

    http://www.retaildive.com/ex/mobilecommercedaily/j-crew-sells-out-instagram-exclusive-product-showcasing-new-mobile-sales-opportunities

    A few other things to try

    Promote Limited time giveaways to your followers it’s a great way to reward loyal followers who already engage the brand!

    Remind people of events and promotions that are happening that you have already posted

    Bring in an expert besides yourself to educate followers

    Host Mini Book Discussions

    Hot Topic Talks

    Be playful and coy, keep your followers stimulated and guessing!

    Don’t forget you CTA!

  • Take Better Photos for Social Media

    Social Media Photography

    Let’s face it good photos are necessary for success. Instagram has forced us all to be better photographers, and some of us have been successful!  Others are still working on what it takes to snap killer social media pics. Today I am providing you with a few essential tips for taking better photos for all social media- because a better picture will help on all platforms! You are looking to capture clean, crisp images with a specific point of view and limited distractions!

    First things first, know your equipment and how to use all of its features. An iPhone can take amazing pictures in natural filtered light when used correctly. But it can take awful pictures that look grainy or over-processed if using the wrong settings. Get to know the camera you are using and take lots and lots of pictures with it, which brings me to my first and in my opinion my most important tip.

    Take More Photos Than You Think You Could Possibly Use

    The most important thing I can suggest is to take more pictures than you think you could need! If you follow the rest of the tips and tricks, then at least a few of the photos will turn out awesome. Plus even the most experienced photographers with the best equipment and most excellent cameras on a perfect day end up with a few awful photos! They won’t show you them, but I promise you this is true.

    The Essentials: Tips You Need for Killer Social Media Photos

    What else should you do to improve your photography skills? How about these tips:

    1. Make sure that your lens is clean and not cracked or obstructed.
    2. Steady your phone by bracing your arm against a table or use a tripod
    3. Come closer, no closer, no closer- yup right there is perfect
    4. Food- Life coach, lawyer, or chef; it does not matter food is a win on Instagram and other social media. Find a way to rotate it into your posts. After all, food is one of our 9 Essential Posts for Businesses on Social Media
    5. Use the grid feature in your camera app on your phone to straighten out the horizon and keep your followers from getting seasick.
    6. Embrace cloudy days; filtered light is perfect for photos
    7. Don’t over-edit your photos. Which is absurd coming from the king of overediting! But seriously, don’t go too far with the editing it makes it look grainy and odd unless you are going full-fledged nutty with them as I do.
    8. Tap the screen to hold the focus on your subject
    9. Try not to use the flash- be willing to redirect and filter light to eliminate bright and dark spots and shadowing.
    10. Are you taking a selfie? Turn your phone around its a better, more flattering camera.
    11. Learn the rules, take some great photos, then break the rules and take lots more photos but take a lot of photos! I mean it! Click Away!

    Staging and Presentation Tips

    1. Stage the photo and make sure that the foreground and background are clean and well-presented Take a few shots to look at them. Adjust lighting and correct issues. Repeat.
    2. Take the time to clean the surface, stage the photo, and eliminate the distractions like a dirty fork or crushed beer can.
    3. Stand on a chair above the subject of any flat lay photo, but make sure you aren’t casting a shadow on the subject.
    4. Take photos in front of cool things like murals and large-scale objects helps you focus and will draw the viewers attention
    5. Pay attention to framing and learn the Rule of Thirds which by many is considered the golden rule of photography- it helps you successfully find a way to direct your viewers to the subject of the photo while capturing a story or emotion. It’s applied by aligning a subject with strict guidelines and their intersection points made into squares, to allow an image to flow from section to section and creates energy and interest.