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May 2019

4 Important Ways to Improve your Instagram Feed!

There’s just something about Instagram that we, as a society, can’t seem to get enough of. Even with that frustrating change to the algorithm, Instagram seems to be everyone’s favorite! There are a ton of tips out there on how to beat the algorithm but it’s even more important to have a profile that speaks to your ideal audience and potential clients. Below you’ll find 4 important ways to improve your Instagram Feed AND exactly how to implement them!

First, Build Your Brand:

As a designer, I cannot stress enough the importance of your brand! Your brand IS NOT simply your logo – it is the entire aesthetic of your business. When it comes to Instagram this includes everything from the images you post to the captions you write. This tells your audience who you are, what your brand stands for and the type of audience you want to appeal to.

Building your brand is all about finding colors, images, and words that speak to what your business is all about! When it comes to Instagram having cohesiveness is key! Let’s take a look at some examples of businesses whose branding is on point ?.

Brands WE LOVE on Instagram:

@shopbando – Bando the brand is Colorful, Fun, & Creative – Just like their products and their Instagram shows this off perfectly!

@getawayhouse- If their feed doesn’t literally make you want to GET AWAY… Idk what will! Their Instagram reflects their rentals with a darker edit, which reflects their cozy cabins perfectly!

We know coming up with what to post on Instagram can be hard and time-consuming. Last month Pop Digital Marketing developed a  30 Days of Instagram Content.  The blog became so popular that it had over 300 shares in the first hour!

Next, Update Your Bio:

You have up to 150 Characters for a bio about YOUR BRAND! One mistake I constantly come across concerns bios that talk more about the individual behind the brand as opposed to the brand itself. Consumers want to know about the products they can find in your shop or the services you offer above all else. I love that you have 2 rescue dogs but unfortunately, that isn’t going to teach me about your business.

This isn’t to say you shouldn’t tell us fun information about yourself, but prioritize what you are offering and then fill in the bio with other information. Below is a little “recipe” for developing the perfect Instagram business bio.

Instagram Bio Recipe

2-3 things you offer / i.e products, services, etc.

1 personal detail (if it fits in the characters)

+ Call to action such as a promotion or a special offer – something to really grab their attention and make them click that link!!

Using this little recipe your bio may look like this:

✿ Web Design, Social Media, + SEO Expert

✿ Wife to Jeff + Mommy of 2

15% off when you Subscribe ⇣

(LINK TO WHEREVER HERE)

Bios WE LOVE on Instagram:

@girlsnightinclub – GNI Tells us exactly what they are right away and if we join we can be apart of an online community with 150,000 women!

 

@theslowtraveler – Carolyn tells us what she does followed by where she is located AND tips we can find on her blog! Perfection!

 Then, Check Your Hashtags:

Hashtags can be tricky and there are so many places to start! The simplest way to begin is by using a hashtag Generator. Type in ONE keyword about your business then you will get results all around this one keyword!

Here is an example of results we got at Pop Digital Marketing with our Keyword being MARKETING:

 

You can choose to end your hashtag research here or you can take it one step further. The size, or the number of uses a hashtag has, can make or break your image in search.  I’d suggest taking some time to research the number of uses a hashtag has by plugging it into Instagram.

For example, the hashtag #marketingguru has 154k users so the odds of your image being seen rapidly decrease! However, Instagram now has a “related” option for hashtags and this is where the real research comes in! Click through until you find hashtags with a lower number of uses – any with 50k or less are perfect!

Finally, Captions:

Your captions should represent the tone of your brand while talking about related topics. Use your captions to discuss new services or products, promotions, milestones, or even interests that relate to what your brand is about!

Captions can be a great way to tie an image into your brand. Let’s be real, we can’t always have the perfect image and sometimes those flowers are just too perfect not to post. This is an ideal opportunity to use the caption to tie the image into your brand!

In the end, it really comes down to your brand, not only on Instagram but for your entire business. Instagram is a great way to market your business and I hope these tips help improve your Instagram feed and even more importantly help reel in your ideal audience and potential clients! If you have any questions or need help at any point in the process feel free to contact us here or shoot us an email at info@PopDigitalMarketing.com

How to use ‘Competitive Advantage First Language’ in your Marketing

The guidelines around how to develop effective messaging in your company’s ads have evolved considerably over the past 100 plus years. Fans of the TV show ‘Mad Men’ would be aware of the ad creation process in the 60s, which revolved heavily around storytelling via visual marketing collateral. And while that method is still well used, we now additionally rely on digital space advertising.

In the past, our ads drew on teasers, click-bait, and short descriptions in order to prompt prospects to click through to our product or service. As of the latest research, you have less than two seconds to grab the attention of a potential customer online – two seconds and they’re gone, they’ve already continued scrolling.

This means that the very first words a person sees on your posts, your ads and/or your website need to grab their attention immediately. One effective way to do this is by utilizing a competitive advantage first focused approach.

What is ‘competitive advantage first’ language’ marketing?

The competitive advantage first approach focuses on prioritizing your unique offerings, your differentiators in the very first copy of your ads – preferably at the beginning of the sentence.

If you’re unsure of what makes your company different, you’ll need to take a step back and do some hard research. Poll your current customers about what keeps them coming back, looks at what people are saying about your business in reviews, mentions on social, etc. What is it that comes up as the key defining feature that you want to be known for, and that others consistently refer to?

Why it works?

Very few businesses are entirely unique. There are likely hundreds or thousands of companies that do what you do, so you need to stand out to succeed. Catching the customer’s eye with your competitive advantage can be key to giving them a reason to click through.

Your secret sauce needs to be exactly what the customer needs, thinks he/she needs and/or doesn’t yet know they need yet. You are the answer to the question they’re asking.

Once you can adequately identify your competitive advantage, you can start working on the copy to place on your digital marketing campaigns. Your campaign language should visibly state how your service/product brings value.  If you only have those two initial seconds, it’s vital that the first words people see outline a value.

Remember to try and steer with positive adjectives, and to tailor each campaign to the audience you’re targeting.


Examples of Competitive Advantage First Language Ads:

Monday.com

This ad is a prime example of presenting its value to a select audience. Their Competitive Advantage? They’ve done research on their audience and know the demographics they are targeting respond to adjectives like “new generation”.  They lead with that claim.

Additionally, Monday.com claims to be the project management tool for Mac users.  Visually, they fill in their logo with the Mac brand colors to connect the two even further.

Allbirds.com

Allbirds successfully uses competitive advantage first language in this ad.  Look how they structure the ad copy under the video. Machine Washable is the biggest value and they placed that at the beginning of the sentence.  Normally it would be phrased, “When life gets dirty, you need machine washable shoes”.  But Allbirds took the value and restructured the sentence to grab the readers attention.


You can see how, by defining your key traits, you can boost your ad responsiveness. If there’s a key element you serve, it makes sense to highlight that in your copy – and with so little time to stop the scroll, you need to do so quickly.

 Need help with identifying your company’s Competitive Advantage? Let Pop Digital Marketing help you Get Discovered.