Author: Rallio

Video marketing is one of the largest untapped markets that’s ready for growth. According to Wyzowl research, video remains a key priority for marketers, and you can see why: The amount of video content watched has almost doubled since 2018. 

With more and more people watching videos, companies are responding to the demand, both with video content and video advertisements. This means that video marketing is now a must in business if you want to stay competitive. So with so much video content out there, how do you make yours stand out from the rest?

If video is still a mystery to you, you aren’t alone. While video marketing is not new, it’s only recently started to enter mainstream use in small-business marketing. And although we are seeing more and more videos on websites these days, many website owners don’t realize the importance of using video for their businesses. 

Make today the day that you tackle your video marketing by tapping into the following 4 trends, even if this feels like unfamiliar territory. With video marketing, you can cut through the noise online and reach your target audience with a major impact. 

1. Live Streaming

Live streaming is a great way to engage with your audience in real-time and show them who you really are. It’s candid and personal, allowing consumers to interact with your brand directly, ask questions, get answers about products or services, and acquire information right at the moment when they need it.

Unlike the static posts that used to dominate social media feeds, live video lets viewers interact with your broadcast through comments and reactions, and you can respond back. It’s an authentic and interactive experience that builds stronger communities.

And it goes beyond connecting with your audience: Live video is also an increasingly powerful tool for reaching new people. Facebook prioritizes live videos in newsfeeds so that publishers and creators have a better chance of getting their content discovered. 

And when you go live, the notification will alert your followers so that they have the option to tune in right away or later — this makes it easy for fans to join a broadcast at the perfect moment, just like tuning in to your favorite show. (You can learn more about how Facebook distributes video content in this link.)

2. Stories and Reels

In a similar way as live-streaming, Stories and Reels create a more personal connection with your brand, even if it’s not live. The difference is largely that these formats are meant to be more casual, showing snippets of your company’s life throughout the day. In addition, Stories can include both video and static content.

Stories also allow you to interact directly with your followers using the integrated features. You can ask questions, post polls, and ask customers to tag you in their own Stories to generate more engagement and reach.

Reels are more similar to what you would see on TikTok and, unlike Stories, do not disappear after 24 hours. Your Reels can live on your profile as a post indefinitely unless you choose to remove them — and you can also share your Reels to your own story.

Both Stories and Reels have their place, so don’t be afraid to mix things up. For a side-by-side comparison between Stories and Reels, click here.

Related: Top 5 Social Media Trends to Watch in 2022

3. The Link Between Video and SEO

Videos are an increasingly important part of SEO strategy. Inc.com reports that videos are 53 times more likely to generate a first-page ranking than traditional SEO techniques, according to a Forrester Research study. 

You know that a video is worth more than a thousand words, and the same goes for your SEO strategy. It’s not just because our attention spans have shrunk and we’d rather watch videos than read about something. It’s also because:

• Videos are more likely to be shared across social media platforms (which means more traffic)
• Videos build trust with your audience by putting a human face on your brand, increasing your page’s relevancy and “stickiness”
• Videos increase the likelihood that people will click through to your site after they find it in the search results (which helps improve your rank)
• Videos boost conversions, encouraging more people to take the action you want to take (such as making a purchase, downloading your content, joining your email list)
• Video is popular on mobile. InVideo reports that 92% of people who view videos on their mobile devices share them with others.

To make sure your video content is optimized for SEO, focus on the following three areas:

• Relevancy — Make your videos relevant for your audience by tapping into their needs. Answer their questions, entertain them, and educate them on topics of interest to them.
• Consistency — Frequent video content helps to boost your rankings and drive traffic to your site. Try for two or three times a week as a starting point. 
• Back-end optimization — Don’t forget your tags, keywords, thumbnail images, and other back-end technical optimizations. 

4. You Don’t Have to Be a Videographer

Video is accessible to just about any marketer with a decent smartphone. You don’t need to be able to write effectively or know how to put together a killer graphic design (though those are great skills to have, too). 

All you need is some equipment and maybe a script or two. Once you have those things, you just need to talk through your ideas. The rest takes care of itself.

Whether you’re a new brand or an established one, you can create compelling video content that will engage your audience and convert them into paying customers. No need for a long-form, expensive production; just take out your phone and start filming. 

In fact, many people who grow in popularity on social networks admit they knew nothing about video marketing before they got started. They simply had a story to tell and decided to share it, authentically.

Related: 4 Huge Reasons to Start Storytelling on Social Media

Start With a Video Marketing Strategy

Creating a strategy for your video marketing campaigns will help you stay on track and make sure all your videos work together as a cohesive whole, rather than feeling like a bunch of scattered and disconnected one-offs.

Your strategy should be built around your company’s goals, so if your goal is to increase sales of a particular product, make sure your videos focus on that product without coming across as promotional. Or if your goal is just to be more well-known in a particular market, maybe focus on creating entertaining or informative videos in that niche. 

Whatever it is you’re hoping to accomplish with video marketing, make sure each video you create works towards that goal.

One of the main concerns people have about video marketing is how much time and money it takes to produce just one quality video, let alone 10 or 20 or more. But there are lots of ways to keep costs low and production times quick without compromising on quality. 

The most important thing to keep in mind with video marketing is to keep it real and show your most authentic self. People will resonate with your content and keep coming back for more if you give them what they’re looking for.

Need help organizing and posting your video content? The Rallio platform is exactly what you need. With one login for all your platforms, you can stay on top of your video marketing.

Have you ever noticed that the most successful brands on social media tell stories? And we’re not talking about an occasional story — these businesses are built on storytelling. It’s in the way they sell their products, their ads, and even careers at their companies.

By way of example, look to @airbnb. 

Airbnb is a vacation rental company that “opens the door to interesting homes and experiences,” per their Instagram bio. They use their Instagram page to tell the stories of the people who stay in Airbnb homes, like this one:

“My goal has never been to work hard so that I can have a few vacations,” says business coach @deshapeacock. Her recent Mexican adventure included a solo retreat at this studio made for digital nomads who love the beach. When you’re on a work call here, try to resist the urge to flex by apologizing for the sound of waves crashing in the background.

Link in bio to improve your work/waves balance.

Photo 1: @deshapeacock

Stay and photos 2-8: @avenidabaja

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Airbnb (@airbnb)

If you’re someone who enjoys traveling and achieving “work/waves balance,” this is the kind of post that creates an emotional connection for you. You can picture yourself relaxing poolside and setting aside your worries.

To mirror this strategy and tap into your inner storyteller on social media, start with a basic understanding of what social media is and how storytelling can help you achieve more sales, without you actually asking for the sale. 

Why Storytelling?

Even though the goal of social media is company engagement and building a following, when it comes to sales, people don’t generally go to social media with the intent of making a purchase. They go there to, well, socialize. 

If you build a convincing narrative around your brand, however, you’re may be able to whisk away followers into your “story” and increase the chances of them taking the next step, which could be:

• Buying directly from the platform if you have a shop set up or link to buy
• Going to your website or a landing page to learn more
• Joining your email list, which you can use for re-marketing
• Downloading a freebie — again, joining your email list but with the added benefit of being able to nudge them further along in your funnel; that is, your freebie could be a lead magnet that pushes people to buy your higher-ticket items

The key thing to remember is the golden rule of social media: People use social platforms to share and read stories. When you start using storytelling on social media, people will become more engaged and also more likely to come back for more. Here are five reasons storytelling works so well on social media:

1. Stories Are Shareable

Even if someone likes your product or service, they might scroll past your posts if they’re uninteresting. But if they’ve invested in your story, they’ll be more likely to like, comment and share. They might even tag friends who could be interested in your product or service. 

Think about it: If a friend’s Instagram post is just a picture of them holding a coffee cup from a local coffee shop, would you find it interesting? But if she describes how comforting it was to have her usual coffee (with extra oat milk) at the start of a long day, you’re more likely to react to the post and comment on it.

Side note: Using influencers or employees as brand advocates can be a highly effective way to tell a story without “selling.” They do the work to promote your brand, and you benefit from extended reach and engagement.

2. Storytelling Builds Trust

When you tell stories about your company and its employees and customers, people will start to feel like they know you — which makes them more likely to trust you and buy from you. And if they share your stories with their friends and family? Even better!

You can also use stories to educate people about your values and mission. This establishes credibility and builds trust with your audience because they see what motivates you and what you care about. They’ll also feel like they know you better as a brand, which makes them more likely to buy from you.

Related: Content Marketing 101: Engage Your Audience With Great Storytelling

3. Stories Create Emotional Connections

Storytelling is an effective way for brands to engage their audience in a relatable way that feels authentic versus just selling products or services at every opportunity.

Good stories allow your readers to engage with your brand on an emotional level. 

Since stories are such an effective way to communicate with people individually, telling stories about your company lets people connect with your business emotionally, which makes them much more likely to make a purchase. Think about the Airbnb example above. It’s relatable and invites followers into a world where taking a break is not only acceptable but welcomed.

4. Great Stories Make Your Page Sticky

People can get bored scrolling through their feeds, and they might end up unfollowing accounts that don’t entertain them. That’s why storytelling is so important — it gives people a reason to keep up with you! The human brain is wired to enjoy narrative structure, which makes storytelling an easy way to get people interested in what you have to say.

By storytelling, too, you put the focus on your audience. When you tell a story, you’re relating to your audience in a very human way and connecting with them on a level that’s deeper than most advertising. This allows you to build trust and loyalty over time, rather than just trying to sell them something.

Stop Selling, Start Storytelling

Storytelling is an easy concept to internalize and apply. Anyone can tell a compelling story, and social media is the perfect platform on which to tell that story.

Now, as you start focusing on storytelling for your brand, think about what types of stories your customers would connect with. Then, try to produce and distribute those stories across social media platforms for your audience to check out. If done right, these stories could be the key component in propelling your brand to the next level.

Rallio’s platform and services make the job of storytelling much easier. With one dashboard, detailed analytics, and all your comments and reviews pulled into a single inbox, you’ll never have trouble keeping your narrative strong and attracting new followers. See rallio.com to learn more.

Trying to figure out how to market your business on social media?

You’re not alone.

In fact, you’re in good company. Even the biggest brands in the world are still trying to figure out how to navigate the world of social media marketing — and, we’ll be honest, they’ve got all the money in the world to throw at it. So if they’re still struggling to make a splash, what hope is there for us little businesses without an endless supply of cash?

We’ve been there. We know that feeling of staring at your computer screen and wondering where to start. There’s a lot of information flying around about what’s effective and what isn’t when it comes to how to market your business, so naturally it’s hard to know which advice is worth taking and which is just going to waste your time and resources.

So let’s de-complicate things a little bit. It turns out that most social media strategies have one key thing in common: they start with just a few platforms, and they dedicate time, money, and resources to them.

Social Media, Schmocial Media

If your kids (or friends’ kids) were to ask, you’re totally up on this whole “social media” thing, right? You’d just as soon ditch these platforms and go back to communicating with people over the phone or by email, the old-fashioned way. 

Those mediums have their place, and they shouldn’t be excluded when you’re trying to market your business. However, there is no ignoring the hundreds of thousands of people who use social media all day, every day. 

It’s kind of a big deal. 

But let’s be honest: Maybe you don’t really know what social media is or how to use it. That’s okay; there are plenty of people in business who aren’t familiar with the ins and outs of social media marketing. That’s precisely why they bring in experts who know what they’re doing.

Social media may look easy and fun, but it has a lot of moving parts that can make it more complicated than it looks. There’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn … and then there are the management platforms — do you need a platform? Is there one that makes more sense than the others? How do you decide?

There are also the ads: Do they have to be visually oriented? What kinds of things can they say? Do they have to say anything at all?

At Rallio, we’ve found that most people who manage their social media through our platform find it to be user-friendly, uncomplicated, and actually fun to use. There’s also the benefit of being able to have a single log-in for all platforms so you can schedule everything at the same time.

If you have multiple locations, like if you’re a franchisor or a master franchisee, Rallio helps you syndicate content to all of them. At the individual user level, you can get hyper-local and post your own photos and videos.

And if you really want to get an expert eye on things, you can work directly with one of our social strategists.

Learn more: ralliolocal.co

Get By With a Little Help From Your Social Media Friends

Regardless of what your business offers, there’s an active audience waiting to engage with your company and discover what it has to offer — but they can only do so if they find you!

If you’re a new business or just getting started with social media marketing, we know how daunting it can be to put yourself out there. We also know how powerful it can be when you find the right ways to market your business on social media.

Social media marketing is a time-consuming, never-ending task that many businesses simply don’t have the resources to take on. But social media marketing is so important! The question then becomes: how can we do this without spending all our waking hours posting imperfect selfies with vague captions?

Most of us know that there’s a lot more to social media marketing than just signing up for an account and posting dinner selfies. So let’s get started by looking at the top tips to help you jump in and get started.

• Decide on the platforms you want to use. We recommend starting with Facebook and Instagram, and you can always add in Twitter and LinkedIn as a secondary focus.
• Once you’ve chosen the platform that suits your company best, it’s time to start posting. Customer testimonials, team photos, how-to videos, and on-site imagery are great places to start. See this article for more content ideas. 
• Advertise. Most platforms have great tools for managers who are just starting out, so don’t be afraid to dive in! And if you feel like you’re in over your head or don’t have the time to manage your social media presence yourself, we’re here to help at Rallio.
• Make sure you know who you’re talking to. Define your audience so you can target your content and ads to them.
• Embrace user-generated content. People love to see themselves represented on the internet, and when they do, it makes them feel like a part of a community. A big part of great branding is creating that sense of community among your fans, so reposting user content is a great way to make everyone feel included — and it also cuts down on the time you have to spend creating new content yourself! The Rallio platform makes it easy to gather and use these assets on your social profiles.
• Try something new. We’re not saying change everything about your brand overnight, but don’t be afraid to try something different! Little tweaks can go a long way toward establishing an online presence that’s fresh and interesting.
• Be responsive! Your followers and customers expect you to get back to them quickly if they post comments, questions or reviews. With Rallio, you’ll have an inbox to pull in every comment, reaction, message and online review, so you never miss anything.

Finally, just get started. Create an account on the platform of your choice with a way for customers to contact your business through it. Then start posting content! Share pictures of satisfied customers with their product in hand or a blog post that fits well with your business’s mission statement.

With our help and our platform, you can begin to market your business and reach the people you want to reach. You don’t want to be the company that just posts pictures of their products and talks about how great they are — you want to be the company that inspires their customers and creates a community around their brand.

If you have lofty plans to purchase or grow a franchise location, it’s essential that you stick to habits and behaviors that have worked for successful owners like you. In this article, we discuss marketing habits in particular, although there are many other daily habits that can help you achieve your goals.

Keep in mind, there’s no magic formula for success in franchise marketing. When you find yourself on what seems like an endless path to get your business off the ground, it’s easy to feel lost, discouraged, or bored. This can lead to a lot of effort and floundering. 

This is why it’s essential to build good habits and stick to them. Take a look at the 7 marketing habits of successful franchise marketers below that will help you reach your goals faster.

1. They Know Their Target Market

One of the key ingredients to marketing is knowing your audience. If you’re not sure who is most likely to buy your products or services, how can you market to them effectively? 

Successful franchise business owners learn about their target market and use that knowledge to inform how they market their business. What do people in your target market like? How old are they? Where do they live? These are all questions that successful franchise business owners ask themselves when developing a marketing campaign.

2. They Build Relationships With Customers

Another important ingredient in marketing is building a relationship with customers. Marketing isn’t just about attracting new customers — it’s also about keeping the ones you already have happy and loyal. 

Successful franchise business owners know this, which is why they make an effort to stay connected with existing customers through email marketing, social media engagement, responses to customer reviews, and referral incentives.

Related: The Best 7 Social Media Tips for Small Businesses

3. They Take Full Advantage of the Franchise Brand

Successful franchise owners know that they can leverage their brand power by following the rules and guidelines that come with it. They make sure their signage is attractive and visible, they use the recommended color schemes in their décor, and they follow the operational procedures that are outlined in their manuals.

When it comes to online marketing, franchise businesses have a distinct advantage over independent businesses. Oftentimes, a franchisee can tap into the marketing budget of the franchisor, which is typically much larger than any one franchisee could afford. 

Additionally, the franchisor has already done extensive market research, identified the best audience for their product or service, and developed collateral pieces to help their franchisees advertise. Combined with local photos and videos, these assets give a franchisee the power of brand recognition coupled with authenticity and credibility.

4. They Constantly Monitor Their Competition

To remain competitive, you have to keep tabs on your competitors. You need to know how they represent themselves across multiple channels: in print, online and on social media, for example. This will help you identify opportunities for improvement within your own company.

In terms of social media advertising, you can also see how your competitors handle their ads on Facebook. Click over to their business profile, and then on Page Transparency, where you can snoop on what ads they’re running. Obviously, don’t copy their ads exactly, but you can get a general idea of how they’re reaching out to their audience (and hopefully do it better yourself with your own unique flair).

5. They Make Local Marketing a Priority

As a franchisee, you have the benefit of an established brand name to market your products or services, but you also have the challenge of building your own customer base and reputation within your community.

A successful franchise business owner will have their finger on the pulse of their local market. They will know all about their target audience and we will know exactly what appeals to them. They then match their local marketing to meet their audience where they are.

6. They Use Social Media

Just a decade ago, social media was a new frontier for franchise businesses. As the technology became more accessible and users became more familiar with how to use it, companies were able to leverage social media as a new way to engage with customers and capture their attention.

For many franchises, it’s become an essential part of the business for customer engagement and support. As we mention in this Franchise Business Review article: “Photos of their location, employees, customers and special events or promotions will help them build a local customer base and drive online and offline traffic. It will also help them put their best foot forward when looking to attract new hires.

7. They Embrace Technology to Automate Their Marketing

When you buy a franchise, you’re also buying the entire system. You’re buying the marketing, the products and services, and the branding. The best part about franchising is that owners have already figured out what works and what doesn’t.

The problem is that some franchise owners fail because they think they need to do everything themselves. They think they need to micromanage everything, and so they spend all their time on busy work instead of working on growing their business.

Successful franchisees automate as many business operations as possible, including many aspects of their marketing. This way, they can focus more time on building sales, improving product lines, marketing, branding, and other core functions of the business that only they can do. 

Franchise business owners are able to automate a lot of their marketing with the help of technology. For example, they can post content on social media that’s already been created by the company and then respond to any comments. They can create ads using proven templates and images and then tweak them with local information. They can make use of scheduling software like Rallio’s platform for social media management.

Marketing Habits Take Time

While these marketing habits take some time to build, eventually they’ll be so ingrained that you won’t even have to think about them. Focus on small steps you can take every day toward a greater return on your marketing investment.

If you’d like some help establishing your processes and getting your marketing habits in place, reach out to us via rallio.com. 

With the Lunar New Year currently in full swing, you may see your social media feeds filled with information about this important holiday. As people clean their homes, exchange red envelopes of good fortune, and usher in a new year of opportunity, now is a good time to clean up your social media pages and attract new business. First, let’s take a closer look at this holiday and the Lunar New Year animal that might influence your style of social media marketing.

Not only is Lunar New Year one of China’s biggest holidays, but it’s also celebrated in countries across Asia, including Taiwan, Vietnam, and South Korea. Also known as the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year, the holiday falls on a different day each year and typically lasts for 15 days. In addition, “each year in the Lunar calendar is represented by one of 12 zodiac animals included in the cycle of 12 stations or “signs” along the apparent path of the sun through the cosmos,” explains History.com.

Depending on your Lunar New Year animal, you might have different approaches to your social media marketing. Just for fun, we take a look at how your social media might play out based on your particular Lunar New Year animal. We all have something to learn from each of these animals in terms of making the most of your social media pages.

Rat

Birth years: 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020

Quick-witted and resourceful, the rat always replies to comments and questions in a timely manner. When someone posts a comment on the rat’s post, they respond within 24 hours, never leaving someone hanging. 

Negative online reviews? They’re kind and prompt, handling negative feedback with an eye toward resolving the problem quickly. They understand that addressing customer complaints directly impacts their bottom line: If customers see that you care about their needs, they’re more likely to buy from you.

Ox

Birth years: 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021

Stubborn and determined, the ox might have a harder time giving in if a customer wages a battle of words on social media via negative comments or reviews. Yet the ox is also patient and diligent, willing to resolve issues without losing their cool.

You can also count on the ox’s diligence in posting regularly on social media. A stickler for consistency, the ox is not likely to let more than a couple of days pass without posting on their pages.

Learn more: The Best 7 Social Media Tips for Small Businesses

Tiger

Birth years: 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022

As this is the year of the tiger, it’s the tiger’s time to shine. Brave, confident, competitive and maybe a tad bit arrogant, the tiger has a magnetic personality that they love to share on social media. Their strength is posting local content featuring selfies, team members, customers, behind-the-scenes snapshots, and videos about their business.

From time to time, the tiger may need to tame their idealism with a dose of reality. Local content is great, but they need to share the spotlight with employees if they want more people to know about their business. With employee advocacy, where employees post about their business on their own pages, they can make a bigger splash on social media.

Rabbit

Birth years: 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023

Kind, responsible and quiet, the rabbit never misses a deadline. They’re action-oriented and aren’t likely to talk their followers to death. They would rather spend their time creating elegant works of art to post on social media.

The rabbit is also slightly sensitive, and their feelings might get easily hurt if someone criticizes them on social media. By relying on trusted advisors, the rabbit will have an easier time of responding to their reviews and comments without getting emotional.

Dragon

Birth years: 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024

As you might guess, the dragon is confident and outspoken, never afraid to ask for shares, likes and comments. When they post something, they expect a response — and they might grow impatient and breathe fire if they don’t get engagement right away.

The dragon is also highly intelligent and knows when to enlist help to increase their following and engagement. They’re likely to shine when they combine their energetic personality with the advice of experts who can advise them on various ad targeting strategies.

Learn more: Meet the Social Media Platforms: A Quick Guide to Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter

Snake

Birth years: 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025

The snake is a wise soul, always calculating the next best move on social media. They love to look at analytics to see how their posts are performing, both organically and through paid ads. 

With a tendency toward anxiousness, the snake has to work on tempering expectations. They’d like immediate results, but they’re willing to listen to sage advice from experts who help define their social media marketing strategy and pivot when needed.

Horse

Birth years: 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026

The horse brings enough enthusiasm for everyone when it comes to social media posting. They shine when making videos, which give them an opportunity to show off their animated personality, comedic talents and energetic spirit.

Preferring to work independently, the horse may need some convincing to let others help with their social media strategy. As long as the horse has a place in the spotlight, they’re likely to welcome the input of others.

Goat

Birth years: 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027

If you’ve ever seen goat yoga, you can get an idea of the goat’s energy: calm, gentle, easygoing and ever cheerful. They can easily empathize with customers who post a question or a concern and are able to find creative solutions to problems.

The goat can be a bit disorganized and could benefit from a social media platform like Rallio to keep track of their posting schedule. With a calendar in front of them and the ability to post in a few clicks, the goat gravitates toward technology that makes life easier and keeps them calm as they go about their day.

Monkey

Birth years: 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028

The monkey is about as curious as you’d expect, always happy to get to know customers, ask questions and engage with followers. They’re sharp, smart and eternally positive, never losing hope that their social media marketing efforts will pay off in the long run. 

Sociable and entertaining, the monkey does well posting quick Reels and Stories that let them show off their fun personality. They thrive on engaging directly with followers and building awareness for their brand.

Learn more: 3 Big Reasons You Need Influencer Marketing

Rooster

Birth years: 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029

The rooster is fun to have around at parties, never afraid to walk up to someone and strike up a conversation — a trait that serves them well on social media. They’re adventurous and funny, and, like the monkey, they do well posting short-form videos that grab followers’ attention.

As much as they love the spotlight, the rooster is also observant of how their followers like to engage. They work hard to gain loyal customers by listening to their needs and delivering results.

Dog

Birth years: 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030

It’s no surprise that the dog is helpful, unselfish, trustworthy and helpful. As part of your social media marketing team, you can count on them to take care of everyday tasks like responding to comments and reviews, following up on leads, and boosting content for better reach.

The dog may grow timid in the face of conflict, requiring them to lean on experts when crafting responses to negative online reviews. Yet they never hold a grudge and quickly brush off any unsavory behavior from their followers. 

Pig

Birth years: 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031

The pig is incredibly generous, always willing to work overtime and stay diligent with their social media marketing. They care about their customers and enjoy engaging with them to build loyalty and establish customer relationships.

Smart and outgoing, the pig is a customer favorite. They’re someone you can rely on to get the job done and to do it well. 

Which Lunar New Year Animal Are You?

Your Lunar New Year Animal gives you a good idea of your individual social media marketing style, but it’s not set in stone. As you read through the traits of each Lunar New Animal above, keep in mind that each of them has something to offer. 

With Rallio’s platform and services, you can take your social media marketing to new levels. Contact us to learn more.

Social media can be a powerful tool, but it can also be overwhelming and confusing. As a franchise or small-business owner, you are inundated with social media tips and technology options. Which platform should you focus on? How do you get started? How the heck do you use Reels?

It’s enough to make many owners abandon social media marketing altogether. However, doing so will not allow you to reach your target audience effectively — and meanwhile, your competitors may be collecting followers like they’re going out of style.

Rather than throw in the towel, take advantage of the social media tips we have to offer in the article below. We’re here to demystify social media marketing and provide some clear, actionable steps you can take today.

1. Decide Which Platforms Make Sense for Your Business

Being on every platform isn’t realistic or necessary, so choose carefully and pick the ones that best align with your target customers, goals and budget. For example, if you’re trying to reach a younger generation, you might want to focus heavily on Instagram. On the other hand, if you’re looking to grow your email list or you have a physical store where you’re trying to attract customers, then you’ll want a presence on Google My Business and Facebook, too.

Focusing on just a couple of platforms helps you avoid getting overwhelmed with posting everywhere and trying to create content for too many platforms. It’s better to focus on the platforms where your customers spend the most time and do them really well — rather than spread yourself too thin and have your posts feel generic and lack engagement.

2. Know Your Platforms

Even if you’re active on multiple social media platforms, remember that they all have different users. The people who follow your business on Twitter are probably not the same people who follow it on Instagram or Facebook. 

As such, be sure to tailor your message for each platform. On Facebook, it might be fine to post a link over to one of your blog articles with a caption summarizing the article. On Instagram, you will need to post a photo with your caption and put the link in your bio if you want people to be able to tap the link. In other words, links are not clickable within Instagram captions.

Related: Meet the Social Media Platforms: A Quick Guide to Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter

3. Don’t Feel Like You Have to Post Every Day

It can be tempting to post something every day, but that’s not always the best course of action. If you’re short on time, maybe you post three to five excellent posts per week. 

Focus on quality over quantity; if you’re posting without aim or strategy, you’re just wasting your time. Instead, make sure anything you post is likely to bring in new customers and engage with existing ones.

4. Be Consistent

Consistency is key, too. Posting regularly keeps your page fresh and helps get your message out there more frequently. 

And if you’re worried about repeating yourself too much, focus on posting different types of content rather than different topics at the same frequency. For example, you could have a video post one day, a customer testimonial another day, and one more post featuring a product promotion or a closer look at your business behind the scenes. This way, your content will all feel unique.

5. Work on Engagement

Social media is a two-way street. You’ve got to give in order to get. If you’re not interacting with your audience, you’re missing out on chances to drive traffic back to your site and keep them engaged with your brand.

The best way to get attention on social media is by creating meaningful content and engaging with your followers — no matter how large or small they might be. The only way people will care about what you have to say is if they feel like you care about them first. Be responsive, helpful and entertaining. And don’t be overly promotional!

Other ways to increase engagement: 

• Have a quick call-to-action on each post that links back to your website or encourages users to take some sort of action.
• Consider running contests or sweepstakes through social media as a way to build followers and increase interest in your brand. Doing so allows you to collect names and email addresses from interested parties and increase traffic to your website or store.
• Curate and create localized content. Post real photos of your store, staff, customers and products. Give your audience a glimpse of your world with fun photos of your pets, family or community.

6. Don’t Focus Just on Numbers

The number of followers you have won’t mean much if they aren’t actually interested in what you’re doing and aren’t likely to purchase anything from you. While it’s important to grow your social media following, it’s what you do with your audience once they follow you that matters.

We’ve seen our clients have great success not just with engaging with their audience and following up on questions, comments and reviews, but also boosting their content for greater reach. This enables more of your posts to be seen by people outside your immediate follower base.

Related: 4 Big Reasons You Need Localized Social Media Content

7. Use Technology

Trying to manage your social media accounts using a spreadsheet or a few bookmark folders is practically impossible — and it might give you a giant headache.

Instead, use a social media management platform like Rallio to help with social media marketing. Our platform lets you schedule posts ahead of time, upload photos and videos into your own library, respond to reviews and inbox questions, and activate your employees as brand advocates. 

You’ll also be able to see reports on how your content is performing — so you can make sure you’re reaching the right audience, optimizing your posts, and creating the most engaging content. Best of all, you can keep everything organized in one place so you can work on your social media management in just a few minutes each day.

Make Your Content Stand Out With Our Social Media Tips

Social media is a great way to increase your brand awareness and help put your company in front of new customers. For small businesses, it’s also a good way to get your name out there. 

And while going social is something all small businesses would like to do, not all are prepared or even equipped for the challenges that come with it. It’s not as easy as just signing up for the major platforms; you have to know how best to use them. With our social media tips, award-winning technology, and automated services, you can start making the most of your social media presence.

If you’re like most business owners, you’re wondering what the next big social media trends will be. After all, everyone is looking for an edge in this changing marketing world. Are we going to see new social media platforms in the coming years, or will existing ones continue to expand? 

It’s likely a “yes” to both of those questions, but the key point to keep in mind is that you want to be where your customers are both now and in the future. With that in mind, here are some of the top social media trends that businesses need to know for 2022 and beyond.

#1 Outsourced Content Creation

Content creation — like, really good content creation — is time-consuming. And for the most part, it isn’t going away anytime soon. The most successful brands will outsource their content creation to freelancers, influencers and agencies.

As of now, you can hire social media influencers on platforms like Instagram to promote your brand, product or services. You can also utilize employee advocacy to convey your message authentically and connect with customers who trust influencer marketing over brand marketing.

In a nutshell, if businesses create valuable content that people engage with, they’ll have a better chance of making a sale down the line. If you aren’t able to create that type of engaging content yourself, you can do two things: 1) invest in content creation services and 2) invest in employee advocacy to get your team involved with influencer marketing. Rallio’s platform includes our Activate app to help organize and formalize your advocacy program.

Related: Mini Case Studies: 3 Powerful Ways Our Technology Boosts Brand Reputation

#2 Closed Groups

One big social media trend of 2022 is that open groups will become less popular as more people begin using closed groups. On Facebook, you can invite a select group of followers to join your private Facebook group on a topic of interest related to your business.

So let’s say you’re a personal trainer. You can create challenges throughout the year and ask your followers to invest in your online personal training program. Your Facebook group can then include only people who have opted into your program.

These more exclusive groups enable users to have more meaningful interactions and build stronger personal relationships with their friends, family and colleagues. You’re able to create small-group conversations and connect with your target audience on a personal level. It’s also a free, organic method of gaining more followers and driving traffic to your other online properties, such as your business page, your website or a landing page.

#3 All Things Video

You may have noticed that your social media feeds have become flooded with videos in the past several months. From Instagram to Facebook to TikTok and everything in between, videos are dominating these platforms, and it’s important that you get on board with the trend.

Businesses and advertisers love videos for their ability to engage viewers and convey information more quickly than a picture or text could. Video is an important social media trend for businesses of all sizes because it allows you to show off your brand’s personality. Including video in your ads can also improve your ad results.

If you’re new to making videos, don’t worry! All you need is your smartphone, good lighting, and maybe a tripod to keep your phone steady as you film. If all that sounds like too much, just stick with your smartphone — but if you want to get fancy, check out this article with some videography tips.

Related: Your Best Cheat Sheet on Instagram Reels for Business

#4 Instant Messaging and Chatbots

Instant messaging is already a huge presence in social, with platforms like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram direct messages ruling the roost. These messaging platforms give customers a direct line to your business if they have questions or need customer support. Therefore, it’s important that you have a system for checking these messages and responding to customers. 

You can also use platforms like Messenger to answer FAQ with automated responses, pre-screen job candidates, and help direct customers to the correct contact at your organization. If you need help setting up your automations, see this article from Facebook.

With chatbots, you can set these up on your website to handle customer inquiries in the same way, saving you time and effort while improving customer care. This way, as you drive traffic to your site from social, your chatbots can also step in to handle customers’ needs.

#5 Shifting Demographics

Every year, the average user age shifts slightly as more and more younger generations begin using social media and older generations adopt new habits on new or existing platforms. This means businesses will need to pay close attention to their social media strategies if they wish to engage with changing demographics and avoid being left behind by their competitors.

According to Pew Research, the social media user base has grown more representative of the broader population: “Young adults were among the earliest social media adopters and continue to use these sites at high levels, but usage by older adults has increased in recent years.” Pew adds that Facebook and YouTube are the most widely used platforms, with smaller shares of Americans using Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Additional research from HubSpot worth noting (see the link for more stats):

• The top way marketers find their audience on social media is by researching relevant online communities like Facebook Groups and subreddits
• Most marketers say short-form video content is the most popular content format for Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z
• Facebook has over 2 billion monthly active users; eMarketer predicts Instagram will have over 1 billion in 2022

Social Media Trends Evolve, and So Should You

The landscape of social media is always changing, and in 2022, the evolution will be in full swing. The better you’re able to keep up with social media trends, the more prepared you’ll be to take advantage of what each platform offers.

Need help making the most of these social media trends? Head over to rallio.com and contact us to learn more about how we can work together toward your goals.

In between sipping eggnog, exchanging white-elephant gifts and baking cookies, you still have to find time for posting local content if you’re a business owner. This time of year, as busy as it is for you personally, is also a prime opportunity to connect with your target audience. With local content, you can more easily reach the right customers at the right time and earn their business.

While the last few days of holiday shopping are upon us, you still have a chance to earn last-minute as well as after-Christmas and new-year business. In the spirit of the season, here are 12 days of local content ideas to ring in the new year on a positive (and profitable) note.

#1 Post Your Holiday Eats

What’s on your table or in your oven this holiday season? Everybody loves a good foodie post, so be sure to snap some photos of your holiday eats — even it it means taking photos of your catering order. With the latter, you can tag the local business where you purchased your holiday meal. 

Bonus tip: Add a recipe to your post to make it instantly more share-worthy.

#2 Give a Preview of Coming Attractions

What new products or services will you offer in the new year? Any plans to remodel your business, hire new staff, or open a second location?

You don’t have to give it all away in your post, but a sneak peek of things to come will get your followers excited and engaged. Even a simple progress photo or a glimpse of what’s to come is enough to spark conversation.

#3 Share a Historical Post

What were your most popular posts in 2021? Share a throwback photo to remind your followers of key highlights from the past year.

You could also share a “then and now” post if you have any photos showing the progression of a project over time, like an addition to your restaurant or the growth of a family puppy your followers know and love.

#4 Share Gratitude

A simple post expressing gratitude for your customers shows that you appreciate them. You could create a post on Canva.com saying “Thank you for supporting our business this year” and add a few emojis in the caption.

#5 Post a Testimonial

Also using Canva.com, create a testimonial post featuring a review from a customer. Alternatively, you could snap a photo of your customer and ask permission to post it along with their kind words.

#6 Get Your Employees Involved

Your employees are probably already snapping photos at work and posting them on social media. Why not incentivize them to post on your behalf? 

For example, hold an internal contest to see who can get the most likes and shares on a post that talks about your business. Reward the employee with a gift card to thank them for posting. If you need help tracking stats, Rallio’s Activate platform is the perfect tool for you.

Related: Quick Guide to Holiday Marketing on Social Media

#7 Hold a Giveaway

How about a New Year’s giveaway, such as a free product, discount or gift with purchase? Get the contest started during the last week of December. Ask your followers to like the post and tag a friend or three. Pick a random winner during the first week of January, and announced the winner on social media.

#8 Create a Holiday Greeting

Create a quick video with a “Happy Holidays” greeting from your team. Not only can you post it on social media, but you can send it out via email to your customers.

#9 Use Stories and Reels

With any post you create, you can share them to your Instagram Stories to increase reach. Consider also creating a holiday Reel with fun holiday music, filters and other features to make your post stand out.

#10 Offer a Freebie

If you’re planning to be open over the holidays, get more people in your location by offering a free gift with purchase. Post about it on social media to let your followers know when to come in for their freebie.

#11 Feature Your Neighborhood

Any businesses in your neighborhood with great decorations? Take some photos, post them, and tag the businesses in your post.

#12 Hold a Sale

Can you hold an after-Christmas or New Year’s flash sale? Let your followers know the details on social media!

Local Content Is King

Get set for another year of social media growth when you continually post local content on your pages. If you keep these local content ideas handy, you might just get inspired to come up with some ideas of your own.

If you need more help with your local content or you’d like us to take it off your plate completely, reach out to us at rallio.com.