The Rise of Social Advertising Beyond Facebook

Facebook will be a major player in the social media advertising scene for a while due to its incredible potential reach and scale, everyone is on Facebook. However, due to the Facebook algorithm that dictates visibility for free brand pages, less than two percent of posts get seen anymore. This means either paying to use Facebook for more visibility or jumping focus of social media marketing to other platforms. The rise of platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+ is really eye opening in 2015.

These other platforms are rolling out features and ad products that bring brands to the forefront of consumers. More and more, content is the way to tell if your social ad will be a winner. Along with great content, image-centric content is driving engagement and conversions on social media. This used to be only true for Facebook but even with Twitter, tweets that have an image are seeing 54 percent more favorites and retweets and 84 percent more clicks.

Pinterest, created back in 2009, reaches more than 70 million users
. Pinterest now has Promoted Pins for brands who want to advertise and bring more visibility to their boards and products. Brands are given free impressions and are only charged when their pins are clicked, which then goes against the brand's weekly or monthly budget.

Other platforms like Tumblr or Google+ are also gaining traction from brands. What are your thoughts for your business regarding which social media platforms are best? Let us know in the comments! As a Chicago PR agency, we are excited about social media and how businesses use it.

How to Use Instagram for Your Business

Businesses have been moving to Instagram in droves. Instagram has even started tailoring its platform to businesses to make things easier for them.

So what can your business do to make Instagram a useful tool? Our franchise PR team can help!

1. Balance your fun images with professional images. Tell a story of your business through your images. Have the professional ones to show your business is productive and on top of its game. Blend those images with the fun images of your business. When you show those fun images, it gives clients or customers more confidence in your business, believe it or not. It shows you're not fake and it shows that you have personality. Clients and customers love to see a business with personality and is not robotic.

2. Build a following. To get more followers on Instagram, connect with your customers and clients on their professional or personal accounts. Connect your Instagram account with your company's Twitter and Facebook accounts, share your posts to those sites (cross-promotion).

Another task to do that will garner followers is using relevant, popular hashtags. Both parts of that are important. Relevant. Popular. You can use a popular hashtag about cats in your photo about your business that sells sporting goods but it won't help. You can also use a very relevant hashtag but if there are only 10 posts using it, it won't do much either.

A third task is to follow people and engage with their posts. Like them. Comment on them (appropriately). This can really help your business since not many businesses actually engage with photos, they just post their own.

3. Use videos. Now that Instagram allows videos, they are a wonderful way to create and curate content for your followers. They show more than just a static moment. They feature voices, laughter, information, and whatever your business can fit into the 15 seconds.

4. Embed the Instagram videos to your site and blog. Everybody loves seeing videos on blogs and websites, they drive traffic and engagement. You can embed them so they are flawlessly intwined. When people share your blogs and visit your site, they will be seeing those videos, sharing them, and extending your Instagram's reach.

5. Follow your followers. When someone gives your corporate Instagram a follow, follow them back. It easily builds positive franchise PR for your business and shows your followers that you like them and not just for their sales. It is surprising how many businesses do not follow their followers back, which would show your business is different, that it cares.

6. Don't post too much. But post. The speed of posting pictures on Instagram is laid back. You can go a couple days between posts and still be fine. If you have a business that creates video and image worthy posts that won't be redundant and boring with frequent posts, then post every day. Gauge your followers. Gauge the engagement and excitement of your posts. For example, a company like Nike has engaging enough content to post every day; not because they're a global company but because they cover so many sports and are highly relevant to many people.

7. Use filters and effects. Don't be afraid to use the filters on Instagram or, if you are so skilled, Photoshop. Our Chicago PR agency can help with using Photoshop for your business! Create unique images and make your pictures incredible. If you create branded images, even better.

8. Host contests on Instagram. Use a specific hashtag for participants to add to their images so they can be submitted to your contest. Have a prize that is worth winning.

9. Showcase employees. Talk about your employees to show your followers who they deal with when then engage with your business! This is another way to show the personality of your business. Employee of the month? Employee who won an office contest? Whatever you want. Make it relevant & appropriate.

10. Build a visual experience for your followers. Make your profile exciting to follow. Whether the photos and videos are "Wow!" or you can have interesting posts and are connected to engaging stories, make your profile exciting.

Instagram is a great place to build your social media following. If your business is not on Instagram, then you are missing out. Contact All Points PR, a Chicago PR agency, about your business's social media strategy!