Introducing Instagram's New Business Tools
Great news for businesses! Instagram, one of the world's most popular social media platforms, will start to roll out their new business account profiles in the coming months. These new profiles will make it easier for businesses to be contacted, view insights about their content and audience and reach new customers with accessible promotion and advertising tools.
Here at Melbourne Social Co we’ve rounded up some of the biggest changes:
Contact button:
One of the most practical changes of the new business profiles is the addition of a contact button, where consumers can directly call or email a business straight from the app.
This contact functionality also has a map, where consumers can get directions to store or office locations, eliminating the need to leave the app to search for directions. The new contact button will be clearly visible and placed next to the ‘follow’ button at the top of the account page.
Insights:
For the very first time, the new business accounts will give businesses access to vital insights about their followers, including who they are (gender, age, location) popular posts, impressions, reach and even website clicks. These insights are all accessible right from your mobile phone, which makes tracking statistics easy and simple to do.
Promote:
Not only can you view these insights straight from your phone, now you can promote your most popular posts to reach even more people! This is done directly from the app simply by picking a top performing post, choosing a 'call-to-action' button, selecting your audience, budget and duration.
Another great feature of the new Instagram business accounts is that you can also continue to monitor and view the insights of your promotions in an easy and straightforward way. To do this, click on your Instagram post, click the View Insights link and all the stats are ready for you to see and use.
Stories:
New to all Instagram users (not just businesses) is the 'Stories' feature. No need to worry about oversharing, with Instagram Stories, you can share as much as you want throughout the day. Instagram has also introduced new text and drawing tools, so it's time to get creative with your stories. The photos and videos will disappear after 24 hours and won’t appear on your profile grid or in feed.
Need help creating 'double tap' worthy imagery for your social media channels? Eye-catching images are key to engagement and success on Instagram, but do you have time to source and create beautiful images on a regular basis? Our creative team can take care of this for you!
Melbourne Social Co's Product Photography For Instagram Package:
As part of this service, your business will receive:
14 professionally styled product images per month. Our team will style, photograph and edit a series of product images for use on Instagram, (as well as Facebook, Pinterest and within blog posts.)
Together we will plan a look that will not only suit the aesthetic of your brand, but will push you in a new and exciting direction, showcasing your products in the best possible light.
Cost: $599 + GST per month
Want to get a feel for our style? Follow us on Instagram @melbournesocialco.
Need help managing your Instagram accounts on a daily basis? We can take care of that too.
Tailored specifically to your businesses needs and goals, our team are experts in social media strategy, content creation and audience engagement, and would be more than happy to discuss managing and building your Instagram profile on your behalf.
Contact us for more information – [email protected]
Product Photography For Instagram Package Terms and Conditions:
- These rates are only valid for clients who sign a 3 month booking with Melbourne Social Co. Month by month rates are available, please ask us about these
- Each booking will be specifically quoted after a consultation with the client
- The images created by our team will become the property of your business. We may share these on our website and social media channels from time to time, crediting your business. Please let us know if you don't want us to do so
Social Media Etiquette Basics
When using social media for your business there are some key rules to follow to ensure that you always represent your brand in the best way possible when interacting online.
Don't know your social media etiquette basics? Here are a few things to remember before you hit publish.
Fill out your online profiles completely:
There’s nothing worse than viewing a social media account with incomplete information about a business. Ensure you always include 'about us' info, a link to your website, contact information, and opening/closing hours if relevant.
Share information that is of value to your audience and always keep your target audience in mind:
When posting on social media, sometimes it can be easy to forget who you are actually talking to online. That’s why before you hit publish, it’s a good idea to ask yourself would my target audience be interested in this? Will this content be of value to them?
Don’t over share:
Finding time to post on social media when you don’t have a professional social media account manager can be hard and a lot of businesses fall into the trap of posting multiple things at once when they find a spare moment. This spams your audience, causing them to switch off from the content you are posting, or unfollow you. If you are having trouble finding time, or determining the perfect amount of posts to share on your social media accounts it’s best to chat to a professional social media manager who advise you on what might work best for your brand.
Check for spelling and grammatical errors:
It goes without saying! Plan your content in a word document or excel sheet beforehand to ensure you check for any mistakes.
Remember social media is public and permanent:
Before you post something for your business, remind yourself that there is the potential for everyone to see this content (including new clients or family members) so ensure it is respectful and professional and that it represents your business in the best way.
Communicate!
Social media is social after all right? Make sure you are active on social media throughout the day so you can respond to any messages or comments as they come. Fans (and potential customers) love it when you answer their questions or reply to their thoughts in a timely manner and it’s a great way to develop a two-way relationship with your customer.
Do you need help implementing the basic social media etiquette rules? Or are you struggling to find the time to manage your accounts professionally? Melbourne Social Co has an experienced team of digital marketers on hand to help your business stand out from the crowd online.
Get in touch today. [email protected]
Using PR To Grow Your Business
Public Relations is a vital component of any business communications strategy, as it helps to build brand awareness, develop lasting relationships with media, customers and key influencers and showcase your product or service in a new way.
By using a range of PR strategies including pitching for editorial coverage, hosting influencer events, sampling campaigns and distributing media kits, you can get your business ‘out there’ and in the minds of your target audience - leading to increased awareness for your brand.
Read on for 3 ways PR can help grow your business today:
Generate media coverage:
PR is a really great way to generate media coverage about your business and share your story to your target audience through high quality content.
From blogs, magazines, newspapers, TV and radio, the options are endless with ways journalists, bloggers and key influencers can promote your business in an engaging, refreshing and interesting way.
Recent studies have shown that PR is almost 90% more effective than traditional paid advertising, as consumers trust this form of media coverage as it comes from a third party source rather than the business itself.
Showcase your product in a different way:
Whether you choose to host a fun event or simply want to send out beautiful media packages (featuring your product and marketing material) to bloggers, journalists and more, PR gives you the opportunity to showcase your product or service in a new and creative way that helps you stand out from the crowd.
By stepping out of the box and getting creative with your PR strategies, you can increase brand awareness and develop lasting relationship with people that will help to grow your business.
Share your own story:
Perhaps one of the most powerful things about PR is that it gives your business a voice. Through the above-mentioned strategies like media coverage, media packages, events and a whole lot more – you have the chance to share your business story in a positive and respected way that people want to listen to.
By working with PR professionals like us here at Melbourne Social Co, we can help share the great things about your business to your target audience so your business can keep on growing!
Are you ready to use PR to grow and build your business? Get in touch with Melbourne Social Co today!
e: [email protected] – m: 0439 856 522