Today’s Featured Instagram Account designation goes to Grounds Cafe! This awesome coffee shop is located at Wendell Falls, a Clairemont client. We love the people at Grounds Cafe, and we think they are Instagram superstars! I mean look at that face! What a great shot.
To see other adorable dogs, drool-worthy grilled cheese sandwiches and perfectly prepared lattes, follow Grounds Cafe on Instagram. Wanna know what else we like on Instagram? Check out our post Instagram: 3 Takes on Video Fun.
Have you ever seen someone do something really cool on Instagram that made you want to do it, too? But then, maybe you thought you couldn’t be a copy cat.
Attending a B.Y.O.C. (bring your own camera) event at CAM Raleigh last month proved that having a similar photo backdrop, or even concept for a video, can result in completely different posts. Consider how these three videos, shot with the same backdrop and props, are different.
I chose to use Boomerang to give the impression that I was jumping all night while brightly colored pom-poms pelted me.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMaVcR0AkN5/?taken-by=blah2voila
My son used a slow-mo effect while he stood in a stream of the pom-poms, trying not to smile because, well, because he thought that would look cool. (And it did.)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMbnTQFDTOQ/?taken-by=jdog615
And checkout Katie Stew‘s video that combines the jumping motion of mine with slow-mo. I love how Katie’s hair looks in this, and it is another example of how different people can do something similar without it necessarily looking the same.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMaiJCihNKd/?taken-by=k80stew
I’m not suggesting you rip off your friend’s most clever social media idea since the invention of, um, well, social media. However, if you see someone do something you think is cool, there’s nothing wrong with experimenting to see how you can make it your own. After all, isn’t that the fun of social media?
What’s your favorite social channel? Mine is Instagram, and you can see my photos and videos by following me. Leave me a like or comment if you think pom-pom pelting looks fun to you, too!
When Instagram rolled out Stories, clients, friends and colleagues alike asked us to weigh in on this new tool, especially with its marked resemblance to Snapchat Stories.
After a little research, several 10-second #velfies (video + selfie) and lot of neon doodling, we concluded, like other industry colleagues, that Snapchat and Instagram stories do indeed offer similar functionalities. But for businesses already engaging their audiences on Instagram, Instagram Stories provide another avenue to strengthen these online relationships. In addition, it taps into one of Instagram’s originally cherished qualities: the instantaneous, “behind-the-scenes” approach to content creation.
For those in the food and beverage industry, we cooked up a few tasty tips to use Instagram Stories in your restaurant!
Instagram story content stays fresh for 24 hours, providing the perfect opportunity to tout a deal, coupon or promotion with a sense of urgency. In addition, followers might be inclined to check your feed more often once they know you share “now or never” deals from their favorite restaurant or chef.
With the 24 hour limit, Instagram Stories allow restaurants to post project updates more frequently without the fear of permanently flooding their feeds. Share shots throughout the day of a dining room renovation or the stages of creating a dish from raw to ripe for the evening menu. Even diners can tap into the spirit by sharing the courses of a meal or stages of a culinary event.
Dissect the DishIt’s a one-time opportunity to provide meaningful backstory to your food — in a brief and light-hearted visual format. Chefs can doodle on photos of their menus to highlight new feature items or explain favorite parts of a dish.
Could this be the newest iteration of the ubiquitous Instagram takeover? With Insta Stories, chefs have the opportunity to “narrate” their experiences during a takeover in a more personal fashion through text, filters or drawings. In addition, the 24-hour time limit allows for increased content without increased clutter. Host Instagram accounts could leverage the time frame to increase user engagement; in a short 24-hour span, chefs can post festival highlights or booths and ask fol
lowers to find and repost each location a la a virtual scavenger hunt!
Get personal, stay light and be fun. Insta Stories offer an ideal medium for staff interviews, backstage tours of the kitchen and quick glimpses into the cooking process.
What other flavorful favorites would you suggest for this Instagram tool? In the meantime, check out our other social media tips for restaurants.
Today’s post is written by Clairemont intern, Emma Kirkpatrick.
We’ve all heard it – chatter that Facebook is slowly dying and is doomed to become the next MySpace. But before you go and break up with Facebook, consider this. Yes, more and more users, specifically young teenagers, are trading in their Facebook accounts for newer social media platforms, such as Instagram and WhatsApp. But let’s not forget who owns these apps—Facebook.
And why did Facebook decide to buy these apps? With its steady user base and enormous funds, Facebook is changing and adapting to the new social media environment where it is not the only social network anymore. In more recent years, an average social media user navigates between multiple platforms, including Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.
But what makes Facebook different from these newer platforms? Channels like Snapchat allow users to post pictures that will disappear and be forgotten after a few seconds or hours. On the other hand, Facebook aims to allow users to post photos designed to be remembered, such as weddings, graduations and family reunions. Each platform’s goals and functionalities differ, helping to further distinguish them.
Teenagers might say that Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram are the “in” platforms and Facebook just isn’t cool anymore. But according to Business Insider’s article in 2013 when Facebook seemed to be diminishing, Mark Zuckerberg said, “People assume that we’re trying to be cool. It’s never been my goal. I’m the least cool person there is! We’re almost 10 years old so we’re definitely not a niche thing any more so that kind of angle for coolness is done for us.”
Instead of trying to be the trendy site that relies on the cool factor to attract users, Facebook is trying to build a lasting product to compete in the same market with platforms such as Google.
Recent data shows that Facebook continues to squash the competition in social media traffic referrals. This may be because businesses and companies still rely heavily on Facebook for marketing strategies and endorsement activities.
So even though there are new channels, tools and platforms popping up daily, Facebook isn’t dying anytime soon.
How do you feel about Facebook? Connect with us on Facebook and let us know!
Kaitlyn Goforth, Clairemont’s wonderful intern, takes an honest look at the do’s and don’ts of the selfie world.
#ToSelfie or #NotToSelfie?
Last fall, Paul McCartney claimed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon that he took the first selfie. Former secretary of state Colin Powell made similar claims in March, posting a mirror picture he took in the 50s to Facebook. It’s caption, “Eat your heart out Ellen!,” referenced Ellen DeGeneres’s recent trend-setting “Oscar selfie” with three million retweets. Regardless of who was the first to snap a photo of this sort, we can all agree on one thing: selfies have officially taken over social media.
We see them everywhere. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat–the list continues. Recently, there has been talk about selfie etiquette, particularly after President Obama was seen snapping one at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service. Celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Miley Cyrus stay in the news constantly with their skin-bearing photos, and David Ortiz faced controversy with his Samsung-sponsored selfie. As communication experts, public relations practitioners and simply social media users, this leads us to the main question. When is it appropriate to take a selfie, and ultimately, what’s the point?
#ITweetThereforeIAm
People take selfies on vacation, in restaurants and even while sitting in their cubicle to update friends or followers about the hum-drum goings-ons in their lives. Suddenly, there is a social media frenzy of sharing every moment online, leading people to ask: “If you don’t post it, did you really do it?” Most smart phones are even equipped with front-facing cameras, enabling users to get the perfect angle on their self-portraits. This has lead to selfies following plane crashes, selfies while rushing the field and selfies while driving (#dangerous). The reason people are on social media is to keep up with others, but we’ve got to ask if the selfie game has simply gone too far.
#SelfieEtiquette
Next time you have the yearning to snap a selfie, remember these do’s and don’ts. It may save you from social media scrutiny.
#HereToStay
The “selfie” urge is understandable: you’re having a great hair day, you’re traveling the world or you’re sitting on the beach and you want the world to know about it. Gone are the days of experiencing something remarkable and leaving with only a memory. Regardless, “selfie” was officially added to the Oxford dictionary in 2013. It is here to stay, so we all better get used to it.
