 We are currently living in a mobility world. Take a look around the next time you’re at a bus stop, a train station, or walking down the street and you will see people tied to their mobile devices. And this use of mobile is no longer limited to personal use. We are increasingly conducting business on mobile devices as well. The first thing many people do each morning is jump on their phone to check email, the weather, or the latest news and many finish their days in the same way. In fact, most consumers spend almost 4 hours a day on their mobile devices. Smart Phone Marketing With mobile technology being a real contender for revenue generation and ad placement, marketers now have to consider mobile almost as a separate channel when planning their marketing mix. That means more than just rolling out a website to a mobile version. It means thinking of mobile as its own delivery platform, designed for a very different reason than the typical desktop centered web sites. As more platforms are designed from a mobile-first perspective, the way people interact with the platforms is undergoing a transformation. Actions taken on mobile are unique to mobile. This requires a new and unique marketing strategy and businesses have to understand and accept this new reality. Some companies have already started to work from a mobile-first perspective, recognizing the importance of the channel. So why don’t all brands just move more of their marketing and advertising dollars to mobile? Mobile Marketing Hurdles While over over 1/3rd of adults according to a recent study are using their smartphones often for business purposes outside of working hours, B2B businesses have not gone all-in on mobile advertising, and for good reason. There are certain challenges and considerations B2B companies have that their B2C counterparts don’t. To be truly efficient, the B2B marketers have to consider individual actions in the context of accounts they are targeting, which makes tracking and delivering content across devices a bit more complex. company, and then rolled up to an account level so marketers can see all activity within each target account. In addition to connecting individuals to accounts, marketers also have to deal with complications in tracking actions across devices. By connecting the individuals to an account identity, this allows B2B marketers to personalize ads and mobile content based on that account as well as track both online and offline actions these individuals are taking with a brand. How Mobility Marketing Can Win for You Although there are challenges, that’s no reason for B2B businesses to throw in the towel. With proper planning, B2B brands can experience success with mobile advertising and marketing. There are a few simple steps which, if taken, can increase the probability of success. First, invest in the data to look at accounts holistically. As mentioned above, tying individual actions to account-level activities is key. Second, employ campaign tracking that will tell you whether you are indeed reaching your intended accounts. Technology exists which allows you to see the anonymized individual and the business they represent as they are exposed to your ad or land on your website. Using this, you will be able to tell which people are viewing your ads and visiting your site to ensure the ads are reaching the intended audience. Finally, embrace some of the latest mobile trends and test them against your business goals to see if they generate the results you need. Mobility Marketing Trends Video advertising might be one of the easiest mobile tactics to test as it has been around longer than other trends. In addition, a recent Adweek survey found 88% growth year over year in time spent watching videos on a smartphone. Social feeds also offer a new mobile advertising medium for brands. With features such as Instagram’s “stories” and the “swipe up” attribute, brands have a new way to insert storytelling into their ads and engage customers within those stories to drive leads. Mobile-only social networks like Snapchat are also growing rapidly in popularity, and this is driving increases in time spent on mobile devices. Beyond general social advertising, in-app advertising could be key for your business. More than 80% of all mobile minutes are spent in apps, offering plenty of chances for your brand to get in front of the right customers. Whether you are a B2B company who is trying to reach customers within your key target accounts or a B2C business just trying to connect with consumers, marketers have to start embracing mobility as a mindset and designing campaigns and programs that take advantage of the unique connectivity and reach that mobile devices have to offer. -Roy Tags: #mobility, #advertising, #smartphones, #marketing, #b2bmarketing, #socialmedia
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 Does your business or brand need more "umph" from social media? In this day and age, who doesn't? Below are 5 resources that I found that will help you get more interaction and folks to perhaps become influencers for your brand. 1. Install a Facebook Customer Chatbot You know those customer chat widgets that pop up on the bottom of a website? You can take them to the next level with a Facebook Messenger website widget. It functions the same way as a normal website chat, but with an added bonus - every time a customer chats with you, they have to opt-in to Facebook Messenger communications. That means you can get contact information from them, and follow up with them down the road. Every time someone talks with you via site chat, you'll automatically gain a new Facebook Messenger contact, and that's a huge win. Upgrading your old customer chat to a Facebook Messenger customer chatbot is a great opportunity to pounce on. 2. Point to Your Social Media Accounts from Your Website Having social icons which link out to your various social profiles is an easy way to broadcast your social media presence to your website visitors. Ideally, you should add them prominently above the fold, so it's impossible for your visitors to miss them. 3. Make Your Content Easy to Share on Social Media Make it simple for users to share your content on social media. Add "Share This" buttons to any blog post, infographic, video, podcast, or any other engaging content you produce. When you make it easy to share your content on social media, people will be far more likely to do so. You can install a plug-in that adds share buttons on every page of your website, especially if you're using a CMS which supports it. 4. Enable Comments Enabling comments on your content enables users to interact with you directly from your site. The comments section of popular posts can host great discussions - just make sure your comment plug-in or widget has a way to automatically filter spam, so the comments section doesn't get overwhelmed with junk. 5. Make Sure Your Content Looks Good When Shared on Social There's an additional step beyond just buttons which enable users to share your content - you have to also make sure the content looks inviting, once a user goes to share it. Have you ever gone to share something on Facebook, only to find that the thumbnail or title was missing? Chances are you probably stopped in your tracks and didn't share it - that's why, as a digital marketer, it's so key that you take the time to ensure that when someone attempts to share your content, it looks like it's supposed to. Mark up the Open Graph tags with a super-clickable headline, and attention-grabbing image which fits the proper dimensions of each network. Always keep social traffic in mind, and stay up to date with the latest trends and shifts to maximize your opportunities. I hope these tips will get your business off and running and embrace better engagement with your social followers. -Roy Tags: #soicalmedia, #branding, #marketing, #engagements
 There's always some new social media app on the market, some rising platform or tool which is destined to become 'the next big thing'. Most end up falling short. Remember Vine' or 'Meerkat'? Some of these platforms are still going, but they've not gone on to become the Facebook challenging players they were once touted as. But TikTok feels different. Backed by Chinese corporation ByteDance, TikTok is growing fast, despite being similar in style to the various Stories tools already on the market. Filling a void left by the disappointment of Vine, TikTok is not only providing an alternative outlet for creative expression, but it's also rolling out features in the US market that it's been able to try out among its large Chinese user base first, giving it a solid testing ground. And it may well become the next big social platform - but will it also develop into a relevant consideration for brands? Rapid Growth Seemingly overnight, TikTok became the social app of the moment late last year. Everywhere you looked, people were posting clips from TikTok, mentions of the app were rising online. Just as Snapchat had done previously, TikTok became the app that you had to see, that people had to share with their friends. That momentum is reflected in the download stats - according to Sensor Tower, TikTok has now been downloaded over a billion times, with 663 million of those downloads coming in 2018. By comparison, Instagram, currently the fastest growing social app, saw 444 million new downloads in 2018. TikTok is now actually growing with greater momentum than the Facebook-owned image platform. More than that, Sensor Tower's figures don't include installs from China, so the total download figures for TikTok are actually likely far higher than this. TikTok has gone from strength to strength, particularly in the US market, where it now has more than 26 million monthly active users, who are spending, on average, 46 minutes per day in the app. You can see why social analysts are paying attention to TikTok's rise. The company is already looking to monetize, using its experience in the Chinese market to launch its first ad offerings. And brands are no doubt paying attention. TikTok has already started testing ads in the US, with GrubHub being among the first to try out the platform's launch screen ad units.If you have tried the app,the ads dominate the full-screen of the app, and open within the initial app launch flow, not within the regular usage process. TikTok is still experimenting with the best ad options. TikTok isn't starting from the same base as other new players in the social landscape, it already has an ad infrastructure and plan. With the app's experience in the Chinese market, which is, of course, very different, the app is starting from an advanced position, which could see it capitalize on its revenue opportunities faster. Tik-Tok is not without it's controversy. Even with it's introduction of tools designed to keep users safe from harassment and misuse, problems have risen for the GenX users. Tik-Tok just got slapped with a multimillion dollar fine from the US FTA. The app company has agreed to pay $5.7 million to settle allegations that it illegally collected personal information from children under the age of 13, such as names, email addresses and their location. The US Federal Trade Commission said in a statement recently that the TikTok fine is a record for a child privacy case. The FTC said its investigation of Musical.ly had "uncovered disturbing practices, including collecting and exposing the location" of young children. Despite receiving thousands of complaints from parents, the company failed to comply with requests to delete information about underage children and held onto it longer than necessary, according to the commission. TikTok has already launched an option to filter out comments by keyword, and offers a range of controls over profile and content privacy, including the ability to define who can comment on your videos, who can 'duet' with your content and a setting to enable/disable downloads. In addition to this, TikTok has also recently launched a new video series to help educate users on how to ensure safety within the app. TikTok is different, that it's more advanced than others have been. Of course, it may well be recency bias, it may feel like TikTok has more capacity for expansion because it's the platform of the moment. But it may well be worth watching TikTok's growth. As noted, it remains to be seen whether users will welcome ads within the app, or if TikTok can maintain it's growth momentum and reach levels achieved by, say, Snapchat. But indications, at this stage, are positive - and if TikTok can grow, and expand its market appeal, it could become a more relevant consideration, and attract ad spend for those looking to connect with younger markets. Tags: #ticktok, #socialmedia, #video, #digitalvideo, #apps, #mobility
 Evergreen content will always be an important part of content marketing. However, relying too heavily on evergreen to drive engagement is not going to be the most effective strategy for marketers going forward. Today’s consumers expect content that’s live, on-demand and hyper-relevant. A recent article I found in Adweek had some great information about digital video. For marketers, I think you will find some of these stats informative. If you’re a forward-thinking brand, you’re probably already considering how to make your content strategy more compelling, concise and addictive. And if the trends are telling us anything, it’s that video is on the rise—from vertical video on social media, to using video for storytelling in micro-moments and geo-located video discovery and sharing. Vertical video on the rise In 2019, video will make up over 80% of internet traffic and, not surprisingly, two out of three marketers expect video to make up the majority of their content in the near future. In the mobile-first world, vertical video rules the day and is only expected to keep growing. Today, 94 percent of people hold their phones upright when capturing content on their smartphones. Billions of Snapchat, Instagram, IGTV and Tik-Tok video stories are created worldwide every year, nearly all shot vertically. It makes sense that we’re seeing major brands across categories move to embrace the vertical video format. Even Facebook is seeing the vertical video light, with a recent upgrade to its default video orientation. In fact, last year, Facebook recently tested the “larger rendering” of vertical video in their news feed on mobile and discovered that not only did people like the larger view, they watch longer—and with the sound on. Live video is taking off, as well: According to Facebook, live videos have six-times the engagement as non-live videos. We’re already seeing more live vertical video on mobile-first platforms like Snapchat and Instagram. Moving forward, we might see even more savvy brands experimenting with live streams across mobile, social and digital mediums. Storytelling in micro-moments It’s not enough anymore for brands to create good content. To stand out in a sea of millions of stories, brands need to also tell stories in shorter increments, with bite-sized videos. Our time is even more fragmented online. Instead of spending hours online surfing the web and social media, people explore the digital world in short bursts, from mobile devices. And those micro-moments—moments when people go online looking for recommendations for what to do, where to go, what to buy—are opportunities to connect through storytelling. People love brands that aren’t afraid to let people in. That’s why the most popular videos on Snapchat and Instagram Stories have a more edgy, intimate feel. They capture human experiences. T-Mobile USA CEO John Legere’s Slow Cooker Sunday is a great example of how authentic storytelling can put a human face on a big brand and connect with people in real-time. In the coming years, we’ll continue to see investment by brands in live, ephemeral and localized content for Snapchat and Instagram Stories. Geo-located video discovery and sharing As a longtime partner of Snapchat, the company Tagboard has worked with dozens of professional and college teams across the U.S. They put Snapchat statics from fans on the big video displays in these stadiums. You probably saw a recent example of this if you went to this year’s college playoff games recently. The power of Snapchat’s “Snap Maps” is undeniable. You share your location for snaps, which then appears to friends on a map and updates when you open the application again. Even today, Facebook is improving it “Go Live” platform and YouTube is beefing up it’s Director Mixer for Brands to deploy their videos. With stronger location and metadata, marketers now have information to deliver content that is much more relevant. Summary Ultimately, successful storytelling and content starts with being human and connecting—having a two-way conversation. Live content, especially when it’s hyper-relevant and local, provides brands with an incredible opportunity to create a fast-track memory shortcut, building real relationships with consumers and brand affinity with people directly in their community -Roy Tags: #digital video, #video, #social media, #video streaming
 Social media marketing has become a challenging “game” for Businesses, both large and small. Getting your brand out there in the cyber world is getting tough. Despite social being more relevant than ever, organic reach isn’t just dropping, it’s plummeting. That makes things difficult for brands that are prioritizing native content over paid ads to reach their audience. In spite of the fact that social platforms are making it difficult to reach your target audience organically, people are still inundated with an overwhelming amount of branded content. There’s a lot of noise out there. The only way to take advantage of the reach you do have is to create social media content that really makes an impact. Here are four tips I found that are useful to make your content resonate on social. 1. Be ready to respond to breaking news quickly This is where being on top of things that are relevant to your audience can really help. If you’re the first to share breaking new, or to leverage a trending hashtag, you’re going to get the attention and engagement that latecomers are not. To do this, subscribe to relevant news feeds. Set your Google Alerts for topics that are relevant to your audience, and be otherwise actively on the lookout for news and events that are of concern. 2. Initiate a conversation Try to think of your social platform as a conference table sharing ideas and not as a podium where you are the one throwing out topics. A poll is a great tool for seeding a conversation. Not only will people answer the question you’ve posed, they’ll also engage with you and one another over the topic you’ve chosen. Your job is to find a topic that really sparks interest, then be an active participant in that conversation. 3. Add more emotion to your posts Emotional content gets a reaction. It earns shares and comments. Think about it. What is more likely to make you share something than a post that makes you laugh out loud, that brings tears to your eyes, or that motivates you to take action. When you only have a couple seconds of the viewers’ attention, this connection can make all the difference. Not only is emotional content compelling to a viewer - it’s also extremely sharable. Before you can expect loyalty, you have to tap into what is important for your audience and establish an emotional bond.” To use emotion in your social posts you can: · Engage in storytelling. · Share your human side. · Use the right visuals, text and music to paint an emotional picture. · Encourage your audience to share their stories as well. · Use Live Video Using live video will increase your organic reach. No question about it. It’s one area that doesn’t seem to be nearly as impacted by the downturn of unpaid social reach. Live video draws people in. It makes them feel as if they are a part of something important, and it encourages them to participate. Use live video at events, to share behind the scenes content, or simply to give live updates on topics that you think will interest your audience. Remember that great hosting is really important. Recruit someone who is outgoing and has a great camera presence. Your social media posts are probably reaching fewer people than ever. The only way to combat this is to ensure that your reach goes as deep as possible. Accomplish this goal by using these tips to create content that makes an impact. -Roy #Tags: #socialmedia, #marketing, #content, #engagement, #socialplatforms, #advertising, #businessmarketing
 Using YouTube For Your Business Videos Business owners large and small need the engagement of video in today's marketing world. YouTube is a great platform to showcase your business. But what do I put on the platform? What works? What can I afford and not afford? Here are some good YouTube tips to get that marketing video produced and working for your brand. Testimonials These types of videos have a great impact but you need to be careful. Stay away from just having a talking head in the video. It is best if you can show a customer using your product while they talk about it. Store Tours These are made better when you can get the owner to provide helpful tips along the way about the goods and services. The added personal touch builds engagement. Reviews Everyone likes customer reviews. They are a lot like the client testimonial versions but you need to make them more realistic. Get opinions on the street to make them even more authentic. Demonstrations You need to understand the problem you are solving for the prospect here. Using a “day in the life” series of demos gets them to relate. Seeing your product or service in real time and in action helps build customer trust and interaction. Unboxing Videos These are one of the latest ways to engage your audience. People love to watch someone else unwrap something new and these are a great vehicle for influencer marketing. How to Videos It is very important to be specific with these ones so you will attract the right target market to your video. For example, “How to Use This Screwdriver” will not be as effective as “How to Use This Screwdriver on Drywall.” Shopping Sprees Not only are these one of the most popular kinds of YouTube videos, but they work well with small business products if you can find an influencer who will highlight your goods. An Introduction to Your Business This works especially well if you are a sole proprietor in a service industry like accounting. These also work best when they are not overly scripted. Explainer Videos Using animation or entertaining videos is great for explainer videos. These are a popular way for your small business to explain what they do because they are fun. Offers If you use the right keywords (hash tags #) in the description, you can get people flocking to these types of videos. Limited time promotions are one of the best versions to use. Remember to put the URL in your description. Behind the Scenes Videos These really foster engagement. People love when they get to peek behind the curtain and see what goes on when folks are relaxed in a work setting. These are great for personalizing your business and giving it a face. Live Webcasts If you are really confident in the way things are running at your business, you can go live with a behind the scenes video. Promoting these for certain times and dates when you know your target market is online requires a little research that pays off. A Series of Video Tips These do well because they position you as an expert and put a face to what you’ve got to sell. Remember a constant stream of content works best. Interviews These are a little different than testimonials. They can be in a newsy style with the interviewer off camera for an added touch. Asking folks on the street in front of your store what they think about your goods and services works. Do not forget to include a call to action in your description. Think of those info commercials you watch on TV Webinars These are generally high value and they do not cost a lot. Creating a slide show to add to the mix is a good idea. You can go live with one of these on YouTube so you will need to be looking for energetic presenters. Narrated PowerPoints These are simple and visual. Two of the cornerstones of making a great sale. Just put one of these presentations together, talk over the visual and upload it. Educational Videos These are popular for small business owners that want to stress their expertise. If you can fill a room of interested people, these are even more popular and credible when you present from the front. Comparison Videos Comparing your product or service to your competition or other brand works when done truthfully and without malice or put-downs. You might be tempted to get long winded here but seriously, do not do it. The small business videos that get the best responses are three minutes or under. Remember to be honest and tactful when doing these types of videos. Staff Videos YouTube Analytics is a great tool that will tell you how these are going over with your target market. Having your staff talk about why they like working in your shop makes for a feel-good video that attracts clients. Corporate Videos Production value matters here. When your business is at this level, you should be looking at hiring professionals. Do not rush into these. A carefully designed plan works best. If you are a medium to large company, viewers will expect to see a polished video since in their fame of mind, you can afford to do so if you are up in that level of success with your business. You will want your video to have a the very minimum, great music, graphics, lighting, a good voice-over artist and storyboarding to sell your brand here. Good luck! -Roy Tags: #youtube, #smallbusiness, #video, #videoproduction, #socialmedia, #digitalvideo, #fdmcdigitalmedia
 Ahh the perils of Twitter’s Periscope platform. Yes, it is still hanging around. With Facebook’s “Live” coming on strong and YouTube upping its Live Streaming platform, Twitter's Periscope, which was one of the first to jump onto the live-streaming wave, has become an afterthought for many. Once seen as the leading live platform, Periscope has lost it’s leverage among video users. Even in the eyes of Twitter itself, which now offers direct streaming through its Twitter app platform without going directly to Periscope, realizes it is playing catch-up again. But Periscope is still in going - despite various content and platform issues, the Periscope team continues to roll out new updates and changes. And this week, they've added a highly requested feature - though it may not function exactly as you hoped for. But I digress. Now, you can add live guests to your Periscope streams - though they will only be able to contribute with audio only at this time, as opposed to seeing them in split video screen. guest avatars will appear on screen, and they'll be able to speak during the broadcast. As explained by Periscope on their site: To add extra broadcasters to your Periscope stream, you first need to tap on the 'two faces' icon in the pre-broadcast process, which will enable you to invite guests during your stream. "Viewers can then ask to join, and the broadcaster can choose to accept their requests and add them as guests. The broadcaster and viewers can tap on any guest’s avatar to make it appear biggest on their screen." Periscope does note that it's looking to add video sharing too in the near future, but right now, it's just the audio. Which offers an additional consideration for your Periscope streams, even if it is a little behind the other platforms. Is that good sign for Periscope? As noted, it's largely been superseded by other live-stream platforms, and it's seemingly become less of a priority. Does the platform's inability to innovate at the same level as others in the market point to broader issues? It's hard to say, and because Periscope hasn't revealed actual usage numbers in a long time, it's hard to know whether a significant amount of people is still actively engaging on the platform. But you'd think they must be - you'd assume that, for Twitter to still be investing in the platform, it must see something we don’t by keeping the app going. Either way, if you are using Periscope, it's another option to keep in mind. -Roy Tags: #periscope, #social media, #Twitter, #live streamingAhh the perils of Twitter’s Periscope platform. Yes, it is still hanging around. With Facebook’s “Live” coming on strong and YouTube upping its Live Streaming platform, Twitter's Periscope, which was one of the first to jump onto the live-streaming wave, has become an afterthought for many. Once seen as the leading live platform, Periscope has lost it’s leverage among video users. Even in the eyes of Twitter itself, which now offers direct streaming through its Twitter app platform without going directly to Periscope, realizes it is playing catch-up again. But Periscope is still in going - despite various content and platform issues, the Periscope team continues to roll out new updates and changes. And this week, they've added a highly requested feature - though it may not function exactly as you hoped for. But I digress. Now, you can add live guests to your Periscope streams - though they will only be able to contribute with audio only at this time, as opposed to seeing them in split video screen. guest avatars will appear on screen, and they'll be able to speak during the broadcast. As explained by Periscope on their site: To add extra broadcasters to your Periscope stream, you first need to tap on the 'two faces' icon in the pre-broadcast process, which will enable you to invite guests during your stream. "Viewers can then ask to join, and the broadcaster can choose to accept their requests and add them as guests. The broadcaster and viewers can tap on any guest’s avatar to make it appear biggest on their screen." Periscope does note that it's looking to add video sharing too in the near future, but right now, it's just the audio. Which offers an additional consideration for your Periscope streams, even if it is a little behind the other platforms. Is that good sign for Periscope? As noted, it's largely been superseded by other live-stream platforms, and it's seemingly become less of a priority. Does the platform's inability to innovate at the same level as others in the market point to broader issues? It's hard to say, and because Periscope hasn't revealed actual usage numbers in a long time, it's hard to know whether a significant amount of people is still actively engaging on the platform. But you'd think they must be - you'd assume that, for Twitter to still be investing in the platform, it must see something we don’t by keeping the app going. Either way, if you are using Periscope, it's another option to keep in mind.Ahh the perils of Twitter’s Periscope platform. Yes, it is still hanging around. With Facebook’s “Live” coming on strong and YouTube upping its Live Streaming platform, Twitter's Periscope, which was one of the first to jump onto the live-streaming wave, has become an afterthought for many. Once seen as the leading live platform, Periscope has lost it’s leverage among video users. Even in the eyes of Twitter itself, which now offers direct streaming through its Twitter app platform without going directly to Periscope, realizes it is playing catch-up again. But Periscope is still in going - despite various content and platform issues, the Periscope team continues to roll out new updates and changes. And this week, they've added a highly requested feature - though it may not function exactly as you hoped for. But I digress. Now, you can add live guests to your Periscope streams - though they will only be able to contribute with audio only at this time, as opposed to seeing them in split video screen. guest avatars will appear on screen, and they'll be able to speak during the broadcast. As explained by Periscope on their site: To add extra broadcasters to your Periscope stream, you first need to tap on the 'two faces' icon in the pre-broadcast process, which will enable you to invite guests during your stream. "Viewers can then ask to join, and the broadcaster can choose to accept their requests and add them as guests. The broadcaster and viewers can tap on any guest’s avatar to make it appear biggest on their screen." Periscope does note that it's looking to add video sharing too in the near future, but right now, it's just the audio. Which offers an additional consideration for your Periscope streams, even if it is a little behind the other platforms. Is that good sign for Periscope? As noted, it's largely been superseded by other live-stream platforms, and it's seemingly become less of a priority. Does the platform's inability to innovate at the same level as others in the market point to broader issues? It's hard to say, and because Periscope hasn't revealed actual usage numbers in a long time, it's hard to know whether a significant amount of people is still actively engaging on the platform. But you'd think they must be - you'd assume that, for Twitter to still be investing in the platform, it must see something we don’t by keeping the app going. Either way, if you are using Periscope, it's another option to keep in mind.  Instagram. I have done numerous articles on Instagram and no, they or Facebook who owns it does not pay me anything to do so. It is just a cool app that thousands of others beside myself, are using to reach today’s hungry mobile market. Why? Because Instagram is today’s powerhouse social media site for consumer businesses. And if you give customers an inviting way to post to Instagram, they'll advertise your business for free. Millennials love Instagram as well as the upper tier Gen X. That my friend is your key demographics. So how can you get your small business to gather followers and engagement on Instagram and, ideally, increase sales and most of all, followers and influencers. Here are some tips I found that you really have to try. 1. Paint a wall or portion of a wall a bright, clean color that "pops." on Instagram. 2. Create an enticing design on a wall. Something that you know will pop. 3. Create an Instagram “booth” with a cool background and good lighting for close-ups. 4. Make sure your @CompanyName is painted or printed on everything you create as an Instagram background. 5. Put a “stand here” indicator such as put footprints on the floor to make sure people don’t cover your name in the photos. 6. Invent an “Instagram pic of the day” with a suggestion of something visual and invite customers to take a photo and tag your business. Making your company Instagram-worthy is harder for small businesses without physical locations. But some of the items mentioned above can still work for your home-based business or consulting. Just keep in mind who your client-customer base is. You can do these things below yourself if your home does not have the space. 1. Create a template for your posts – using the same colors and fonts so you become quickly recognizable. 2. Use inspiring quotes and messages – people like to feel good! 3. Create (good clean) fun posts that give followers a lift. 4. Make your photos as beautiful as possible. Us those #hashtags!! 5. Make your posts pretty using a tool like Canva or Over or Adobe Photoshop Express. 6. Use Instagram Stories to show followers a “behind-the-scenes” look at your business. 7. Post multiple pics to make viewers swipe, which increases engagement! -Roy Tags: #instagram, #branding, #marketing, #social media, #apps, #mobility
 Late last month, Instagram quietly updated its structure to include direct scheduling of videos. Yea, about time! No more trying to plan things out and download via your smartphone or off a third-party app. Like direct photo scheduling, the video scheduling API is only available to Instagram Marketing Partners via the Content Publishing API beta program. Most major social media management apps (Buffer, Hootsuite, Social Report, etc) are a part of this program, so you can expect your social media management app of choice to support the feature soon. Additionally, like Instagram photo scheduling, only Instagram Business Profiles have access to direct video scheduling via social media apps. The process of moving to a Business Profile is easy though, and simply requires you to link a Facebook Page to your Instagram profile which we at FDMC Digital Media have done. There are some pretty hefty guidelines we found from Instagram so here they are.
Most of these limitations will be automatically implemented by the social media scheduling apps that choose to support direct video scheduling. Additionally, the time limit and file size are the same as the standard Instagram video upload limit. While it’s safe to say that other major social media management tools will introduce the feature soon (the feature is currently “in progress” on Buffer’s Trello board), none of them have announced formal release dates. Until then, their users will have to continue using the smartphone workaround. This is huge news for social media managers and agencies It’s safe to say that direct Instagram video scheduling will change the game for social media agencies and in-house marketing teams. Having to manually schedule videos to Instagram makes it near impossible to schedule videos at odd-hours or on weekends, but automation will soon change that. Now all Instagram needs to do is open multi-image posting via its API, and social media managers will never need to touch the Instagram mobile app again (for posting, at least). Only time will tell. -Roy Tags: #instagram, #videos, #social media, #marketing #advertising, #digital media
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