What do marketers need to know and do?

Exciting times for marketers who enjoy following how digital platforms evolve... It feels like 2008, as I said in my first post on Threads... Since I'll be talking about it, amongst other trends, at a Digital marketing conference in Cambridge next week, I thought, I'd better understand it, so I can predict how important it will be compared to other social networks. So I was on the invite list and this post gives my impressions and recommendations.

Ten things you need to know about Instagram Threads

1. Threads is part of Instagram, so it's easy to set up an account from your Instagram page and import the bio and links. So brand protection is less of an issue than with o other Networks. I suggest every business does this as soon…

Two-thirds of 18 to 34-year-olds admit that the ‘Instagrammability’ of a location is the single most important factor when booking a holiday

Few industries are more tailor-made for Instagram or the snap-happy, tech-savvy consumers who make up its user base than the travel industry. Think about it: before we venture abroad or to a far-flung region of our own fair isle, we visualize the enjoyment such a place will offer. From white sand beaches to aquamarine waters, snow-blanketed ski slopes to the bright lights of a modern metropolis, we see in our mind’s eye what is to come. An image that jives with our own perception, or plants a fresh seed, inspires thoughts about the experiences we will have and the memories we will make. According to a recent survey by Expedia, two-thirds of 18 to 34-year-old’s admit that the ‘Instagrammability’ of a location – that is to say,…

An Instagram post's success is due to more than just the image you use, you need to consider a range of other factors to get your posts performing well

As a social media manager or digital marketing specialist, you want to be able to create the best Instagram post possible in order to entice your audience to buy from you and choose your brand over the competition. You need to look at all the elements and Instagram features that an audience responds best to. That’s exactly what a new study about Instagram content engagement set up to do. During this extensive study, over 7.4 million posts on Instagram were stripped apart and analyzed element by element, with the sole goal being to find the recipe for creating successful and engaging posts on this platform. [si_guide_block id="90264" title=“Access our Quick Win – How to optimize Instagram marketing" description="This Quick Win will…

Using hashtags in a post caption or in the first comment can dramatically increase the performance of your Instagram marketing.

As far as social media channels are concerned, Instagram is a major player in the industry. Businesses that want to gain access to enthusiastic followers who love visual content should definitely learn how to successfully use hashtags to improve their performance on this platform. According to a recent study, using hashtags in a post caption or in the first comment can dramatically increase the performance of your Instagram marketing. [si_guide_block id="90264" title="Access our Quick Win – How to optimize Instagram marketing" description="This Quick Win will teach you a range of skills including post-planning tips, advice for creating powerful images, the best use of hashtags, and how to best caption your posts."/] The key is to always keep in mind your profile size while you find the right number of hashtags…

IGTV is taking off, allowing marketers to engage new audiences with video content. But what are the mistakes you should avoid?

Video marketing is perhaps the best type of online marketing currently available to brands, influencers, and other active internet users. What could be more effective than video marketing though? Maybe video marketing combined with social media, which is what Instagram's IGTV feature is. Here are the five most common IGTV marketing mistakes that both brands and influencers make and how you can avoid them.

The future of IGTV

First, let's talk about the future of IGTV. Why is it so important? For starters, IGTV is the reason Instagram is now a major competitor to both Snapchat and YouTube. In fact, it has already beat Snapchat at its own game, but YouTube is still the most popular video platform. IGTV doesn't have a …

Facebook vs. Instagram: The better platform for your business

Beginner marketers consider launching a social media campaign. Experienced marketers launch a social media campaign on Facebook. Smart marketers study all social media platforms and launch successful integrated social media campaigns on the platforms that are best for their business. Let’s be honest, social media marketing is a versatile, cost-effective and powerful tool to use for marketers and small business owners alike. It helps to reach the target audience, boosts sales, increases brand recognition, enhances conversion rates, boosts traffic to your website and even, improves search engine rankings. No wonder, then, that more and more businesses decide to include social media in their marketing strategies. In fact, according to Statista, investments in social media advertising are forecast to grow from 32 billion dollars in 2017 to approx. 48 billion dollars in…

One of the latest additions to the video content propagator mix is Instagram’s Facebook-backed IGTV

Have you heard Sara Bareille’s ‘Live in Atlanta’ version of Yellow Brick Road? You only really get the full audio-visual performance experience by watching YouTube Music or YouTube (as far as I am aware). As with what has grown into an army of vlogger influencers, artists, organizations and brands alike are putting the majority of their content on video channels. The biggest question is who, in terms of video content, will end up owning the greatest proportion of Mindspace – Google or Facebook or Snapchat…? One of the latest additions to the video content propagator mix is Instagram’s Facebook-backed IGTV. Brands including Nike, Netflix, Warby Parker, Trader Joe’s, Everlane and Gucci are testing the new channel with content ranging from witty one-offs to interviews with influencers. IGTV, is Instagram’s response to YouTube. Arriving some five years after the launch of Instagram…

Five ways to improve the earned media potential of your Instagram content

With over 800 million active monthly users worldwide (over 20 million of which are from the UK) engaging with over 4.2 billion posts every day, Instagram is a social media phenomenon. It is one of the fastest growing and influential platforms of all time, with some estimating that ad revenue could hit $10 billion by 2019. The power of imagery, pictures and video to tell stories and communicate has grown exponentially over the last decade and Instagram (along with Pinterest and parent company Facebook) has a profound impact on popular culture. [si_guide_block id="82119" title="Download FREE Resource – 10 common social media marketing mistakes guide" description="Our actionable guide to avoiding common social media marketing mistakes to help you avoid the pitfalls that limit engagement with your target audience."/] For the last few years, there has been much talk and…

If you’re an ecommerce entrepreneur or marketer and want to get more sales from Instagram, you’re in the right place

In this post, we’re going to learn how to turn your Instagram traffic into sales on your ecommerce store. You’ll learn the different types of Instagram sales funnels you can consider and when to use them. And I will show you, practically, how to set them up using different tools. It’s important to consider what happens to a new follower on Instagram once they find your brand because otherwise, you can’t measure the ROI or success of your marketing efforts. The best way to do this is to create sales funnels, measurable and optimizable steps followers are instructed to take once they follow your Instagram account. That…

20 Instagram statistics every marketer should know about for 2018

Here are the latest Instagram stats from 2017. Use these stats to inform your 2018 social media strategy and see how marketers are looking to expand their brands reach with Instagram.

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1. 70% of Instagram posts don’t get seen (Sprout social, 2017)

Before the Instagram algorithm update posts were ordered by featuring the newest posts at the top of your feed. Instead, the change brings about an algorithm-driven feed, which is now ordered by what you are most interested in. Brands, in particular, became concerned that their content might no longer be seen. Consequently, your posts will now be ordered by how popular…