Mediastreet
Tag

Instagram

Browsing
In News

How to Grow Your Business Using IGTV Marketing

No Comments

By

Looking for a guide to grow your business with IGTV marketing?

Instagram TV (IGTV) can be used by brands to boost their businesses even during the outbreak of COVID-19.

Corporate sales have plunged in the world but there are still chances for your brand to survive. This is easier by using social networks’ marketing features just like IGTV.

Video-sharing platforms are on the rise and almost all social platforms have the ability to share your videos as posts and stories.

In this post, I’m going to introduce IGTV’s usefulness for brands and the ways you can use it to grow your business.

This is particularly useful for the current financial recession we’re suffering in the wake of the coronavirus.

First, it’s good to look at top social media apps/sites/features related to videos to know how different IGTV is. Here are several important video-sharing features on different social networks:

YouTube: The #1 video-sharing platform

YouTube is certainly the top social platform for sharing videos. With up to a whopping 2 billion monthly users, YouTube can provide the greatest audience reach for your video content.

Almost all queries in Google will have several results from YouTube pages. This has made YouTube a great opportunity for video marketing.

This is why many brands try to share their branded videos on YouTube. Learning and entertaining can also be easily provided using both the site and app of YouTube

YouTube video specs

  • Recommended dimensions: 426 x 240 (240p), 640 x 360 (360p), 854 x 480 (480p), 1280 x 720 (720p), 1920 x 1080 (1080p), 2560 x 1440 (1440p) and 3840 x 2160 (2160p)
  • Video length: up to 15 minutes
  • Aspect ratio: 16:9 (auto adds pillar boxing if 4:3)

It should be noted that you can request for longer video length limitation and wait for YouTube confirmation.

YouTube the number one streaming platform IGTV

TikTok: Fastest-growing video-sharing app

TikTok is a Chinese video-sharing service that has recently hit one of the highest installation rates among social networks.

TikTok has almost 800 million active users and a great majority of them are Gen Z. So it’s the best opportunity for drawing the attention of teenagers.

TikTok video specs

  • File size: up to 287.6MB for iOS users and 72MB for Android users
  • Video length: up to 15 seconds
  • Video dimensions: 1080 x 1920
  • Recommended aspect ratios: 9:16, 1:1, or 16:9

TikTok’s video-sharing feature is now accessible only using smartphones, although its web page will show some popular videos.

TikTok the fastest-growing video-sharing app IGTV

Check out this post if you’re looking for the best TikTok tools.

Facebook: The #1 social media platform

Facebook is undoubtedly the largest social media service with around 2.5 billion users from across the world.

There are different ways of sharing videos on Facebook:

  • Regular videos
  • 360 video
  • In-stream video ads
  • Carousel video ads
  • Cover video

So Facebook has provided marketers with a variety of choices. This is why around two-thirds of US businesses use Facebook’s video advertisements.

Facebook video specs

  • Aspect ratio: 9:16 or 16:9
  • File size: up to 4GB
  • Video length: up to 240 Minutes

Facebook has a whopping 1.6 billion visits each day which makes it unrivaled among all social networks.

Instagram Stories and posts: Best for sharing your moment

Before IGTV, Instagram launched other video-sharing features. Pictures or videos of your moments can easily be shared using regular posts on Instagram.

Instagram regular posts video specs

  • File size: up to 15MB
  • Video length: up to 60 seconds
  • Max video width is 1080 pixels wide

Although this is very short, you can upload several video clips and pictures in a single post.

Instagram Stories and posts best for sharing your moment IGTV

Instagram Stories is also a fantastic feature by which you can share your videos.

Instagram Stories video specs

  • Instagram story dimensions: 1080px by 1920px.
  • Aspect ratio: 9:16
  • Video length: up to 15 seconds
  • File size: up to 4GB

In Stories, you can upload several videos to be displayed as a slide show. Stories will automatically disappear after 24 hours.

quaranti[m]e instgram stories IGTV

Instagram Stories has another type of video feature that is very popular among social users. Live videos are the most authentic means of interacting with users and showing them behind the scenes.

The length of Live videos on Instagram Stories can be up to 1 hour. This feature can be accessed using the Instagram app just by clicking on Your Story.

Why IGTV marketing?

Now that we’ve introduced several famous video sharing features you might ask what differences exist between IGTV and these apps.

Adding new IGTV video

IGTV is actually a separate video sharing application which its main capabilities are accessible using Instagram apps and the web page.

IGTV was first released on the 20th of June 2018 and is now so popular that it is being used in 30 languages.

IGTV video specs

  • Video length (common users): 15 seconds to 10 minutes
  • Video length (larger accounts and verified users): 15 seconds to 60 minutes
  • File size (10-minute videos or less): 650MB
  • File size (60-minute videos): 3.6GB
  • Size of cover photo: 420px by 654px (11.55)
  • File type: .MP4
  • Video size: 9:16
  • Video thumbnail/cover image: .JPG
  • Minimum frame rate: 30 FPS
  • Minimum resolution: 720 pixels

Instagram has also provided some updates on IGTV since its initial release.

For example, from 2019, you can create one-minute previews of your videos to be shown on your profile and your followers’ feed as well.

This will greatly help you to be discovered and encourage your audience to “watch the full video on IGTV”.

Also, one of the best tools Instagram has offered is the “IGTV series feature”. Using this feature you can arrange your content like a collection to be released on a regular basis.

Considering all these features, IGTV marketing is a must in the world of digital and it would be hard to find a good alternative application for it.

IGTV in the world of digital marketing

Tips to use IGTV marketing

Video marketing is now a very competitive means of brand awareness and, therefore, you need to have a plan for it. IGTV marketing is a great option for you to generate more leads and convert them into sales.

Here are several tips which can help you grow your business using IGTV:

1. Define a video style for your brand

A lot of accounts on Instagram are constantly broadcasting content and it might be difficult to get ahead of this competition.

A unique style in content generation can significantly help you make your IGTV videos stand out.

Your tone of voice, background colors, video format, cover photos, and many other things give your IGTV videos a style. If you want to make your audience remember your brand, you need to think of a creative and unique style.

For example, Nivea has made a beautiful theme on its IGTV page just using a minimalistic background and a logo:

2. Republish your live videos using IGTV

Instagram live videos can’t be always so well-organized that your message is conveyed completely and accurately.

Also, not all your audience can watch it online so you need to republish your content to reach maximum views.

IGTV is a good choice for modifying and curating your live videos. Try to record your live videos, edit them, and share them using IGTV to repeat your message.

3. Make announcements by Instagram Stories

You can make an announcement for your IGTV videos by Instagram Stories in order to get maximum exposure.

Actually, many people won’t watch full-time videos because they’re always in a hurry. This is why you need to encourage them somehow.

Try to outline your IGTV videos’ content and share it in Stories to draw the attention of your audience.

You need to create a sense of urgency so that they feel they’ll lose an important thing if they don’t watch your full-time videos.

IGTV tip - make announcements by Instagram Stories

4. Create specific IGTV Series

One of the most important factors in digital marketing is consistency. A regular social presence is a must that will make your audience remember your brand.

This is why many brands use social media schedulers to have an automatic posting procedure. Instagram IGTV videos can also be scheduled using a Series feature.

Fortunately, you can create an IGTV Series in three different ways:

  • Instagram app
  • IGTV app
  • Web page

If you haven’t already created an IGTV Series, you can “Create Your First Series” in all these three ways.

Then, select and add your videos to a specific IGTV Series. Try to define a focused and goal-oriented series to be able to manage them well.

You can also “Post a preview” of your videos to your Instagram feed to promote your IGTV content using 60-second previews.

5. Include influencers in your IGTV plans

Nowadays, one of the most effective techniques for growing businesses on social media is influencer marketing.

Many brands try to promote their social content with the help of influencers. Your IGTV videos can also get maximum views if you collaborate with influencers.

First and foremost, you have to think of finding niche influencers and then choose those who are better content creators. This can bring authenticity and help you appear like a thought leader.

6. Take advantage of user-generated videos

Despite many beneficial aspects of video content, they’re very expensive. You need to set aside a considerable marketing budget along with a lot of time and effort.

One way of reducing expenses is by using your followers’ content. Sharing user-generated content is a good way to have authenticity in content marketing.

You can ask your followers to create videos based on your style and contribute to your page. You can then edit these videos and share them as a separate IGTV Series.

You will get higher rates of engagement and reduce your costs by sharing user-generated videos on IGTV.

7. Cross-promote your IGTV videos on other networks

Apart from promoting IGTV videos using previews and Instagram Stories, you can use cross-promotion with other social services.

First of all, you can “Make Visible on Facebook” to cross-promote your Instagram content, especially IGTV videos on Facebook.

If you want to post your IGTV videos via Facebook you need to go to “Where Your Video Will Appear” and choose IGTV and also your Facebook Page below before clicking on Post.

IGTV tip - cross-promote your IGTV videos on other networks

It’s good to have callouts to your IGTV channel from:

  • Twitter
  • Email newsletters
  • Facebook Page

You can also use “Copy Link” in your IGTV video menu and use the URL anywhere to share the video outside of Instagram.

Last but not least try not to republish YouTube videos on IGTV without editing the format of the videos, because they don’t look quite right!

Final word

I have explained the main aspects of IGTV marketing for your business. Of course, you should try to learn your competitors’ tricks and techniques too. Look out for the types of hashtags, style, video lengths, scheduling, etc. This will help you reach your audience more effectively.

By

Guest author: Tom Siani is an online marketing expert with more than 4 years of experience in the digital industry. He is also collaborating with some well-known brands in order to generate traffic, create sales funnels, and increase online sales. He has written a considerable number of articles about social media marketing, brand marketing, blogging, search visibility, etc.

Sourced from jeffbullas.com

Read More
By
In News

How to stop Instagram from tracking everything you do

No Comments

By Matt Burgess

There are some things you can do to limit Facebook’s web of surveillance, but not much

Instagram is a massive money-maker. Parent company Facebook doesn’t release figures on how much money the division makes but reports claim it generated $20 billion in advertising revenue in 2019 alone – that’s a quarter of Facebook’s entire yearly revenue. Or, to put it another way, more money than YouTube makes for parent company Alphabet.

At the heart of Instagram’s financial success is two things: advertising, the Stories feature it nabbed from Snapchat is now filled with it, and the data that powers all that advertising. There’s a lot of it.

Instagram, through its integrations with Facebook, uses your personal information to show you adverts that it believes you’ll be mostly likely to click on. This information comes from what you do within the app and Facebook, your phone and your behaviour as you move around parts of the web that Facebook doesn’t own.

First off – everything you do on Instagram is tracked. Almost every online service you use collects information about your actions. Every thumb scroll made through your feed provides it with information about your behaviour. Instagram knows that you spent 20 minutes scrolling to the depths of your high-school crush’s profile at 2am.

The data that Instagram collects isn’t just for advertising. The company uses your information – for instance, what device you use to login – to detect suspicious login attempts. Crash reports from your phone can help it identify bugs in its code and identify parts of the app that nobody uses. In 2019 it ditched the Following tab, which showed everyone the public posts you had liked.

Other than deleting the app completely there’s very little you can do to stop Instagram tracking your behaviour on its platform, but there are things you can do to limit some of the data that’s collected and the types of adverts you see online.

Delete (some) of your data

Want to see the information you’ve given Instagram? Head to the app’s settings page and tap the security option. Here there’s the choice to see the information Instagram has collected about you and download it. If you tap on ‘Access Data’ you’ll be able to see all your password changes, email addresses and phone numbers associated with the account, plus more about how you use the app.

In total there are 25 different categories of information that are collected – these range from interactions with polls that you’ve completed in people’s stories to hashtags you follow and changes to the information in your bio. Instagram’s access tool can be found here.

While it’s possible to see all of this data, there isn’t a lot you can do with it. Your search history can be deleted through the Security menu options, although when you do so you only delete it locally. Instagram and Facebook still know what – or who – you have searched for. “Keep in mind that clearing your search history is temporary, and that searches you clear may reappear in your history after you search for them again,” Instagram says.

It is also possible to delete the contacts that you may have uploaded to Instagram from your phone – this includes names and phone numbers. Uploading your contacts allows Instagram and Facebook to provide friend suggestions but also builds out its knowledge of your social activity.

This Instagram page shows whether you’ve uploaded any contacts and allows you to delete them. Deleting them will not stop new contacts being added to your phone from being uploaded. The setting can be turned on or off through the settings menu on iOS or Android.

The option to download your data includes photos, comments, profile information and more. This has to be requested through the Security menu.

Location

You probably use Instagram on your phone. By default, Instagram’s location gathering abilities are turned-off by default but you’ve probably inadvertently turned the feature on while adding your location to a post or story.

To change this – or at the very least check if you’ve given it permission – you need to visit the settings on your phone. It can’t be done through the Instagram app.

On Android, navigate to settings then tap on apps and find Instagram. Here you can see whether you’ve given it permission to access your location, microphone, device storage, contacts and more. You can turn these settings on and off, allowing Instagram access to your location all the time, only while you’re using the app or to completely deny it.

If you own an iPhone, the process is similar. Tap your way to the phone’s settings, go to privacy and then location services and find Instagram. Here you can choose whether location tracking is on all the time, when you’re using the app or off completely.

Control ads in stories

As Facebook has tried (successfully) to make more money from Instagram, it has filled it with adverts. What you see is all powered, technically, by the parent company. Facebook is the ads server for Instagram and the two are inseparable.

Instagram shows you ads based on what it and Facebook think you like. This is based on what you do while on Instagram (e.g. liking posts from particular brands) but also what you do on websites and services not owned by Facebook. Facebook’s Pixel is a tiny piece of code that’s on almost every website you visit and collects information saying you have visited it. The Pixel gathers data about your activity online and links it to an identifier and that helps decide what ads you’ll be shown.

It’s just one way data is collected that feeds into the company’s bigger advertising machine. “Advertisers, app developers and publishers can send us information through Facebook Business Tools that they use, including our social plugins (such as the Like button), Facebook Login, our APIs and SDKs, or the Facebook pixel,” Facebook’s data policy says. This includes what you buy and the websites you visit.

So what can you do about it on Instagram? The controls are limited. Within the app, though the settings tab, you can see your ad activity. This shows you the ads you have engaged with – such as commenting on posts, liking or watching the majority of. There’s also links out of the Instagram app that explain adverts on the platform within the settings tab.

If you don’t like an individual ad it is possible to hide it by tapping the three dots that appear next to the ad and tapping hide. It’s also possible to report an ad if it could break Instagram’s policies.

To really attempt to control ads on Instagram, you need to go to Facebook. Here it’s possible to change preference settings, which will apply to Instagram as well as Facebook. There are no ad preference settings for people who only have an Instagram account and not a Facebook account. The company says it is working on building controls within the Instagram app.

Facebook’s ad preferences page is a mine of information. It shows what Facebook thinks your interests are, companies that have uploaded information about you, how ads are targeted, ad settings, and ads you’ve hidden. To change the adverts you see you need to spend a short amount of time on this page working through the settings.

Some key choices that can be made are in ‘Your Information’. Here you chose not to see ads that are based on your employer, job title, relationship status and education. The businesses section allows you to stop businesses who have uploaded information about you from showing you ads. And ‘Ad Settings’ stops Facebook products showing you adverts based on information that’s collected from other websites and services you visit.

For any of this to apply to Instagram, the company says your accounts need to be connected. “To make sure your ad preferences are applied, connect your Instagram account to your Facebook account,” it says.

Delete Instagram

If you’re just fed up with Instagram in general you can delete the app. You can’t delete your Instagram account from within the app – we’re not sure why – but instead you have to visit this page. From here it’s possible to delete your account. “When you delete your account, your profile, photos, videos, comments, likes and followers will be permanently removed,” the company says. Or you can temporarily disable your account. This can be done here.

Featured Image Credit: Getty Images / WIRED

By Matt Burgess

Matt Burgess is WIRED’s deputy digital editor. He tweets from @mattburgess1

Sourced from WIRED

Read More
By
In News

How To Position Your Brand On Instagram

No Comments

By Mirko Scarcella

As the president of an industrial and internet marketing firm, I believe learning how to position your brand on Instagram is essential. This helps ensure you’re sharing high-quality content that is most appropriate for your specific Instagram account, based on the image you want to give yourself and the message you want to convey.

Your brand shouldn’t be posting a messy jumble of senseless shots that tackle the most disparate themes on your profile. Instead, I’ve outlined a few suggestions for how you can better position your brand on Instagram.

But first, what does ‘positioning’ mean?

Let’s begin by clarifying the definition. What do I mean by “positioning?” I’m referring to the whole process that is used to create your brand’s image within the minds of your followers. It is very important that your position is competitive, relevant to your target audience and absolutely distinctive from other profiles or competitors.

Before going to post in a niche or sector as an influencer or as an expert, you need to be clear about your position within the mind of our target or, in the case of social media, your followers.

Want an example? Think of Rolex. What comes to mind? Surely you thought of a watch, but you probably also thought of a luxurious lifestyle. This is what is meant by brand positioning: the perception people have of a brand or a product.

What if you have nothing to sell?

It is not said that you have an Instagram profile with which you promote a product or a service. But if you have a personal profile, you’re still promoting something: yourself and your image. This is called personal branding.

Brand positioning or personal branding, therefore, means being able to create in your followers’ minds a precise image of your product, service, what you do and the values you speak of.

Let’s explore in detail what you will have to do in practice to achieve brand positioning and to better set up your communication.

Brand Positioning: What It Is And How To Build It

Here, I’ll outline how to position your brand, though what I’m about to tell you is fundamental even in the case of personal branding.

Brand positioning means being able to occupy a very precise and structured position of your product or service (or you, in the case of personal branding) within the minds of your followers. Translated into practice, brand positioning means being able to sell the image of oneself or that of your brand and communicating your company’s values and belief system in order to attract an audience that shares those same values.

Something of fundamental importance when building your brand is to find distinctive and differentiating characteristics from all the other internal profiles of your sector or niche. What makes your brand distinctive? What differentiates your business from other similar companies? Why should people choose to follow you?

The answers to these questions will be the foundation for effectively building your brand and for engaging your audience.

But how do you build your personal branding on Instagram?

Seneca said, “There is no favourable wind for the sailor who does not know where to go.” This will have to become your mantra in the construction of effective communication and strong brand positioning. Now, it’s time to get started:

1. Know the image you want to portray and be authentic. Before testing any strategy, you must have in your mind a clear image of the message and values you want to convey. Remember, the keyword to build an effective brand on Instagram is authenticity. What you need to do is always stay true to your company’s vision.

Find your brand’s style, and always follow it. If your brand portrays an image on Instagram that’s very different from reality and far from your values, your followers could feel deceived and will likely stop following you.

And to maintain an image of authenticity, do not use excessive filters for your photos. (Personally, I always prefer editing programs compared to the pre-set filters of Instagram.)

2. Be consistent in your messaging. Make sure your photos have a single thematic fulcrum that’s always in line with the image you want to transmit. Inserting photos of kittens on a fitness profile, for example, will likely confuse those who follow you and weaken your brand’s positioning.

3. Humanize your brand. Consistency is an excellent method to offer a unique and genuine image of yourself, but remember that coherent does not mean trivial. Show off your best weapons, your sympathy and your self-irony. This will break the coldness of the images to show your brand’s most human and warm side.

Your photos and videos should show a “special moment” related to your company. Ensure what you share contains a small story in which the protagonist is your brand’s identity. Your images must, therefore, not be mere representations of a space; they must live and tell a story and arouse emotion.

I’ve found that sharing a behind-the-scenes look at your work is also usually much appreciated because this reveals to your audience something they might not have otherwise known. This helps earn trust from your followers. Alternate professional, backstage, and personal images and you will be able to arouse interest.

4. Respond to comments with kindness. Always reply to comments followers leave. This will show you care about your followers and will strengthen your image as an influencer.

Also, always be kind, even with those who leave constructive criticism. Never forget that humility is always appreciated and reinforces the esteem of those who follow you. Being available and grateful will consolidate your personal branding.

Remember to show your value and your skills and always help others achieve similar results. This will really help your followers see you in a positive light, so you can become a brand that’s recognized and appreciated by your audience.

Feature Image Credit: Getty

By Mirko Scarcella

President at Lion ADV, Inc, social media marketing and brand positioning. Read Mirko Scarcella’s full executive profile here.

Sourced from

Read More
By
In News

Learn how to grow your business on Instagram the same way influencers do

No Comments

By Alex McGeeney, StackCommerce

Instagram has come a long way in the past decade. No longer is it just a tool to make your sub-par iPhone pictures look better; the platform allows users to live-stream, share photos and enjoy a variety of dynamic face-recognition filters. But, perhaps more important than all this is the fact that it has become a huge advertising and money-making tool for brands and influencers.

Want to harness that power for your business? The 10 Instagram Growth Secrets From Celebrities & Influencers Course breaks down what it takes to grow a business on the social media platform, and it’ll only run you $13.99 right now.
The online boot camp is led by entrepreneur and marketing expert, Benjamin Wilson, who taps into the knowledge of big-name influencers and tastemakers on the platform.

Armed with expert advice and practical applications in hand, Wilson breaks down how to exponentially increase your following, generate profit, use hashtags to your advantage, and ultimately build an engaged audience that continues to come back to your content day after day.

So far, over 200,000 students have already taken this specific course, rating it an impressive 4.4 out of 5 stars. As one past customer notes, the step-by-step guide was “Amazing. The course is up to date and at the edge of what is happening now. I am enjoying the easy natural presentation and the logical step by step guides and procedures.”

If you’re ready to get serious about the ‘gram, consider enrolling in the 10 Instagram Growth Secrets from Celebrities and Influencers Course. Currently, the digital course is on sale for $13.99 — a total savings of over 90% off its normal retail price.

By Alex McGeeney, StackCommerce

Sourced from New York Post

Read More
By
In News

Instagram is making it easier to delete comments and block people to crack down on harassment

No Comments

By Rob Price

  • Instagram is adding new features to combat online harassment.

  • The Facebook-owned app is making it easier to block multiple people at once, letting users pin comments on posts, and introducing tools to restrict who can tag users.

  • Instagram has been criticised in the past over its use as a platform for online bullying.

  • The new features were announced alongside the latest version of Facebook’s Community Standards Enforcement report.

Instagram is making it easier to block people and delete comments in a bid to crack down on harassment. The app is also adding the ability to pin comments on posts.

On Tuesday, the Facebook-owned photo-sharing app announced a bunch of feature that are, it says, collectively intended to “mark the continuation of our effort to lead the industry in the fight against online bullying.”

Instagram users will be be able to delete up to 25 unwanted comments on a post at once, instead of one-by-one. Similarly, users will be able to block multiple people at the same time. The app is adding a feature that will allow users to “pin” certain comments made on posts, which the company said in a blog post “gives people a way to set the tone for their account and engage with their community by pinning a select number of comments.”

And thirdly, Facebook is letting users set restrictions on who is able to tag and mention their account on Instagram. It can be set to everyone, only the people that the user follows, or no-one.

Instagram has largely escaped the scandals that have bedeviled its parent company Facebook over the past few years — but it has been criticized by some over its alleged impact on mental health and its role in online harassment. In 2018, an investigation by The Atlantic detailed numerous instances of harassment on Instagram, headlined bluntly: “Instagram Has A Massive Harassment Problem.”

The company has since made efforts to work on the issue, rolling out new tools to control what comments can appear on users’ posts, and using artificial intelligence to monitor for potentially bullying comments.

Tuesday’s new features were announced alongside the publication of Facebook’s twice-yearly Community Standards Enforcement report — a report on Facebook’s content moderation work, and how it policies its social networks for harassment, hate speech, and other illegal or objectionable content.

Facebook also announced on Tuesday that it has created a new dataset of more than 10,000 “hateful memes,” that it is sharing with researchers so they can develop technologies to help defend against hate speech online.

Feature Image Credit:Adam Mosseri, head of Facebook-owned Instagram. Reuters/Beck Diefenbach

By Rob Price

Sourced from Business Insider

Read More
By
In News

‘Definitely a concern’: Influencer fraud is on the rise again on Instagram

No Comments

By Kristina Monllos.

Influencer fraud continues to be a problem for marketers, particularly on Instagram, per a new report.

Despite the company’s efforts to rein in influencer engagement fraud, a report from influencer marketing measurement firm Instascreener has found that fake engagement on Instagram is on the rise again.

According to Instascreener’s data, initially in May after Instagram removed the likes and comments of users from third-party apps, fake influencer engagement rates declined from 1.7% to 1% on certain accounts with the least authentic audiences. But from September to December 2019, the fake engagement rate for those accounts increased from 1% to nearly 1.2% because some influencers who report fake engagement rates were able to figure out workarounds to circumvent Instagram’s methods.

According to agency executives and brand marketers, the problem results from the fact that engagement has been prioritized as the a top metric of success for influencer marketing. Some media buyers and brand marketers say, however, the engagement rate should be considered as only one of many metrics. They said they need to do deeper research to figure out if their influencer marketing practices are working. And marketers said they need to ask influencers to share more of their data directly with advertisers and agencies.

“You can’t necessarily count on Instagram to solve this fake follower program,” said Sean Spielberg, co-founder of Instascreener. “Fake followers and fake engagement is kind of like an arms race. When Instagram creates a new fancy algorithm to detect fraud, someone immediately begins working on ways to get around it,” he added. “Then fraud creeps up again. It won’t ever go to zero if brands and agencies wait for Instagram to solve the problem.”

Instagram did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Media buyers told Digiday they are not instructing their clients to pull back from using the platform or influencer marketing. That’s reflected in Instascreener’s report: In 2019 companies spent $1.9 billion on influencer marketing in the U.S. and Canada, with $1.4 billion of that going to influencer marketing on Instagram. Yet, as much as $255 million of the $1.4 billion spent on Instagram was lavished on accounts with fake followers, per Instascreener.

“Engagement fraud is definitely a concern amongst brands and agencies alike,” said a media buyer at a digital agency who requested anonymity. “That said, we have not recommended — nor do we typically see — brands shying away from influencer tactics solely because of engagement fraud concerns.”

Instead of shying away from influencer marketing, media buyers and brand marketers are deeming engagement just one factor in their decision to select influencers to work with rather than the sole reason. “We still use engagement rate as a metric of success,” said a marketer at a major consumer packaged goods company that uses influencers.

“All of us marketers are trying to figure out what is the right metric in the space,” she continued. “We look at likes and comments diagnostically, but we have much more advanced measurements that are closer linked to sales that we leverage as well.” This marketer declined to share which advanced measurements her company relies on to measure the success of influencer marketing.

“Engagement is still an important metric because we want to make sure that our influencer partners are driving conversations with their followers about our brands,” wrote Kristin Maverick, 360i’s vp of social and influencer marketing at 360i, in an email. “We dig into comments to see if the brand is resonating with an influencer’s audience and driving consideration and conversion.”

She added, “But, we also look at other metrics to tell the full story. We use a mix of tools such as tracking sales data from DCM tracking on our clients’ e-commerce sites, discount codes and paid social results.”

Vickie Segar, founder of influencer marketing shop Village Marketing, said the engagement rate is the wrong measurement for marketers to use in measuring  influencer marketing effectiveness. Instead, Segar said marketers should ask influencers to share story views and sticker taps. Segar’s clients also use affiliate codes, enablingmarketers to attribute sales data to influencer marketing.

“Influencer marketing is an industry where people are so confused by the scale,” Segar said. “It’s really hard to look at an influencer and understand what they are doing [for a client]. Marketers need to ask the right questions to fight fraud. Ask for screen grabs of past stories and [length of] story view averages. Ask for one from last week and a month ago.”

Other media buyers said that agencies and advertisers need to adjust how they think about influencer marketing altogether. Instead of using influencers’ on Instagram to realize a direct sale at a particular moment, companies should keep a more “long-term focus” and use influencers’ activity to understand more about their brands and what their consumers want, said Lauren Dubinsky, director of social media for The Variable. That’s something the Clorox Company might be trying to achieve right now as it develops an influencer advisory council.

Shifting their focus to analyze longer-term metrics could be critical for marketers. “In the world of influencer marketing, brand and creator relationships are still key,” said the media buyer. “If a brand can find an advocate who they know has a qualified, passionate audience, engaging in long-term relationships with that creator can lead to better content and confidence in knowing their dollars are not being wasted.”

By Kristina Monllos

Sourced from DIGIDAY

Read More
By
In News

Instagram’s Use of Third-Party Fact-Checkers Goes Global

No Comments

By David Cohen.

Content and ads from politicians are not subject to review

Instagram began testing parent company Facebook’s third-party fact-checking initiative in the U.S. in May, and Monday, the program was expanded worldwide.

The social network’s 45 third-party fact-checkers will independently assess and rate false information on Instagram in order to help detect it and reduce its distribution.

Instagram said in a blog post that content rated as false or partly false by a third-party fact checker will be removed from its Explore tab and hashtag pages in order to reduce its distribution, and it will be labeled in order to enable people to better decide for themselves what to read, trust and share.

The labels link to the rating from the fact-checker and provide links to articles from credible sources that debunk the questionable content.

Those labels will appear worldwide in feed, profile, Stories and Instagram Direct messages.

Instagram is using image-matching technology to find duplicates of the content and label them, and content that is rated false or partly false on Facebook will automatically be labeled as such on Instagram, as well.

The company uses a combination of feedback from its community and artificial intelligence to determine which content should be passed along to third-party fact-checkers for review.

The Facebook-owned photo- and video-sharing network added a way for its users to report potential false information in August.

However, in line with the policies of its parent company, organic content and ads from politicians will not be subject to fact-checking.

Instagram said in its blog post, “We want you to trust what you see on Instagram. Photo- and video-based misinformation is increasingly a challenge across our industry and something our teams have been focused on addressing.”

Feature Image Credit: Labels link to the rating from the fact-checker and provide links to articles from credible sources. Instagram

By David Cohen

David Cohen is editor of Adweek’s Social Pro Daily.

Sourced from ADWEEK

Read More
By
In News

7 ways to grow your Instagram following

No Comments

Sourced from Daily News Hungary

Currently one of the most popular social media apps on the market, Instagram is now a fertile ground for growing internet fame and promoting brands and businesses. However, with the vast amounts of competition across the site, growing an authentic following requires a careful and strategic approach. Below is seven of the key steps one can take to growing a genuine following on Instagram.

Tune your profile
There are surprising amounts of Instagram accounts that neglect to do it. Carefully create every piece of your Instagram profile to evoke your brand and appeal to your target market. Craft your username to contain keywords relevant to your business so that it pops up when people search for your services. Use your bio to succinctly describe what your business does and what makes it great. Post carefully crafted images that evoke your business. Put together a profile that looks promising to follow.

Get your hashtag out there
By now, pretty much everyone knows that a major key to getting word of your brand across the internet is to create your own custom hashtag – #jennyssalon, #eatatjoes, #mikesgarage, whatever might be relevant. However, according to SMMRank online media platform it’s simply not enough to just throw your hashtag out there and hope that people will not only use it, but also associate it with your brand.

You need to go a bit further than that if the hashtag is going to gain any real momentum.

Consider the places that you advertise your business, both online and offline. Digital ads? Posters? TV or radio ads? Billboards? Put your hashtag in all of them. Feature it prominently next to your logo. Not only will this get your hashtag out there, it’ll also ensure that it’s associated with your brand.
  • WOW! Budapest is one of the most Instagrammed UNESCO sites!
  • Incredibly sexy plus-size Hungarian girl taking over Instagram! — PHOTOS
Look into influencer marketing
Marketing your Instagram profile (and your brand in general) through influencers might, be one of the most effective approaches to marketing.
Really, think about it.

Internet celebrities have some seriously loyal followings nowadays – hearing your brand recommended to them by a third party that they trust is likely to do a lot more to entice potential customers to your brand than any direct advertising.

Of course, you’ll need to ensure that the influencers you choose to market you have decently sized followings that cross over with your target market; but considering the sheer amount of prominent individuals to choose from on Instagram alone, chances are that you won’t have any trouble finding the right one.
Post at a consistent rate
It goes without saying that what you post ought to be engaging and relevant to your business; but besides that, if you’re going to keep your profile prominent, you need to be sure that your posts are also consistent.

Settle on a certain number of posts per day (and think out the number carefully – too few will likely cause you to get lost in the sea of other content, but too little might come off as spammy).

Then decide when they’ll be posted (consider the time zones of your target market, what time they’ll most likely be looking at their feeds, and so forth). Then, schedule the posts ahead of time to ensure that this schedule is maintained. Followers and newcomers who can rely on your content to be both engaging and to crop up on their feed at a consistent rate are much more likely to become genuinely loyal followers.
Participate in relevant conversations
An Instagram profile that simply makes posts and does nothing else is apt to come off as a bit detached. If you’re really going to get your name out there and gather a loyal following, a key tactic is to actually engage with other Instagram users – especially in conversations that are likely to interest your target market.
When followers comment on your posts, engage with them – let them know that you are hearing their feedback, and that you appreciate their support and loyalty. But take it beyond your profile, too – follow other accounts that relate to businesses like yours, and engage with them, and their followers. Get involved in conversations about matters relevant to your target market – though, of course, do so in a manner that averts stirring up controversy. Doing so will not only introduce your profile to a host of new potential followers; it’ll also give new followers the sense that your profile, and brand in general, has a team of actual human beings behind it, who are interested in actually engaging with the community, rather than just selling a product or promoting a brand.
Tap into what appeals to your audience
Whatever your brand or business may happen to be, it has a specific target market – a market with specific demographics, who have specific interests, and are likely to follow specific things.
Do research into what your target market enjoys. That’s to say, organic research – go onto chatrooms and websites frequented by your target market and follow accounts that they follow. Keep an eye on the sort of things they talk about and use this to inform yourself about what is popular among them now, and what will likely be popular in the future. By tapping into these interests and catering to them via your Instagram account, you’ll be much more likely to draw the interest of potential customers.
Prompt your followers to help
Last, but not least, is this one. And that’s referring to small things here – stuff like ending a post with “don’t forget to drop a like!” or “hit like if you can relate!” Minor prompts like that, which ask very little of your followers and only take a moment of their time could result in a serious influx of likes – which, in turn, will push your account up on the algorithm and make it far more likely to be found by fresh followers in the future! In addition, of it you always can buy high-quality Instagram followers on Instagrowing. This will make it possible to get new subscribers as soon as possible.

Sourced from Daily News Hungary

Read More
By
In News

The Implications of Instagram Becoming One Big Shop

No Comments

By Moya Lothian-McLean.

Many fans of influencers say they aren’t bothered by advertising and that ‘selling out’ doesn’t really exist on the platform. But why?

Emily can almost always spot an influencer #ad on Instagram – even when the tell-tale hashtag is buried at the bottom of a lengthy caption. The giveaway, she says, is the tenuous nature of the post. “I usually begin to read a caption and start to feel that it’s very disingenuous or flimsily linked together. That’s when I think, ‘This has got to be an ad,’” says the 25-year-old, whose preferred content creators tend to be lifestyle and interiors influencers like Liv Purvis. “Sure enough, when I scroll down, the post will be hashtagged ‘#AD’.”

Emily describes a scenario that’s likely familiar to those of us who while away our lives looking at pictures of other people’s. Since September 2018, whether consciously or not, anyone following UK-based influencers on Instagram may have noticed a rise in the amount of paid marketing – AKA spon(sored) con(tent) – that these professionally Shiny Happy People churn out.

And that’s because last autumn UK advertising bodies the ASA – who apply the codes of advertising as written by the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) – and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) issued stricter new guidelines for online influencer marketing. Easy-to-follow language left no room for confusion about what counts as an advert – and no loopholes for influencers to plead ignorance with, if caught flouting the rules. And so they state: any content paid for (whether payment is financial or in goods) by a third party is an ad. If an influencer is promoting their own products – e.g: Zoella hawking her own brand cosmetics – that’s an ad. Giveaways? Ads. Freebies? Ads too, unless there’s no affiliate relationship with the brand and it has no editorial control over what influencers post (often this can be something as ‘small’ as just having final approval or the influencer agreeing to post a specified amount of times).

The new guidelines also spell out exactly how such a post should be labelled; either as ‘AD, advert, advertising, advertisement or advertisement feature.’ Influencers who soften the impact of declaring paid content by only tagging their posts as ‘sponsored content’ or ‘sponsorship’ risk falling afoul of the CMA or ASA and having their account features limited by Instagram (ie: ‘shadow banning’). Phrases like ‘in association with’ or ‘thanks to [brand] for making this possible’ are explicitly called out for being too vague. Equally, just @-ing the brand doesn’t cut it. “The main thing to remember,” the guidelines say, “is you need to make it obvious [emphasis their own].”

As someone like Emily knows, this leaves influencers little room to hide. But, for her, that’s not a big deal. Research has previously found that sponsored content and non-sponsored content receive equal interaction (measured in the form of likes); instead, the glaring factors that made sponsored content perform poorly was text placed on photos, unnatural product placement and poor photography. Influencers also have long mastered the art of blending ‘genuine’ content with uploads they’re contractually required to make. Yet Emily also admits that knowing content is paid-for doesn’t necessarily make a world of difference to how she engages with it.

“If it’s an influencer I follow who I have genuinely seen recommend the thing anyway, or I feel they’re authentic enough that I’d truly believe they’d like/use the product then I wouldn’t care,” she adds. “[It’s only] if the link between their love for this product and their partnership with the brand feels forced then I’d absolutely pause.” Unsurprisingly, users say their reaction to spon con differs depending on how well they perceive it aligns with the influencer’s brand.

“It depends on the picture whether I engage or read on,” says 28-year-old publishing PA Indre, who cites her favourite influencers as lifestyle and/or empowerment bloggers like Amelia Perrin (full disclosure: Amelia is a friend of the author) and Megan Jayne Crabbe. “If it’s interesting to look at then yes, I’ll engage. If it’s just them holding the product, I’d actually consider unfollowing them straight away – especially if it’s something that looks random or not their typical area.”

Indre has noticed the influx of new #ad tagged posts (which she says puts her off – “I prefer gifted”), but is torn. On the one hand, she says advertising feels ‘normalised’ and she’s happy to plug into it – but only when it appears ‘genuine’, which she admits is somewhat oxymoronic. But recently she’s mass-unfollowed a bunch of influencers because their feeds had become over-saturated with #ad posts and little else.

“I felt like there was no honesty left there, like I was being constantly sold and lied to,” Indre tells me. “Why would I voluntarily follow what’s essentially an ad page? I rarely unfollow influencers just because of the spon con – I unfollowed Louise Pentland when she became a parenting influencer because her content was no longer relevant to me – but if the spon con is for shit that’s way out of my budget, or if their posts become mostly spon con, I smash that unfollow button.”

As that research showed, pretty or well-made sponsored posts don’t put people off liking or interacting with them. Instagram has quickly turned into a giant shop, warm in your back pocket and ready to be opened at any time. Its shift from strictly image-sharing to a tool for big businesses and influencer marketing was never expressly detailed to Insta users. Rather, the change crept up, from the odd post here and there, to the swipe-up features for business and verified accounts, to the full in-app shopping features used by boutiques and brands. Anyone who opens the app, following people outside of their direct friendship circles for personal reasons, steps into this marketplace automatically. And at times, followers are more than happy to engage on that hyper-consumerist level.

“Sometimes I engage with an ad – I don’t comment but I ‘like’ it without intending to buy if it’s a product that isn’t really for me but seems of good quality and I like the influencer” says Rebecca, a 31-year-old Londoner who works in marketing, making her more conscious of the power her engagement with paid posts carries. She describes her tastes in influencers as ‘feminist,’ citing Florence Given (@florencegiven) as an example. “I’m aware that interaction with a post is something that brands who work with an influencer will consider,” she continues. “So I see a ‘like’ as my way of providing very minimal support for their career.”

Rebecca’s also not too bothered by influencer ads, so long as they’re balanced with alternative content. “I care about being ‘sold to’ because I see it as a sort of relationship,” she says. “I want to support interesting people who seem authentic and who care about what they put their name to. It feels disrespectful to your audience to try and shill any old crap.”

Rebecca’s stance reflects a sentiment I continue to hear, where following influencers implies an acceptance of a certain level of spon con. It’s not seen as ‘selling out.’ As 21-year-old student Lachlan puts it: “It doesn’t tend to bother me if it’s a subtle post and they’re not bombarding you with ads; gotta get the bread somehow.” Capitalism is so embedded in the fabric of our lives that few of the digital natives I speak to sound particularly thrown by influencers ‘just doing their job’.

However, as Lachlan continues, “There is nothing worse than a ‘genuine’ caption paired with an ad; someone trying desperately to convince you a beautiful river they’re stood over reminds them of a cool beer or something.” That being said, she still feels the constant hum of advertising. “I get targeted ads all the time on social, using my most personal information that they’ve skimmed out of my messages. So I’m not going to get that bothered about someone I like enough to follow on Instagram, earning a bit of cash if they can.” Followers just want to buy into the idea that the ads and persona their chosen influencer has presented to them is ‘genuine’, no matter if deep down, they know it’s not.

Feature Image Credit: Collage by Chelsea White for VICE, featuring photo by Benjamin Egerland via Alamy Stock Photo

By Moya Lothian-McLean

Sourced from Vice

Read More
By
In News

Organic Reach in a Free Fall? Here’s Exactly Where You Should Spend Your Social Media Budget

No Comments

By Amanda Pressner Kreuser

Customers are dramatically more likely to engage with ads on Instagram than Twitter or Facebook. If you choose to place your bets–and your budget–on IG stories, here’s how to ensure a bigger payoff.

In case you hadn’t heard, consumers love Instagram Stories. And because of that, brands do too.

There are over 500 million daily active Stories users worldwide. Younger users are particularly active on the platform: 59 percent of millennials and 70 percent of Gen Z watch stories, and many engage with brands by swiping up on content and clicking through to shop.

For those new to the platform, Instagram Stories are images and videos located at the top of the Instagram app that last for 24-hours then disappear. When users finish a story, the next one starts playing immediately.

The nature of IG stories–one image or clip appearing on your screen right after the other, makes the medium ideal for advertising. Since the ads flow along with the organic content, some users don’t even realize they are watching them at all. Others actually welcome the interaction from brands that they like. A recent study reveals that a quarter of millennials and Gen Z check out IG Stories for the products and services they may want to buy.

That level of brand integration and user engagement can be huge for brands–particularly those that make the most of their advertising opportunities while the platform is still fresh and consumers are open to messaging.

As you plan your IG Stories strategy and budget for 2020, here are three recommendations to keep in mind.

Engage Your Target Audience

Here’s an eye-opening stat for marketers and brands: consumers are 58 times more likely to interact with branded content on Instagram than on Facebook.

But consumers don’t stop to engage with just any type of advertisement. To grab users’ attention, you need a combination of powerful images, clear content, and a persuasive call-to-action (CTA). If your CTA effectively communicates where the user should go next, they will be more likely to swipe up on your advertisement and head to your linked content (this could be a landing page, product page, blog, etc.).

There are seven objectives that companies can select from for their Instagram story ads: brand awareness, reach, video views, conversions, app installs, lead generation, and traffic.

Be sure to choose the objective that best falls in line with your business goals, and build your content around that.

Make Your Ads Memorable

With a quick swipe of the finger, users can disregard your advertisement and move into the next story. For this reason, your advertising needs to command their attention right away.

One way to create memorable ads is by using storytelling that plays to consumers’ emotions. You can make your advertisement funny, interesting, nostalgic, or educational. Making users feel something builds a connection between them and your brand.

Use high-quality, eye-catching videos and images. Make sure you include your brand name and use clear wording so that users understand what your business does and how you can solve their problems in a matter of seconds.

Be aware: captivating videos and photos can come at a cost so you should set aside some real marketing dollars for creative (an intern with an iPhone probably isn’t going to get the job done).

Go for Videos

Advertising with videos instead of images on Instagram Stories is more effective for a simple reason: you have more time to capture users’ attention. With videos, you get one whole minute to sell to consumers whereas images only are featured for five seconds.

Your videos must communicate what your company does and focus on how your products can fix users’ pain points. They should be short, sweet, and most importantly, entertaining. Remember, users can click out of your ad at any time. Think about what you can do to make them want to watch your video until the very last moment.

Feature Image Credit: Getty Images

By Amanda Pressner Kreuser

Sourced from Inc.

Read More
By
Load More