Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, consistently posts informative videos on both his Instagram and Twitter accounts, covering frequently asked questions and giving users a behind-the-scenes look at how the Instagram app is run. In late June, he posted a video stating that changes will be coming to video on Instagram, in an effort to keep up with stiff competition. In his video, he stated “We’re no longer a photo-sharing app,” adding “The number-one reason people say they use Instagram, in research, is to be entertained. So people are looking to us for that.” He continued saying “Let’s be honest, there’s some really serious competition right now. TikTok is huge, YouTube is even bigger, and there’s lots of other upstarts as well. And so if people are looking to Instagram to be entertained, there’s stiff competition, and there’s more to do, then we have to embrace that. And that means change.” 

Mosseri and his team are trying to keep up with competitors like TikTok and YouTube by following in their footsteps. For example, similar to the “For You” page on TikTok, Mosseri mentioned creating “recommendations” for users, where video content from people they don’t follow would appear in their main Instagram Feed. Leaning into video as the dominant form of content on Instagram should increase overall engagement. This in turn should make Instagram more appealing to video creators.

The problem with low engagement across the Instagram app, as far as video creators are concerned, is that they have had limited opportunities. There are also other deteriorating factors when it comes to fighting for higher engagement. As seen on AdAge, our founder Sarah Remesch mentioned how influencer agencies have to “charge higher fees for Instagram influencers because they’ve had to put more paid support behind organic posts.” In comparison, it seems as if competitors like TikTok have created algorithms that work with their creators, while Instagram’s algorithms have recently been working against them. 

As it once was, Instagram is becoming more creator-friendly and creators must be ready and willing to adapt if they wish to stay relevant in the social media space.

By Nicole Holdgrafer

Despite obvious differences, the four seasons of the year all have something very important in common — at least as far as your business is concerned. Each season presents unique marketing opportunities that can help your brand thrive. Here are five tips on how you can tailor your brand or product to meet the changing seasons.

Incorporate New Designs 

Creating new designs for your brand’s packaging or promotions as the seasons change can increase brand awareness and relevancy. For example, if the peak season for your brand is summer but winter is coming up, you could incorporate designs that suggest the mood and imagery of the winter holidays into your online presence and into the product/service itself.  

Produce a Social Media Campaign 

Social media campaigns on platforms such as Facebook or Instagram generally involve a variety of content (pictures, videos, text, etc.) with an overarching theme and message. In addition, brands usually include hashtags — the hash symbol “#” followed by a distinctive word or phrase that helps users searching the platform to find posts — and will sometimes offer giveaways or contests to get customers talking about and interacting with their brand. If you’re producing a campaign for the spring, consider how this might influence your overarching message, your use of specific words and phrases, and your choice of content for this season.

Promote Your Best-Seller

With each new season, it’s likely that your brand will experience fluctuating demand for specific products and services. When you’ve identified a seasonal best-seller, consider going above and beyond in your promotional efforts. Promoting an item online that already sells well during a specific time frame can attract more traffic to your social media platforms and company website, which could eventually lead to further sales. 

Set Clear Expiration Dates Based on the Season

When hosting a giveaway, contest, or sales promotion, you can set a designated time limit based on the season. Providing a clear expiration date for your promotions creates a sense of urgency, which can encourage customers to buy before the season or a seasonal holiday ends. If you’re planning to host a summer blowout sale, for example, consider stating a clear deadline for the offer, so customers will be more likely to buy before it expires: “This Summer Blowout Sale ends at 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 31, 2021. Don’t miss out!”

Plan Ahead 

Never forget: If you snooze, you lose. Always begin brainstorming your marketing plan for the upcoming season well ahead of time. By doing this, you will have a chance to better develop your ideas, and, as a result, they will come across as more organized and original. For example, while you’re pushing out a summer campaign, you might also begin to organize your plans for fall. This way, you will have ample time to stay on top of your marketing goals, fine-tune your ideas, and, with some hard work and a bit of luck, become a trendsetter.

By John Quinn Hardy and Sydney Rikk

Social Commerce is a convenient tool that allows businesses to sell their products directly from their social media posts. 

With the accessibility and convenience of completing the entire transaction process on the social media platform, from discovering the product to purchasing it, the consumer no longer needs to hunt down the product from the retailer’s website. Social media apps that grant companies access to this tool include Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. The elimination of the hassle to travel from app to website to cart to profile information set up can be fixed with an easy solution, social commerce. It’s as easy as “See it, click it, buy it.”*

How do these shoppable posts work?

As you are scrolling through your Instagram feed, you come across a post where a family is sitting under a beach umbrella you’ve been needing to buy for vacation. When you tap on the post, a tag on the picture directs you to a shoppable page in the app. You click “add to cart”, go to your shopping cart, and check out. The entire process took place in the app without having to be directed to numerous web pages or having to manually search for the item on their website. The process is very similar on Facebook and Pinterest where a “buy” button is clearly displayed on the post.

The social media one stop shop creates a seamless experience for the consumer and allows businesses to directly target their audience all in one platform. 

Implementation Strategies

Understanding new avenues of exposure of your brand to the consumer is essential to growing business. Taking advantage of this new form of publication allows insight into what consumers are searching for in your products, and what areas are in need of some adjustments. The social media marketplace is a booming industry, and taking advantage of this gateway is essential to exposure.

This tool can be used to sell products directly to the consumer, regardless of if they are specifically searching for this item or not. It can also be used to “test the waters” of your brand’s consumer-response. Understanding how your product appeals/what it’s missing is better understood with realistic examples. If one product has a high click-rate response a brand might expect to tailor other products to that style. 

What Does This All Mean For You?

This relatively new technology is an open-market for brands to expand their income areas and gain attraction on platforms they might be struggling with. Whether you’re looking for increased viewing of your product or increased sales, social commerce and shoppable posts are an essential step in boosting the brands notoriety. No brands have a specific foothold on this new market, and getting ahead of the curve might just be the essential step your brand is looking for.

Want to learn more about 270M’s content management and creation? Check out our social media services!

By Jaci Schreckengost

In 2021, we’ve found three key terms anyone who uses social media should know and why you should know them. 

Crisis management

This is your brand’s plan of how to react when a crisis happens. Crisis is, of course, a broad term and can mean different things for different brands. It’s a good idea to have crisis management in place for varied levels of concern. Examples include an employee posting something inappropriate online or a large-scale event, like the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Why should you know it?

You need to know this term so you can do something about it. Having a preventative plan in place is a great way to stop the shock that initially comes across your team when one of these events happen. 

Does your brand need assistance with public relations? Check out 270M’s services here! 

Doomscrolling 

This is the act of continuously scrolling through social media to try to take your mind off more pressing matters, only to find yourself consuming more content that leads you to feel doomed. 

Why should you know it? 

You want to know about doomscrolling so you can avoid it. Even when addressing topics that are difficult, it’s important to leave your audience feeling inspired and ready to take a call-to-action. 

Read also: How Virtual Reality is Changing E-Commerce and Digital Marketing 

Ephemeral content

More commonly known as disappearing content, this is something that’s only available to viewers for a certain period of time. Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn stories are all great examples of this. 

Why should you know it? 

So you can use it! This type of content drives people to check it out, because it’s not there forever. Using this content encourages your audience to follow your social media accounts, come to your pages more often, and maybe even subscribe to your newsletter so they make sure they’re not missing out on anything. 

Did we miss one you think should be included? Connect with us over on Instagram and let us know what word you think should make this list!