Instagram 101: 5 Quick Ways To Grow Your Following
From 0 to 100k, real quick.
When it comes to social media for brands and influencers, it's fair to say its all a numbers game. But let's face it: if you don't have a proper plan in place to grow your Instagram, you can't expect your profile to have 1000+ followers from one day to another, and it definitely isn't a matter of posting on Instagram just to post something. By having a strategic plan in place and following these quick 5 tips to boost your engagement, you can expect a steady growth in your following and a much more engaged audience!
1. Engage and comment!
Engaging and commenting is a given when it comes to growing your social media numbers. This is how you keep the followers you have, and also attract new ones by putting yourself on their radar. The purpose of social media is to stay connected, so make your followers and audience feel like you're accessible rather than just posting a photo and waiting for the likes to come through.
2. Unfollow the fluff
Sometimes, who we follow is a strategic part of how you maintain your account, so always be sure to follow people or brands that are in line with what your brand represents. Unfollow profiles that are irrelevant to what your brand is about, inactive profiles, or even brands that are your competition. If you're following your 4th grade classmate that you haven't talked to in 20+ years and the last time they posted was in 2016, might just need to hit that unfollow button.
3. Participate in popular hashtags
Thanks to the Instagram search page, you can immediately see what's trending on Instagram. If you see something trending that's relevant to your brand, go crazy and ENGAGE ENGAGE ENGAGE. Not only that, but use the hashtags with your own content and end your captions with 3-5 hashtags that are most important to what your content is about. However, make sure to keep your hashtags to a minimum. There more you add can seem a bit spammy, and if you have to add more, make sure to add it in a second comment aside from the caption in order to avoid distracting your followers with 30+ hashtags that will probably make them unfollow you.
4. Put your photography skills into practice with the use of props, great angles, and good lighting!
Think of your Instagram as a perfect opportunity to do some styling in order to get the perfect shot. For the perfect Insta, use the best lighting, the right angles, the right props, and make sure that the shot is cohesive to what the rest of your Instagram looks like. The more thought out and aesthetically pleasing your Instagram is, the more more you can expect new followers coming in on the daily. To build the perfect feed, check out some of our tips here!
5. Plan ahead with a content calendar!
So you haven't posted in two days, and now you're left thinking "oh man, what should I post today?" Avoid the drama of figuring out what you're going to post and plan out your content ahead of time! Spend a day collecting photos to post throughout the week, and use tools like Planogr.am to schedule your posts ahead of time and also to style how you want your feed to look ahead of time! That way you can focus more of your week on other important things that constantly wondering what you're going to post next!
What tactics have helped you grow your platforms? Let us know below!
Priscilla Castro is Create & Cultivate's Director of Social Media and Community in Los Angeles. She also does social media client work at (No Subject), and was previously Editorial Director at BeautyCon. Follow her @kodeofkondukt.
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Influencer Pricing Guide: How Much To Charge For Brand Partnerships
Know your worth.
“How much do I charge?” is arguably the most asked question in influencer marketing, and for good reason—the world of influencer content is still relatively new. But if you have set rates and a plan in place, you’ll eliminate a lot of the stress of partnerships and brand outreach.
When it comes to pricing for brand collaborations, there’s no perfect equation. As much as we wish there was a go-to price that works for content across the board, there just isn’t. That said, there are a few best practices you can follow to eliminate the confusion quite a bit.
The Industry Standard Equation:
For social posts: $0.01 x number of followers*
*if “like” engagement is over 2.5%, charge $0.02 or more per follower.
For blog posts: $0.10 x monthly site sessions
Before giving a final fee, run through the requirements for the partnership. Consider an add-on fee if...
You have to include more than 10 images in your blog post
You're giving the brand image rights
You're posting an Instagram Story that drives to your blog post
You’re required to share your blog post on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest
You have a manager with an overhead fee
You're working with a brand that requires certain verbiage
You have to travel
You have to buy props
You have to outsource any work (e.g., a photographer or makeup artist)
The project requires a lot of pre- or post-production
The brand requests more than one round of approval, extra images, additional links, or an unusual timeline
Consider the value of each of those asks. When finalizing pricing, think about how much time each task will cost you. Don’t be afraid to charge more if you see yourself putting a lot of extra time into the project!
When should I start charging?
The short answer? Now! If you’re able to offer a brand value, then you deserve to be paid. And the numbers above aren’t hard and fast rules: If you only have 5k followers but your work fits into a certain special niche, you don’t have to stick to the industry standard. If you believe your work is valued at a higher cost, charge what it’s worth.
Too many people think you have to wait until 30k or 50k followers to start charging for partnerships, but when you offer value to a brand, you should be getting paid. Think of it this way: Professional photographers charge thousands of dollars for social imagery, and many of them only have a few thousand followers on Instagram.
How do I have “the money talk?”
Talking about fees is uncomfortable—we get it. But if you have a strong media kit that shows analytics from your social platforms and website, it’ll do the talking for you. Data is the best way to prove a point.
If you’re partnering with a brand you really love and want to build a relationship with, consider being flexible the first time you work with them. Name your price, but don’t be afraid to offer a slightly discounted rate for more posts if you want to build a rapport and make it an ongoing partnership.
Do I need a manager?
Is it time to hire representation? That depends on several factors. Answer the following questions if you’re considering hiring out:
Do you spend the majority of your day answering emails?
Have you hit a wall when it comes to partnerships and outreach?
Do you feel like you just don’t have the right connections?
Do you hate handling contracts?
Do you feel like you know your branding well enough to relay that information to a manager to pitch to brands?
Do you have the financial stability to give up a portion of your commission to a manager?
If the answer to most of these questions is yes, then a manager might be worth considering. They’ll find potential collaborations, handle client back-and-forth, and have those difficult money conversations for you. But that doesn’t mean you’re entirely off the hook: Successful brand partnerships start with showing the value you can bring to a brand, so you still have to come to the table with strong branding, high audience engagement, or unique blog content as selling points.
How do I sell myself?
Consider your brand guidelines, website design, SEO, email and overall content planning. If you're constantly winging it, it’s going to be difficult to set goals for content and partnerships. At Flocke hq, we work on influencer growth through brand and marketing strategy. The best way to feel confident in your content is to have data that shows growth and a larger strategy that outlines your long term goals.
At the end of the day, your personal brand is yours. You call the shots and get to pick how you handle brand partnerships. Remember: Your pricing comes down to the worth of your work and the time you're putting into everything you do. Ultimately, you're the voice of your brand, and no industry standard is perfectly crafted to you.
As you take on this year, we recommend that you create a 30-, 60-, and 90-day content plan and a growth strategy that ensures brand partnerships are always within reach. If you need a little guidance or want to learn more about what performs best, head over to Flocke hq and find out what we can do for your brand!
Tyler Grove and Rachel Broas are co-founders of Flocke hq, a digital marketing consultancy geared solely to help influencers build and scale their personal brands. As influencers themselves (@rachellaurenlucy and @tytygrove), they know the hard work that goes into creating a successful empire off of your own personal brand.
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5 Entrepreneurs & Execs Share How Technology Has Changed Their Careers
“Your setbacks are a setup for a really great comeback.”
From social media to emails, podcasts to presentations—technology affects every facet of our lives at work. And it’s changing every day.
We wanted to know how some of our favorite technology leaders and entrepreneurs are using technology to build brands and products, as well as how the women behind that technology made it happen, so we teamed up with our friends at Dell last week to host the #DellExperience Power Players pop-up chat at CES. We loved listening to Alicia Quarles chat with Rachel Tipograph, Kimberly Bryant, Rakia Reynolds, Gerri Tunnell, and Stephanie Hallford about how their careers have evolved—and how they’re shaking up the industry themselves. Below, a few of our favorite tips from the pros:
Their best piece of business advice…
“Invest in your voice. Your ability to be a powerful orator will get you much further than any other skill.”
- Rachel Tipograph, founder & CEO of MikMak
“Step into the unknown. As women I think we’re always trying to think 10 steps ahead and always know what’s next, but where the real growth and opportunity lies is in the unknown.”
- Kimberly Bryant, founder & CEO of Black Girls Code
“Understand that things take time. We see so much glory through social media, but more people have to tell the story behind the glory. If you understand that things that time, you compete with yourself less and less.“
- Rakia Reynolds, founder & CEO of Skai Blue Media
“Vote with your heels. If you’re at a job you don’t feel is working, walk in and be vocal, or go find a job that will reward you for being you. Too often, people stay in a place where their skills are not fully realized, and you have to know the time to either walk in and ask for change or walk out.”
- Gerri Tunnell, SVP of Marketing, Dell
“It’s OK to say no.”
- Stephanie Hallford, VP & GM, Business Client Platforms at Intel
On starting a new venture…
“The part that I love about my job is the part after you’ve learned a bit but you don’t know everything, and you have just enough time to think about things in a really different way from everyone else.”
- Gerri Tunnell
“Your setbacks are a setup for a really great comeback—and everybody loves a comeback. Look at it as an opportunity to innovate and build something new.”
- Rakia Reynolds
On inclusion in the industry...
“We need to look at what it means to be a black woman, or a gender-nonconforming person, or a disabled person in technology. Where that intersectional line happens is where we see the biggest gap. We can’t solve that unless with have a broader discussion around what inclusion and diversity looks like across the spectrum.”
- Kimberly Bryant
“We all have unconscious biases, and it’s so important to understand what those are so you can come from a place of understanding and action.”
- Gerri Tunnell
“Great leaders make other leaders. I’ve had people pour into me, and I’ve gotta pour support back into others.”
- Rakia Reynolds
Dell’s new XPS 13 is thin and light with an innovative top mounted HD webcam and has up to 21 hours of battery life. The XPS 13 is a beautiful and powerful product that helps powerful women get the job done.
On the future of tech...
“I want to see a young woman that has risen through the ranks of the tech industry and is the CEO of an emerging field. I want them to be able to break the barriers so much so that there won’t be a need for a Black Girls Code in the future.”
- Kimberly Bryant
“Young women are so socially-conscious about what they do and the mark they leave on the world. In the future, these women will be in places of power and will use technology for good.”
- Kimberly Bryant
CES 2019 was a hit and we were so happy to see so many of our Create & Cultivators there. This was our first time at the event and we’re so grateful to have had the opportunity to partner with Dell, who has been a real champion of women in the tech space. Same time next year? Sounds like a great plan to us!
This post is sponsored by Dell.
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Free Download: The Ultimate Social Media Checklist for Your Brand
Time to apply some Spring cleaning to your social media.
When was the last time you did a social media review and made sure that your social media was in tip top shape? Spring is here, and just like it’s time to clean up and organize your home and office spaces, you should also do the same with your social media. If you can’t remember the last time you did it, or perhaps haven’t done it at all, your time is now.
When it comes to executing a seamless social media marketing strategy, you have to make sure you have all your ducks in a row and have covered all your bases. From checking to see if you know who has access to your accounts, to making sure that you have set your goals in a KPI sheet, we’ve got you covered in our free social media review checklist.
Get started on your social media review and download the checklist below now.
Why You Shouldn't Aim For Online Virality
No use in being old news by next week.
If we were to ask you what was viral two years ago, or even a year ago, would you remember? Unlike the first viral videos almost 10 years ago like Charlie Bit My Finger or David After Dentist, you probably don’t remember much between then and now.
Today there are tons of blogs that will tell you that virality is the gateway to your brand's success and getting it off the ground, but everything that goes up must come down. In a nutshell, here's why you should not focus on making virality a strategy for your brand.
Viral Content Is Here For a Good Time, Not A Long Time
Should brands look to achieve the same level of virality as a popular cat video? Prob not. Those cat videos aren’t trying to sell, convert, or gain customer loyalty. Brands should be thinking big picture and the lifespan of a viral video. Gen Z is said to have an 8-second attention span, which means it’s onward and onward.
Unless you have an efficient word-of-mouth organic strategy or a built-in strategy that is going to live beyond the virality, it’s not worth investing in production and energy in what will either fail to go viral or make you the flavor of the week.
Viral content becomes popular at the speed of light, is the talk of the town for one week, and then fizzles out of conversations. The investment made in content that aims for virality is also not promising. There have only been a handful of brand campaigns that went viral. Moreover, there's a good chance your campaign will not catch fire. So just a rule of thumb: if virality is your first goal when launching a campaign, you should head back to the drawing board.
"If virality is your first goal when launching a campaign, you should head back to the drawing board."
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The Internet Can Smell When You’re Trying Too Hard
Think again about the last viral video that sticks out in your memory. It probably wasn’t a branded video. Most likely it came from someone online who made content without actually intending to become viral.
When brands try to emulate that, the internet can be very unforgiving when pointing out a try-hard brand. Especially when a brand does not understand what viral trend they decide to engage in, things can definitely turn south. (Prime examples here and here.)
Don’t Have An Expiration Date: Be Relevant Always & Consistent
Now why exactly do you want to be viral? Popularity is one thing, but how long is that going to last and is it really going to convert into sales for you?
Focus on more evergreen efforts that ensure your work and campaign outlast a trend. You don’t want to create content that easily dips into internet obscurity.
"Authenticity and consistency are keys to a thriving brand. Don’t bet on temporary success."
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Ensure that your content is always stellar and relevant, and never tries too hard to be something it’s not. Authenticity and consistency are keys to a thriving brand. Don’t bet on temporary success.
School of Side Hustle Lesson 3: Don't Just Build a Website. Build a Business.
The tools you need to turn your side-hustle into a full-time operation.
Hustle.
It’s a word that gets tossed around a lot. It’s part of what our Create & Cultivate x Weebly School of Side Hustle is about. And we see you. Working on your passion projects. Juggling a corporate career and your jewelry line.
Or if you’re Kelsey Kelley, founder of KKelly Designs, you’re juggling a 9-5 and your calligraphy biz. “I started KKelly Designs 3 years ago this month,” she shares. “My husband is very supportive of my side hustle and is my #1 encourager when things get hard. I also have a full time day job. I work in a mortgage office 9-5 every week day.”
As someone who has always loved, “drawing, painting, and doodling,” Kelsey says KKelly Designs happened out of a combination of two things: “my talent in art, and being too broke to afford gifts for people.” The struggle is real.
“I started addressing friend's wedding envelopes and painting their houses or pets as wedding/birthday gifts. We really didn't have ‘gifting’ in our budget when we got married,” she says of her time as a newlywed. “We were trying to pay off our student loans as fast as possible. Thankfully the additional income from KKelly Designs allowed us to pay off our loans this March - 6 years ahead of schedule!”
Which is nothing short of amazing. And that brings us to a critical turning point in our Create & Cultivate x Weebly School of Side Hustle series. You shouldn’t simply build a website, you should build a business.
Here’s why and how:
Watch: Lesson 3 Don't Just Build a Website. Build a Business
For Kelsey, KKelly Designs is built upon passion, sure, but she’s constantly learning ways to build her biz and make it better. “The hustle and the determination will set you apart,” she says. “I also believe investing in yourself and in your skill-set is huge. Whether it be by reading a book about your craft, attending a workshop/seminar or just investing time to watch YouTube tutorials! Keep pushing yourself to grow in your craft.”
Beyond growing your craft there’s also some starter business know-how that will help you expand into profitability, and perhaps, take the side-hustle and turn it into a full-time operation.
1. WRITE A BUSINESS PLAN
This is vital first step if you want the business to become something more than a side-hustle. Weebly has some amazing resources for you to checkout on how to write a business plan. Familiarize yourself with the basics below and then head to their blog where they explore the concept in more depth.
The first section is about articulating your business concept. This is where you explore your industry, your business structure, your product or service, and your plan for bringing in revenue.
The second section is about understanding your marketplace. This is where you describe potential customers and their buying habits. This section will describe and explore your marketing plan versus the competition.
The last section is about detailing your finances, where you outline your cash flow and income statements, financial projections, and investor details.
2. MONTHLY FINANCE REPORT
You can’t spend money and pretend it’s not happening. This is not your bank account during college years where your overdrawing your account was a monthly occurrence. That’s no way to run a profitable business.
Don’t let a month go by where you don’t examine your monthly spending. From there you can decide what sacrifices you have to make in variable expenses to meet your goal.
Maybe you’re spending too much on shipping. Perhaps you aren’t selling as much as you initially projected. Weebly can help with this. By using the tools already built into a Weebly sites functionality you can save money.
For example, Weebly can help you rescue a sale with an automatic abandoned cart email. Did you know that more than 69% of online carts are abandoned by shoppers? Use Weebly's abandoned cart emails to send an automated message to customers who drop out of checkout after a certain period of time. Weebly can also help you understand why users aren’t purchasing. Weebly Performance Plans allow you to track lost carts to better understand why shoppers aren't making purchases. Knowing this info just might help you close the sale, which, will ultimately shift those monthly finance reports into the green.
3. P&L SHEET 101
There are no guarantees-- that’s the name of business game since you’ve been tracking your monthly finances, you know this and you have an idea of your financial standing. However, you need to be able to track it all. What you’re spending money on. Where you’re not recouping your costs. From there you can adjust your spending for the following accordingly, and ideally, continue to turn a profit.
A Profit and Loss (P & L) statement measures a company's sales and expenses during a specified period of time, traditionally over the course of a fiscal year. The function of a P & L statement is to total all sources of revenue and subtract all expenses related to the revenue. It shows a company's financial progress during the time period being examined.
Kelsey, is confident in her choice with Weebly. “Weebly has been and still is so great for my business. It's affordable, convenient and super easy to navigate from a business owner's perspective and from the customers perspective. Someone once told me that if your website can pass the ‘mom test’ then you've got a good website.”
i.e. if mom or grandma can understand how to check out with no further instruction, it’s a winner. “Weebly,” Kelsey says, “passed the ‘mom test.’”
If your website can pass the ‘mom test’ then you've got a good website.
And if you’re thinking about the basics of time-value-money, Weebly allowed Kelsey to focus more on her art and “less time creating invoices and going back and forth with the customer about basic information about their orders.” This matters because your time as entrepreneurs is valuable. “I finally had one place where all of my information was gathered and where people could place their orders,” says Kelsey.
And she is committed. “A common trend between many successful side hustlers turned full-time business owners was their refusal to quit,” says the hustler. They don’t give up. “That has stuck with me through the times when it is hard and I feel like I am at a wall.” She relies on her ability to “just keep going forward and get back up when you get knocked down.”
Keep going forward and get back up when you get knocked down.
Kelsey is at the point where she could focus full time on KKelly Designs. “But,” she says, “I don’t want to be overconfident and go belly up. My end goal is to build a business that allows me to confidently work from home by the time we are ready for a family.”
That’s right. As this Lesson states, you need to build a business-- not just a website. “Nights are hard sometimes,” she says of her tendency to burn the midnight oil for KKelly Designs, “but, they are so rewarding because I can see my end goal in the distance.”
Have more questions, drop us a line below and we’ll get them answered!
Be sure to look back at Lesson One: Building a Brand Online, Lesson Two: From Concept to Commerce, and be sure to check in for Lesson 4: From Market, to Marketing!
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The 4 Ways To Use Snapchat For Your Brand
We promise that teenagers aren't the ONLY ones who use it.
Snapchat has been reserved for the millennial audience, and for a long time, it has made many businesses who's demo falls out of the 18-24-year-old range very skeptical about approaching one of the most popular social media channels known to man.
However, instead of shying away from Snapchat because you don't know where to start, or because you don't have a large following on there, you should be proactive in creating out-of-the-box content that not only will get your brand more followers but also get those followers to engage with you more.
If you don't know where to start or are looking to step up your Snapchat game, below are the three ways you can start using the platform to your advantage.
BEHIND THE SCENES ACCESS
If you create content for your blog or website, and your followers wait to see everything when you put your posts live, chances are they are interested in seeing what a day in the life is when you're creating content, especially if you are an influencer. Snapchat is made to give your audience a more candid and personable view of you and your brand, so when creating content, feel free to bring them along with you when at photo shoots, fun meetings, or events. Make sure to cross promote on your socials to let your followers know that they can have a behind-the-scenes view on your Snapchat as well. Not only will you see that your following will grow, but becoming much more personable brand will also grow followers' brand loyalty towards you.
GIVE FOLLOWERS ACCESS TO EXCLUSIVE DEALS
Now that you have your followers on Instagram, reward them! If you are selling product or tickets for a special event, drop special discounts that can last as long as the Snapchat is live (24 hours). These can be exclusive to only your Snapchat followers, so always make sure to cross-promote from your other channels and drive them to follow you for access to those deals.
DROP SURPRISE GEOFILTERS
Snapchat now encourages you to create on-demand geofilters for any occasion, be it a birthday party, a concert, or any other special event. However, as a brand, you don't have to be limited to event geofilters. If you know the top cities and areas that you are most popular (be it a workplace, college campus, or shopping centers, etc.), feel free to drop geofilters that your audience can use as an option. They already use tons of filters to make their own content more dynamic, so why not give them a filter that is much more dedicated to them that they can use?
CREATE INTERACTIVE GEOFILTERS
Another element that you can add to surprise filters is making them interactive. Make sure to design your filters in a way that can engage people to use them, by adding a fill-in-the-blank element to it, or also creating graphics in the filter that the audience can interact with when creating a Snapchat.
Another great way to generate more engagement from your interactive geofilters is by holding scavenger hunts that will encourage your followers to travel to destinations close just to find those filters. They can win a prize by using the filter and screenshotting it to ensure that traveled to the location to win a prize. Not only is it fun, but it's a great way to tie in an IRL element to a digital activation.
How have you used Snapchat for your brand? Do you like these ideas, or do you think that your brand will start moving towards the popular app? If you like these or have any other ideas, please let us know below!
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Gridwork: 10 Instagrammers Keeping Us On Top of Our Visual Game
Some visual inspiration for your Labor Day weekend.
With Instagram constantly evolving, you have to make sure you step up your game with the visuals to keep up with the rest of the amazing feeds.
However, there are those times where you get in a creative block and you need a creative boost to find that one photo that will fit your feed perfectly. If you need a little boost to get your creative juices flowing, you’re in luck. Lucky for you, we keep our eye on some of the most amazing Instagrammers that are killing it on their own visual game.
Check out the 10 Instagrammers that are killing it at their own Instagram feeds that will for sure give you visual inspiration for your own feed.
@jamdownflava
Who are your favorite Instagrammers to follow for inspiration? Let us know below!
Why You Need To Tap Into User-Generated Content Now
There's tons of content at your disposal that you've yet to use.
Every brand has their own social media strategy. If you’ve nailed yours by now, then awesome - you’ve crafted your secret sauce to your digital success.
However, every now and then, you have to try moving outside of your box and add a few more ingredients that not only will make your social strategy better but will open the doors to tons of more content that you can work with without you even having to create any of it.
If you have yet to tap into integrating user-generated content into your social strategy, then it’s time that you do. There are many reasons why brands can be a little hesitant to share content that isn’t produced in-house, but as long as it aligns with your brand, aesthetic, and messaging, you’re in the clear. Here are the three reasons why you need to get on user-generated content STAT.
Trusted More Than OG Content
User-generated content is authentic - plain and simple. When your audience sees people that are just like them and they can relate to sharing content than a staged post directly from the brand, they will instantly feel that they can trust your brand more. While original content is always great, it’s never a bad idea to sprinkle in user-generated content to ensure that your audience can be shown as an integral part of your content.
Don’t believe us? In a study done by Crowdtap, millennials trust user-generated content 50% more than any other media and is 35% more memorable. The numbers show it’s time to switch up your strategy.
User generated content is trusted 50% than any other media and is 35% more memorable.
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Minimal Effort, Maximum Reward
When we say minimal effort, we say that loosely because, in order to make sure that your audience engages with you and creates content for you to share, you have to put just as much effort to engage with them so they can reciprocate the love.
A great way to get started is to regram content from people who follow you that are posting photos that are on brand, and encourage other followers to share their photos with a specific hashtag for a chance to be featured from there on. Once you build traction, you will see more and more people will tag you and use your hashtag, and you will have more user-generated content to work with (none of which required any production from your end to create.) Also, you start building an online community this way, so double whammy.
Encourage your community to share their photos with a hashtag for a chance to be regrammed.
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An easy way to keep track of those who use your hashtag on Instagram and regram it without a watermark is using PLANOLY, which will allow you to see how the image will look on your feed even before you post it live.
When developing PLANOLY, founder and Create & Cultivate Dallas alumni Brandy Pham kept the importance of user-generated content in its interface. “Since the launch of PLANOLY’s Discover feature, it’s been so much easier for our users to discover user-generated content from their audience and customers and working regrams into their grids effortlessly. They’ve been utilizing it on the go on our app and also on the web dashboard."
Builds Brand Loyalty
Sharing user-generated content shows your followers that you’re paying attention to them and have created a two-way connection in what is often seen as a one-way connection with a lot of other brands online. The minute that you can turn your brand into a personality and actually connect and engage with your audience, their loyalty towards your brand will grow exponentially.
Have you used user-generated content, and how have you integrated it into your social media strategy? If you haven’t started, are you planning on doing it now? Let us know in the comments below.
Instagram Just Released Snapchat-Like Feature, But Here’s Why You’ll Use It
Carbon copy cat? Maybe. But it's in the prime position to work.
Gather 'round, it's story time kids.
This morning Instagram introduced Instagram Stories, a new feature that lets you share all the moments of your day, not just the ones you want to keep on your profile. As you share multiple photos and videos, they appear together in a slideshow format: your story.
In a blog post the app announced, "With Instagram Stories, you don’t have to worry about over-posting. Instead, you can share as much as you want throughout the day — with as much creativity as you want. You can bring your story to life in new ways with text and drawing tools. The photos and videos will disappear after 24 hours and won’t appear on your profile grid or in feed."
Instagram has long been the "curated" social media. It's where users, brands, and influencers give the public a highlight reel of their life. No more. TechCrunch scored an interview with IG CEO Kevin Systrom who admitted to publication, “They deserve all the credit,” while insisting, “This isn’t about who invented something. This is about a format, and how you take it to a network and put your own spin on it.”
Stories is the spot where you can upload all of the stuff that isn't great for your grid-- because from a brand and gaining follower perspective we've heard over and over again how important it is to "get your grid right."
With Stories you can doodle, draw, and like Snapchat, they'll disappear after 24-hours.
At the top of your feed there will be a bar featuring stories from your best friends and favorite accounts. When the user adds something new to their story the profile will have a colorful ring around it. To see said story you tap the profile photo.
The feature follows the privacy settings on your account. You can also hide Stories from followers you don't want checking in.
According to the post, "Instagram has always been a place to share the moments you want to remember. Now you can share your highlights and everything in between, too."
It also solves the "too many apps, NO MORE!" crisis that many people have expressed anxiety over. Instagram Stories is the first useful attempt to consolidate the overwhelm of social. Clone or not, people will use it simply out of convenience. Snapchat showed that people wanted more than a highlight reel-- IG followed the crowd.
"Instagram Stories is the first useful attempt to consolidate the overwhelm of social."
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It will also prove useful for brands hiring influencers for campaigns to engage followers in BTS footage or event photos. Bloggers and influencers wont have to switch back-and-forth between apps and they'll be able to share moments on their IG without overcrowding the feed.
However, unlike regular posts there are no likes or public comments, so for the time being it might be difficult to measure engagement. But that's not going to stop the social platform's 500 million users from jumping on board.
Instagram Stories will be rolling out globally over the next few weeks on iOS and Android. Your move Evan Spiegel.
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Google Finally Introduced These 11 New Much-Needed Emojis
Giving us something to smile about.
Illustration by Chloe White
Since the dawn of the emoji, we've seen a fairly restrictive approach gender stereotypes. More often than not, we see more male emojis that tend to describe general everyday actions and certain jobs, while female emojis are restricted to reactions, princesses, brides, and even that spicy salsa lady dressed in red (because, truth, sometimes you need to send someone a cha, cha, chaaaa, but sometimes you want to show someone you're cha, cha, ching the boss).
It’s 2016 - and women are holding down jobs in STEM, the C-Suite, and HRC is running for POTUS. So our digital emoji world was running a little behind up until last week.
Thanks to Google, women are now represented not only as pretty princess emojis. Earlier this year, Google proposed to Unicode to introduce 11 new emoticons that represented women in diverse work fields to promote gender equality. This week for World Emoji Day, Google announced that they’re coming to life as part of 300 new Google emojis that are being introduced with Unicode.
Sometimes you need to send someone a cha, cha, cha, but sometimes you want to show someone you're cha, cha, ching, the boss.
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“While there’s a huge range of emoji, there aren’t a lot that highlight the diversity of women’s careers, or empower young girls,” wrote Nicole Bleuel, Marketing Lead & Diversity Champion, Emoji, in a recent blog post.
The 11 new emoticons include: doctor, policewoman, cook, coders, a female David Bowie-esque rockstar, farmer, mechanic, construction worker, and many more. The only two emojis that did not make the cut: tech line worker and a nurse.
“We proposed a set of new emoji to the Unicode Technical Committee that represent a wider range of professions for women (as well as men), and reflect the pivotal roles that women play in the world.,” said Google in their announcement on their blog. The new emojis will “make emoji more representative of the millions of people who use them.”
However, of course you can’t have progress, even in the emoji world, without a few haters.
“Why don't we get emoji's to represent humans/ mankind? Why women in particular? Then men also need some emojis like father, son etc.,” said one Twitter user in response to the announcement.
“I can't believe you let feminists get to you. Where is our Demi-queer Bi-gender disco pony day????,” said another user.
However, the fact that a conglomerate like Google was the first to campaign for more emoji representation of women in diverse work fields speaks volumes to the movement that continues to create equality for women in the workplace in the past century. (Even though there is a whole group of boys who see Anna and Elsa from Frozen as the new superheroes. More on that here.)
If Google, a powerful Silicon Valley-based tech company that is notorious for it’s lack of gender and racial diversity, is calling out for more representation within the world of tech itself, it's a step we can throw some love at. (Include all happy emojis here.) And it's a move that will hopefully influence the rest of Silicon Valley to recognize women for tech jobs.
We commend you Google, and we thank you. Because finally, we can show via text that we’re businesswomen, and we don’t have to substitute with a male emoji. Heart. Smiley. Thumbs up.
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What Does Augmented Reality Mean for the Future of Business?
Future's made of virtual Pokémon insanity.
“There is a Pokémon in our office right now. Right by my desk. He’s pretty aggressive and I can’t catch him.” So says Create & Cultivate Director of Social, Priscilla Castro, who is attempting to explain the phenomenon that is Pokémon Go. I have virtually-- augmented or otherwise-- no idea what she’s talking about. She’s spinning the ball and throwing it “as a curve ball” so it’s easier. I have more questions than answers at this point.
I grew up in the generation of Beanie Babies and Pogs (neither of which I collected) and missed the Pokémon boat entirely, so this Augmented Reality game that has taken the world by storm and has taken over Twitter in terms of active daily users, is new to me. The best current estimated number of Poképeeps? 9.5 million active players. There are hazard signs on highways telling drivers not to Pokémon and drive. There are people rushing about, catching these little dudes, and forming new bonds and making new friends.
There is a Poke stop about half a block from our office at Momed Cafe in Atwater. “The way it works is so smart,” explains Priscilla. “Even though this stop is right next door, I still have to walk outside and down the street to collect it. It’s forcing people out of their homes and more so, out of their comfort zones.”
This sentiment is being echoed by the 9+million users players. I've overheard some LA-based residents say it’s making LA feel like a small town. Others applaud the game’s ability to forge community and get the generation of people who don’t leave their houses, to pound the pavement in search of the Pokémon.
“It’s easy for someone to say, I’m going to drive around and catch Pokémon,” says Priscilla, “but there are tricks built into game. If you catch an egg, for example, you have to walk to hatch said egg.” Makes sense?
But beyond the Pokémon phenomenon, what does Augmented Reality mean for the future of business? Will it really help foster community, or will the “choose your own adventure” aspect only further isolate people?
"Beyond the Pokémon phenomenon, what does Augmented Reality mean for the future of business?"
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Here are some ways AR is going to change the future.
BEYOND GAMING, BEYOND POKEMON
If you want to get your business in the game, you need to think of AR outside of the realm of video games. Augmented Reality is already being used by many professionals who see the benefits of the technology. Construction and design is one such field that jump on the trend of the future.
Architect Yan Krmsky of Yazdani Studio uses VR/AR to showcase design work to clients. Last year he built out the structural frame for a dorm project, but the “finished” product was viewed and experienced by the client through the Oculus.
(To note: the Oculus Rift is considered Virtual Reality technology where the user interacts with a virtual experience-- nothing is of the “real” world, but rather everything the wearer sees and and experiences is virtual. AR is slightly different in that the user is interacting with an “augmented” version of reality. In the case of Pokémon GO, the character appears in your world via screen. You’re not entering a different world.)
Design is no longer experienced as a 3D model but as a fully realized structure. This approach benefits business in multiple ways. It saves on product development and prototyping. “AR allows you to market a product without a fully tactile prototype,” he says. “It’s really an amazing marketing tool.”
Heather Lipner of Drawsta sees business moving in a similar direction. “AR provides a digital layer of visual content. For fashion bloggers I can imagine them wearing and sharing the content - for example if it’s on the tee like Drawsta.”
“For beauty” she says, “I can imagine video bloggers and makeup artists working with AR makeup apps like Loreal’s Makeup Genius to create looks to try on and let the audience quickly wear and share. Once we have AR glasses there won’t be as strong of a need to wear the tactile look - it will faster and more fun to change, explore and wear digital looks.”
In the future, will be all be naked?
A FEW BRANDS THAT HAVE ALREADY MADE THE JUMP
This is not brand new tech. In 2013 Ikea launched an app within iOS where shoppers could place IKEA furniture in their home with the help of AR.
Volvo created an AR experience where consumers could “test drive” their new S60 model. Volvo said the results were “outstanding,” with a 9.6% interaction rate, 192,319 clicks on the masthead ad and a traffic increase of 293% to volvocars.com.
Clothing giant ASOS has also used AR to bring its magazine to life. With the use of Blippar, a leading AR app, ASOS used click-to-buy icons that allows readers to purchase outfits right off the page. With this tech head-to-toe dressing and purchasing is made that much easier, as is capturing and banking on the curse of instant gratification.
In 2015 when Rihanna released her eight album, ANTI, she did so in conjunction with a virtual reality experience that brought you into the room seen in the trailer for her video. Samsung called the project "the beginning of an unforgettable exclusive journey through Rihanna's life story" that took "fans inside the mind of an iconic artist while blurring the lines between the digital and physical world."
Using AR as a marketing technique not only captures the consumer in a new way but it also gives the consumer more control, answering some of the questions marks in the online buying process before committing to a purchase.
"Using AR as a marketing technique not only captures the consumer in a new way but it also gives the consumer more control."
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EXIST WITHIN A DIFFERENT REALITY THAN REALITY
If it sounds too sci-fi, it’s not. The ability to exist within a different reality opens the door to a myriad of worlds (literally) for businesses.
Let’s say you want to open a restaurant. Rather than design and construct a single restaurant you can build out a very basic raw framework in the “real” world while giving your patrons multiple options to choose from with the aid of wearables. Everyone in the restaurant could have a different experience within the space. If you hate modern design, you could chose a Spanish villa setting. Someone else could be immersed in a French classicism dining experience. The possibilities are endless.
The space becomes less important as the tech becomes better. Within one raw space you’ve created an infinite number of restaurants while limiting the labor that goes into making it. Does this create a better dining experience? It's tricky to say whether this will only further isolate and create bubbles around people, but it's not a reality too far off.
It has already been scientifically researched that if you “see” sushi on your plate (while wearing a headset or other wearable) your brain will think it’s sushi and taste it accordingly, even if it’s just tofu. In this new world, the brain is the reality and everything else is just window dressing.
The ability to exist within a different reality opens the door to a myriad of worlds (literally) for businesses.
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AR and VR aren’t able to trick your brain in terms of tactility yet-- a bed, for example, still needs to be physically soft, but the technology moves business in a much different direction.
The same concept can be applied to physical attributes and clothes. Wearables already exist and scientists are experimenting with implants. (Google Glass is a form of AR.) What you get with AR is more information than is visible.
Imagine you want blue hair, so you push a few buttons and everyone around you with a wearable or AR/VR glasses sees your hair as blue. In the near-future you become an avatar in the real world, not just on a screen. Think of what this means for virtual plastic surgery.
Brands will be able to create experiences unlike anything seen before. The touchpoints of a business would be infinitely more tactile and capable of penetrating a consumer’s “world” without the barrier of a screen. New jobs will be created. There will be huge markets for digital-physical content.
It’s a brave, new AR world out there. Pokemon GO is only confirming we want it.
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Snapchat Adds The Old With The New In Its Recent Update
Maybe some snaps were meant to last forever.
We’ve only known Snapchat as an app that only lives off of what’s going on in the now, only to be erased after one view or the span of 24 hours. As of yesterday, Snapchat is changing that.
Snapchat has introduced its newest feature Memories, which allows you to collect all of your saved snaps and stories in one memory bank for you to look back at. Not only that, you’re able to add older snaps to your story and send it to friends as well for them to look back on, and even add stickers and geofilters to the snaps even if you’re not in the area. These older snaps will appear with a time stamp when they’re viewed by your friends if added to your story.
However, this new update is a game changer for the real-time based app.
SCHEDULED INSTAGRAMS
If you want to make sure your Snapchat followers are able to see something that’s confidential til a certain date, you will now be able to post it at a later date instead of having to not post on Snapchat at all.
When the day comes that you want to snap something on a scheduled day, just take the snaps you are going to take, but instead of posting them to your story, save them to your memories.
From there, you can pull any snaps that you have saved and post them all to your Snapchat story.
WEAVING IN OLD WITH THE NEW
Snapchat storytelling for brands and influencers is becoming more and more important each day, and storytelling is all based on the narrative you build for your audience to watch.
If you are adding snaps to your story and want to allude to an older snap, you can weave it in to your Snapchat story for a more substantial and longer narrative.
Also, the Memories feature allows you to share memories with certain people, and even hide other memories you rather not show to anyone else. You can place these in a section called “My Eyes Only,” which are only accessible after you enter a pin for privacy.
So no more screenshooting snaps onto your camera roll and having it take up all of your phone’s memory. Safe to say that this new update to Snapchat will redefine its dependency on real time content and its expiring snaps.
Maybe some snaps are meant to last forever.
Exposing Engagement: Why You Need This Instagram Tool
Dig deep and analyze what matters.
Around 2.5 billion photos and videos are liked on Instagram every day. It is the ruling King, Queen, and Court Jester of social media. And if you have a public Instagram, you have a brand-- whether you are conscious of this or not. Your brand is who you are to the world. Now whether you choose to market this-- AKA tell people what you do, is a personal choice. However if you want to be successful on Instagram you have to understand your engagement.
It is the best way to build awareness, drive traffic to your blog, brand, or brick-and-mortar, and ultimately, grow your business. Figuring out your engagement is what separates successful grammers from the mediocre, and there's a new tool simplifying the process.
Peoplemap is an Instagram marketing tool that features: profile analysis, list building, campaign tracking, and statistics. If you are an individual with multiple accounts you can manage all accounts on a single platform; if you are a brand or a company, your entire team can access the account and information.
You can search groups, communities within a specific geographical region, and it exposes engagement numbers that are important to brands and individuals.
WHY IS THIS USEFUL TO BRANDS?
One: list building. Peoplemap has created a way to analyze Instagram marketing efforts and strategically build a targeted community. They make it easier to sort, filter, and analyze any user so you can create "the most comprehensive and strategic Instagram rolodex for your company".
Now let's chat about exposing engagement. Say you're building a list of beauty influencers, but you want to filter those with the highest engagement, you can do that. If you want to only hire influencers who have 2% engagement and up, you can do that. There is also an option to "analyze" a profile. If you click "analyze," in about an hour Peoplemap will send you a report that highlights who recently, liked, commented, or who was tagged. It's a way for brands (as well as individuals) to really understand the audience.
These are tools to really help brands understand the who, what, and why of the influencers they're hiring.
WHY IS THIS USEFUL TO INDIVIDUALS?
As with brands, understanding what performs well and what doesn't is key to growing and engaging your followers. When you analyze the posts that are not performing well vs. those that are, it will help you create a more robust, comprehensive strategy. The higher your engagement, the more money you'll make from brands who are looking for influencers.
"Understanding what performs well and what doesn't is key to growing and engaging your followers."
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It also helps you easily compare your engagement to others. While they say comparison is the thief of joy, in this instance it could also be a thief... of dollars. When you understand your engagement in comparison to others who are working in similar categories, you might be able to charge more. Let's say you have 200k followers less than an Insta-famous fashion blogger, but they have a .89% engagement and you're clocking in at 5%. You may have fewer followers, but you can make the case to a brand that the ROI is better with you.
You can also build a "competition" list in Peoplemap and compare your engagement to others. If your engagement is lower, use this as a means to analyze your content vs. someone who has high engagement and change your strategy.
When it comes to IG, knowledge and understanding is power. Peoplemap is putting the knowledge in your hands. It's up to you to understand your engagement, the numbers, and ultimately, your business.
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Everything You Need to Know About Instagram Business Tools
Launching this week.
Instagram is arguably the best social platform to raise awareness for your business. With over 400 million users it remains a unique way to visually tell your brand's story and to capitalize on mobile domination.
It makes sense that the social sharing platform would develop Instagram Business Tools.
Armed with insights and hundreds of interviews with business owners, Instagram developed new features. “With so many companies using Instagram, and many people on the platform interacting with them, there was a desire from our business community to do more. So we listened,” they said via their blog. The company said that three needs became clear: businesses want the ability to stand out, get insights, and find new customers.
Here’s how they are addressing those concerns, as well as the pros and the cons.
STAND OUT
For companies that want to be recognized as businesses on Instagram, the platform is now offering a free “Business Profile” feature. “With a business profile, businesses can choose how they want their customers to get in touch with them: call, text or email with a tap of the contact button as well as get directions. Business profiles also unlock access to insights and the ability to promote.”
PRO: It’s free to change your profile from personal to business and changing your profile will give you access to other bonuses listed below.
CON: Unlock is a key word above. Instagram is essentially forcing your hand in labeling yourself as a business in order to get those analytics. Who isn’t going to want those analytics? Sure you could go to apps like Iconosquare or Plano.ly, but those aren’t free. The question is: is $X/month worth not being labeled as a business? If you have more of a brand than a business, you might be better off not labeling yourself as such. (I.e. if you're a blogger with a larger following.) Followers don’t want to be sold to.
GAIN INSIGHTS
“Insights on Instagram give businesses actionable information about who their followers are and which posts resonate better than others—all from within the mobile app. By learning more about the behavior and demographics of your audience, you can create more relevant and timely content.”
PRO: Pretty much everything listed above. Creating relevant and timely content will help you organically grow your following and create deeper engagement with your followers. Businesses want simple ways to get insight and refine their marketing strategies. Instagram is offering a solution that doesn’t require a third out-of-app step.
CON: As stated above, you only get insights if you’re listing your profile as a business. There are no cons however about understanding your analytics. You don't want to turn a blind eye to what's performing well and what's not.
PROMOTE YOUR CONTENT
Much in the same way Facebook does, Instagram is offering a way to promote content. You pick a post you’ve already shared, add a button “encouraging people to take action,” and then select a target audience. You can also opt to have Instagram select a target audience for you. That post is promoted for the length of time desired.
PROS: Whether we like it or not, the IG algorithm is changing. Businesses need Instagram to attract new clients and in order to attract new clients you have to get that content seen.
CON: It’s an ad and will be labeled as such. You will be getting more eyeballs on your content, but nothing beats organic marketing.
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#Trending: So Here are the 8 Social Media Tips You Really Need
Do this is you want to build your brand.
We’ve entered the digital age of Keeping Up with the Content Joneses. Brands and media alike are saturating social media platforms with higher and higher volumes of content, rolling with the punches of algorithm shifts and new platform functionalities. The year is 2017 and spoiler alert: the content competition is fierce.
There are 500 million tweets sent per day (#covfefe), and 300 hours of video content uploaded to YouTube every minute. Almost 5 billion videos are watched on YouTube every day. And Instagram? Don't even get us started. There are over 60 million new pics uploaded daily, generating over 1.6 billion (YES, billion) likes per day. Are you experiencing sensory overload yet?
If a primary objective of your social media strategy is engaging with your target audience, how do you get their eyeballs on your content to begin with? It’s a volatile world out there, and we’re here to help you cut through the content clutter with these quick & dirty tips for building a better brand presence on social. Whether your brand is pushing products, or you’re a blogger promoting your content (or yourself), consider the following:
1. Identify each channel’s purpose based on your target audience’s social behavior.
What social platforms are actually important to your target consumer? It’s critical to identify these platforms, and even more so, the content that performs well on these platforms. The spray-and-pray method (translation: posting the exact same content across all social platforms without any tailoring for the specific platform) just doesn’t cut it anymore. The end goal is to communicate to your audience in their native social language on platforms that naturally engage with. For example, the content you your brand creates and shares on Pinterest does not serve the same function on Twitter. Successful content on Pinterest is aspirational and functional, with DIYs and recipes ranking amongst the visual platform’s most engaged with content. Hashtags do not serve a purpose on Pinterest, and, in fact, they are discouraged against. Transition to Twitter and there is a very different landscape. Not only is there a 140 character limit, but images shared are presented horizontally in the newsfeed and hashtags serve a much more functional conversational purpose. Successful content on Twitter is breaking news and statistics.
"The only similarity between the two platforms is that they are both excellent traffic drivers, but the consumer journey could not be more different."
2. Integrate a social strategy and content plan into your brand’s overarching digital ecosystem.
Once you land on where you will be talking to your audience socially, map out how social media fits into your brand’s overall digital ecosystem experience. Make sure your website is optimized for social (if your site is not optimized for mobile, you’re missing the action), and think about cross-platform promotion if you are starting any new channels and you have established other existing presences.
3. Think socially, and less about your brand.
The internet runs off of content. In order to be efficient, your content needs to stand out because it’s clever, fun, and sharable. Successful viral content appeals to universal feelings and relates to human relationships. If you want people to share your content, give them a reason to tag their friend or share the asset with another social connection. Brands making mistakes on social are too narrowly focused on owned brand messaging, so much so that they miss opportunities to use social to be truly, well, social. By nature, social media is reactive and provides cultural commentary. Tapping into the social trends of each platform will undoubtedly lead to more double-taps on your content. For a spectrum of brand examples doing this well, look no further than MR PORTER, Taco Bell, and Lowe’s for inspiration.
"By nature, social media is reactive and provides cultural commentary."
4. Create a cohesive look and feel to owned channels and all content.
Could your content be mistaken for another brand’s? If so, rethink how you communicate visually on social. On top of everyday content, it’s important to keep a consistent DNA across channels - whether it be through profile pictures, cover photos, tone of voice, color, theme, etc. Consistency builds credibility in the world of social.
5. Create a plan to create content.
Content is king. Content is the strongest tool you have to grow your audience organically, so create a plan to create. This can take shape in the form of monthly content calendars and agreed upon approval workflows. Always be planning for the month ahead, and leave placeholders in your calendar for any reactive or responsive cultural content. The takeaway here is to not push content out for the sake of crossing it off a to-do list. If content is your currency, make sure the value of it mirrors that of your brand’s.
"Content is the strongest tool you have to grow your audience organically, so create a plan to create."
7. Identify partnerships and content distribution opportunities.
If you’re launching new social presences (i.e. Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, etc), consider how you are going to get eyeballs on your brand and its message via editorial and influencer partnerships. Not only can you lean on partnerships for content creation, but you can leverage the power of their engaged audiences when they share meaningful, authentic content on behalf of your brand.
8. Implement paid support.
It’s no secret that the big platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have transitioned to a pay-to-play model. If you have the budget to do so, it’s worth investing in hyper targeted campaigns such as content engagement, fan acquisition, or web traffic drivers. These bigger platforms now have targeting and campaign flight capabilities that resemble traditional media buys, and implementing a social spend is a powerful way to guarantee reach within your target demographic.
And there you have it, folks. Now get out there, create meaningful content, and we hope to see you #trending soon.
Dana Kelly is a content strategist by trade and subscribes to the notion that life, lifestyle, and the left coast are what matter most. The California native spends most of her days at Mistress, and has a deep love for words, wine, and great in-flight entertainment.
SnapChat Is Now Shoppable Thanks to This App
All it took was two emojis.
When there's an app, there's a hack. Especially when it comes to brands figuring out how to monetize social platforms that aren't yet shoppable. Like Snapchat.
Since its launch Snapchat has been the mystery meat in the social media sandwich, confusing brands and influencers alike on just how to use it. There are a couple of kinks in the snap chain: it's difficult to know how many followers you have, the videos are only available to your followers for 24 hours, and there is no way to link out.
Until now.
"Since launch Snapchat has been the mystery meat in the social media sandwich, until now."
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PopSugar owned ShopStyle is offering the first solution to the "what now" problem of Snapchat, introducing a new e-commerce app called Emoticode™. PopSugar CEO Brian Sugar told Digiday, "It was clear that people wanted to take action from our snaps and it wasn’t as easy as it could be. The lightbulb went off."
That lightbulb lead the way to Emoticode™, a Snapchat companion app which uses the combination of emoticons and screen shots to create what is effectively an affiliate link program. Sugar again, told Digiday, “It works for shopping. It will work for recipes, workouts, articles, really anything you want to engage more with beyond a snap or an Instagram post.”
Here's how it works:
ShopStyle Collective members can search a product they want to share on Snapchat or Instagram. When they tap “Copy Emoticode” below the product, a shortened affiliatized emoji link is created. The first two characters are emojis. They paste the unique emoticode in their post.
The Collective members receive credit for the clicks and conversions made through the Emoticode™ integration.
Followers will need to download the ShopStyle App or the Emoticode™ App, screenshot the post with the unique emoticode, and upload it in the ShopStyle app to shop the product that's being shared.
It's not completely seamless because there is still no way to link out directly from Snapchat, which has yet to introduce brand integration into the platform, but it is the first app that has addressed the two main issues everyone has asked from gate: why do we use this and how does this make us money?
Emoticode™ is the first way to track sales and facilitate revenue sharing for influencers. It may also encourage bloggers who have yet to really engage on Snapchat to integrate the app into their social playbook.
"Emoticode™ is the first way to track sales and facilitate revenue sharing for influencers."
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Julia Engel of Gal Meets Glam (and C&C DTLA mentor) told Digiday, “I really like the idea of Emoticode, especially because the screen-shotting behavior is so natural. I screenshot everything.”
It will also save time for bloggers who are spending time answering individual messages from followers about what they're wearing.
For brands, the power of Snapchat is yet to be seen, but this is the first real step in Snap monetization.
via Brian Sugar
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3 Things You Need to Do to Drive Sales on Instagram
Leverage your followers to drive sales.
Photo by: Irida Mete.
Instagram is the number one platform to generate higher sales for your fashion brand. The confluence of aesthetics meets product placement creates a brand identity platform that heavily engages customers, wholesale buyers, editors and influencers. With an average order value of $65, Instagram surpasses Pinterest ($58 AOV) and Facebook ($55 AOV). If you are one of the 95% of fashion brands who use Instagram then leveraging it to make sales is a priority. Note to reader: this post is not about how to get Instagram followers; this is about how to leverage your followers to convert into sales.
Here is what you might be missing:
1. Creating a 360* Instagram conversation that relates to your website. Any marketing expert will tell you: your messaging needs to be consistent and reverberate throughout all aspects of the customer experience.
You should either have Instagram images of your product in the alternate product images on your site, or have a dedicated page for showing Instagram images and the products being sold on them (i.e. “Shop IG”). Side tip: Make sure your popup email acquisition form on your site is sexy so you can capture the leads.
"Make your popup email acquisition form sexy."
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If creating a shop Instagram section on your site isn’t your style, there are a number of platforms that make it easy to sell on Instagram: Soldsie & Curalate are great places to start.
Creating an editorial calendar for product releases, website homepage and Instagram content. Since 78% of consumers make purchases based on a brand’s social media account its important to be consistent in your content production.
2. Get technical. Leveraging data can help you optimize your content to generate more sales. Google custom URLs allow you to track link performance on your Google Analytics. Its super easy to create and will allow you to see if people are coming to your site from specific links. This is different then the URL shortening link where you condense a longer link into something short. Once you create your custom URL run it through the shortener to make it neat and ready for Instagram.
3. Use paid marketing. Neilsen reported that Instagram ads convert 2.8x higher than the norm for online advertising, so if you were thinking about starting a campaign now is the time. Short campaigns that are targeted do the best. Instead of traditional product posts try offering behind the scenes video footage and exclusive content to garner interest. If doing product posts ensure the link goes to the product landing page- not your homepage. Reverberate your ad with strong content on your feed.
Instagram is a long tail marketing strategy. Kicking up your normal posting and engagement schedule (liking, commenting, influencer posting, running contests etc.) takes time and commitment to see results. The best advice is to make Instagram a priority and create a 6-12 month strategy to test, pivot and improve on your sales. With 300M active users monthly and a growing international audience this is the place to market and sell to.
Syama Meagher is the CEO of Scaling Retail, a consulting firm for fashion and retail brands. Her Launch My Brand course, 6-weeks to building your business foundation starts 3/31/16. Watch Syama in action on Scaling Retail TV, The Channel to Grow Your Fashion & Retail Business.
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5 Photo Editing Apps To Add To Your Phone Now
Shoot it and shake it for the 'gram.
Photo by Arnelle Lozada
Gone are the days where your resume is the only thing that will make an impression when trying to showcase your work as a creative. Social media is the resume you have built over time, and Instagram is a portfolio you have under your belt. It is how potential clients, partners, and employers can truly see how you creatively express yourself, and how you can build ideas for them and their brands. It’s how you visually define yourself, your brand, and your life.
However, the most presentable and amazing Instagram feed doesn’t come without a hint of photographic skill and creativity. Wondering how some of the most seasoned Instagram photographers get to make their feeds look the way they do? You’re going to want to use some of our favorite apps.
VSCO
VSCO is one of the main contenders when it comes to the best apps for photo editing. VSCO allows you to edit all the details of your photos, and offers an amazing variety of filters brought to you by amazing brands like Levis, Street Etiquette, and Artifact Uprising. If you want some of the cleanest looking filters to keep your feed looking buttoned up and consistent, VSCO is the way to go.
Snapseed
Ever since we discovered Snapseed, our feeds have never looked the same. If you’re looking to take out the yellow out of your photos and make it more white and vibrant, or make it less shadowy, Snapseed has editing tools that can edit certain parts of your photo while keeping the rest of the photo in tact. You can also heal certain marks that you want erased from your photo, change the levels, change the perspective angle, and so much more. Think of it as the next best thing to Photoshop.
A Color Story
Some people prefer a solid black and white clean looking Instagram feed. Others prefer a pop of color. If you prefer the latter, A Color Story can help you make your feed a candy-colored dream, a-la Matt Crump.
Boomerang
A picture says a thousand words, yet a Boomerang tells an even bigger story. With Instagram’s very own Boomerang, you can an even more visual and dynamic element to your feed and capture movement into one looping image, similar to a GIF. However, Boomerang captures even more high-res photos in one burst and stitches them seamlessly in a high-quality loop so it looks like a video. Boomerang will give you a reason to shake it like a Polaroid picture on the ‘gram.
Fyuse App
Similar to Boomerang, Fyuse combines the elements of a gif and a panoramic picture in one to spatial photo. With Boomerang, you can capture motion. However, with Fyuse you can capture space in 3D with moving your phone and having your followers move their phone as well similar to how Facebook’s 3D videos. Now you can get all your best angles in one Fyuse.
NBD: Michelle Obama Is a Fan of This Duo's Newsletter
And they just released something else you need now. Right now.
Boss ladies are always looking ahead. Some of them even seem like they have the ability to see into the future.
Take Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin, for instance, the co-founders of The Skimm.
3.5 years ago, the two said NBC'ing you later to their producer jobs and began sending emails from their couch. Their strategy was simple: ask anyone and everyone (and everyone else's everyone) to sign-up for the The Skimm. A daily newsletter presenting a solution to keeping up with the (Dow) Jones, the Times, the HuffPo, the never-ending news chain, ad infinitum. The result was curated aggregation at its finest. A one-stop read of headlines and need-to-know info for on-the-go-get-em women. (AKA, your busy boss self.)
From their couches to Oprah's, their risk paid off. They now have over 3.5 million (#yaycongurentnumbers) active and highly engaged subscribers, the likes of whom include the two biggest Os in the game: Michelle Obama and yes, Oprah.
So this week when they announced their newest venture, we knew it would be good.
While The Skimm focusses on keeping you up to speed on current and relevant headlines, their new app, Skimm Ahead, takes the concept one step further-- literally.
What is it? Skimm Ahead puts the future into the palm of your hand, synching everything you need to know with your iPhone Calendar. For just $2.99/month, Danielle and Carly are making it easier to be smarter (BLESS), Miss Cleo style. It's an app, yes, but they "think of it more as a utility" that integrates fully into your calendar. As they say, "It's like your calendar ate a smart cookie."
Why should you use it? Well, you'll know just when to purchase those Beyoncé tickets. Or keep you on top of the 2016 Presidential Debate schedule. It'll make sure you're Slytherin line for the much-awaited Harry Potter release. And it might even help you drop some knowledge on your boss when you suggest a campaign perfectly timed with this summer's "Orange Is the New Black," season 4 premiere.
In short: they've got Skimm in the game. And their new app is a force multiplier for keeping you ahead of yours.
Download Skimm Ahead in the iTunes App Store.
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