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Tag: Instagram

Nine Brands Who Have Mastered Instagram

Each social media has its distinct character, but Instagram is a beast that many small businesses aren’t familiar with. Twitter is quick and to the point, Facebook friendly, and Linkedin professional. But what about Insta? We can look at these nine companies that are effectively using Instagram to uncover the secrets to its members’ hearts.

Beautiful Images Are the Core

Instagram is an image based platform. It’s where hobby photographers, style setters, food artists, and more come together to show off their photos. If your business wants to get noticed, you have to have images that resonate.

Boutique-style online fashion retailer ModCloth uses magazine quality photos that feature their staff members wearing some of the pieces they carry. Some are more glam and others silly, but they are all well lit and intentionally shot.

Let Your Hashtags Run Wild

On Twitter, it is best practice to keep your hashtags to a minimum, and most people only use them on Facebook when they’re being glib. Nothing could be further from the way hashtags are used on Instagram. It’s not uncommon to have 10-20 hashtags on a single image, covering every different way you can describe the image.

Inspirato uses multiple variations such as #luxuryhome and #luxuryvilla to widen the scope and make it more likely someone searching will find images of their vacation homes. They also use trendy hashtags like #travelgram to make sure they are part of the greater conversation.

In addition to using hashtags to be found by potential customers, hashtags can help you find your customers. Camp Brand Goods created the hashtag #keepitwild and encouraged their followers to use it when they took photos with their products. They then “regramed” those photos, showing off the testimonial while building a relationship with their customers. Customer spotlights are a creative way to build hype and fan loyalty, and they’re easy to leverage using hashtags.

Build an #Aesthetic

The most popular Instagram feeds have a coherent theme or aesthetic that appears in each of their photos. This doesn’t mean you need to have your logo in every single photo (but if you can find a creative way to do that, then go for it!). However, having a consistent color scheme, lighting, and subject matter will help to solidify your brand identity. While the three images below from Havenly all have different subjects, the color scheme ties them all together. They all invoke the same feelings and reveal what the brand is all about—decorating spaces with a sense of calm and modern femininity.

Sell a Lifestyle

Your brand identity is who you are as a company, but the lifestyle you depict in your images is who your customers are. If you’re a car dealership, what kinds of people buy from you, and what do they value? All things USA, the outdoors, family BBQs? Then show those things in your images.

You don’t have to limit your posts to just pictures of your products. Four Barrel Coffee shows images from the coffee-creation process, as well as the final product. They also post images that appeal to their hipster demographic, such as this photo of their new record player.

If you want to show your products, take a page out of Sphero’s book and showcase some of the features and unique selling points of your business. Their little toy robots roll around all sorts of obstacles, and their photos and videos actually catch them in action.

‘Gram in Real Time

In addition to sharing staged and styled photos, Instagram can be great for showing off things that are happening at the moment. Testing a new prototype? Take a short video of it in action to use as a teaser. You can also share photos from events, like Dolphin Browser did. This is especially great if you’re hosting an open house, since it can show people how much fun they’ll miss if they don’t head over right away!

You can also share photos of your office, a day in the life, or other images of your energetic, smiling employees! It’s something we do here, as well, so you know it’s got to be a great idea 😉 Make sure you follow us on Instagram for updates.

Get Local With It

Small businesses often have close connections with their local community. Take advantage of that by following other local businesses, Little League teams, and other community organizations you want to foster a relationship with.

Kawaii NOLA is a New Orleans clothing and novelty store that specializes in Japanese imports. In addition to showing pictures of their products, they often share flyers and other information for small businesses, local artists, and Japanese cultural events throughout the city.

By cross-promoting other nearby businesses, you can unlock a new potential audience.

In this example, classic anime and film fans can learn more about Kawaii NOLA, and Kawaii NOLA customers may choose to see another film at this theatre after this event is over. Everybody wins!

Instagram is a brave, beautiful new world for businesses. At the center of all of the examples above is one simple piece of advice: be authentically you. Whoever you are as a company and brand, show that off, and you’ll find the customers you’re looking for.

If you want help managing your social media accounts, reach out to us to see how we can help!

Images:

All screenshots by Meaghan McCarthy. Taken September 2017.

September 14, 2017
Grow Your LinkedIn Network With These 3 Optimizing Tips

With over 400 million users, LinkedIn has become a social networking must for companies large and small. While other platforms like Facebook and Twitter are commonly used in marketing and SEO campaigns, LinkedIn can have a significant impact on online visibility and SEO opportunities. Instead of neglecting your LinkedIn account, utilize it to grow your business’ traffic and network.

1. Be Consistent

For your traffic to increase, customers have to know it’s you. One of the biggest mistakes a company can make is not maintaining brand consistency across all marketing platforms. LinkedIn provides you with the opportunity to upload banners, background images, videos, and photos. Utilize all of these to tie back into your brand, logo, tagline, and color scheme.

This also applies to the written content on your LinkedIn profile. If your business’ website uses a formal tone, don’t be overly casual on your social media. This creates brand confusion and can lead to customers not connecting with you because they think you’re someone else. Don’t lose out on growing roots with a client because someone can’t figure out if your profile is the right one.

2. Engage Your Network

While you may have a lush profile, if it’s not active, no one is looking at it. It’s important to create, share, and like fresh and relevant content to your industry. Shower your followers with content at least twice a day and watch your network grow. This keeps your profile engaging as well as current. When creating or sharing content, make sure to add variety. For example, it can be good to post an interesting article in the morning and then ask an engaging question in the evening. This allows for different types of client interaction and can make a profile look more personable.

As I’m sure you’re aware, blog posts are great when it comes to a site’s SEO. By posting your company’s blog posts on LinkedIn, you not only help your profile, but you also improve your website’s ratings, which can lead to more business.

3. Let Your Keywords Shine

While your company can be searched on LinkedIn by name, it can also be found by keywords. The keywords used in your SEO campaign are the same words you should be using on your social media platforms. Your keywords should shine through your content from your posts, to your description, and to your headline. While it’s still important to stay natural, try to fit in a keyword or two in the first 156 characters of content on your profile. Google previews these first characters, and with the help of keywords, your profile can be more easily found.

By not growing your LinkedIn network, you’re leaving opportunities like referrals and website traffic in the dust. Social media platforms are crucial to interacting with current and potential clients. As LinkedIn’s numbers grow, so can yours. Make sure your profile is the cream of the crop and optimize.

Image Sources:

Devil Wears Prada Image

Aziz Ansari On Social Media

LinkedIn Superman

May 9, 2017
Top 10 Search Influence Social Media Blogs of 2016

Everyone loves a good countdown list to finish up the year. We’ve had a lot to be proud of at Search Influence. Get cozy and check out our top 10 social media blogs from 2016!

#1. What Happened to Facebook’s 20% Text Grid Tool?

Originally published in March, this post is still holding on to its ranking as one of our most popular blogs ever! Learn how Facebook’s change to their text grid tool could affect the reach of your business’s ad campaign.

#2. A Dentist’s Guide for Choosing Target Audiences on Facebook

Facebook offers many different targeting options for campaigns. Did you know that one targeting parameter includes photo uploaders—Facebook users who have posted more than 50 photos in the last month? What better audience for a dentist to target than users making sure their pearly whites are perfect for their selfies?

#3. Should You Be Using Google’s URL Shortener in Your Social Media Campaigns?

This post from Shane Kretzmann continues to be one of our more popular blogs. He covers the benefits of using Google as your URL shortening service, like proper redirects and analytics data.

#4. These 10 Expert Tips Will Drive Traffic to Your Business’s Website

From schema markup to video syndication to press release publication, this post shares 10 valuable tips to help you increase your site’s traffic in no time.

#5. Should Each Franchise Location Have a Separate Facebook Page?

According to a study performed by Hubspot, 95% of Millennials expect brands to have a Facebook presence! Learn about questions a franchise should consider before deciding on its Facebook strategy, like varying components based on location, whether or not the majority of your consumers are on Facebook, and company culture.

#6. Learn How to Create a Snapchat On-Demand Geofilter to Boost Your Next Event

Back in February, Snapchat announced that users could create On-Demand Geofilters for any event for a fee as low as $5. This post covers the simple process of designing and setting up the filter for your next event or party.

#7. 4 Tips to Start Your Black Friday Social Media Strategy

These social media strategy tips can help businesses boost online and in-store sales all year long as well as during Black Friday. Check out some of the advice, like knowing when to start your messaging (hint: earlier is always better).

#8. Why Social Media is Critical for the Growth of Your Business

More small businesses are investing in social media, and for good reason—their customers are already savvy users. This interesting post covers topics like knowing exactly when to post. Thursdays and Fridays from 1 p.m.–4 p.m. result in 18% higher engagement!

#9. 5 Medical Practices Effectively Using Instagram

Doctors: is your social media strategy healthy? These 5 medical practices have been using Instagram to generate more traffic to their site and stimulate user engagement. Instagram is on the rise—users are nearly 60 times more likely to share an image than those on Facebook.

#10. 5 Things Healthcare Professionals Should Never Post on Social Media

New to social media at your practice? This post from February covers pitfalls to avoid, like doctor-patient confidentiality, misleading information, and the all-too-common Facebook rant or complaint.

December 20, 2016
Here Are Our Top 5 Blogs You May Have Missed Last Month

Woah! Did June fly by for you, too? If you are on the beach this week and doing some summertime reading, here are our most popular five blogs from last month that you will want to check out.

What Happened to Facebook’s 20% Text Grid Tool?

Michelle’s blog is coming in hot as Search Influence’s most-read blog of 2016! If you’re advertising on Facebook, you need to understand the rules and limitations of the images you include. Facebook’s allowance for text within ads has changed slightly over the past few months, so be sure to read up about the latest updates and what they mean for online advertisers.

5 Medical Practices Effectively Using Instagram

Calling all doctors: Is your social media strategy healthy? Are your social media channels helping you generate more traffic to your site and more qualified leads? Read how these five medical practices have been utilizing Instagram to further establish their brand, increase their online presence, and stimulate user engagement.

These 10 Expert Tips Will Drive Traffic to Your Business’s Website

Feel like you’re doing everything to strengthen your online presence but still not seeing the traffic numbers you’d like to see within Analytics? From schema markup to shareable content to video syndication, we provide ten valuable tips from industry experts to help you increase your site traffic with ease.

Getting Hands On With the New Google My Business

Though originally written in 2014, this June blog is still hyper-relevant to the industry. Quite a lot has changed within the Google landscape since 2014, but it can be JUST as confusing to navigate through business pages and local profiles. Let Mary guide you through what’s changed in the world of Google business and what these changes mean for your bottom line. Additionally, if you need help claiming your Google My Business page, check out this recently-completed Search Influence video to painlessly walk through the steps!

5 Rookie Mistakes That Will Ruin Your New Website’s SEO

Just launched a new site? Don’t let all of your efforts go to waste; make sure your site is optimized properly so search engines deem it “worthy!” Read on to learn about five big new-site mistakes, and ensure that your site is strong and ready to rank.

Gif 1 Credit | Gif 2 Credit

July 6, 2016
5 Medical Practices Effectively Using Instagram

Instagram’s visual language is a great way to tell your brand and practice’s story. The layout is both straightforward and engaging. The platform is on the rise, and Instagram users are nearly 60 times more likely to share an image than those on Facebook. In a field that can be rather clinical, pun intended, Instagram provides medical professionals a means of showing their personality and building trust with their patients. Images spark engagement through follows, likes, and comments. A medical practice’s Instagram feed allows it connect with patients and customers through conversation, questions, and concerns. With the use of hashtags, you can find new audiences and grow your following.

In this post, I highlight five medical practices that are effectively using Instagram to promote their practice.

#1: Dr. Aamir A Wahab – @draamirwahab

Dr. Wahab’s dental practice Unforgettable Smile is located in Beverly Hills. He uses Instagram to promote the diverse dental and oral health care services he provides. Dr. Wahab counterbalances those more technical images, such as x rays, molds, and dental tools, with photos of himself with clients, both celebrity and unknown. Before and after images, with patient permission of course, are a great way to show client results. Not only do they demonstrate your skill, but it allows potential patients to see what’s possible. It’s also an ideal time to employ a hashtag like #transformationtuesday. Overall, Dr. Aamir’s Instagram is successful because it’s diverse in its content and constantly engaging—and it doesn’t hurt that he’s a “celebrity dentist.”

#2: Dr. Chris Balgobin aka Dr. BBL – @ddr.bbl

Dr. Balgobin is a cosmetic surgeon specializing in liposuction and Brazilian butt lifts, or bbl. He’s also a franchisee of Dr. Miami, also known as Dr. Salzhauer, whose Instagram is a little more eccentric than most medical practices. Dr. BBL’s Instagram feed is almost entirely before-and-after photos, and the majority of those are butt lifts. While some doctors on social media are more clinical and matter-of-fact, Dr. BBL’s Instagram takes very graphic results and portrays them lightheartedly. His use of emojis, selfies, and memes bring a more playful side to his medical practice. He’s done an expert job of displaying his niche in the larger field of cosmetic surgery while keeping his content engaging and tailored the platform on which it appears.

#3: St. Charles Vision – @stcharlesvision

St. Charles Vision is a doctor-owned facility providing comprehensive care. They have six locations serving the Greater New Orleans area. Their approach to Instagram is just as comprehensive. Their feed features new trends in eyewear, client portraits, celebrity spottings, and more! St. Charles Vision is also very active in the community, and their feed shows views around town. In a field all about the visual, it’s obvious that optometrists should be promoting themselves in graphic terms. Their feed features a lot of original images. Though they occasionally throw in an advertisement for a certain brand of glasses, the majority of the photos are unique to the business. They also connect their followers and encourage engagement with the hashtag #raiseyourglasses. St. Charles Vision’s new Distinctive series with artist Zack Smith features striking images of clients in fashionable glasses. This is a great way to promote your products and services, while also highlighting your wonderful customers!

#4: Dr. Simon Ourian – @simonourianmd1

Dr. Simon Ourian is a cosmetic dermatologist based in Beverly Hills. He uses Instagram to establish his expertise in his field. Dr. Ourian’s posts educate his clients about the causes of different cosmetic concerns, the various treatments, and even describe his consultation process and pricing. The classic before and after images of non-surgical butt lifts, laser treatments, and botox injections are visual testimonies of his work. These images foster both interest in the practice and trust in the doctor’s results. Dr. Ourian posts nearly every day and features a variety of images, as well as videos. This ensures his feed is diverse. He’s active on the platform but does not overwhelm his followers with multiple posts a day or anything overly promotional.

#5: Dr. Sandra Lee aka Dr. Pimple Popper – @drpimplepopper

Dr. Sandra Lee is another dermatologist that’s keeping it “poppin” on Insta, but definitely in a different way from Dr. Ourian. Dr. Pimple Popper has become an internet sensation, and this account is the perfect example of a medical practice using Instagram successfully. Be warned—her account is not for the faint of heart! Before Instagram, Dr. Lee’s YouTube channel had few followers, but now her Instagram account boasts 1.3 million followers! You can watch short clips of cyst removals, popped pimples, never ending blackheads, and literally everything in between. Want more? Almost every Instagram video on her account prompts users to visit her YouTube channel for longer clips.

Dr. Lee posts photos and videos daily. She’s consistently engaged with users, even building anticipation for full videos with sneak-peek clips and teaser images. Fans come together under her hashtags #DrPimplePopper and #popaholicsunite. Instagram users comment with their delight and disgust, and share these videos with friends and families for amusement and shock value. Dr. Lee has built a loyal fan base that keeps coming back. The Dr. Pimple Popper Instagram account has been featured in the Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, and more!

June 6, 2016
Why Were 80 Adults Running Around The Quarter With Selfie Sticks? Find Out!

What sets Search Influence apart from other companies is a deep appreciation for its employees. SI embraces the generosity and culture of the city around it, planning a little lagniappe during each quarter in the form of team building events.

These events are put on by different departments in the company. Events held in the past include crawfish boils, SI Field Day, inflatable obstacle course fun, and an afternoon at the ballpark to cheer on the Zephyrs. This quarter, SI held the first SI Scavenger Hunt in the French Quarter.

Preparing for the Hunt

For the scavenger hunt, the company was divided into nine color-coded teams, mixing the different departments. Each team came up with a team name and a team hashtag to use in addition to the event hashtag, appropriately named #ScavengeDat.

The rules of the hunt were simple: solve as many riddles as possible during the hunt, and post a team selfie to Instagram at each of the different stops.

Time to #ScavengeDat

The morning of the hunt, Friday, Sept. 25, started out with anticipation, as the office was filled with different team colors and props. By the afternoon, people were in and out of the bathrooms painting and glittering their faces (note: the hallway to the bathroom still looks like the floor at the end of a rave). When 2 p.m. hit, the teams were ready to begin.

The Results

After making their way through the city with selfie sticks and lists of riddles, the teams met back at the Roosevelt Hotel Bar for pizza, drinks, and of course the results of #ScavengeDat.

Once the photos were tallied, the navy team—Team Ship Faced—came out on top of the SI French Quarter Scavenger Hunt!

For more from #ScavengeDat, check out all of the fun on Instagram!

September 29, 2015
Insta-Update: Direct Messages Just Got Easier on Instagram

Back in 2013, Instagram launched Instagram Direct, which gave users a way to share with one person or a smaller group of people. Last week, they announced the rollout of a couple of exciting improvements, including sending posts in your newsfeed as direct messages and threaded messages.

Direct Messages Improved

When you come across that perfect picture in your newsfeed that you want to share with a friend, your first thought is to tag that friend in a comment, right? Now, you’ll see an arrow next to the like and comment icons. Just tap that arrow and send the post to a friend or small group using Instagram Direct! You can also tap the image in your conversation to view the original post. If you have the account set to private, then only the people who follow that account will be able to see the post in the direct message.

What Are Threaded Messages?

Threaded messages let you view your full conversation you’ve had with people you talk to the most. Instead of viewing individual conversations from each photo or video you’ve sent, your thread will include the respective people in the conversation and the posts in their natural order.

Instagram also added the ability to name groups, a camera icon so you can take new photos while you’re in a conversation, and of course, emojis!

And What Does This Mean For My Business?

While this new update is exciting for users, as a business owner, you will not currently be able to track the number of times your post gets shared using Instagram Direct. For now, the only real sense of engagement that you can measure is via the comments on your post. I expect that this will be something Instagram considers in their next round of updates.

September 9, 2015
Insta-Ads: Facebook Brings Instagram Ads to Life

Good news for advertisers! It appears that Instagram Ads are now open for advertisers through Facebook’s Power Editor.

While no official announcement has been made (and Instagram hasn’t even updated their site), I stumbled across these new features while poking around my Business Manager. What tipped me off was the ability to claim Instagram accounts under the Business Settings in Business Manager. From there, you can assign ad accounts to individual Instagram accounts. Interesting, right?

There is also a notification at the top of the page that states that “Instagram ads are gradually rolling out and might not be available to you right now. You can claim your Instagram account to have your setup ready. Read more here.”

How Do They Work?

After doing some digging and playing around with Power Editor, I was able to create an ad for Search Influence’s Instagram profile. However, the only ad objectives currently available on Instagram are “Clicks to Website” and “Mobile app installs.”

Earlier this month, Instagram launched its Ads API Partners program. According to AdWeek, “Instagram Ads API Partners will be able to perform tasks including scheduling and publishing content to the Facebook-owned photo- and video-sharing network, monitoring audiences and sharing access to Instagram accounts across teams.”

What Does This Mean For You?

All of these updates come as very welcome news, as managing and advertising for businesses on Instagram was difficult in the past. Previously, Instagram advertising was only open to larger brands willing to spend $200,000 or more on brand awareness for a three-week campaign.

Do you plan on using Instagram advertising? How do you think it can benefit your business?

August 27, 2015
Five for Friday: Facebook’s Payment Feature, DuckDuck Go, & More!

1. Facebook Messenger Payments Service Is Nationwide – Mashable

Facebook’s vice president of messaging products, David Marcus, recently announced that Facebook Messenger has rolled out its payment feature. Users can add their debit card information in the Messenger’s settings. You can then send payments by starting a conversation with a friend and clicking the “$” icon followed by the “Pay” button. If you are on the receiving end of this transaction, you will be prompted to accept the payment at the appropriate time. Marcus has been quoted saying that the payment feature is “easy and safe.”

2. Google Earth Turns 10 – Google Blog

Google Earth celebrated its 10th birthday on June 29, 2015. Google Earth allows users to see the world from a variety of viewpoints, from 3D versions of cities across the globe to striking photos of our planet shot from space. Happy belated birthday, Google Earth!

3. Google: Panda Refresh Coming Soon – Search Engine Roundtable

It looks like we’ve made it through the holiday weekend without seeing the newest Panda update, but the “refresh” is coming soon. During a recent Google Hangout session, John Mueller announced that he expected the Panda refresh to happen in a few weeks. (The Panda update was first introduced in 2011 with the goal of preventing sites with poor quality content from ranking in Google’s top search results.)

4. DuckDuckGo Surpasses 10 Million Search Queries – Search Engine Land

DuckDuckGo, a search engine launched in 2008, hit the 10 million daily query mark on June 22. The company has promised not to collect or share your information while searching—a rare feature for any company in the search engine industry. DuckDuckGo has also announced that they will be giving out 10,000 t-shirts to users who promote their search engine to three additional users!

5. Instagram Makes Content More Accessible With Place Search – Search Engine Watch

Instagram has granted users the ability to search by location, allowing them to access other users’ location-tagged photos from the Explore page. Now, anyone with an Instagram account can peer into the most interesting places in the world. This new search feature also allows users to search people, places, and tags simultaneously.

Image sources:

Facebook Messenger payments

DuckDuckGo image

July 10, 2015
Five for Friday: Ditch the Phone, Google Your Cells, and Reconnect to Real Life

In the past few decades, we’ve seen a major shift in communication venues. We used to meet in the town square or pick up the phone, but now we belly up to a screen to share stories. In a world full of devices, it’s easy to feel disconnected, so this week’s Five for Friday highlights some of the ways companies have begun using digital assets to connect users with the world around them.

1. Getting the Party to You Gets You to the Party! – Tech Crunch

Event and ticketing site Splash just received $6 million in funding to further develop its invitation and ticketing platform. This engaging events management platform entices (no doubt hungover) party attendees back to the site the morning after. Splash allows party hosts to capture and share video footage and photos for days after the event. Both the opportunity for engagement as well as Splash’s advanced event page analytics make it intriguing for the host of any party, from a backyard kegger to a multi-million dollar event.

2. Don’t We All Just Want to Feel Special? – Marketing Land

British apparel brand Ted Baker may have cracked the code on how to engage loyal followers on Instagram. The company recently began posting coded images that require diehard fans to regram them using a new filter in order to crack the secret message. Is this a cool new way to leverage those Insta-followers, or will fans of the brand be reduced to advertisements on autocorrect?

3. Google: It’s in Your Blood – SEO by the Sea

Google’s latest patent is getting so up close and personal that it may even gain access to your cells. The company recently filed a patent for a device that can zap cancer cells as they’re forming in the bloodstream. Google has changed so much more than the way we search, but this patent provides further evidence for our theory that Google’s on a path to take over the world.

4. Absence (of Your Phone) Makes the Heart Grow Fonder – Mashable

What if keeping your phone private could enhance your real-life relationships? Recent studies show that limiting phone use with colleagues and friends can make you seem more trustworthy and empathetic. After a week without public phone use, one writer reported more in-depth conversations and connections with his colleagues. It just goes to show you that losing your phone can actually be beneficial for your social networks.

5. Think Twice Before You Swipe – CNN Money

Tinder claims that in an effort to get users to be more willing to connect with each other, they have set limits on the number of rejections a user can make within a twelve-hour period. This limit directly corresponds to the release of Tinder’s paid version, Tinder Plus, which allows users unlimited left swipes on subpar suggestions. To add insult to injury, the app’s Plus version is more costly if you’re over the age of 27. Tinder, can’t you see your users are lonely and desperate enough?

March 20, 2015