All Stories
I often have clients ask our agency if they can have just a basic social media package with only the feed – no highlights, stories, reels, or commenting. My response to this? There is no such thing.
Once you start down the “rabbit hole” of social media there is no such thing as basic. We generally have to say, “no” to these requests. You might get away with less on Facebook than you can on Instagram. Facebook is a simple content portal, but you still need to be responsive and comment on everyone’s questions. But this can often take hours each day. The fact is, nothing is simple in social media. You must provide creative content, not just shared posts, and you must be thoughtful and understand the audience for each post.
The following is an overview of what Instagram feeds are made of and the importance of the tools provided within the app.
Hashtags: Research Tracking Tool
There is a lot of confusion around hashtags; put simply, a hashtag is a tracker for your subject. Hashtags increase your visibility and are used as ‘keywords’ or ‘meta tags.’ Other users can find your hashtag and see common interests and quickly get to the point of your shared story, blog, post, etc. They provide a way of pulling various posts and stories together through categorizing the hashtags, another way of pulling a target audience – since specific users will be following or searching that hashtag that’s used. Hashtags offer a shortcut to researching. Top hashtags include: #love, #instagood, #fashion, #beautiful. At CMA we hashtag all our center’s taglines, events, signature programs, etc.
Stories: Call to Action—The Meat of the Metrics
Stories create interest, a sense of urgency and excitement to support your content. They help grow the audience and provide credibility. Stories should have a “call to action” and provide value. Once you start offering stories, your followers will begin to expect them, so consistency is important. Stories will enhance the feed and provide more success and optimization.
Highlights: Category Marketing & Recall Organizer
A page without highlights can leave followers feeling flat as they have no way to organize the feed. Highlights on Instagram provide a map of products, offers, new store openings, events, press releases and more.
Reels: The Traffic Driver for Organic Reach
Having a site without Reels is kind of like have a car without tires—Reels drive guests on your site to the Explore button—who doesn’t want that! Reels tell a story which drives loyalty and curiosity. Reels are way more than a cool way to attract Gen Z—Reels plant seeds for success and grow brands and find new followers. As with anything, the content must be easy to understand and tell a valuable story. Research has shown that Reels have become a key frontier for organic reach on the app. The more people you reach with your Reels, the higher your chances are that follower count and engagement rate will grow.
Commenting: Active Listening Creates Loyalty
Nothing is worse than feeling like you haven’t been heard. The first thing we do at CMA when we log on to work is check our feeds for comments. Trust me, there are always numerous comments, complaints, confusion, frustrations, and more. Can you imagine if those comments went unanswered? Businesses let that happen all the time. Commenting back ASAP is the most powerful tool we have on social media. It is also the reason our audience seldom drops off our feeds. It lets our guests know they are being heard and we care about them. It also opens them up for more commenting and idea sharing, which in the end allows for more engagement over the long run. Even if the comments are negative, they must be answered. You gain instant credibility. The faster you swallow your pride and answer with honesty, the faster you will regain respect. Always thank them for their comments and invite them to continue to support your brand.
In response to the clients who want a basic social plan, nothing is ever basic when it comes to sales and advertising; in fact, with the speed in which digital media moves, nobody can afford to be basic. You need to jump in with both feet, hands, toes, and fingers and claw your way to the top of the search engine every day.
So, we say no to basic. But that doesn’t mean our clients are good listeners.
“We say no to basic.”
Source: Hootsuite; Divirzer