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So long are the days of salad pictures and overly filtered selfies. Many people actually put a lot of thought into their Instagram captions and know they’re serving up a story for their audience. Good news is, you don’t have to be the best copywriter in the world to get this aspect of your IG post down pat. When it comes to copywriting for Instagram, there are a few things to consider to capture your audience in a saturated market (which by the way is what every single industry is facing). Strong copy allows you the opportunity to capture your brand voice, as well as the attention of your current audience and future customers.

Write for your audience, but stay on brand.

Firstly, you need to know who your audience is. Is your content geared more towards millennials or the corporate crowd? Once you have nailed down who your copy is for, this allows for a more clear direction of who to write to. If your account is geared towards a younger crowd you may want to include pop culture references or slang from the latest TikTok trend ie. cheugy anyone? While if your audience is more mature, you might want to keep your copy simple and straight to the point. Whichever direction your brand goes, make sure it applies to your brand though. Copywriting or even creating Instagram posts become difficult when your brand doesn’t resonate with your own voice.

Make your copy bite-sized.

If you have a longer caption we recommend breaking it up within the Instagram caption itself. Start with a one-liner of what your post is about allowing the opportunity to capture the attention of your audience and go from there. Make the first line controversial, ask a question, or state a fact – how will you keep your audience’s attention?

Offer a call to action and invite your audience to engage.

This is also another great way to start or end your post. Use terminology like “comment if you agree” “we want to hear from you” “double tap if you love this as much as we do” or “save this post for later”. This is an invitation to how you want your audience to engage with your post.

Add value.

The best way to write for your consumer is to think like your consumer. What is their pain point and what do you help solve? Or share a success story and build trust with your audience. While you may think a review isn’t “adding value” directly, it does when it comes to strengthening your relationships with your community. 

Copywriting for your brand is forever evolving! There is no harm in testing out your copy on your social posts and seeing what works best for your audience.

We want to know, what works best when writing for your brand and/or company? Need help with scheduling posts or copywriting for your brand? Fill out our Work With Us application!

If Instagram Reels aren’t on your brand’s radar, it’s time to rethink your social media strategy! 

Instagram Reels might not sound like a foreign concept to a lot of people – many have compared Reels to the infamous video-sharing app, TikTok. Either way, both of those should play a crucial role in your brands’ marketing strategy. 

In today’s world, Instagram’s consumers’ expectations are constantly evolving, and many proactive users have already embraced the Reels feature. Digital trends are constantly changing and it’s hard to keep up. It’s often the brands and creators that get in early that reap the rewards. Keeping up with these new trends is crucial to maintaining your brand’s success and relevancy, especially if your target audience includes millennials and Gen Z!

The tricky thing about Reels, is even if you don’t want to start creating and posting them due to the lack of understanding, which we’ve all gone through, it will hurt your brand’s social presence and reach, considering Instagram’s algorithm are favouring accounts that are regularly posting and engaging with Reels!

Not only are Reels a great way to grow your following and increase the amount of new loyal customers, but it’s also a fantastic way to educate your audience about your brand, highlight your products and services, and showcasing your business’s personality! Behind-the-scenes content, for example, always does extremely well in terms of engagement.

Here are a few tips to help you get started on perfecting Instagram Reels:

Research is key!

Even though it’s a new feature, people have already started to publish videos, racking in millions of views. Spend some time watching Reels that’s popular amongst your target audience, and grab inspiration from that. Find out what works well and what doesn’t!

Practice makes perfect

Well done and thought out Reels can easily land you a spot on the explore page. Good Reels show your brand’s professionalism! It takes a while to get the hang of making Reels, so practice a couple times and save some drafts before publishing!

Show, not sell

Reels aren’t meant to be used to hard sell your products. It’s important to catch the attention of your consumers and make it interesting for them. For example, instead of advertising a product or service, use it as a way to show off “How To” use your products. Show off ways to wear something if you own a clothing brand, or your favourite recipe if you own a food company. Showing off quick ideas like these are such an amazing way to increase that connection with your audience!

Repurpose content

TSP is a HUGE supporter of repurposing content! If a piece of content does well, use it again! Posts that garnered significant traction with your audience are there for a reason. You could even take a successful photo or blogpost that did well, take that information and turn it into a great Reel!

The options are endless when it comes to Reels. As a brand, you need to differentiate yourself from your competitors. Showing the behind-the-scenes, brand personality, how-to’s and ideas, before and afters, sneak peeks, jumping on trends and product tips and tricks are such amazing ways to stand out in the Instagram space.

It takes work, time, and effort, but the results are worth it. No matter how big or small your brand is, you never know when your Reel could go viral – that’s the beauty of it! Looking for more marketing tips? Head to our Instagram or our other blogs!

The holidays are upon us, like you pretty much have had to have finished your shopping yesterday! We’ll be the first to admit that thinking of intentional, creative, and thoughtful gift ideas for every person in your life can be a chore. Not to worry about those ‘office’ or entrepreneur friends in your life though, we’ve got you covered. Here are six holiday gift ideas that your entrepreneur friends and fellow co-workers will love. 

1.    Create & Cultivate 2020 Planner 

You know you’re a true business owner when you get excited over a pretty planner. We’re currently loving this planner from Create & Cultivate. Not only is it an Instagram worthy desk piece, it also is an extremely helpful tool for setting goals and staying organized- all things we promise your entrepreneur friends will love. 

2.    Portable Charger 

Any other business owner absolutely panic when their phone dies mid work day? We know we aren’t alone in this, after all, these days it seems like business can’t operate without a smartphone. Help spare your fellow business friend the dead cell phone stress and give them the gift that keeps on giving all year long, a portable cell phone charger. 

3.    Essential Oils and Diffuser 

If you’re not on the essential oil trend yet, well you should be, and so should your entrepreneur friends. Diffusing essential oils in the office can help you calm your stress, enhance production, and increase focus. One of our favorite diffusers is this one from Saje Wellness. We also love their Brainstorm and Tranquil essential oils for diffusing in the workplace.  

4.    Yoga Class Pass or Massage Gift Card 

Every entrepreneur knows that stress comes with the job description and there’s no better stress release than yoga or a relaxing massage. Give your friend the gift of a class pass to a local yoga studio, or a massage gift card. These activities will force them to put the phone down, detach from work, and relax for a minute. 

5.  A Book on Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Mindset

Some of the best gifts you can give come in the form of books. It sparks ideas, helps us grow and tells stories! A few of our favorites are:

1. Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk
2. You Are a Badass at Making Money: Master the Mindset of Wealth by Jen Sincero
3. Start With Why by Simon Sinek
4. Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller
5. The Lean Startup by Eric Reis

6. Beekeeper’s Naturals

There are so many times entrepreneurs get overwhelmed, might overwork themselves and burn out, have brain fog, and need ways to optimize their performance. After all, so many wear different hats! Beekeeper’s Naturals are superfood solutions, straight from the hive! The benefits of their products are outstanding and also founded by a female who has an incredible story as well! Their B.LXR Brain Fuel and B. Powered Superfood Honey is our founder’s favorites!

The busiest shopping days are coming soon – Black Friday weekend/week/month! The holiday season offers businesses opportunities of all sorts! You will want to make sure you grab your audience’s attention amongst the noise and make a profit while you do so. This means it’s the perfect time to ramp up your social media marketing strategies to ensure you have a successful campaign-filled weekend! 

Fun fact: Instagram and Facebook are some of the most powerful social channels marketers can use during the holiday season. We have a feeling that we can throw TikTok into that mix as well this year! When used correctly, they can help your business grow in sales tremendously, during a short period of time.

In order to increase online traffic, and to attract your customers with the exciting deals and offers you get on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, take a look at our top marketing ideas you should be using for your business this year!

Have all your content planned out and set your budget!

With apps like Planoly, Plannthat, UNUM, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be posting your best content during the best times! This is especially important around this time of year. It’s best to get the content and copy sorted early on. This way, you have time to focus on the present campaigns going on, your online orders, communicating with your audience, etc. The earlier you start strategizing, budgeting, creating, and content collecting, the more success you’ll have. Success, especially on Instagram and Facebook, always favors those who plan. Figure out what your goals are for the holidays and go from there. Advertising gets expensive during the season, so optimize your ads and make sure they are set up correctly.

Conduct Market Research.

Market research is one major key to success, always, & the holiday season is no exception. Take a look at your competitors Instagram feeds, search up holiday campaigns on Google, & look at what they chose to do previously. Was it successful? Did it seem to engage with their demographic well? Ask yourself questions to help use their holiday campaign almost as a case study into what works, or what doesn’t work for seasonal content in a social scape. Have a look at competitors, it will help make sure you are coming up with ideas that are fresh, exciting, & have never been done before.

Create pre-sale curiosity and get your audience engaged.

If your brand is posting some Black Friday teaser days, this will leave a mark in your audiences’ mind! Getting people excited to purchase from you is super important! On social media, successful campaigns always encourage followers to be interactive and are fun! An example of this is the “Elf Yourself” by Office Depot (don’t tell us you haven’t done this before?). The campaign wasn’t necessarily to drive direct sales, but to bring brand awareness.

Social media is known for being engaging & truth be told, most holiday campaigns that don’t involve some sort of follower engagement, will probably just be ignored. If you create a holiday campaign that is just focused on promoting your services, or products, with no benefits or value to your followers, we can promise you won’t have optimal success. Or, a lot of brands are now using the power of messaging to fuel brand loyalty and as always, know-like-trust is the name of the game. Make sure messaging is something your business is on top of and make yourself available to your customers.

Stay on top of your email marketing list!

List building is a great Black Friday marketing strategy to generate hype around your brand. It involves capturing the email addresses of potential customers and informing them about upcoming Black Friday deals. This is also something that belongs to you, unlike social media platforms. So, while we don’t foresee another great big shutdown of IG and FB, incase it does happen, your business will have your email list in your back pocket to continue generating awareness and sales.

Utilizing your best marketing strategies during this time is so important if you want to have successful campaigns. Black Friday and Cyber Monday marks the busiest shopping season of the year. Preparing a solid digital marketing strategy is crucial to successfully attract attention and boost your sales! Looking for a little extra help with your holiday campaigns? Send us a DM on Instagram or fill out our Work With Us form!

Raise your hand if you’ve ever been victimized by Regina George and/or buying something online that either a celebrity, influencer, blogger, or even friend has raved about?

You are not alone, friend, you are not alone. Social media gets the best of us. A couple of hours later scrolling on social media, we are about 5 online orders in.

Are you using influencer marketing for your brand? We see influencer marketing strategies implemented within many businesses, especially product based ones. Influencer marketing can not only help amplify brand awareness, but it is also a great way to build trust between your brand and new customers. Your new audience is essentially being ‘referred’ to your brand through someone they follow online. And, what’s still the number one way to market your business? You got it, referral marketing.

Recently, there has been an uptick with brands working with micro-influencers and have seen a great ROI (return on investment). Micro-influencers typically have very high engagement, brands are encouraged to work with micro-influencers now more than ever. ExpertVoice shared that micro-influencers are 22.2X more likely to bring in a conversion. They also suggested that 82% of customers said they would rather get referrals from micro-influencers,

First, what is a micro-influencer?

“A micro-influencer is someone who has between 1,000 to 10,000 followers. They focus on a specific niche or area and they are generally regarded as an industry expert or topic specialist.”

Sure influencers with large followings look like they can kill any collaboration or product they push, but the industry is changing. Don’t get us wrong, the right influencer collaboration can be amazing for you and your business, but a large following doesn’t necessarily mean it is a guaranteed success.

Micro-influencers have a smaller follower count, but establish themselves as experts in their niche through community and trust with their audience. Small influencers also have strong relationships with their followers, through authentic and meaningful conversations. These relationships feel like a friend that you have the same interests, rather than a salesperson. Overall, there can be a more engaged community, which leads metrics like engagement and website clicks to be overall stronger than their larger competitors.

A few ways to collaborate with micro-influencers for content include photos, videos, or even blog posts! Remember, make sure that collaborations are mutually beneficial. While everyone understands that your products cost money, remember that the influencer’s time and effort is money too. Creating content is no easy task! So, while some brands work with micro-influencers through exchange or products, the cost of working with  micro-influencers at most times is much more cost effective for brands, especially brands who are just starting out.

We want to know, do you prefer content from big influencers or micro-influencers? DM us on Instagram to share your answers with us!

Looking for more marketing tips? Head to our blog page to read the rest of our blogs!

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!

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!

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!