Category: Social Media + Influencer Engagement

How To Host An Instagram Giveaway

Clairemont InternBlog, Marketing, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , , ,

Insta giveaways can pack a punch, but if not carefully thought out, your business could run the risk of making an Instagram flop and losing time and resources. But have no fear. We’ve pulled together five steps to host the best Instagram giveaway yet:

Plan the Product

What can you offer that will be of value to your followers/customers? Is it an experience, a hallmark product you have in stock or a gift card to your location? Keep in mind, the larger dollar value behind the product, the more potential followership you can gain.

Plan the Timeline

Creating a timeline for your Instagram giveaway will prevent stress while the giveaway is live on your account. First, decide if you want to promote the giveaway on your Instagram account before the giveaway goes live. Then, choose your start date and time. Check your Insta business stats to choose a post time that garners the highest fan engagement. Consider posting a giveaway reminder, such as a promo on your Insta story or a second Insta feed post. A reminder serves to reach followers that might not have seen the giveaway when it was originally posted. Finally, choose the giveaway end date and when you’ll announce the winner(s). Most giveaways perform well when hosted over the course of a few days.

Plan the Announcement Photo

Spend time planning how you will display the product up for grabs. Include telltale words, like “giveaway,” somewhere in the actual photo, making a simple connection when your followers see the post at first glance. Promote the photo across other social media platforms,  encouraging followers from other social media sites to visit your Instagram page.

Plan the Caption

Instagram has specific guidelines for hosting giveaways. Make sure that your giveaway meets all of the requirements of Instagram. Requirements for entering the giveaway might include liking the photo, following your account, liking your last five photos, etc. Again, reference Insta’s rules, which prohibit encouraging people “to tag themselves in photos if they aren’t in the photo.” A finalized Instagram caption will typically follow this sequence: 1. Announcing your business is hosting a giveaway and what is being given. 2. Your requirements to enter the giveaway. 3. Instagram official terms (age requirement, location requirement, etc.).

Plan and Announce the Winner

It’s time to pick a winner! We suggest using sites like Rafflecopter or Random Name Picker to select a winner at random. Broadcasting this selection process via Instagram stories or Instagram Live will allow your followers to see that the giveaway winner was randomly selected and not specifically chosen. To announce the winner you can change the original caption of the giveaway photo and tag the winner to claim their prize, post a dedicated Instagram photo or broadcast the winner on an Instagram Live or story.

Time to get busy! While you’re planning, check out our post on how to take an Instagram-worthy photo to become a rockstar at taking photos for your feed.

Written by Clairemont intern, Kennedy Norton, a junior at North Carolina State University.

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Take an Instagram-worthy Photo

Clairemont InternBlog, Public Relations, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , , ,

“No one’s life is as perfect as his or her Instagram feed.”

Have you ever scrolled past a photo of food or clothing on Instagram and instantly been awed? Without even realizing it, more than just the item on display caught your eye. The photo you loved was staged, filtered and carefully planned by its publisher. You might be surprised to learn just how much planning goes into an Instagram photo! (Those who rock their Instagram feeds can even make a career out of it!)

Here are our tips to becoming a rockstar at Instagram-worthy photos:


Use the best camera that you know how to use. Not all of the best photos Instagram has to offer are taken with a professional HDR camera. An iPhone equips you to take a clear and precise image. Focus on the object by tapping on your screen; turn off HDR to promote clarity. If you do know how to use a more professional camera, absolutely use it, as it offers a variety of manual settings and functionalities.

Leverage natural lighting. Lighting plays a vital role in the quality of the image. Using natural outdoor lighting, whether outside or through a window, will produce life-like images. Be sure not to take photos in direct sunlight, as it will overexpose the image. Aim to photograph in a setting with shade, overcast light and at sunrise or sunset to produce the best quality.

Stage it. First, select a background that expertly showcases your subject. For example, a white backdrop will showcase a complex item or product. A background with a pattern or specific colors will complement your product or person while adding interest and dimension. Keep in mind that photo size restrictions might apply. For example, shooting a photo in square mo
de via your iPhone is always a safe move to match Instagram’s feed. According to Colorlib, the maximum upload for a vertical image without cropping is 1080px in width by 1350px in height and 1080px in width by 566px in height for horizontal images. Finally, employ the rule of thirds, mentally dividing your image with two horizontal and two vertical lines. Note where the horizontal and vertical lines meet, like demonstrated in the graphic, and position the most important elements at the points of intersection. Using the rule of thirds is easy by turning on your iPhone’s grid feature.

Angle it. Explore changing the angles of your photo for widely varied outcomes. For example, stand high above to shoot directly over your product or get on ground level with the object to capture a profile view.

Edit it. Few Instagram-worthy photos are uploaded without a filter or two. To create a coherent feed, apply the same filters to your photos. Of course, you might need to lighten an image more so than another, but if you’re sharpening images to add clarity, sharpen them all. If you’re removing the highlights, remove them all. The app VSCO provides multiple tools to achieve the perfect edit. You can add or remove exposure, contrast, saturation and skin tone — just to name a few. The app Color Story supplies hundreds of additional filters. Need to smooth a specific part of a photo or swap two different pieces of the photo altogether? Check out Facetune.

Follow these steps, and you’re ready to post. We bet it’s your best Instagram photo yet! In the meantime, check out how to use “Instagram ‘Highlights’ for Business” to continue to grow your company’s Insta presence.

Written by Clairemont intern, Kennedy Norton, a junior at North Carolina State University.

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Facebook’s Change: Now What?

Cherith AndesBlog, Public Relations, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , , , ,

Adam Mosseri, Facebook’s head of news feed, described Facebook’s newest change as “bigger than the average tweak … It’s not a tweak.”

Michael Stelzner, founder of Social Media Examiner, dubbed it “Facebook Zero,” and Contently described it as the “Facebook apocalypse.”

It might just be all three.

In mid-January, Mark Zuckerberg unveiled an overhaul to Facebook’s algorithm, one that possibly spells disaster for business pages. Rather than pontificate on death’s door, here are the CliffsNotes:

The Main Shift

Previously, Facebook aimed to connect users with relevant content. Now, the algorithm will prioritize meaningful interactions between people, not between pages and people. Think … posts by people who ask for recommendations or who share personal stories that spark heartfelt responses.

Who Matters? People. Real, actual people, not businesses or news sources. This overhaul places a premium on people who are in your network as well.

What Matters? Previously, the Facebook algorithm evaluated successful posts by the amount of time spent and the number of likes. The new system values post engagement in the form of comments. Lengthy, meaningful comments that require time and effort score far higher than short, monosyllabic quips.

(Facebook spells it out in its short video.)

The Effects

Straight from Marky Mark (Zuckerberg) himself — content from pages will increasingly disappear from news feeds. Reach, views and referral traffic will decrease to pages, including the Facebook content darling itself: video. Facebook will view this as a passive media type. (Note: video is not disappearing or becoming obsolete; we’ll need to adjust how we utilize it!) Overall time on Facebook will decrease while, Facebook predicts, quality of interaction will increase. And while the shift will start in the news feed, it will eventually infiltrate the entire platform.

Why the Change?

Facebook adopts a psychological stance on this one. Passive scrolling and empty interaction on Facebook, it says, decreases quality life. Meaningful, engaged interaction that requires effort and time investment add value and boost positive feelings. Hence, it seems that Facebook is striving to bolster our quality of life.

But back to business … now what?

First and foremost, don’t panic. Here’s what we see as promising grounds so far.

1. Ad Campaigns. There’s little chance that Facebook will hamstring its revenue source: ads. Begin to beef up your ad strategy, solidifying campaigns and goals to increase website traffic and nurture conversions. While many predict that costs for campaigns will rise as supply and demand adjusts, ads are currently still a firm method to connect with your consumers. (P.S. Check out a few tips here.)

2. Live Videos (and others). Live videos seem to be a slight exception to Facebook’s new rules. It encourages viewers to actively engage with both the content creator and with other viewers. Video, in general, is not dying, especially with recently launched features like Facebook Watch. So don’t ditch your cameras yet! Just stay tuned for ways to create “thumb stopping” content that will illicit comments and shares.

3. Encourage “See First.” For now, train your followers to mark your page as “See First,” affording your business content some priority in their news feeds.

4. Explore Using Messenger Bots. These “behind-the-scenes” bots can deliver ad content, answer questions and help streamline the sales process beyond standard news feed content or ads. Jon Loomer shares tips on leveraging Facebook Messenger ads.

5. Avoid Engagement Baiting. Facebook has made it clear that they will demote pages and posts that use engagement baiting to artificially increase post engagement. Asking fans to like, share, comment or tag friends are examples of engagement baiting. It’s a no-no.

6. Diversify. Psssst. Don’t forget; Facebook isn’t the only platform to nurture your fan base and gain customers. Now is the time to revisit your content marketing and broad social media strategy.

As marketers, we now need to consider how to create conversations between people, not between our followers and the page. Also evaluate how investing time in this Facebook shift supports — if at all — your core business goals.

In essence, Facebook has transformed from a broadcast platform into a coffee house table for thoughtful conversation. Pour a cup of joe and chat.

Need some help revamping your Facebook strategy? We’re here to help.

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Maximize Your 2018 Marketing

Cherith AndesBlog, Marketing, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , ,

What’s hot? Ringing in the new year doesn’t necessarily require a revamp of current strategies. But it does call for a closer look at burgeoning digital and social media trends along with new tools on the horizon. Where do you need to place your focus to maximize your marketing efforts and boost business success?

A New Definition of Evergreen Content

In the past, social media platforms catered to snack-sized, temporary content forms designed to be consumed at brief intervals. Recently, there has been a gradual shift toward permanent content. Unlike traditional “evergreen” content, however, the M.O. of social media is still real-time posts that can be specific to one moment, event or experience. (e.g. Snaps from a one-time conference or a Insta story about your lunch burger.)

Platforms are now creating ways to make the content permanently available. For example, Instagram recently launched Stories Archives, allowing users to save and repurpose their stories, along with Highlights that showcases “permanent” video compilations on the user’s profile. So much for the 24-hour lifespan. Businesses should leverage this opportunity to create content with consideration to future repurposing. Not only does this alleviate hefty content planning, it also can add credibility by reconnecting the audience with past successes, products and appearances.

Short Planning Periods

The days of the annual content calendars are bygone. Both technology and social media platforms introduce new products and features weekly, monthly and quarterly. Yes, create a content marketing game plan commensurate with sales and business goals. But devise an internal system that allows (and even requires) you to revisit and adjust strategy frequently. Create an arsenal of resources to stay updated on consumer behavior and social media trends.

Laser Focus on ROI

With the predicted downturn in the economy, businesses and consumers alike are watching budgets with a close eye. Although this should be nothing new, marketers need to continue to craft strategies based on detailed performance analytics that evaluate multi-faceted variables and KPIs. Fortunately, the digital landscape is replete with powerful tools and user-friendly platforms, like Simply Measured.

Video, Your (Not-So) Secret Weapon

Social video generates 1200 percent more shares than text and images combined. Video on a landing page can increase conversions by 80 percent or more, and video can also drive a 157 percent increase in organic traffic from SERPs. Digital platforms evolve almost weekly to accommodate both instant and highly produced video, such as the good ‘ole Facebook cover photo (that can now be a video). Live Streaming claims center stage boosted by extra tools, like Facebook’s new Creator app that allows you to pre-create intro and outro segments for your live segments. Leverage easy editing tools, like Magisto or Animoto, to create and polish content straight from your phone.

Don’t miss these opportunities to maximize every inch of your strategy. Want to bounce around some ideas? Shoot us an email!

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Instagram “Highlights” for Business

Cherith AndesBlog, Public Relations, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , , ,

Instagram is on a roll.

With version 25, the Insta team unveiled Story Archives and Highlights, providing a longer lifespan for Instagram content. Sure, it’s fun to save your stories for a later review, but what are these updates, and how can businesses leverage them?

What are these new goodies?

Story Archives:

Recently, users have been able to archive Instagram posts, removing posts from their feeds into a storage folder that only the user can see. Now, the feature has expanded to Insta stories. With the Stories Archive, users can save those stories they worked so hard to filter, edit, caption, tag and emoji to death. The Stories Archive saves posts at the same quality at which you uploaded them and displays posts in reverse chronological order. The bonus? Archives are stored on the cloud, saving valuable memory on your phone.

Highlights:

It’s like a “best of the best” reel! The Highlights feature allows you to create permanent video rolls on a given topic or theme. You can curate video snippets or photos from your archived stories, choose a cover photo and name, and post to this new section of your Insta profile.

How should I use my new toys?

Story Archives:

Once archived, you can reshare selected stories to your Highlights (more on that in a moment), Direct Messages or your feed. You can also download them (one at a time, unfortunately) and reshare to your current story. For businesses, this is an opportunity to build an arsenal of footage and content for repurposing. Throwback posts just got a lot easier, as did overviews of returning product offerings or industry events.

Highlights:

Highlights can function as a mini overview of services or products at a glance! For example, restaurants might curate a reel of high-quality photography of its best dishes or a special-event menu. Designers can feature a fall fashion line, or real estate companies can spotlight hot homes on the market. And not everything need be product-centric. Highlights proffers an opportunity to reshare moments from an event, grand opening, conference or celebrity appearance — bolstering brand credibility and reminding viewers of past successes.

As a whole these features extend the lifespan of Insta content, slowly revolutionizing the platform into a destination rather than a newsfeed. Keep your eyes peeled! No doubt this is just one of many permutations with many more opportunities for businesses to leverage Instagram as a branding platform.

Are you getting the most out of your social media strategy? Send us an email to explore ideas!

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