Good quality content has never been more important when it comes to social media marketing. Why? Platforms such as Instagram and Facebook are constantly updating their platform algorithms so they move away from a chronological timeline.
Users now see the posts that these platforms believe they will like the best, or will resonate with them more than others. There is no guarantee that all of your audience will see your content, so it is now more important than ever that it not only appeals to your audience but also that they are willing to engage with it through likes, comments and shares.
Better content means better response rates and higher reach from your audience. Updates to a number of platforms in recent weeks have highlighted the importance of getting content right.
Instagram Stories Update
Instagram stories has undergone a number of changes since its launch in October, with more set to follow soon. More than 150 million instagrammers use the stories feature on a daily basis, and it is increasing both content and engagement for brands. According to Instagram’s own research, one in five stories posted on Instagram receives a direct message from its viewers.
On average, 70% of instagrammers follow a business and one in third of the most viewed Instagram stories are from businesses. It’s clear that high quality content is key on this platform, but up until the last week it has been difficult to monitor engagement and identify what content resonates with audience members the most.
For businesses who have converted their account to a business profile, Instagram is introducing its Business Tools feature. This will highlight the reach, impressions, replies and exits for each individual story posted to a business account. Learning what audience members relate to will help to replicate this content moving forward.
Instagram Albums
In another movement towards improving content quality and the features available to its users, Instagram is looking to introduce multiple images in one single post. It is unclear when this will roll out to users, but instances of this have been spotted and reported from the Instagram Android Beta Programme.
From reports, we could soon see the ability to share up to 10 images in one single post, in a similar style to Carousel ads already available to business profiles. Users will be able to apply a single filter to all images, or tap each photo to apply separate effects to each.
How will this benefit businesses? This allows content to be grouped into categories, and makes new product launches more interesting and engaging for the user. Rather than positing multiple images in the hope that one of those will show up on follower’s timeline, all new images can appear together and act as a showcase reel.
Influencer Marketing
In 2014, the average American was exposed to roughly 5,000 adverts a day. Fast forward three years, and advertising has taken over the social media sphere, and increased the saturation of advertising globally. Because of this, consumers are tired of paid advertisements.
Influencer marketing, however, is native and has a strong contrast to traditional advertising. This blends into the users existing experience, and place brands within seemingly organic content. Although it is now necessary for influencers to draw attention to sponsored posts, these posts can still see positive responses. On average, 70% of internet users want to learn about a product through content rather than through traditional advertising – a product demonstration, a recommendation or a review can boost audiences trust in a product more than a traditional ad format.
Influencer marketing is a powerful form of content that not only builds your brand and improves sales, but also contributes towards search engine rankings. The more a brand is mentioned on social media, the more popular the brand will be on google.
But how do we find these influencers? There are a number of paid tools that can be used, but the first step is to investigate those who are regularly engaging with your brand, and also building conversations with social media followers and organic influencer growth. Rather than influencers with the largest following, engaging with niche influencers may be a more productive approach as audiences are still growing.