Showing posts tagged with: instagram stories

March 20, 2023

Everything You Need to Know About Instagram’s “Hidden Likes” Test

Everything You Need to Know About Instagram’s “Hidden Likes” Test

If you’ve landed on our Hawaii Marketing Tips blog by accident while searching for Team Vision Marketing, please visit our homepage, creative portfolio or client video testimonials to learn more. Otherwise, please continue reading.

We all saw this coming, but in case you missed it, Instagram just launched its game-changing “Likes-Free” test update to the whole world.

Tests for the “hidden” Likes started last April in Canada and then rolled out to Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Ireland, Italy, and Brazil, resulting in mixed feelings. Recently, Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, announced at the WIRED25 Summit 2019 that the test was expanding to the U.S., and now it’s in effect for a small group of users in every country. So far, there is no news about how long the tests will last or if the update will be permanent.

WHY IS INSTAGRAM TAKING AWAY OUR LIKES?

Instagram wants to promote a healthier environment for all of its users. According to Mosseri, the purpose of a “Likes-Free” Instagram is to depressurize the platform and make it less competitive. Moving away from likes will help users “focus more on connecting with people that they love, and things that inspire them…”

Many studies and reputable news sources have shared that interacting with social media platforms can incur negative psychological problems, especially with young audiences.

– NBC News reports that a recent study, published by the American Psychology Association, found that individuals reporting symptoms consistent with major depression increased by 52% in teens and 63% in young adults age 18 to 25 from 2009 to 2017.

– U.S. News states that “Young people who spend more than 3 hours a day on social media are susceptible to depression, anxiety, and other illnesses and are more likely to internalize bad feelings about themselves,” according to a study by Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.

– CNN shared a study published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health journal which found that content posted on social media can hinder the healthy sleep and exercise of young people.

ARE MY LIKES DISAPPEARING FOREVER?

We put quotation marks around “Likes-Free” and “hidden” for a reason. No, Likes will not totally disappear from your posts. Instead, Instagram is removing the public’s view of the Like count and replacing it with a preview of mutual followers who liked the post. Although, Instagram users can still see their Likes and other posts’ Likes by clicking on “others.”

Preview of Hidden Likes on Instagram

HOW WILL THIS AFFECT MY BRAND? WILL THIS KILL INFLUENCER MARKETING?

Naturally, brands and influencers are feeling nervous about the negative effects of this update as it rolls out. Some brands predict that their engagements will decline and some influencers are boycotting Instagram for “hiding” Likes because it will affect their brand deals.

But here at Team Vision Marketing, we see that “hiding” Likes will bring good change to how brands and influencers market themselves on the platform. Plus, Instagram has assured the public that the “disappearing Likes” shouldn’t affect your brand’s current engagement rates.

We predict that this “no Likes” update will produce non-vanity based – and therefore more valuable – engagement metrics, including comments, impressions, reach, and rise in merit. Ryan Detert, CEO and co-founder of Influential, shared with Emarketer.com that his company’s analytics sees no correlation between Likes (a vanity based metric) and sales. Instead, brands should focus on attention metrics, like views and reach, which analyze how users engage with content.

Our digital marketing firm also foresees that the update will not only see better, more authentic influencer marketing strategies, but also nurture stronger relationships between brands and influencers. Vice President of Marketing for Stoli Vodka, Dave McNulty, says on Emarketer.com that “hiding likes shouldn’t negatively impact how brands work with influencers… [because] successful content is a result of brands building real relationships with credible influencers and giving them the creative license to be authentic with their audience.”

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING TIPS FOR A “LIKE-FREE” INSTAGRAM

This new update is all about building a healthier community on social media, so naturally, social media strategies will need to be more focused on engaging with the audience or cultivating your brand’s community. Here are some social media marketing tips centered on community building for your brand to try out:

– Share something valuable for your audience to engage with, like comedic posts (see our #DreadedAgencyRequests posts) or tips and market statistics.

– Get personal with your fans. Try posting more community-based content, like office life or team bonding activities. Inviting your audience to experience your company culture will evoke sentimental feelings with your brand and foster brand loyalty.

– If you do rely on influencer marketing, develop authentic – not gimmicky – social media marketing campaigns. Also, make sure you are building a relationship with an influencer that fits your brand and can help you engage with your target audience.

– Sponsor a reaction/review video.
– Fit your brand or product within the influencer’s passions or brand, like Fiji Water’s BodyWoreWhat.
– Partner with an influencer who is advocating for a cause that your product or brand can relate to.

– Make your content thought-provoking or irresistible for your audience to share their opinions on. This type of content can include the following:

– Posting a Story with a poll, question, or a multiple-choice sticker.
– Posting a “Question of the Day” post.
– Hosting an “Ask Me Anything” session.
– Hosting a “Reaction to your assumptions” session.
– Hosting a Live Stream.
– Asking your followers to share their opinions or favorite things about your brand or products in the caption.

– Keep the discussion in the comments going. Instead of just saying “Mahalo for your comment!”, reply with a question or a conversation-starter. After all, a strong social media community is all about continuous interactions with your audience.

– Engage with your audience and the people you follow. Stay active in liking, commenting, and interacting with other posts, especially with the ones your brand is tagged in.

– You can take this tip a step further by interacting with posts on the Explore tab! Browsing through the Explore tab is a great way to find new audiences to build relationships with.

– Spotlight your top followers. Repost and share your top followers to your feed. Use this to express your appreciation for their love of your brand and products. It’ll make your spotlight followers feel good and encourage the rest of your audience to want to start sharing their love for your company.

If you need help with your Hawaii advertising, marketing or social media management for 2020, send us an inquiry via our web site. You can also check out our extensive portfolio to see our most recent creative works in our portfolio – from social media campaigns to logo designs. Team Vision Marketing is one of Hawaii’s leading full-service advertising agencies and digital marketing firms, helping local brands on Oahu, Maui, The Big Island of Hawaii, Lanai, and Kauai.

 

Contact Us:

Phone: (808) 536-0416

Email: info@www.teamvision.com

Web: www.www.teamvision.com

Hear from Bruce Barrett, former VP of Sales & Marketing at Castle & Cooke Hawaii, on his experience working with Team Vision Marketing.

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August 28, 2019

Top 10 Instagram Story Sticker Tips

If you’ve landed on our Hawaii Marketing Tips blog by accident while searching for Team Vision Marketing, please visit our homepage, creative portfolio or client video testimonials to learn more about our award-winning advertising and digital marketing services.

Top 10 Instagram Story Sticker Tips

Updated August 28, 2019.

Instagram Stories are cool, popular with millennials and Gen Z, last for 24 hours, and can help you market your business more effectively on social media. New interactive Story features, called Story stickers, were recently developed to tweak Instagram’s interface to expand their 500 million daily users’ engagements. With these new Story stickers, local Hawaii businesses can use them to increase brand awareness, connect with their audiences, and enhance their feeds. Brands can also track the effectiveness of the stickers and use the data to help their business thrive.

Keep on reading to learn how to use interactive Instagram Story stickers—technically as well as strategically—in our complete guide to creating authentic, engaging Stories to attract interactions, increase engagements, and drive web traffic.

How to Access Story Stickers

Before we dive into our guide on interactive Story stickers, we will show you how to access them!

The easiest way to add Stories on Instagram is by swiping left on your main feed page. You can also create a Story by tapping on your profile picture in the top left corner on the main feed page or your profile page.

After you capture a photo, video, or boomerang, or upload content from your phone, you can swipe up or click on the sticker icon to add the interactive stickers to your social media post. Add the necessary information (like a hashtag, text, etc.) to the sticker, then tap on the sticker to change its color and look.

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Attract Local Audiences With A Location Story Sticker

The Location sticker is ideal for gaining more local exposure and targeting a wider audience for your brand. Not only will your Story be featured in a larger location based Story feed in the Explore tab, but anyone can discover your Story by doing a location tag search. For example, if you type in “Honolulu, HI” in the Explore tab, it will show you all the top and recent Instagram posts and Stories that tagged this location.

For our Stories, Team Vision Marketing uses the Location sticker to reach a wider Hawaii social media audience. If we are posting one of our amazing Hawaii drone photos from our #TVDroneSeries, we will tag the locations that match each image we post.

To use this sticker on your Stories, just tap on the Location sticker (pictured below) and type in the name of your desired location.

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TIP: We suggest adding the Location sticker to all of your Stories to make your content even more discoverable by a local audience.

Extend Your Post’s Reach With A Hashtag Story Sticker

Instagram’s exclusive Hashtag Story sticker also extends the reach of your Story post, operating similarly to a regular hashtag. However, business pages are allowed to use only one Hashtag sticker, so to gain as much exposure as possible, use a popular and wide reaching hashtag, like “#socialmedia” or “#Hawaii.”

When you use the Hashtag sticker, your Story will be automatically featured on the Explore tab and when users search for content by hashtag. Users can also subscribe to the hashtag directly from your Story just by tapping on the sticker.

To add this Story feature, tap the Hashtag sticker (pictured below) in the Story sticker menu and type in your desired hashtag.

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TIP: We suggest using the Hashtag sticker to encourage people to follow/subscribe to your brand hashtag – just be sure to make it noticeable, maybe add a GIF arrow to highlight it.

Make Sales On Stories With Product Stickers

Now available through the Shopping on Instagram integration, business accounts can tag products in their Instagram Stories, which can be placed on both images and videos. Your followers can tap on these Product stickers to see the price, description, and product name. If they tap again, the sticker will lead them directly to the product page to make the purchase. See Later.com‘s example below.

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You do need to connect your business profile to a Facebook catalog to use this Story feature. This can be created and managed on Facebook Business Manager, or through Shopify or BigCommerce.

TIP: Use the Product sticker without being too sales-y or spammy by combining it with engaging Story content that isn’t too focused on selling the product. For example, fashion brands and bloggers can post a “5 Ways to Use/Wear…,” “My Top 10 Favorites,” or a back-to-school look book Story with a couple of Product tags.

Connect People To Your Web Site With The Swipe Up Sticker

What’s the best way to seamlessly drive web traffic to your web site via Instagram Stories? By using the new Swipe Up sticker, which will direct users to a landing page. This sticker is ideal for connecting your followers to a product or shopping page, or your brand’s latest blog post. See HubSpot.com‘s example below.

You can access this Story feature by tapping on the link icon (?) on the top right corner – just add the desired URL to the button. Forewarning, this feature is only accessible to Instagram business profiles that are verified or have at least 10,000 followers.

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TIP: If you do not qualify for the Swipe Up sticker, you can always direct your audience to go to the “link in your bio.” We suggest tagging your own profile with the “@Mention” sticker and encourage people to tap it to see your featured URL link.

Create Hype With The Countdown Story Sticker

Another Instagram exclusive Story element, the Countdown sticker is awesome for 3 reasons:

1) It’s a fun way to create hype for a new product or to promote an upcoming event. For example, the opening of a new residential community or the launch of a brand new hotel!

2) Instagram will send you countdown reminders, so you can continuously post updates on the countdown.

3) Your audience can subscribe to this countdown and receive notifications on the approaching date.

Just select the Countdown sticker (pictured below) in the Story menu, give it a fun title, and add the date you’re counting down to. The sticker will create the countdown accurately—down to the seconds!

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TIP: Make your brand’s upcoming announcements even more exciting with the countdown sticker. Keep your audience at the edge of their seats with cryptic messages, a blurred photo, or maybe some emoji-themed hints to add to the mysterious countdown.

Use the Polling Story Sticker To Increase Engagements

Ask interesting polling questions both on your brand’s Instagram Stories as a strategic way to drive audience interaction and engagement. With its easy, one-click format, Polling Stories are easy to interact with and audiences find it exciting to see if their pick was part of the majority. With our clients and on our own profile, we’ve seen a lot of success and high interactions with this Story feature. See the Castle & Cooke Hawaii‘s polling Story posted on Instagram on what makes a house a dream home example below, which received 141 unique views and 29 interactions.

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TIP: Repost the polling results as bonus content! Share the desired Polling Story from the Story Archive in your profile. Heck, why not run the same poll on your Facebook and Instagram social media channels, then share and compare the results from both platforms.

Have People Rate Something With The Emoji Slider Sticker

This sticker is a fun, more flexible way for your audience rate how they feel about something without having to leave a detailed review or description. For example, we use the Emoji slider to ask our followers to rate how much they love our Hawaii Marketing Tips Blog!

The emojis are even interchangeable to add emotional context to the Story, but your options are limited.

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TIP: You can use this for a polling Story by having users stop the scrubber for the option they agree with most. See the example below from IconoSquare.com via The Knot‘s Instagram social media page.

However, when you read the results, it can get a little tricky to determine what people voted for since Instagram only reports where the scrubber stopped for each participant. We highly suggest using 2 or 3 options at the max for the poll.

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Test Your Audience With The Multiple Choice Quiz Sticker

The newly released Instagram exclusive Multiple Choice quiz sticker is great for adding more interest and driving engagement to your Stories. Test your followers’ knowledge on all things about your brand, industry, and more with the Multiple Choice sticker. Then, sit back and see how they respond.

Team Vision Marketing is using this new Story sticker on our ongoing Instagram and Facebook Story trivia campaign. The goal of these mini Multiple Choice quiz Stories is to share our knowledge and expertise in the advertising and marketing industry and to test our follower’s advertising knowledge. Using the trivia format has resulted in a major increase in per Story engagements versus previous Story posts.

TIP: To further showcase your expertise, share an in-depth explanation for the correct answer as seen in the example below.

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Connect With Your Fans Using The Fill-In-The-Blank Sticker

The Fill-in-the-Blank sticker, AKA the “Question” sticker, is unique to Instagram where brands can ask open-ended questions. The Question sticker is great for building a deeper relationship with your social media followers.

Whether you use the Story sticker to ask interesting questions or you want to  have your audience ask you questions, make sure to keep it engaging. From our experience, Team Vision Marketing has found that our clients’ and our own social media followers are more likely to participate with a Question sticker if we’re asking something worth putting in the effort of typing out a response. You should also reward your followers’ interactions by sharing their responses and replying to them. For example, on Dole Plantation’s Instagram Stories, we use the Fill-in-the-Blank sticker to ask fans what their favorite Dole Plantation activity or memory is, then repost their replies.

Please see our Fill-In-the-Blank Story example below that we posted on Dole Plantation‘s Instagram page asking, “What was the highlight of your Dole Plantation adventure?”. We also shared our audience’s responses. This Story earned a combined total of 3,381 unique views and 16 responses!

  • instagram, instagram story, instagram story tips, story tips, social media, social media tips, team vision marketing, hawaii marketing, hawaii advertising, hawaii digtal marketing, digital marketing firm, digital marketing agency, marketing tips, advertising tips, instagram tips, dole plantation
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TIP: You can also use this Story feature to crowdsource ideas or to receive helpful feedback on your products or services. By asking for your audience’s opinion about your business, you are establishing a more personal relationship and empowering your audience to contribute their input. It also shows your followers how much you care about them.

Support Non-Profits With The Donation Story Sticker

Instagram Stories are all about sharing engaging social media content that connects with your audiences. Stories give companies a great opportunity to not only market their products and services but to also share their brand personality and build a deeper relationship with followers.

Stories now enable brands to connect with their followers on a philanthropic level by posting the Donation Sticker to promote and raise funds for their favorite charities. Just tap on the sticker (see below) and type in the charity of your choosing.

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Not only do social media-based fundraisers make for great content, they can also boost your brand’s reputation by sharing your mutual passion for supporting local and national non-profits that help the community. Your fundraising efforts can be made more impactful if they’re combined with an office community-service event.

If you are involved in promoting a non-profit charity, click here to see how your organization can become eligible to receive donations through the donation sticker.

TIP: Develop a fundraiser Story campaign that explains the mission, story, and your relationship with the non-profit. Include moving testimonies and statistics to help increase donation participation. Post the established goal amount to be raised, how much your brand is donating, and mix in updates on the status of how close you are to the fundraising goal.

This concludes Team Vision Marketing’s guide to interactive Instagram Story stickers that will help you market your business more effectively on Hawaii Social Media channels.

If you found this article interesting and insightful, please subscribe to the Team Vision Marketing Tips blog to get the latest news on Hawaii social media trends, advertising agency and marketing tips.

If you need help with your social media marketing or content creation, reach out to our Hawaii team for expert assistance. Team Vision is a full-service Hawaii advertising agency and digital marketing firm with over 20 years of experience working with some of the top Hawaii top brands, including Castle and Cooke Hawaii, Honua Kai Resort and Spa, Four Seasons Resort Lana’i, Dole Plantation, and more.

Browse through more of our creative advertising, branding, social media, web design and digital marketing work in our full portfolio.

 

Contact Us:

Phone: (808) 536-0416

Email: info@www.teamvision.com

Web: www.www.teamvision.com

Hear from Bruce Barrett, VP of Sales & Marketing at Castle & Cooke Hawaii, on his experience working with Team Vision Marketing.

Recent Blog Posts
Contact Us for Help with All Your Marketing Needs

Call Us Today at (808) 536-0416.

June 12, 2019

10 Types of Content That Will Boost Engagement

If you’ve landed on our Hawaii Marketing Tips blog by accident while searching for Team Vision Marketing, please visit our homepage, creative portfolio or client video testimonials.

10 Types of Content That Will Boost Social Media Engagement

Are you noticing your likes, reach, and web site traffic from social media posts are dying down? Well, your suspicions are correct. According to SocialMediaToday.com, only 6% of your Facebook and Instagram audiences will see your posts on their feeds.

This is because social media platforms are prioritizing content that evokes deeper interactions among users. Receiving comments and shares, not just obtaining Likes, may be  the best engagement metric to gauge the success of your brand’s posts because they can indicate a wider reach.

This challenges your social media agency to craft organic posts that will incite conversation and shares. But, creating organic content that generates deeper interactions can require more effort than the standard pretty photo and catchy caption. To help inspire you and give you some direction, our team has outlined 10 types of social media content that will boost your engagement!

 

1. Take advantage of trending social media topics

Although there’s a small window of time to capitalize on trending content, these posts can attract more conversations on your feed. After all, these topics are trending because they are widely discussed online. In addition, social media platforms reward profiles posting trending topics by boosting their discoverability, which may lead to stronger engagements.

TIP: Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter automatically list the top trending topics in a “Trending” tab or section, which is usually located in the side menu.

2. Create an organic social media campaign!

Developing engaging organic social media campaigns are great for promoting brand awareness and showing off your team’s creativity. Make your campaign inspiring with motivational quotes, informational with industry tips, or humorous with memes.

Recently, we developed the #DreadedAgencyRequests (#DAR) organic hashtag campaign, a humorous collection of client requests we’ve received over our 20 years in the marketing and advertising industry. Our industry peers found our humorous #DAR series amusing and relatable, which generated a lot of new likes, comments, and followers, creating a 100% gain in Instagram followers in just 3 months.

TIP: Pair your organic campaigns with a unique hashtag. Then, encourage your audience to follow that hashtag to view more of their favorite content. By following your hashtag, content from your campaign can reach audiences who don’t normally see your brand’s posts in their feed.

3. Post More Videos

Videos are much more entertaining content for your audience to engage with than static images and graphics. With video, it’s easier to convey information or share a story in a more amusing and relatable way. Videos are also likely to earn more comments than static posts. According to SocialMediaExaminer.com, a study by Mention found that out of 115 million analyzed posts on Instagram, videos earned 46% of the total comments.

TIP: The higher the quality the video is, the more engagements it will receive. However, creating a high-quality video isn’t as easy or as cheap as one might think. There are many elements to consider and plan out before production, including storyboards, talent, lighting, sound, equipment, and much more. If you don’t have the resources or time to produce your own video, consider reposting a video created by another profile,  or create more simple videos on apps, like Ripl.

4. Repost Content

Building your brand’s community by proactively engaging with your audience is just as important as getting engagements from them. By reposting, you are interacting with your audience, sharing meaningful content on your page, and strengthening your brand’s online community. Reposts also diversify your profile with great content that your social media agency team didn’t have to create.

Reposting user-generated content is a great strategy to start with, for two reasons. First, customer reposts are considered as engaging customer testimonials. Second, it’s a great way to show your appreciation to your community of consumers for using your product or services. Most people will feel flattered that one of their favorite companies wants to feature their content on the company’s feed.

Our client, Dole Plantation’s, social media community continues to strengthen due to our Dole Plantation repost program. We found that our reposts perform strongly on our feed, earning a lot of comments, shares, and likes. It’s also a sustainable content strategy that doesn’t require our team to create new content from scratch, which saves our client time and money when used as one piece of an integrated social media program.

You can also repost content that is on-brand but not directly linked to it, like quotes, memes, stats, or anything that you think your audience will enjoy. For example, for Castle & Cooke Hawaii, one of Hawaii’s leading real estate developers, we repost homemaking and home improvement content, including delicious recipes and simple DIY crafts, to diversify their feed.

TIP: Make sure to get permission to repost other people’s content, preferably by having them sign a waiver, and properly credit the original posters. Without these extra steps, you can potentially face legal issues.

5. Post Questions & Fill-In-The-Blanks

Remember, comments are social media metric gold! The more your posts get, the more discoverable and viral your post will become. Comments can also give valuable insight into your follower’s likes and dislikes.

Naturally, a practical strategy to boost the number of comments on a post is by asking audiences to share their opinion on a hot topic. Your questions can include something about your industry, brand, or something fun, like your audience’s favorite ice cream flavor. Your brand can also take this opportunity to get to know your followers better by having them share something about themselves, like what their favorite things to do in Hawaii are.

Another option that’s more convenient for your audience to interact with, are fill-in-the-blank questions. These questions usually require a one-word or very short answer, and they are just as effective.

TIP: Make sure to ask questions that don’t require long answers from your followers. The key to increasing audience interaction and participation is to make the interactions as convenient as possible.

6. Implement a Stories Poll

Polls are an effective option to entice audience interaction and feedback with their easy, one-click format. They can be sales orientated or fun and conversational, like this poll on what’s the best way to #DoleWhip, which we posted on our client’s  Instagram Story:

Hawaii Social Media - Dole Plantation Instagram Stories

TIP: If the polling topic is interesting enough, the  results can also act as bonus content! On Instagram stories, you can easily share the results of the poll before it disappears. Keep your followers on edge by sharing updates on the current poll results.

7. Host a series of Ask Me Anything (AMA)

Popularized on Reddit, AMAs are essentially Q&As. This social media trend is a great opportunity for brands to educate and connect with their audiences. With AMAs, brands can accomplish:

– Raising brand awareness
– Showing more brand personality
– Establishing your brand or key team members as business influencers
– Help your team learn more about what your audience’s interests  are, and what questions/concerns they may have about your company, products, or industry

Whether your social media team answers questions in a live stream or by writing replies in the comments, this type of content will boost your engagements.

TIP: Instead of hosting one general AMA session, organize them into a series where each AMA session covers one topic at a time. For example, if Team Vision hosts an AMA, each session would be broken down into “How To Start Your Own Hawaii Agency”, “How To Create A Successful Marketing Campaign”, or “How to Increase Your Social Media Engagement.” By breaking up your brand’s AMAs into focused topics, your team can receive better questions and you can provide more specific answers. It also gives your audience the flexibility to tune in on the AMAs they are most interested in.

BONUS TIP: If you choose to live stream your AMA, promote it beforehand. Although Instagram and Facebook will notify your followers when you’re live streaming, promoting it can draw an even bigger crowd and build up the hype.

8. Run a Social Media Contest or Launch a Giveaway

Entering for a chance to win a free prize is irresistible for anyone, which is why social media contests and giveaways are one of the most popular posts on many business feeds. Whether the purpose is to build hype for a new product, promote your hashtag, or create user-generated content, these posts can help drive a strong increase in engagements.

TIP: Keep the rules simple and geared towards interacting with the post. For example, have participants share the post on their feed or share why they should be selected as the winner in the comments below.

9. Post Accomplishments & Company Milestones

Your social media audience is made up of more than just your customers, they are fans of your brand. Winning awards, accomplishing goals, and reaching company milestones are the type of meaningful content many of your followers will want to interact with!

TIP: Posting accomplishments is  also a great marketing opportunity to boost your company’s clout, if it’s publicized properly. To avoid coming off as arrogant, celebrate your brand’s accomplishments with the team. Post a group shot of your team (with the award) along with a message that shares how proud and thankful the company is for their talented team.

10. Take Your Social Media Followers Behind-the-Scenes

The behind-the-scenes action can be just as engaging as the end product. Audiences enjoy seeing what it takes to plan an event, set up photo shoots, or create a project from start to finish. It’s also great for building hype or extending the buzz around an event, premier, or new product release.

Of course, not everything happening behind the curtain is interesting, and just like a magician, you might not want to give everything away. To keep the audience engaged or overly informed, capture the highlights of the process. You can also keep your followers on their toes by making the caption a little vague on what is going on in the photo.

TIP: Try having your followers guess in the comments on what is going on in the scene. Our secretive behind-the-scenes Instagram post of our team filming a Castle and Cooke Hawaii social media video ad for the recently sold out Waipahu real estate community, Pu’uwai Place, is an effective example.

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There you have it, Team Vision Marketing’s Top 10 recommended organic social media content ideas that will help increase engagement on your company’s posts. Just remember that the best business social media pages have a healthy mixture of content, and it  might take some experimenting to get just the right mix.

Have you tried any of these content strategies on your brand’s social media channel? Tell us in the comments below. To get the latest news on social media trends and marketing tips, subscribe to the Team Vision Hawaii marketing blog.

If you need help with your organic social media marketing or content creation, reach out to our team for expert assistance. Team Vision is a full-service advertising agency and digital marketing firm with over 20 years of experience working with some of the top Hawaii brands, including Castle and Cooke Hawaii, Honua Kai Resort and Spa, Dole Plantation, and more.

See more of our creative work that spans beyond organic and paid social media campaigns in our comprehensive portfolio.

 

Contact Us:

Phone: (808) 536-0416

Email: info@www.teamvision.com

Web: www.www.teamvision.com

Hear from Harry A. Saunders, President of Castle & Cooke Hawaii, on his 20 years of experience working with Team Vision.

Recent Blog Posts
Contact Us for Help with All Your Social Media Marketing Needs

Call Us Today at (808) 536-0416.

March 13, 2019

2018 Social Media Trends: Were We Right On The Money?

2018 Social Media Trends: Were We Right On The Money?

In 2018, we suggested that Hawaii brands try out these four social media trends: Stories, Transparency, A.I. and Chatbots, and Videos and Live Streaming. Now it’s time to check-in to see if these trends lived up to the hype in 2018 and what their future looks like for 2019.

Need help executing high-quality marketing campaigns that utilize the latest trends to achieve your business goals? Send us an email at info@www.teamvision.com or give us a call at (808) 536-0416.

Did you land on our Hawaii Marketing Tips blog by accident while searching for Team Vision Marketing? Please visit our homepage, creative portfolio or client video testimonials.

1. Stories

2018: Stories include photo or video content that is only available for 24 hours and they are quickly growing in popularity. This type of content is versatile; the possibilities of content are endless. Brands have been using stories for branding, promoting, and advertising.

The following infographic, compiled by story-experience producer Fastory, shows the popularity growth of stories.

Read more on Rise of the Story Format.

The Verdict: 2018 was a major win for the story format.

The Stories trend continues to be victorious! EMarketer reported that 400 million people used Instagram Stories, 450 million use What’s App Stories (owned by Facebook), 300 million used Facebook Stories, and 186 million used SnapChat Stories.

In fact, its wild success got Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s CEO, to claim that stories will eventually be bigger than the News Feed. Many other prominent brands, such as Facebook, Vogue, Microsoft, and Deutsche Bank, recognize the influence and see a strong future for this new content and ad placement medium.

So, what’s next for Stories? SocialMediaToday.com reports that Instagram is currently testing a new Stories feature where users can ask their followers to donate to their favorite charities. Another new Story feature in the works, as reported by Mashable.com, will give Netflix users the ability to share what they’re watching on the Netflix app to their Instagram Stories. This means that brands could possibly have another organic way to interact with the story format beyond posting on stories or buying ads.

2. Transparency

2018: One of the greatest (and sometimes worst) things about being on social media is how quick news spreads. One tweet or post can go viral, and with this political climate, people are feeling more empowered to voice their opinions. Audiences are demanding change, transparency, and advocating for social justice (i.e. #MeToo and #MarchForOurLives).

  • 81% of consumers say social media increased accountability for businesses
  • 47% of consumers use social media for complaints
  • Only 8% of consumers say they would be silent if a brand posted something inappropriate

Statistics provided by Social Sprout.

The Verdict: Transparency is evolving and the public want brands to be more transparent.

Last year some brands and influencers are really making an effort to appease the demand for transparency and social justice movements:

  • Last year, Facebook made some major changes in the social media’s platform algorithms and security measures after sitting on the hot seat before the public and court.
  • CVS is debuting a new social campaign where consumers are encouraged to upload their own unaltered photos under #beautyunaltered to social media for the chance to have them displayed on the brand’s Times Square billboard. As part of the effort, CVS partnered with lifestyle influencers Sara and Erin Foster on a new Beauty Mark t-shirt; proceeds will support nonprofit Girls Inc.
  • An increasing amount of celebrities and social media influencers are pledging to improve the way they declare sponsored posts and endorsing goods.

Although extra transparency actions taken by Facebook and other brands are appreciated, there is still so much room for improvement. Jen Wong, COO of Reddit, says, “There’s going to be a much longer arc [in 2019] around this movement around data transparency and management.” According to a Sprout Social report, topics consumers want brands to be more transparent on business operations, marketing, policy changes, and business values.

For 2019, brands have two challenges to overcome: 1) Go deeper in their transparency and 2) Create new, engaging ways to address public issues as big as scandals to individual complaints on products and services other than press releases and replies in the comment section.

3. Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) and Chatbots

2018: To help effectively communicate with consumers, more brands are using chatbots or A.I. programs to increase positive experiences, handle customer service, complete purchases, or to provide more information about a product or service. According to CMO by Adobe, 72% of business leaders agree that A.I. can provide a fundamental business advantage. These bots can help your brand identify business issues, compile data, and target audiences with your posts better.

Read more A.I. statistics from CMO by Adobe.

The Verdict: How did we live without AI?

The growth in AI usage is undeniable. According to Hootsuite, the International Data Centre reported that worldwide spending on AI solutions will increase more than 22.1% from January 2017 – that’s $103 billion. In 2018, Salesforce’s State of Marketing reported that 52% of consumers are more inclined to change brands if a company doesn’t offer personalized communication.

The future for AI Marketing in 2019 is to incorporate it into personalized marketing strategies to form a deeper relationship with their consumers. Big names, such as Digital North America, Reddit, Unilever, and Clorox, say that data marketing, data-driven marketing, AI, and personalized marketing is the future.

Read more on Let’s Get Personal: How To Win At Personalized Marketing

4. Videos & Live Streaming

2018: Live streaming and videos are quickly becoming an important tool to communicate and market your brand. They add authenticity, keep your audience engaged, and can get your audience talking about your brand. Video also entertains and can help influence purchases.

Here are some tips for creating successful videos and live streams:

  • Catch the audience’s attention in the first 7 seconds
  • Rehearse before filming live
  • Have a concise message
  • Host a live Q & A and get your audience to post their questions on your social platforms

Check out Team Vision’s video work.

Read more video and live streaming tips.

The Verdict: The stats don’t lie! Make 2019 the year you start video marketing.

If your brand is not on the video and live streaming train, you better hop on now. Why deny your brand from using the top engaging media format, which has been a staple in digital marketing for years? If you want to stay relevant to your current audience and attract potential consumers, get your team started on producing videos, building their skills in video/live streaming, and collecting data on what engages with your audience most. Still need convincing? Here are some stats from 2018 that prove the success of videos and live streams:

 

If you’re looking for help with your Hawaii Social Media Marketing, give Team Vision Marketing a call at (808) 536-0416, or check out samples of our social media work in our extensive online marketing portfolio at www.www.teamvision.com/portfolio.

To read more about social media marketing tips, please check out and subscribe to our Hawaii Marketing Tips Blog.

Hear from Dolly Moreno, Director of Sales & Marketing, Honua Kai Resort & Spa, on her experience working with Team Vision Marketing.

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Contact Us for Help with your Social Media Marketing

Call Us Today at (808) 536-0416.

June 19, 2018

Busting Social Media Marketing Myths #1

Accidentally landed on our Hawaii Marketing Tips blog while searching for Team Vision Marketing? Please visit our homepage, creative portfolio or client video testimonials. If you’re interested in learning more about the truth behind common social media myths, please continue reading below.

Busting Social Media Myths #1

Social media marketing has been around for years now, but some businesses still believe in old misconceptions surrounding it. Thus, they miss out on having a presence on social media or go about it the wrong way. As a leader in this field, we’d like to take this opportunity to dispel some common myths around social media marketing and help steer your business in the right direction.  

Myth: Social Media only reaches Millennials and Gen Z
Rise in Social Media Use by Age Groups

Source: Pew Research Center

Adaption of Technology & Social Media by Age Groups
Total myth! Although there are more Gen X, Millenials and Gen Z on social media, older generations are adapting to using technology and becoming more proactive on social media. In fact, their usage on social media is on the rise, as you can see in the graphs above provided by Pew Research Center.

Percent of Adults that Use Social Media
By looking at the table above, provided by Pew Research Center, you can see that there is a strong social media presence in the 50-64 and 65+ age groups, especially on Facebook.

Myth: I have to be on all Social Media networks

Not true at all. Although it may sound smart to cover all your bases, you should really only use the networks that work for your brand’s needs. This is because not every platform is equal attracts the same type of audience. For example, Facebook is more community based, while Twitter is more known for its breaking news content. It is very important to first define your social media marketing objectives and then pick the right social media channels and content strategy to help you achieve them.

Myth: Any young person who is good at social media can successfully run my business accounts

Age and popularity on personal social media accounts doesn’t necessarily translate into a person having the expertise to manage a brand on business accounts.  Whoever manages your brand’s accounts has to not only “get” how to work the apps, but, among other things, be able to build and maintain a brand on them in engaging ways. Your best option is to work with a company that has a strong background in marketing, building brands, and that has managed social media accounts for some major brands in your market. They should also have access to a team of social media managers, copywriters, and graphic designers.

Myth: Social Media is Free Marketing for Businesses

This is only partially true. Setting up a profile and posting content is free, but this isn’t enough to have a successful social media presence. Most successful business on social media either have an experienced in-house social media manager, or hire a social media marketing agency to oversee their accounts, develop engaging content, field customer questions, and continuously engage in posting, liking and commenting on other social media profiles related to the business’s brand.

You will likely need to invest money and/or spend a lot of your own time building and maintaining quality social media channels. And let’s face it, time is money, so managing your own social media channels means you are pulling yourself away from your core business responsibilities. This is especially true now that the algorithms of social media feeds are favoring friends over businesses. This means that your business posts are less likely to appear on your Followers’ feeds and your organic reach is going to decrease as a result. After Facebook’s algorithm update in 2016, organic reach on posts dropped 52%. According to HootSuite, Instagram’s non-chronological algorithm update makes users miss 70% of the content in their feeds.  Social media channels are pushing harder than ever on paid reach, which means you have to buy ads or boost posts in order for them to reach a substantial audience. If you have a current Facebook page, chances are you have seen your Reach and Likes per post drop substantially over the past couple years. It’s becoming a “pay to play” game.

We also recommend hiring a creative team to design graphics that capture the true essence of your brand or promotion, like the Instagram ads below, which we created for Honua Kai Resort & Spa’s Suite Summer Escape promotion. Having an aesthetic feed is vital for attracting new followers, likes, and link clicks.

Honua Kai, Honua Kai Resort & Spa, social media, social media marketing, instagram, instagram ad, facebook ads
Maui social media marketing, maui marketing, luxury resort, Honua Kai, Team Vision Marketing, instagram ad, facebook ads

You should also consider investing in analytic tools to gain insightful information about your customer profile and to track important data.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed trying to keep up with the management of your businesses social media accounts, give Team Vision Marketing a call and let us help you out.   In the meantime, check out some of our social media programs and promotions on our web site portfolio at www.www.teamvision.com/portfolio/#social-media.

Web: www.www.teamvision.com

Phone: (808) 536-0416

Email: info@www.teamvision.com

Hear from Dolly Moreno, Director of Sales & Marketing at Honua Kai Resort & Spa Maui, on her experience working with Team Vision Marketing.

Recent Blog Posts
Contact Us for Help with Your Social Media Marketing

Call Us Today at (808) 536-0416.

Sources:

https://blog.hootsuite.com/instagram-algorithm/

https://sproutsocial.com/insights/facebook-organic-reach/

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/05/02/millennials-stand-out-for-their-technology-use-but-older-generations-also-embrace-digital-life/

http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheet/social-media/

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