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How do social media managers make content plans so look so easy? By giving categories a fun twist. Cue content buckets! Content buckets allow a brand to distinguish multiple overarching topics that align with the brand’s message while producing a never-ending amount of content ideas to fill the buckets. 

Some ideas for content buckets are entertainment, relatable, education, promotion, customer-generated, and information about product/service. The group of content buckets can differ from brand to brand, but why do you even need these? 

Have A Strategy. 

Content buckets are one of the first steps to the most important part of social media… a strategy! In order to determine what you are going to speak on and about on your various social media pages, you need to first pick out these buckets to set up your business for a strategy for success. These different topics should all be connected to your brand’s story.

Reach New Audiences. 

If you have your buckets established and want to begin catering to a new audience, it’s an easy addition! Simply add a bucket that would speak to this demographic and begin brainstorming ideas that would fill into this topic. Example: Younger audience – research current trends and influencers.

Speak to Individuals. 

When your target audience is over a wider range, it might be difficult to speak directly to individuals among your followers. By having specific topics in place, you can rotate through your different buckets based on who you are toning in to speak to through your content!

Continued Creativity. 

These buckets give your business a foundation for an overflowing amount of ideas! By broadening the buckets, you can personalize all of your ideas for your brand’s audience and voice. 

If you are having trouble figuring out which Content Buckets are best for your brand or need to develop a social media strategy, reach out to us or check out our other blog posts!

The age old question of agency vs in-house. We may be biased, but keep reading. Now that the pandemic has been slowing its roll quite a bit…what are jobs looking like? Most employers desperately want employees back in their office or in-house. However, workers have come to favor the flexibility that remote work brings. 

As far as hiring new employees, the same stands true. But why should you even consider hiring a remote agency when you can have them at arm’s length 24/7? The answers may surprise you, keep this article close by when making your next hire: 

Fresh Eyes & Perspectives.

In-house team members will be working on your brand in a routine manner every single day. However, as an agency, members are working on numerous projects and businesses that keep their creativity flowing which prevents getting in a rut. As an outsider, everything from your voice, products, and services will be looked at critically and from a different perspective and having a specialized agency in your industry can bring a collaborative sense of growth to your marketing efforts.

Saves You Money.

There is a misconception surrounding agencies and their pricing. The truth? Hiring an agency can keep your costs lower! You can only hire what you are looking for to fulfill your marketing needs and scale up or down. An in-house employee requires training, software costs, salary, benefits, and more. 

Skill Range.

Hiring an agency ensures a wider set of skills and even specialization, whereas an in-house member is expected to be stretched across these capabilities. It’s a jack of all trades, master of none situation. An agency has an established team that can dive in quickly and play to their strengths!

Access To New Tech.

Agencies are constantly bettering their team with the top industry practices and utilizing new tools to enhance processes. I can speak for our agency, every morning we brief ourselves on new practices as this space changes constantly. Having us in your back pocket tools will give you a competitive edge against your competitors and other businesses in your niche. 

Next Level Experience.

Years of experience with multiple brands and businesses come with hiring an agency (they’re up our sleeve as well). When it comes time to discuss your business in particular, they will whip out their client wins and previous work to bring to the table. An in-house member might have experience with a couple of brands, but an agency will be expansive due to its upper hand with a team. 

Ultimately, you know your brand and biz, to determine whether an agency is a right fit for you, schedule a discovery call or chat with us on Instagram here! See you there! 

Years of staying inside due to a pandemic calls for one thing… GOING OUT! As more and more people begin to branch out again, they are looking for unique experiences and we know you have those. Save yourself the worry later and plan now with these 5 content ideas that are sure to draw the crowds to your restaurant! 

Share Your Story. 

Dig deep and let the history of your restaurant unfold on social media. Everyone loves a good story – especially if there is a generational recipe, special name belief, or a classic “look how far we’ve come”. Let your audience be a part of the legacy and don’t forget to include those customer + staff testimonials!

Celebrate Holidays.

There are TONS of special holidays to choose from online. Pick out the ones that would make sense to apply to your business and host an offer to create buzz and celebrate together. If this sounds like too much – we’ve done the work for you. Find our month-by-month holiday calendar here!

Influencer Events.

Invite your local foodies and individuals with an established following to your restaurant. You can get more eyes on your page and in your doors while leaving with many pieces of content. As the word starts to get around, feature any user-generated content on your page from the event and others!

Business Highlights.

Lifting others up doesn’t bring you down! Share local causes and businesses to your page to share your support. The next time you have a special offer or donation, they will be more inclined to share your story too. 

FAQ. 

With any great establishment comes a great load of questions. Observe and gather your most frequently asked questions and stagger assigned posts throughout your feed to give your best answer! This way you are clearing up the air and can also direct your customers to your various platforms. 

You have your special sauce, don’t hold it back! It may just be the one thing that brings in your next customer. If you are having trouble creating your plan on your own, reach out to us and we would be happy to help you or head to our blog that explains how social media can help your establishment!

The secret that sets you apart from all of the other wineries and restaurants in your industry? Your unique experience! It’s true that customers come for your wine, food, gorgeous views, or location. But, they also ultimately come for the magic they feel on their visit. The experience as a WHOLE. And it can all start on social.

Social media crushes the “mystery” on how to give a piece of that experience right from their phone and gets them into your doors. When curating your plan on how to utilize social platforms for your business, keep these points close by…

Story Telling.

First, let’s take a look at the most important part of social media – telling stories. The biggest result in telling stories on various social media platforms is the connection it generates with your audience. They can form a bond with your individual brand, staff, and processes. Video is the leading form of consumption since it is great at capturing the audience’s attention while viewing in “real-time”.

Brand Awareness.

Traffic to your page goes hand in hand with shareable content, distinctive experiences, and an individualized perception. By speaking directly to a group of ideal clients, your brand gains attention through a specific community. Social media has been able to increase brand awareness for businesses, especially restaurants and wineries, more in recent years. 

Influencer Connections.

Influencers who have established followings and loyal communities lie all within various social media platforms. This makes it easier to connect with these individuals and form connections where both parties benefit from each other’s audiences. Fresh eyes have the opportunity to flock to your offers through product reviews, events, and other deals with influencers.

Engagement.

Being able to utilize social platforms involves direct engagement with your audience. This also includes taking the time to outreach to other ideal clients on the app and create your own conversations. Social media is the perfect opportunity to showcase stellar customer service and give your audience a taste of what will be offered at your establishment. Your brand’s strong reputation will be built through your community and other potential customers will be able to view how your brand responds as well. How does your customer service hold up on social media?

Social Media Strategy.

Lastly, nothing is complete without an effective strategy. Brands can post as much or as little as they want on social platforms and will be left without results simply because there is no strategy to the marketing in place. Set aside time to determine how many posts a week you will share and have a plan to stay consistent. This is essential. Often, social media managers are the glue that holds restaurants’ and wineries marketing efforts together and supports the brand by lifting this vital piece. 

If your restaurant or winery has been looking for ways to increase its brand awareness and form a strong reputation by connecting with its customers, the only choice is a strong social media presence. Need a place to start? Book a call with us here or head to our blog to find articles to help your business thrive online!

With the spring and summer months ahead of us, your winery is screaming to be flaunted on Instagram! We both know that your vineyards and tasting rooms are full of beauty, don’t hide them and their attractive capabilities. It’s time to sit down and plan out your content, this isn’t just for the fun of it – the investment will present itself in your business!

Since Instagram is one of the first places your potential clients will flee to plan their vacations and determine the wineries they want to visit, your brand should reflect what you have to offer. Immerse the eyes of your likely consumers by giving them the experience they will encounter in your winery right from your Instagram page. Dive into these ideas to get started!

User-Generated Content.

Your customers made it easy! They will show off what they already love on their pages and with a quick DM, you can re-post it on your feed. There you have social proof and tons of content all lined up for you on the behalf of the public. Travelers will be more inclined to visit wineries that they see others enjoying.

Show Off Your Team.

Allow the audience to learn about your team to show who is putting in the magic behind their future experience. A level of trust develops when your audience doesn’t see staff as a random bunch but knows them more intimately. Ideas for your team to give are tips, mini-lessons, updates, and fun facts!

POV Experience.

Pop yourself into the shoes of your ideal clients and walk them through a day at your winery or a tour. This ensures that they will receive a picture of how they will spend their visit and recognize their feelings before they are there. Everyone wants to see things from their point of view, show it to them!

Behind The Scenes. 

Share pieces of your world! Whether this is in your cellars, production facilities, back-ways through the vineyards, or backrooms of your tasting tours, your audience will want to feel as if they are in on a sneak peek. Building trust is a result of reeling back the curtain, and they will want more!

History of the Winery

History buff or not, everyone loves stories. It’s what good social media content does, so tell yours online. Your audience is ever changing and if they can connect to a piece online, they’ll be more inclined to share it with their audience and also remember it for their trip out!

Don’t be afraid to switch your content up, it will seriously set you apart from the rest! You know the worth of what you have, dip your potential customers into an experience unique to your winery and tell the story of your winery. Know you need to pour into your social media content more but unsure where to start or need a hand? Fill out this form or send us a DM and we’ll be happy to help!

I’ll admit, the Instagram sticker page can be pretty intimidating if you are unsure how to use them, especially if you don’t know why. Instagram stories are all about creating connections and building up your trust with your community. By sharing snippets of your day and addressing them face-to-camera style, you are setting up a valuable platform.

Although, they are missing one thing…a way for your audience to engage! Yes, you can send a message from a story, but stickers offer an entertaining and exciting way for your followers to interact with you. The only thing left is how? Follow these guidelines to successfully use Instagram stickers in your stories!

Draw Attention. 

Instagram offers countless graphic stickers and plenty of GIFs to choose from. These fun additions allow you to grab your audience’s attention and spruce up a plain story! Since GIFs are moving pictures, they are the best way to direct your viewers to your CTA. Grab one of the trending GIFs and stickers or use the search bar to get specific!

Grow Your Know, Like, and Trust.

We are all about building connections and what better way than to include your audience in your stories?!? Host a Q&A with the question sticker to address anything your community wishes to know and ask for their opinions for other aspects of your business. Allowing your audience to learn more about you can be done in a fun way with the Quiz sticker! This sticker will also generate questions for you if you want an easier way to connect. 

Involve Your Audience. 

The poll and slider stickers are the quickest ways to build engagement while involving your audience in your decision-making or day-to-day activities! The poll lets your followers choose between two options for a question you ask, this can be from which profile picture they like more to which notebook you should pick up at the store. Sliders are also a simple way to ask for input, you can also change the emoji to get even more creative! 

Link the Deets.

One of Instagram’s newest sticker addition is the link option. Instead of needing 10K followers for a swipe-up feature, anyone can link a website and share directly to their story. This makes it easier to direct the audience smoothly to a landing page, website, form, and other important pages. No more confusion with where to find anything you offer!

Add Your Spin.

I bet you’ve seen a few, or hundreds, of the new ‘Add Yours’ sticker all over your story feed. This new concept is a great way to reach new audiences since it acts as a chain. You can make up your own “instance” or add on to someone else’s you have seen! Once you add your own picture and post it to your story, anyone can click on the sticker and view who else has also previously added to this chain. You become discoverable by simply adding your own flair to the series!

We can’t wait to see how clever you get with your stories, don’t be scared to share with us! Have any questions on other sticker features? Reach out to us on Instagram!

Entertaining…Relatable…Original…who is she?? Instagram Reels! The hottest feature you could be using for your ‘gram right now is Reels. There’s no doubt that you’ve seen an increase in video content while scrolling through your feed. And if you have clicked on that movie reel icon on the menu bar or from your profile, there’s no stopping the daze. 

From fun audio and music, eye-catching transitions, and entertaining clips, it might be embarrassing to say, but the hype is real!! The question now is ‘why’? We’ll walk you through the top reasons that Reels are being utilized and how they can help you and your brand!    

Grow Relationships Through Teaching. 

Firstly, using the 15-second time frame to educate your audience is a great way to start building trust. Most people are willing to learn something new. The audience online will value the information you are sharing in a new and entertaining way. As you guide them through a process or spill any news, you will be growing strong relationships with your community and inviting a new one as well!

Build Engagement. 

Remember those fun audios and transitions we were talking about? This is their time to shine! Using unique transitions paired with trending sounds keeps your audience’s attention and gives you time to direct them with your CTA’s. The fun energy increases their likelihood to engage with your content and brings them to your page to look for more. 

Reach New Audiences.

Instagram has confirmed that they are pushing Reels and video content out harder than any other piece of content on their app. This is because they are attempting to transfer their reputation from solely being a photo-sharing platform. What a perfect time to jump on video since new eyes will be guaranteed to land on you and what you have to offer!

Show Off Your Personality. 

Consumers don’t jump on just any product, service, or offer…they do business with who they know, like, and trust! Sharing your personality with your community increases this factor and there’s no better way than to show off with the latest trend. It might be nerve-racking at first but your audience is dying to know you! 

Do you love the Reels craze hitting your feed? Looking for help using them for your business? We want to know! DM us on Instagram and let’s chat or head to our blog post on easy Reel ideas you can use in your business today!

There’s not one person we know that hasn’t heard about the Instagram Reels craze. From all the talk about Instagram growing away from being known just as a photo-sharing app to how Reels are essential to your own Instagram growth, you can’t escape this new reality! 

We know how overwhelming this can be, especially if you don’t think you’re meant to be a movie star, but you’ve found the right place. We have a quick guide of 5 reels you can do right now to help you become silver screen ready!

After all, if you can’t beat them, join them – and all their video glory!!

Timelapses.

These fast-paced videos let you showcase events that would normally be seen as a slow process. You can use an app or record these videos right from your phone camera. Give a unique overview of an aspect of your day-to-day while leaving your audience satisfied! 

Unpopular Opinion.

Do you have those opinions that no one else seems to agree with in your industry? This is your time to let them loose and ruffle some feathers! Use this as a chance to teach something new and different. Make your audience see things in a new light while starting up a different type of conversation. 

Before & After.

Take your audience behind the scenes to show what goes into the “before” of your final masterpiece. Add a fun transition and showcase the transformation for your “after”. Your audience will feel a part of the process and get a better understanding of what goes into what you do. Afterall, who doesn’t love a glowup?! 

Misconception.

If you’re tired of constant assumptions about your industry and what you do, we are right there with you. This calls for nothing more than some iconic myth busting! You will leave your audience with new and valuable information that they had wrong before. Squash those misconceptions once and for all to reveal your truth.

How To.

Turn your viewers into diy lovers by teaching them something you do so well through your reel. Share a piece of your magic by walking them through an easy part of the action. Don’t forget to have them tag you in their posts when they try it for themselves!

Getting in front of the camera for a reel, or any video content, can be nerve-racking at first, but once you get into your groove, showcasing your personality becomes exciting! 

Remember that Reels don’t have to be a complete production, but we can’t wait to watch your debut! Join us over on Instagram – we’ll be sharing 3 trending Reel audios every Monday morning! Or, if you are looking for done for you content services, click here, fill out our form and we cannot wait to learn more about your business!

Beautiful branding, matching colors and overall aesthetically pleasing…you know the Instagram profiles and type of content we are talking about. The ones that capture your attention right away for the way they flow across your phone screen.

What if we told you, it can be done with a little help from our friends?! Below are our tips to help you plan out your content in advance and have your feed on point to your brand while hitting all of your marketing goals.

Scheduling Apps.

Planoly, Later, Plann, we’ve used all of these and they are great! These apps allow you to plan, schedule and execute your social strategy for one or multiple accounts. You can also analyze your data to see what content works and what doesn’t. They all offer easy-to-use web and mobile apps that allow for seamless planning across the board.

Canva.

Okay, graphic designers don’t come for us, we know it’s not the same as Adobe. As two gals who are classically trained in graphic design, Canva is our friend. Canva is fantastic if you are looking at creating a brand identity with your page. Whether it’s through colors, fonts and/or graphics, Canva allows for cohesive branding graphics especially when it comes to Instagram posts and stories.

Content Pillars.

Are your socials all over the place? Grab a pen and a piece of paper and write down 3-5 things you want to cover on your page. Whatever it is, having this outlined will not only help keep your content organized and will help you avoid spur-of-the-moment posts.

Actually Plan.

What’s that quote…if you fail to plan, you plan to fail? It applies to social media content, too. We recommend planning out your content AT LEAST one week in advance. If you can two to four weeks in advance is ideal. Life happens and before you know it, it’s been one month since you’ve posted. Trust us, we’ve been there!

It can take some time to get used to planning everything out, but once you start, we know that you will be thinking that there is no other better way to do this!

If you plan out your social feeds, we want to know what are your favorite tips/apps? Let us know in the comments or DM us on Instagram!

Let’s talk about Instagram giveaways! Hand up if your friends have tagged in a giveaway (or maybe 10) before. You’re not alone. For many brands, giveaways are a great way to create brand awareness and tap into new audiences while growing theirs.

While giving away free products can seem like a no-brainer to gain a bunch of new followers, we recommend that you plan a giveaway like you would any other launch. When done correctly and intentionally, it can be great for your account engagement and introduction to new followers.

Pick a great prize!

You want to strategically plan out what you will be giving away. If you are a product based business, make sure the product you giveaway ties into an upcoming or current campaign. For service based businesses – make sure the service you giveaway is aligned with the rest of what you offer. You want to pick something that your ideal clients/consumer would want, therefore get excited to win. Typically giveaways include the business’ best-selling products and/or new, featured products. You can always run a giveaway alone or partner with a like-minded business for additional exposure. If you are a skincare brand this could be your top-selling product or partnering with a loungewear company for the ultimate self-care package.

What’s your goal?

Do you want to increase engagement, get more website clicks or overall boost in sales? Ensure that you have a specific goal in mind before you enter your giveaway, to ensure that you aren’t losing on important data and the opportunity to capture new lead information.

Make it easy!

We have all seen those giveaways where you need to follow multiple accounts and tag 100 friends. Keep it simple! Some of our favorite ways to enter a giveaway are to tag a friend, share to win or comment to enter. Tagging a friend is a great option as it allows you to access a large, like-minded audience. Additionally, we also like asking a question in the caption and asking those entering to answer in the comments.

Don’t post and ghost!

Continue to launch and promote your giveaway throughout the giveaway period. We recommend sharing your giveaway to your stories or even offering bonus entries for those who share in their Instagram stories. If your business is on multiple social platforms we also recommend cross-posting on all platforms, especially on TikTok.

P.S. Be familiar with Instagram’s giveaway rules and Don’t forget to mention this at the end of your post:

“Per Instagram rules, this promotion is in no way sponsored, administered, or associated with Instagram, Inc. By entering, entrants confirm that they are 13+ years of age, release Instagram of responsibility, and agree to Instagram’s terms of use.”

If you have run a giveaway before, what has worked best for your business giveaway, let us know!