How to run a successful instagram giveaway that won't waste money

How to Run a Successful Instagram Giveaway that Won’t Waste Money

by blogSocial Media
How to run a successful instagram giveaway that won't waste money

If you follow the Digital Magazine‘s Instagram you will see that we run giveaways quite often.

Our first giveaway, we might have received 25 followers and spent $50.00

Not a good ROI.

With less than 1000 following (It might have been slightly more), our reach was too small.

We had to re-evaluate or tactics on how to run a successful instagram giveaway that wouldn’t waste money. 

This is what we have discovered: 

1. If you are starting off or planning your first Giveaway do not do it by yourself.

Do it with another account that has around the same amount of followers OR reach out to a slightly larger account and offer an incentive. Maybe they can just pay for shipping or even join the Instagram giveaway for free.

2. Have a budget and stick with it.

You have to know what you need for your ROI to be. That is how you can measure your giveaway’s success. One of our most successful giveaway was with a $10.00 product with 50-80 new followers.

3. Take really amazing pictures of the product(s).

Your visuals can enhance or take away from your giveaway. It could be a great giveaway, but if the visuals are not amazing, then you just lowered the success of your giveaway.

4. Make time to engage with your followers and their followers to extend your reach.

This is vital! If you do not have the time, do not do a giveaway. You can’t just upload it and then walk away. You need to make sure that your account is being seen.

5. Ask others to post it to their stories.

Make sure the accounts that you ask have high engagement. This is where instagram groups come in handy!

6. Repost to remind everyone about your giveaway.

I like to repost at least 3 times. Also, you may have some procrastinators. Remind them that they only have a certain amount of time to enter the instagram giveaway. 

Top apps to help you plan your social media

Top Apps That Will Help You Plan Your Social Media

by blogSocial Media
Top apps to help you plan your social media

​Social Media can be very time consuming if you do not plan ahead. Planning captions and media on the spot can lead to poor engagement, and posts that do not connect to your business.  Here are a couple of apps that will help you plan your social media.

1. Hootsuite is a boutique agency’s dream since they offer a pretty extensive free version.

If you are a blogger, the free version might fit all of your needs. It does not handle Pinterest. There is a desktop version, which makes it easier if you are planning for multiple social media platforms.

2. Facebook Scheduler

It comes with Facebook and is really great. There are so much free analytics. It’s almost like Facebook wants you to only use their scheduler. Too bad it doesn’t integrate with Instagram.

3. Tailwind

Step up your Pinterest game with Tailwind. You can also use it for Instagram. There is a desktop version.

It can get very pricey for agencies.

4. Preview

This one comes with hashtag suggestions for Instagram, which is cool, but you still need to check to see if the hashtags are strong. The free version allows you to plan and organize your ig, but you still have to manually post.

It can get pricey if you have more than 1 handle.

5. Planoly

This one is very organized, and is cheaper than Preview, if you have more than 1 account to manage. It organizes the hashtags pretty well. 

Here’s a tip:

If you are on a budget, you can download several free apps and use them for your different accounts. 

Why should I create unique content for each social media platform

Why Should I Create Unique Content For Each Social Media Platform?

by blogSocial Media
Why should I create unique content for each social media platform

Different demographics are on different social platforms which is why you should create unique content for each social media platform. 

You wouldn’t speak to your aunt the same way you would speak to your cousin, right?

It’s really that simple.

Also, if you post the same thing across all channels, you will turn off followers from following you across all of your social media. 

How do I create unique content for each social media platform?

Know your demographics and rearrange your content to cater to that specific demographic and the social media platform.

You can still have a consistent message, but just do not copy and paste your message.  

Change up your graphics, i.e. Facebook does not like text on graphics while Pinterest does.

Get to know your audience. If starting from scratch, it might take you a couple of months to figure this out. Utilize and analyze all of your analytics.

Did you post something with text on instagram and did it do well, or did a picture with a catchy caption do better?

Figure out what you can do with the social media platforms that you utilize, their rules and algorithms. For example, you can post multiple pictures on one Instagram post allowing you to create a visual story where as twitter is more about words. 

Figuring out your demographics and the rules of the social media platform is key to creating unique content for each social media platform that you are on. 

Good luck and Happy Posting!

Social Media

Social Media Trends of 2018

by AdvertisingMarketingSocial Media
BY, AIYANA VEIGA
CMO
Social Media
2018 Social Media Trends Mid-Year Review

If you think Social Media hasn’t changed that much this year, think again. Instagram is still the most popular social media platform and to keep up, they have added to their platform and have also changed its structure. With Instagram stories and the addition of IGTV and IG Live, content and content structure has also changed to more quick and “real”. Here are the 5 main Social Media Trends of 2018. 

1. Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories have become increasing popular and are the biggest social media trends of 2018. Instagram announced in June that over 400 million people use Instagram Stories which is way higher than the users that Snapchat reported (Snapchat should have never changed it’s structure). Companies now have an intimate way of reaching their users and creating content targeted to their specific user over the largest social media audeince.

There are a couple of things that you must do to receive the benefits from a business account, but Instagram is still the best platforms that reach the broadest demographics. 

3. Great Photos

In 2018, everyone has access to great cameras and photo editing software. The key to have Great Photos that are the center of your content and that also tell a story.

Stock photos will not just do it anymore. There has to be a meaning and a story line behind your content. 

4. GIFS

It’s not a video and not a picture…It’s a GIF…A quick under 4 second animation without sound. Why are these a hit? There isn’t a commitment. You don’t have to click on the link to watch the video or to start it up. You don’t have to stop what you are doing to watch and listen. 

5. Emotion

Top companies on Social Media are no longer maintaining the connotation of “professional”.  For example, look at the image Wendy’s has drawn for us with their personality on Social Media. They are putting a voice and emotion behind their product to let their viewers know that they are actually a real person.