If you read about the most recent changes to Facebook’s algorithm, then you might be wondering how the changes affect brands. As a social media and reputation management firm, Rallio always strives to help brands optimize their online presence and their advertising budgets. So if you’re in full-on panic mode, we’re here to tell you that these changes are not cause for alarm …
IF YOU ARE PUTTING AD DOLLARS BEHIND YOUR FACEBOOK CONTENT.
Pardon me. I don’t mean to yell. But it’s so important to understand that Facebook is a pay-to-play platform where if you want to have any kind of significant impact among your target audience, you need to pay to get in front of them.
If you find it difficult to wrap your head around this concept, think about it in terms of print advertising. Leaf through a magazine, and you see that the nicest, largest, glossiest ads at the front and back of the book. These are the big-money ads. The tiny little classifieds are small and hard to find because the advertisers didn’t pay as much for them.
And those that didn’t pay … well, do you even see them anywhere? Of course not, because nobody expects something for nothing. Or do they?
There are still brands out there that believe they can put up a Facebook page, post content and get it seen without ever paying a dime for advertising. Of course, there’s still something to be said for organic reach in terms of how your audience interacts with your content, particularly with Facebook’s new (or renewed?) emphasis on putting content in newsfeeds that’s community-oriented and focused on engagement among friends and family.
However, there’s an opportunity here for a powerful combination of paid posts and local engagement, one that we at Rallio are already using to help brands.
It’s true that Facebook stock dropped 5 percent with the news of its algorithm change, because people are worried that some ad revenue will decrease. And, it probably will. However, it’s not going away, and shareholders will demand it doesn’t decrease too drastically.
What we stress with our clients is that we need to be continually considering ways to convert “business” posts into “personal” posts. That is, once a brand gets engagement on a post, that interaction can be seen by others and the content is now falling under the consumer newsfeed algorithm and isn’t simply viewed by Facebook as a business post. The same is true with check-ins: When a consumer checks in to a business via Facebook, it can create great organic reach.
[bctt tweet=”Brands have a tremendous opportunity to capitalize on Facebook’s algorithm changes. Let the others leave, and you step in to reach more and more of your target audience and boost your visibility on the platform! #FacebookAlgorithm” username=”rallioHQ”]
So in actuality, brands have a tremendous opportunity to capitalize on Facebook’s algorithm changes. Let the others leave, and you step in to reach more and more of your target audience and boost your visibility on the platform!
The key is creating the kind of quality content that earns your customers’ comments, likes and shares as opposed to blatantly asking for them. Consider the words of Yuyu Chen in this Digiday article: “For starters, brands have treated Facebook like a pay-to-play platform for a long time, and Facebook said the new algorithm won’t affect paid posts on the platform, although CPM rates for Facebook ads may eventually increase, according to agency executives. However, they think the new Facebook algorithm will filter out clickbait-style promotions (‘Like our product if you think this dog is cute’), which will pressure brands to create more meaningful content over the long term.”
At Rallio, we’ve always stressed the importance of creating quality, relevant content that isn’t overly promotional or “me”-centric. Shift your focus to what your audience cares about, and you’ve got a whole world of opportunity as an advertiser. Do you want to be visible, engaging and relevant? Of course you do. Head over to ralliolocal.com, and we’ll help you get started making a major splash with your local customers.
Instagram has millions of active monthly users, and businesses of all sizes are asking themselves how to tap into that user base and gain more followers. It’s an important question to ask as more and more Instagrammers engage with businesses both on and off the app, whether they’re visiting a brand’s website, commenting on posts or showing up in person at a business to claim a special offer.
The general rule to know is that, as with any social media platform, there are really just two ways to do it effectively for long-term success: 1) through organic growth where you’re interacting authentically and consistently with your audience, and 2) through targeted sponsored ads. There are strategies attached to those two methods, and we’ll get into those below, but first, you might be asking yourself, “Why not just buy followers or use bots to get more of them?”
Sure, that seems like a quick way to get a big boost, but it’s an artificial boost that won’t allow you to connect with real people who care about your brand. What you want is an ongoing relationship with your audience, people who are loyal to your brand and able to assist in growing your followers.
[bctt tweet=”Did you know? You could actually hurt your brand by buying artificial followers. #InstagramTips” username=”rallioHQ”]
Moreover, you could actually hurt your brand by buying artificial followers. Take a look at this Hootsuite experiment to see what might happen, i.e., zero engagement and a bunch of followers you don’t necessarily want associated with your brand.
At the end of the day, click-throughs and engagement are the best measures of your Instagram profile’s success. So toward that end, this post focuses on the top ways to build the kind of following you’d be proud to call home about.
1. Use hashtags
Hashtags are one of the best ways to make yourself findable. Choose hashtags that are relevant to your post and likely to be discovered in a search. Instagram makes it easy: Just type in your “#” and start typing a few letters of a hashtag, and Instagram will suggest hashtags that are popular and show you how many times it’s been used.
2. Cross-promote
Use your other social platforms, your website and your email campaigns to tell your audience about your Instagram account. Give them a glimpse of what to expect, such as special offers, behind-the-scenes scoop and advance notice of special events.
3. Hold a contest
I wrote about this topic extensively here, but in short, Instagram contests can be either standalone events you run on your own, or collaborative where you involve other brands in a “loop” type of contest. It’s a quick way to boost your followers among an audience that’s interested in your brand. Check out more examples of contests below.
Set aside time daily, even 10 minutes, to like and comment on random photos from your target audience. Selectively follow those accounts that are well-aligned with and complement your brand.
5. Post quality content
Make your brand look sharp! Only post images that elevate your message, not random photos that you’re posting just for the sake of posting. Quality beats quantity every time.
[bctt tweet=”Only post images that elevate your message. Don’t post just for the sake of posting. #InstagramTips” username=”rallioHQ”]
6. Invite engagement
Ask a question or use the word “comment” to encourage engagement from your users. People love to voice their opinions! You can also ask users to “tag a friend,” e.g., “Tag a friend who would love these leggings!”
7. Post at the best times
What works for one brand doesn’t necessarily work for all. You might need to experiment to find the best time for you. You can always try out a scheduler such as Later, which will automatically calculate the best time to post for your account, or just go with a trial-and-error approach to see when you get the most engagement. Here’s a more detailed look at choosing the best times to post:
Incorporate keywords and hashtags in your bio, and don’t forget a link back to your site. If you have specific posts where you want to direct users to a certain website or landing page, you can mention it in the post. For example, if you’re promoting a workshop series, you could say “Link in bio” within the caption of your post, and then swap out your bio link to feature a link to sign up for your workshop.
9. Sponsor your content
Look at your Insights on Instagram to see your most popular posts by impressions, and then throw some ad dollars behind your most popular posts. Just scroll down to the bottom and click on Create Promotion to get started.
10. Use the “Live” feature
Posting “live” on Instagram means you’re filming in real time, and your audience gets notified that you’re live. You have the option to keep these “Live” videos active for another 24 hours after airing.
11. Use Instagram Stories
I saved the best (arguably) for last: Instagram Stories. These stories are accessible at the top of a user’s home page when opening the app and feature a 24-hour snapshot of what’s going on with a brand or a person. After 24 hours, the story disappears, giving them a type of urgency that doesn’t exist with photos alone. You can tap within your own story to see who’s viewed it, giving you a clear picture of engagement. They’ve become an integral part of brands’ success on Instagram, and many brands are getting creative with these stories to promote their products and services.
One stellar example is a recent Chipotle campaign promoting their new Queso dip. For the campaign, Chipotle archived all but a few posts so that only Queso photos appeared on the profile page. In the days thereafter, the brand rolled out more posts, a contest offering a year’s worth of free queso to winners, and a 100-part Instagram Story that saw a 70 percent completion rate, meaning 70 percent of users clicked through all 100 parts of the Story to the end (no easy feat!). Read about it in the link:
There are many more strategies you can use on Instagram, but these 10 are a great starting point! What other methods have you used to grow your Insta following? Leave your comments below.
In working with thousands of customers over the past few years, we’ve learned a lot about the best ways for businesses to use social media to their advantage. Those who have come on board to use the Rallio platform are able to pair our technology with social media strategy to produce incredible results.
Today, I sat down with our Director of Business Development, Avery McCaslin, to discuss our platform as well as the key trends for social media marketers to know today. But first, we had to grab Starbucks and wonder what was inside this Nasty Gal trailer parked behind me at the Irvine Spectrum near our office. They’ll be popping up later today, so we’ll just have to wait. In the meantime … here’s our Q&A.
Karen Spaeder, Director of Content, crushing it on social media
What is Rallio?
Rallio is a software technology that helps businesses create engagement online to increase local demand. For multi-location brands that want to turn on their local impact, our technology empowers them to connect authentically with customers, drive traffic and increase revenue at the local level.
What are the key online trends that multi-location businesses need to know today?
Reviews and online reputation are a huge piece of their SEO. Brand consistency is critical. Perhaps most important of all, they need to be aware of the importance of video content. According to an Animoto survey, four times as many consumers would rather watch a video about a product than read about it. Also, Facebook prefers video in their algorithm over traditional content.
Another huge thing for multi-location businesses to understand is that social media is not a free medium anymore, at least not if you want to make an impact with your brand. More than anything, it’s a pay-to-play system, yet it’s still much more cost-efficient than traditional channels.
If you want anyone to see the content you’re spending so much time creating, you should be boosting it! If you don’t, only roughly 15 percent of your followers will see it. But if you do, you get much better visibility.
[bctt tweet=”If you want anyone to see the #content you’re spending so much time creating, boost it!” username=”rallioHQ”]
Why is online reputation important?
Online reputation is so important for new customer acquisition. Before anyone will buy your product or service, the first thing they’ll do is go online to see what other people are saying about you. Your online reviews can either make or break you, and they need to be kept current. In fact, some 73 percent of consumers feel that reviews older than three months are no longer relevant. It’s an ongoing process.
How can businesses use digital coupons to their advantage?
With Rallio technology, you can use digital coupons to incentivize a survey that leads to a positive review. You can use coupons on social media to create full-blown national campaigns, but at a local level. That produces true ROI, all tracked through the Rallio system.
Another huge benefit to using our system is that each of our coupons has a unique tracking code, and it’s completely digital and mobile-friendly. The coupons can only be used once, so you’re getting better analytics and improved ROI. You can’t have the same person using the coupon or a local store manager scanning the same coupon over and over again, so it’s a better way to track the offer.
Also, in Rallio, you can share digital coupons with your friends and they get their own unique code. A map will even pop up to show the nearest store to that friend, so it becomes an interactive experience.
Sharing is caring with Rallio’s coupon integration.
How should businesses use social media to connect with customers?
The biggest thing to understand is that now more than ever, customers want companies to be transparent. Having a company be real and personable is really important to them, especially for millennials, who treat social media like a customer service channel. When they comment or ask a question on social media, you need to get back to them and respond right away.
[bctt tweet=”Nowadays, #millennials treat social media like a customer service channel. #smm” username=”rallioHQ”]
What are some of the biggest mistakes brands make on social media?
Not boosting posts is one of them. Also, not responding and interacting with potential and current customers. Finally, not posting local content that’s specific to each location’s needs. You can’t expect to sell the same lawn and garden products to a city dweller as you would to a farmer, for example. You have to tailor your content and offers to each geographic location.
What are some of the unique features of Rallio technology?
One of the coolest things about our technology is that manufacturers can syndicate content down to the corporate level, and corporate can dish it out to all end user locations. For example, we work with Samsung and Verizon. Before, Verizon had individual store owners Googling Samsung products and posting whatever content they wanted about them. Samsung wanted more control over what was being said about their brand, and Verizon wanted more control over what their retailers were pushing out. With Rallio, everyone can work together to stay on brand for both the manufacturers and the retailers. And retailers like it because they’re getting more engagement and customers.
Here’s an example:
What about independent business owners? How can they use the Rallio platform to their advantage?
Rallio has a great offering for small business. Those that use our technology have all their social and review platforms located in one place, saving them time, which is important for a busy small-business owner. They’re utilizing a powerful system that billion-dollar businesses are using, at a fraction of the cost. Plus, they get the expertise of an awesome support team and strategy team.
What is one key takeaway for businesses you’d like to mention?
Social media is not a trend. It’s not going anywhere, and it’s only going to get more important and more local. Rallio is the solution to the ever-changing market.
To learn more about Rallio or to request a demo, go to www.www.rallio.com.
Whether you’re a new or established business owner, by now you know the importance of having a social media presence. But if you’re just getting started with the various social media platforms, sometimes it’s tough to know where to begin.
Today’s post is all about helping you do just that. Building something from nothing is totally doable if you have the right tools to get going one step at a time.
First, the Basics
Although it’s important to have some kind of presence on the major platform, you’ll probably only pick one or two where you’ll really focus your efforts. Start by finding out where your audience spends the most time; that’s where you’ll want to be. If your audience is millennials, for instance, you’ll likely be on Instagram and Snapchat.
Once you’ve nailed down your platforms and set up your pages, you’ll need a system for creating and scheduling your posts. The Rallio platform is a great option, especially if you’re trying to manage multiple locations. There are others out there, too, such as Hootsuite and Buffer. I won’t get into comparing these different options in this post, other than to say we’re happy to walk you through a Rallio demo. Click here to request one.
[bctt tweet=”Find out where your audience spends the most time; that’s where you’ll want to be. #socialmediatips” username=”rallioHQ”]
Now, the Ideas
Most business owners would say that the reason they’re not posting on social media is lack of time, lack of ideas or a combination of the two. As far as time goes, try carving out 30 minutes daily to dedicate solely to social media. You might find you actually enjoy interacting with customers and building a following!
And as far as ideas, I’ve got several to get you going.
Easiest: Share relevant content from others
Don’t have time to write a blog post or an article? Someone else has already done it for you. Search for content created by non-competing entities, and simply share their content on your social pages.
Take our client Saddleback Memorial Hospital, for example, for which we actually create social media content. In this post, we shared mountain climbing safety tips from the publication Healthline, adding in a health-related spin (“bring the right gear, stay hydrated …). The post works great because not only did Saddleback Memorial not have to create the content themselves, but they also capitalized on a “holiday” of sorts, National Mountain Climbing Day.
Also easy, once you’ve done the work: Repurpose your own content
This one takes a little more legwork initially, but once you’ve done the work, you have endless opportunities to repurpose your own content. You can either write blog posts or videos yourself or hire someone to do it for you, but in any case, those posts are great shareable content.
Here’s an example. I wrote a post over a year ago, 31 Days of Social Media Ideas, in two parts. We’ve repurposed several elements of those two posts over and over again, pulling out different ideas to share. Here’s a recent tweet that capitalized on one idea from my post:
All it took was going back to that original post and calling out one of the “days” to share. No extra blog post needed!
Create a Poll
People love voicing their opinion on social media, so why not capitalize on their desire to be heard? Polls can be silly or serious, but make sure you ask something that’s sure to get a response. On Twitter, you can create polls right from your “Compose new Tweet” box. On Facebook, see this link for help creating a poll on the platform.
Some polls should focus on helping you learn more about your audience, while others might simply speak to a current trend. Entrepreneur magazine recently created a poll on the topic of the eclipse:
The post has nothing to do with entrepreneurship or small business, but it’s so easy to answer that users can’t resist voting in the poll. The lesson: Keep it simple and relevant.
Ask a Question or Invite “Fill in the Blank” Responses
Along the lines of polls, anytime you pose a question or ask users to fill in the blank in a post, you’re inviting engagement. Try a simple either-or question such as, “Would you rather eat hamburgers or pizza if those were the last two foods on Earth?” You can also post an engaging photo and either ask users to caption it, or create a fill-in-the-blank response, such as, “My favorite thing about summer is ____.”
Post a Quote
Apps like canva.com make it easy to create your own attractive graphics. Find some inspirational quotes, plop them into a Canva template, download and upload the image, and voila! You’ve got a post. Repurpose the quote image across platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Here’s one from our CEO, Chuck Goetschel, created in Canva:
Or Create an Infographic
Share facts and stats about your industry in an infographic, which you can create yourself using Canva or Visual.ly. Head over to Daily Infographic for ideas, such as this gem, The Ultimate Guide to Burritos.
Go Behind the Scenes
Can you share a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the world behind your business? Maybe offer a look at how your products are produced, or make it personal, like this Instagram post of our team out to lunch:
Invite User-Generated Content
Ask your audience to post photos of themselves using or benefitting from your product or service. Not only does this invite some creativity into your posts, but it also provides the social validation people are looking for online. Your audience is more likely to believe a testimonial from a real customer versus a piece of sales copy you created!
Gather Inspiration
As you’re browsing online, save your favorite articles and images so you can look at them later and get inspired to post. Pinterest and Pocket are great tools for organizing and keeping track of your content.
What are some other ways you’ve created content from scratch? Let’s hear your ideas! For additional brainstorming, refer back to my posts featuring 31 days of social media ideas, part 1 and part 2.
Claire Boyles went on to tweet: “An individual’s ‘why’ is not always the same as the value/result the customer wants from that purchase. I don’t care why Bill Gates created Microsoft operating systems, I just care that it does what I need.
“I don’t care why Jobs created the iphone [sic], I care that I have a smartphone. I care that I can create documents, that I can email, that I can design on my computer, I care that I have a pocket computer online.
“Why anyone invented them is irrelevant to my buying choice – do I need something to create documents? Then I’ll consider buying Word, do I need to know why someone was inspired to create a word processor on a computer? Nope. Do I care that it works? Absolutely.”
I can appreciate the sentiment, that ultimately the customer wants to buy something that does the thing it promises to do. However, what gave me pause is the idea that the “why” is independent of the benefit provided to customers by a product or service.
Your Why Must Be Inextricably Part of Your Product or Service
The tweet included mention of Steve Jobs. That’s a perfect example to use as I dive into why the why needs to be integrated throughout a company, not viewed as separate from the products/services. It’s true that customers don’t ponder why Steve Jobs started his company when they’re standing in line to purchase the latest iPhone. However, they most certainly have been influenced by that why as they’re making buying decisions.
It’s not about an entrepreneur blatantly telling customers, “Hey, here’s why I started my business,” but rather, subtly infusing that why into every bit of messaging, marketing and branding. That’s exactly what Jobs did by taking products that were basically already on the market and reinventing them in ways that made people gravitate to the Apple brand.
It’s about developing a why that matters more to the customer than you as the entrepreneur. In that sense, the why becomes the very thing that puts customers’ needs first, and the idea that “your why isn’t really that important to the customer” doesn’t hold true.
[bctt tweet=”Successful entrepreneurs let their #why evolve from being me-focused to being customer-focused.” username=”rallioHQ”]
Your Why Has to Be Bigger Than You
Oftentimes, people start a business for me-centric reasons: For example, they want to make more money, they want the freedom of being their own boss, they invented some fantastic thing they think everyone should buy, or they otherwise want some kind of personal gain. Those are not very good “whys” because they put the entrepreneur first and ignore what the customer needs or wants.
To be successful as an entrepreneur, your “why” must evolve from being me-focused to being customer-focused. It must move beyond ego and become a purpose serving some kind of greater good, something bigger than us.
So let’s put this in Steve Jobs terms. Let’s say his why was simply that he loved creating cool techie things. That’s a me-centric why, and of course, that’s not what Jobs did. Rather, he had a “bigger than me” why that puts customers before anyone else. As this Harvard Business Review article points out, “Apple existed to ‘delight customers’ first — benefits to other stakeholders, including shareholders, followed.”
Jobs did more than just delight customers, too. He generated an emotional connection to the brand that causes people to crave the next Apple product. That connection happened largely as a result of the “Think Different” campaign.
In this Forbes article, author Robert Hof writes about Bill Cleary, who worked for Jobs at Apple from 1981 to 1985 and later worked with both Apple and NeXT at CKS Partners. Here’s what Cleary had to say: “When Jobs returned to Apple, he instituted the Think Different ad campaign. Nobody else had the sheer chutzpah to say that people like Gandhi and Einstein would be using Apple Macintoshes if they were alive today.”
“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules … You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things … they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” — Steve Jobs
Nowhere in that statement does Steve Jobs talk about iPads, iPhones or MacBooks or the benefits those products provide. But when you see an Apple product, you instantly feel the emotional connection to the brand. You feel the why, without it even being spoken in words.
As I tweeted:
You might not care about the why or purpose, but if Jobs (for ex) didn’t, if he didn’t infuse his why into the brand image…
Your Why Has to Be Connected to Your Company’s Values
I could go out and buy any word processing tool and still be able to type up this blog post, but I don’t want just any tool. I want the MacBook Pro I’m using because first and foremost, it’s an incredible product. It’s sleek, fast, easy to use, portable and fun.
Still, even if Microsoft created something similar, I’d turn to Apple because I’ve grown to trust and value the emotional connection I have to Apple products. I got excited to tell my tech-savvy brother about my new computer. I think the products are cutting-edge and cool. Delightful and beautiful even. And working at a tech company, naturally I want to be cutting-edge!
There’s no real way to treat the why as separate and apart from the product or service you’re providing. On the contrary, when you treat your why as an integral part of your branding, you create brand loyalty.
You build the emotional connection that makes people stand in line for your product, post about it on social media and engage with your brand. You give your brand a personality, something that every customer seeks out when they’re checking you out on social media and online.
Simply put: You create something that gets remembered.
“Marketing is about values. It’s a complicated and noisy world, and we’re not going to get a chance to get people to remember much about us. No company is. So we have to be really clear about what we want them to know about us.” — Steve Jobs
Update, July 12, 2017: My CEO, Chuck Goetschel, reminded me today of a great Simon Sinek TED Talk where he discusses the need for a why, how Apple inspires buying behavior, and why “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.” It’s the perfect complement to my discussion above, and you should watch it here if you want to start elevating your thinking:
What is your why, and how do you infuse it into your marketing? Let’s hear your thoughts.
Facebook is an extremely powerful tool that can help your business grow by expanding your customer base, boosting your reputation and developing brand awareness. Setting up a Facebook business page is too easy a task to pass up, so let’s get started!
Step 1: Create a Business Page
If you do not already have your business page created, head over here and click “Create a Page.” A business page is different than a personal page, though your two pages will be connected. That being said, you will also need to have a personal page in order to continue creating your business page. This business page will be attached to your personal profile on the backend, so it will ask you to log in to your personal account before continuing.
Next, choose your business’s category. If you own a sandwich shop, you would select “Local Business or Place,” but if you were to create a page for a marketing agency, you would select “Company, Organization or Institution.”
Step 2: Add Imagery
Add your profile picture and cover photo. These pictures should be of good quality, so be sure they are clear and representative of your business. While you may find beautiful, artistic imagery, if it does not represent your business, it is not a good idea to make it a profile picture. Profile pictures can include company logos, company products, the company name and more.
[bctt tweet=”Adding a #calltoaction button on your FB page is an easy way to boost business. #smm” username=”rallioHQ”]
Step 3: Add a Call to Action Button
Adding this call to action button on your Facebook page is an easy way to direct customers to your business, increase revenue and grow your customer base. Link this button to coupons, appointment bookings, games or your website. For example, businesses such as salons, cosmetic dentistry or pottery painting may add a button to book appointments, whereas a coffee shop or a store may add a button for a coupon.
Step 4: Edit Your Page Information
It is important to have correct information about your business on the page, including store hours, services, menu items and your location. You may also create a username to make it easier for happy customers to tag your business page in one of their posts! The more time you take to fill out the page information, the better your business page will be at attracting and retaining customers.
Step 5: Promote Your Business
By clicking “Promote,” you can choose how you wish to attract new customers. You can set up an ongoing promotion or promote your business locally. If you choose to promote your business locally, you can choose a specific area to target for your promotion. If you are enjoying the publicity you are gaining from your business page, you may want to promote your page!
Setting up your business page is just the first step in making a splash on Facebook. The real work begins once you start creating offers, engaging with followers and creating a trustworthy brand. You’ll need to keep a close eye on your analytics, continually test different strategies to see what works best for you, and always work to build and maintain a positive reputation.
To learn more about growing your following, see our post here about reaching more people on Facebook, as well as this post about improving your offers for better results.
Have you grown your following after setting up a Facebook page for your business or brand? Let us know in the comments how you did it, and we may feature you in an upcoming post.
When you’re building a brand, one of your first orders of business is getting your message in front of the right audience. From social media to word of mouth, you have so many tools at your disposal to accomplish this task, so where do you begin?
To answer this question, I wanted to share some insights from life coach, speaker and author Gabrielle Bernstein, who has built her business around sharing authentic messages. In following Bernstein’s work, I’ve learned that she focuses on serving her audience from a place of sharing, not pushing, a philosophy that every business would do well to adopt while creating a publicity plan. Here are five lessons you can learn from her.
Lesson #1: You Don’t Need to Be a PR Expert
Before creating her coaching business, Bernstein owned a public relations firm. If you’re thinking to yourself, “Well, of course she’s great at getting publicity then,” consider this: She was completely self-taught. Bernstein didn’t get a degree in public relations; she trained herself. She then leveraged the PR skills she learned to build the business she has today.
So if you’re feeling overwhelmed at the prospect of publicizing your business, take a deep breath. Start writing down the reasons you got started and the mission you have in sharing your products or services. Come from a place of helping others rather than serving yourself. What problem does your product or service solve? Start there.
This process will help you to clarify the message you want to share with your audience. Once you connect with the big-picture intention behind your brand, it’ll become easier to be your own publicist. Your message will be authentic, clear and well-received because it’ll come from your heart. You are the best one to share this message because you deeply care about it!
[bctt tweet=”#smm tip: Come from a place of helping others rather than serving yourself. #socialmediatips” username=”rallioHQ”]
Lesson #2: You Have a Message, So Share It
Bernstein frequently talks about being “unapologetic” about your message and putting your work out into the world. Remember, you are coming from a placing of sharing something exciting, not a place of selling or manipulating. The people who need to hear your message will be excited to hear it, so don’t keep it to yourself!
As she imagined her business, Bernstein thought about (actually, she meditated about) what her typical audience member looked like. She determined this person is a young woman living in the city with a salaried job who likely struggles with relationships and self-image. (It gets even more granular than that, but we’ll stop there to keep things simple.)
Once she had that person in mind, Bernstein was able to identify how her work could help this person and start sharing her message freely and unapologetically. Instead of trying to push her message or manipulate her audience into feeling a certain way, she could simply share the intention behind the work she was doing. She believed so powerfully in her message that she was able to share it without feeling salesy.
Lesson #3: Look for Your Audience in Unexpected Places
Having that clear picture of your audience like Bernstein did helps you discover where those people are spending their time. And she didn’t limit herself to thinking her audience only would be looking to health- and wellness-related resources.
In truth, Bernstein conceded, they were probably reading glossy fashion magazines and blogs about cutting their hair. Through the course of her group coaching sessions and social situations, she shared her desire to reach that audience. And within a month of beginning that conversation, she received an email from a client who, to her surprise, worked at Elle magazine. The client had pitched Bernstein to her team, and the magazine wanted to do a six-page feature on her.
Because she was willing to think “without a box,” as she puts it, Bernstein was able to take her message to those places where her audience was actually consuming media, even if glossy fashion magazines weren’t her initial target. As a result, Bernstein achieved some her greatest media placements early on, including regular spots on the Today show and sitting alongside Oprah.
[bctt tweet=”If you have a powerful message, you must become unapologetic about sharing it with the world. – @GabbyBernstein” username=”rallioHQ”]
Lesson #4: You Don’t Have to Master Every Form of Social Media
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat … so many social media platforms, so little time, right?
I would say it’s important to have some kind of presence on the major platforms, because you don’t want people to see a ghost town when they happen upon your social pages. However, you’ll want to spend the most time on the couple of platforms that a) you love and b) your audience consumes regularly.
Bernstein, for one, loves providing videos, and her audience loves to watch them. Essentially, she created the space where her audience loves to congregate. For years, Bernstein would put out a video blog every Monday morning. The vlogs were free for her audience, easy to create and something she loved to do. Over time, Bernstein grew her newsletter audience because people watching her videos opted in. (Side note: Don’t be afraid to put out free content. It will help your overall marketing efforts as you build trust and confidence with your audience members.)
Instead of trying to be everywhere all of the time, focus your efforts in those areas that energize you and allow you to feel as though you’re genuinely serving your audience. From there, you’ll find that you’re thrilled to put out your work because it feels authentic, empowering and helpful (again, not salesy).
As Seth Godin puts it, “Ideas that spread win.” What are your ideas? And in what manner would you love to spread them?
[bctt tweet=”As @ThisIsSethsBlog puts it, ideas that spread win. What are your ideas? #smm” username=”rallioHQ”]
Lesson #5: Be Your Own Voice on Social Media
Bernstein has said that every post she creates comes from her, not from a third party posting in her name. You can decide how strict you want to be with this lesson, but the intention behind it is clear: to allow you to speak authentically and put a personality behind your brand. That way, people will trust you, and even your promotional posts won’t feel like sales pitches.
Consider this carefully crafted post from Bernstein where she subtly promotes her course via the hashtag #SpiritJunkieMasterclass while providing a thoughtful image quote to inspire her audience:
Key takeaway: The message you’re sharing is always going to be the most well-received when it’s genuine, not canned. The second your audience senses you’re not being real with them, they’ll unfollow and move along to someone who is.
And that’s no way to promote yourself and build your brand, now is it?
For all the social media strategy and advice that exists out there, make sure you’re getting back to the basics and speaking from the heart. The more you share content that’s meaningful to your audience, the more your message will resonate and the larger your following will become.
Instagram has become a popular way for brands to connect with their target audiences and build a fan base using visually engaging content. If you’re looking for ways to boost your Instagram following organically, running a contest can be a quick, fun means to building brand awareness.
Unlike many other platforms, Instagram’s promotion guidelines are fairly loose, meaning you have the freedom to create a variety of different contests without a lot of red tape. Today, we’ll walk through the steps to create a contest that boosts your fan base.
Step #1: Choose a Prize.
What do you want to promote? Do you want to offer a freebie, a vacation, a consultation? Think about what’s appropriate for your brand and the best ways to spread the word.
Ideally, the prize allows people to remember you and associate the prize with your brand. For example, giving away a Nintendo Switch is great if you’re a video game company, but not so great if you’re a beauty brand. That is, you want to build an audience of users who are interested in your core brand offerings and not just the prize you’re giving away.
[bctt tweet=”#Instagram contest tip: Give away a prize that’s related to your brand. #giveaways” username=”rallioHQ”]
Step #2: Build Your Contest
There are many different types of Instagram contests, and you can combine elements of each to boost your potential engagement even more. Here’s a quick breakdown of a few of them to help you decide on a contest type.
Like contests. These are quick and simple: Just ask users to like your photo to be entered for a chance to win. You can also ask for a “follow” on your account for an extra chance to win. As more and more people like your photo, you’ll increase your reach, possibly even show up on the Explore page where new followers will find you.
Comment contests. Ask users to comment on your photo. Comment contests are great when you’re seeking customer input and feedback. You can pair this type of contest with a like contest and, again, offer users an extra entry when they not only like and follow, but also comment. Furthermore, you can invite users to tag friends in comments for extra entries.
Loop giveaways. This type of contest incorporates several brands all at once, anywhere from five to 30-plus brands that collaborate to host the contest. The organizer creates a graphic that instructs users how to like and follow their way through a “loop” of brands for a chance to win a prize. Organizing a loop is more time-intensive than the contest types above, but you can also simply participate as a brand for the sake of gaining new followers. Here’s a good walk-through of the process if you’re unfamiliar with loops.
Photo challenges. Ask users to post a photo on their own pages using a specific hashtag you provide. Make sure the hashtag is unique and brand-specific so as not to overlap with any other users’ pages and so you can easily find and record the entries. (For more on choosing hashtags, see this post.) You can alternatively ask users to repost a photo from your page using a repost app and tagged with your brand-specific hashtag. Other hashtags to include could be: #Instagramgiveaway, #contest, #giveaway, and #(your brand name).
Here’s how yoga brand CorePower Yoga handled an Instagram challenge asking its audience to post photos of themselves in tree pose tagged with #yogisplantingtrees. For every post, CorePower Yoga agreed to donate $1 to the Canopy Project, which in turn would plant one tree for every dollar. The result? A thousand extra trees in the world, thanks to this effort.
Step #3: Spell Out the Rules
As you’ll see in Instagram’s promotion guidelines, the rules are fairly simple. Be sure to acknowledge that the contest is not affiliated with Instagram in any way, and do not inaccurately tag content or encourage users to do so (for example, don’t tell people to tag themselves in photos if they aren’t in the photo).
Provided your rules are not overly complicated, you can include the rules and disclaimers in the caption of your post. Here’s how one Instagram account handled a dress giveaway, combining elements of a like, follow and comment contest:
The disclaimer is included in the body of the caption.
If your rules get too long and complicated for a caption, you can instead create a landing page on your website with the rules and, if necessary, an entry form. Just tell users to click the link in your bio to enter to win, and update your bio with the correct URL.
Should you decide to host your contest as a campaign with a landing page, you’ll have the added benefit of collecting user data such as email addresses. That way, you can connect with entrants and continue to build customer relationships long after the contest ends.
Step #4: Follow Up
Once your contest is over, use any data you’ve collected to follow up with your new followers. And then keep the momentum going by trying out different contest types. Above all, keep engaging with your audience so they continue to follow you. New followers aren’t worth much if you ignore them and they end up unfollowing you later.
Have you run successful Instagram contests? What other tips can you share?
There’s a lot to learn when you’re first getting started with social media marketing, and even when you’ve been doing it a while, there’s still more to discover. Rather than get overwhelmed with the things you don’t know, try choosing one or two new ideas to explore each week. Over time, you’ll strengthen your skills, build engagement with your customers, and hopefully boost sales and profits, too!
The following roundup includes some of our best tips on social media, online reviews, and local and online marketing. Start at the top, and work your way down the list until you’ve tried everything! And then lather, rinse, repeat, and try some ideas of your own.
Be a Great Storyteller
When it comes to your content marketing strategy, nothing beats a great story that intrigues readers and connects emotionally with them. When content lacks intrigue and fails to spark an emotion, it becomes lifeless, dull and easily forgotten.
You’ll lose followers and certainly won’t gain new ones if your social media conversations are boring, stale, sales-focused and “me”-centric … exactly the type of person you would avoid at a cocktail party. On the flip side, great stories leave readers feeling like they’ve connected with you. At that proverbial cocktail party, they’ll be on the edge of their seats as you draw them in with conversation. They’ll walk away with a positive impression of your brand and will come back again and again.
How can you become a great storyteller? In short, be yourself. Let your personality, your life experiences and your opinions shine through in your content. See this post for a complete breakdown on telling stories through your content and solidifying your brand with customers.
[bctt tweet=”How can you become a great storyteller? In short, be yourself. #contentmarketing” username=”rallioHQ”]
Create Online Offers (and Make Sure They’re Working)
Online offers get your business in front of more customers and, if done right, get them shopping in your establishment. The key here is making sure your coupons are functioning properly so people don’t get frustrated trying to redeem them. Also, you need to be able to track the redemptions and learn whether your offer is producing growth for your business.
If you’ve tried coupons and haven’t experienced good returns, you might need to take a close look at your coupon process. There can be many reasons a coupon isn’t doing its job, including:
You’re overdoing them
You’re using the same, repeatable coupon code
You’re making them difficult to save
You’re making them frustrating to redeem
You’re making it hard to find a location near your customers to use the coupon
You’re not calculating the return on ad spend (ROAS)
See this post to learn more about each of the scenarios above, and then tweak your process as necessary to improve your offer results. If you’re interested in seeing how our coupons work at a brand and local level, send us an email at sales@www.rallio.com.
An example of a coupon with one too many restrictions
Create Shareable Content
It’s the question every franchisee and brand marketer has been asking for the last few years, ever since Facebook diminished the reach of page posts to 1 to 4 percent of all page followers: How do I get more people to see my content?
Bottom line, you need to create more content that people want to share. Firstly, because Facebook now focuses page posts’ organic reach on the number of shares it receives. And secondly, because when a person shares a post, they can write their own comment about the post before they share it. In a way that gives the page post new life from the perspective of the person, personalizing it to their friends.
We outline six ways to get more shares on your Facebook posts in this post. For instance, you can create how-to videos like the one below.
Get to Know Your Analytics
The amount of data available to review related to your social pages can appear overwhelming. And unless it’s your full-time profession to review and analyze trends and changes over time, you only have time for the numbers that will actually make a difference to your business.
For some, all you’re thinking about is your bottom line: Did I make another sale from this social media post? But think a bit larger than that. Not everything will result in a direct sale, but that doesn’t mean it’s not valuable.
The most important analytics to know include:
Follower growth. Look at the data over time, assess where your audience grows the most and the least, and see how you look next to similar local businesses.
Engagement. Likes, retweets, comments and shares make up some of the most common uses of the word engagement. However, people can connect with your business in less obvious ways, too, such as with geo-tagged photos at your location. Pay attention to the positive and the negative comments and feedback so you can successfully address both and keep your reputation intact.
Reputation. Go deeper than simply customer comments; you need to learn how your business is faring on the top review platforms, such as Yelp. What customers report about you can build your business or greatly hinder its growth. With 67 percent of consumers affected by online reviews, the ratings you have and how you respond to them will impact your brand, trustworthiness and sales.
More advanced analytics cover website analytics, directory listings and conversion rates. We delve into all of the above and more analytics best practices in this post.
[bctt tweet=”The most important #analytics to know include follower growth, engagement and reputation.” username=”rallioHQ”]
Become a Hashtag Expert
A hashtag is a word, a phrase or an acronym after the pound symbol (#). No spaces or other characters (!, ?, -, %, @, ., $, etc.) are allowed in a hashtag (with a few exceptions).
Hashtags are used to connect people to a topic, primarily on Twitter and Instagram. They are public and searchable, and when people look for a specific hashtag, they see the conversation related to that topic. People, brands, businesses, sports teams and nonprofit groups use hashtags to build an easily findable and joinable conversation around a subject matter. And in some cases, hashtags make for great comedy:
It’s critical that you know how to use hashtags correctly so you’re not tagging random words and, more importantly, you’re not jumping into a conversation you didn’t intend to. If you use a popular hashtag out of context, for example, it can become irrelevant or even offensive. Our post about becoming a hashtag expert gives you all the do’s and don’ts for creating appropriate hashtags around your brand.
Improve Your Writing
Because much of my life takes place in the world of social media, I am always on the lookout for well-written social media posts. You know the ones: the posts that cause you to smile, laugh, like and share. These posts not only pass the grammar test, but they also work hard to convey messages that connect with the intended audience. Those are the kinds of posts you want for your brand.
If you want to take your posts from “meh” to great, there are several simple ways to start flexing and strengthening your writing muscle. The most important strategy is to find a friendly, conversational voice that connects with your audience. Save your corporate-ese for white papers, because it has no place on social media. I’ve got a few other simple content strategies in this post, such as using action verbs, being concise and proofreading ad nauseam. You’ll improve your writing in no time!
[bctt tweet=”#socialmediatip: Find a friendly, conversational voice that connects with your audience. ” username=”rallioHQ”]
Brainstorm Ideas
You might already know that it’s important to publish new content regularly on social media. What might not be quite so clear? Knowing what to publish. If you’re running low on ideas for your content calendar, this two-part blog series should help you get the creative juices flowing again. From sharing a “day in the life” to posting your Pinterest boards, it includes 31 days of social media ideas you can use and tweak over and over again, and never run out of ideas!
On some level, if you’re paying attention to your social media pages (which you should be), you already know what types of content work best for you. Let us know in the comments what you’ve seen work and not work for your business.
If you read my last post on Social Media Terms Your Company Should Know, you learned about the most common terms on the major platforms: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. (I also included a roundup of terms that are common across platforms.)
In case you didn’t quite get your fill, today I’ll break down Snapchat, Pinterest, Tumblr and Reddit. I’ve included a quick explanation with each as well in case you’re not already familiar with these platforms. Here we go!
Snapchat Terms
What it is: A mobile app that lets you send videos and pictures to friends. While these “snaps,” as they’re called, have a limited life span, users also can add snaps to a “story,” which lasts a full day and is viewable either publicly or just by your followers. Snapchat has gained popularity among business users as a way to connect with younger audiences.
Chat: A conversation between two Snapchat users within the app.
Filters: The fun overlays that let you customize snaps with face swaps, lenses, text, emoji stickers and more.
Friends: Your connections within the app with whom you can send chats, snaps (described below) and even cash.
Geofilters: Overlays that communicate the “where and when” of a Snap. Use On-Demand Geofilters to promote your brand in a particular geolocation.
Snap: A photo or video that disappears after three to 10 seconds. Users can choose to add filters, captions and drawings to their snaps before sending them to their friends.
Stories: As with the other platforms, Stories let you post a snap that’s viewable for 24 hours before disappearing.
World Lenses: Adds augmented reality into the mix, letting users place 3D objects within any scene they can walk around with their smartphone camera in hand. Confused? See this TechCrunch article for a complete breakdown of this new feature.
[bctt tweet=”Use On-Demand Geofilters to promote your brand in a particular geolocation. #Snapchat #socialmediatips” username=”rallioHQ”]
Pinterest Terms
What it is: A visually driven social platform that allows users to create collections, aka “boards,” of images and videos around topics, as well as browse what other users have added to their own boards. Because users can be just a click or two away from for-sale items or information, more and more businesses are using Pinterest to drive traffic, leads and sales.
Boards: Just like your cork board or bulletin board at home, Pinterest Boards are user-created, virtual spaces around any kind of topic. I’ve got Boards set up for “Food & Drink,” “My Style,” “Money Matters” and more. These boards can be public or private. As you browse the web, add photos and links to your boards either by copying and pasting the link or by using Pinterest’s browser plug-in. And then the real fun begins when people follow each other’s boards for ideas and inspiration.
Business Account: When you create a business account on Pinterest, you gain access to Pinterest Analytics, Promoted Pins and Videos, and Rich Pins. You’ll also be able to add your business logo to any pin that comes from your website.
Buyable Pins: Pins that allow people to find and buy your products on Pinterest. Per Pinterest, “Right now, they’re only available to a select group of retail partners and U.S. merchants with Pinterest business accounts.” See the example pin below with the “Add to bag” button; after adding an item to your bag, the bag is viewable via the shopping bag icon at the top right of the screen.
Like: When you see a pin you like (see “Pin” below), hover over it and click on the heart button to save it as a favorite. The original pinner gets notified of the like, thus increasing your reach.
Notifications and Inbox: Click on the bubble with three dots (top right) to view notifications about other pinners you follow, as well as your inbox where you can send and receive direct messages.
Pin: Images and links saved to boards are known as pins. Also used as a verb, as in, “I pinned a photo of a rose bouquet to my Flowers Board.”
Promoted Pins: Businesses can advertise their content via Promoted Pins and get their pins in front of customers who are ready to buy.
Rich Pins: Pins that include more context about the post itself. There are currently four types of rich pins: app pins (install an app without leaving Pinterest), recipe pins (includes ingredients, cooking times and serving sizes), article pins (includes headline, author and a brief description), and product pins (with real-time pricing, availability and where to buy).
Save: To save a pin to one or more of your boards, hover over it and click on the “Save” button. Again, the pinner gets notified of the save.
Trending: Click on the “Discover” icon at the top right of your screen (located to the left of your profile icon) to see the top trending pins across all categories.
Tumblr Terms
What it is: Tumblr is a microblogging and social networking platform well-suited for visual content and campaigns. In addition to visuals, the site supports short-form content, audio, video, quotes, links and chats, and it’s got a largely millennial user base.
Asks: This tab features user questions that you can choose to answer on your own blog. To enable it, go to your blog’s Customize area and click on the Community tab.
Dashboard: Your command central where you can view your feed of the Tumblr pages you follow, recommended blogs, your inbox and more, as well as initiate new posts of your own.
Follow: Follow the Tumblr pages you like, and you become a follower! As you follow new blogs, you’ll increase your reach and attract new followers of your own.
Message: Within a post, click on the Message tab to send a direct message to the Tumblr page’s owner.
Notes: The activity associated with a post, including likes and reblogs. You’ll find them underneath every post.
Reblog: See something you want to share with your followers? The double arrows down at the bottom of the screen will let you reblog (repost) it with a caption of your own, much like a Retweet on Twitter. Reblogging is a great way to hat-tip the people you follow and build engagement.
[bctt tweet=”#Reblogging on @tumblr is a great way to h/t the people you follow and build engagement.” #socialmediatips username=”rallioHQ”]
Recommended for you: This tab suggests content tailored just for you, such as trending blogs, staff picks, GIFs, quotes, chats, asks and more. Use it to discover new blogs to follow, like, share and reblog.
Sponsored Ads: You guessed it. Throw some ad dollars behind a post to target toward your desired audience.
Theme: The design of your Tumblr page. Choose from various free themes available, such as these, or design your own. The ability to customize your theme is what sets Tumblr apart from other platforms. For example, on Facebook and Twitter, you’re limited to changing the cover and profile photos, but Tumblr lets you fully customize your page. Take a look at the clean lines and eye-catching photos on Adidas’ page for inspiration.
Reddit Terms
What it is: The self-proclaimed Front Page of the Internet relies on user votes and includes a mixture of news, links, social commentary, content ratings and discussion. Reddit’s registered community members can submit text posts, photos, videos, direct links and other content, as well as ask for help or suggestions.
To get the most out of the site, be aware of the “Rediquette” you’ll need to follow, so you’ll get targeted traffic, your content will get “upvoted” to the top of the list, and you’ll avoid getting “downvoted” into oblivion. Also, there are lots of acronyms and terms to know, some of which I’ve included below. You can view a more comprehensive glossary here.
AMA: Ask me anything. Great for showcasing your expertise in a particular subject matter.
Cakeday: Your Reddit birthday, or the day you registered your account. A small cake icon next to your username lets other Redditors know it’s your cakeday so they can gift you with upvotes and well wishes.
CCW: Comments and criticism welcome. Be prepared for both the constructive and unconstructive!
DAE: Does anyone else. Use the acronym to locate other Redditors who share your opinion or viewpoint on a matter.
Downvote: Downvote things you dislike or disagree with, and work to avoid having your content downvoted by other Redditors. Successful downvotes are displayed in blue.
ELI5: Explain it like I’m 5. Ask questions for which you want the simplest, most straightforward responses!
[bctt tweet=”To get the most out of Reddit, be aware of the #Rediquette you’ll need to follow. #socialmediatips” username=”rallioHQ”]
OC: Original content, posted by an OP (see below).
OP: Original poster, the person who started a thread or comment.
Redditor: A frequent Reddit user.
Repost: Links that have been previously shared, a highly frowned-upon practice, as most people visit Reddit looking for original content (OC).
Subreddit: The small communities that comprise Reddit. They can be public or private, and they cover a variety of topics, from niche communities such as r/CatAdvice to broader topics such as r/Music. If you don’t find a niche appropriate to your product or service, you can start a subreddit of your own and invite others to join.
Upvote: Having your content upvoted means it shows up higher on the page. Successful upvotes are displayed in orange.
Username: The name associated with your Reddit account. Choose it wisely, as you cannot change it once you’ve registered it.
Do you use the platforms above? What are some other terms you think are important to know for these platforms in particular?
