In this age of digital transformation, it’s imperative for businesses to be on social media to promote their offerings and better engage their target audience. However, business owners like you can only take full advantage of the benefits of social media marketing when you have a high-speed internet connection. In addition to helping your business be as productive and efficient as possible, a speedy connection also ensures stress-free uploads for social media content like photos, videos, and long-form posts.

Fortunately, a Computer Weekly article reports that the UK has recently been seeing a significant increase in broadband speeds, especially in regions traditionally excluded from the coverage of reliable and fast service providers. Specifically, findings indicate that the average download speed for UK broadband users is 69.4Mbps in 2023, representing a 17% increase after upgrading to higher-bandwidth broadband services.

In light of this development, below are steps business owners can take to choose the right broadband provider and ensure high-speed social media upload times and overall internet access.

Prioritise the upload and download speeds

Regardless of the size and scale of your business, you need the highest speed and bandwidth you can get to optimize your processes and workflows. Since your unique needs may not be met by usual home broadband services, Zzoom provides full-fibre broadband that UK businesses can rely on for high-performance, giga-fast connectivity ranging from 300Mbps to 1200 Mbps depending on the number of internet users.

Moreover, you must prioritize fast upload speeds for posting social media content and backing up data, as well as equally reliable download speeds for transferring photos, videos, and multimedia during the content creation process. In this case, Zzoomm guarantees symmetrical upload and download speeds with advanced Wi-Fi 6 routers for a seamless connection.

Consider the pricing and packages

While fiber broadband is worth the price, it can still be a significant investment, so make sure you’re choosing the right provider and package according to your finances and needs. If your small business only has 10 or fewer internet users (including your marketing team), you can already opt for the 100-300 Mbps plan instead of spending more money on the contract with the highest speed and bandwidth.

Small businesses can also benefit from broadband providers that package their high- speed connections with other products and services like standard installation and Wi-Fi routers. If you also need television or phone services to entertain and communicate with your customers, a service provider that bundles internet access with all-around connectivity may also be the right choice for your business.

Look for reliable customer service

Once you’ve narrowed down your options when it comes to internet speed and pricing, it’s also crucial to consider whether or not the broadband provider has reliable customer service. After all, you would want service issues or interruptions to be fixed with little to no downtime so you don’t miss out on posting social media content at optimal times.

As such, look for a service provider that has 24/7 omnichannel support so you can reach them via phone, email, or live chat to work through any issues that may arise anytime and anywhere. It also helps if there are no hidden fees with their customer service and if they have a team that can conduct on-site visits for issues that otherwise cannot be resolved remotely.

Don’t forget about security

Since you’re mainly using your internet connection to post on social media and carry out your digital marketing strategy, you want your login details and contacts to remain private and secure. So, it’s best to choose a provider that offers an additional layer of protection to the data you upload and transfer, whether through end-to-end encryption, like a VPN Service, or firewalls that keep your assets protected and reduce downtime if a third party is detected.

When choosing a provider, you can refer to the National Cyber Security Centre’s ‘Share and Defend’ capability and its network of internet service providers (ISPs) and tech companies. The center partners with these entities to eliminate cyber crime or fraud, especially among UK businesses.

Wrap UP:

While a speedy and reliable connection assists with strategic and timely uploads for your business socials, you can further ensure that your accounts are well-managed and optimized by using Hopper HQ’s social media scheduling app. You can personalize your content calendar and link your social channels effortlessly, while also enjoying a sleek and user-friendly interface when scheduling and uploading content. Explore the rest of our official website to learn more.

The post 4 Steps to Choosing the Right Broadband Provider to Ensure High-Speed Upload Times for Socials appeared first on Hopper HQ.

Introduction to FASTIGNS Central Orlando

FASTSIGNS, renowned for its tailor-made signage solutions and high-performance visuals catering to businesses of all sizes, stands out in a network of approximately 800 global franchise locations. Among all the USA branches, FASTSIGNS Central Orlando shines brightly in the top 20, currently occupying the 19th position.

Impressive as it is, this achievement is made even more remarkable by the fact that FASTSIGNS Central Orlando operates with a relatively small team, comprising just 18 individuals, of which only two are dedicated to marketing.

Situated in the heart of downtown Orlando, on one of the city’s most bustling streets, this branch enjoys a prime location. Serving a diverse clientele that ranges from local small businesses to esteemed partners like Pepsi and Amazon, FASTSIGNS Central Orlando covers the full spectrum of signage needs, from small-scale keychains to towering 40 to 100-foot banners.

Hopper HQ: The Better Alternative

Manage your social media, plan & schedule posts, add hashtags, and track results from one place with Hopper HQ!

START FREE TRIAL!

The challenges they faced

FASTSIGNS Central Orlando has faced a series of formidable challenges in their journey to social media success. They started from scratch, having to recover from the impact of random, unsubstantial social media posts and gradually build their online presence. So, their focus turned to how they can master brand consistency across multiple platforms in social media.

The challenge of time management with a modest team of just two professionals when managing their local presence and effectively ‘competing’ with other branches becomes all the more demanding. In the realm of B2B, where social media engagement can be particularly challenging, FASTSIGNS Central Orlando faced hurdles in establishing a strong online presence for community building and engagement.

Kay one of the marketing responsibles states “We’ve grown substantially from there so that’s definitely been a very big challenge going from the ground and slowly moving upwards, especially with just the two of us. 

Their focus was based on their desire to maintain not only quantity and consistency but also the highest quality of posts, ensuring every member of their community received tailored content.

FASTSIGNS Central Orlando recognized the need for a strategy that would streamline their social media efforts, empower their small team to better manage their local presence, and enhance their engagement within the B2B community.

What solutions were found

In conquering their social media challenges through strategic scheduling, content diversity, and data-driven insights, FASTSIGNS emerged as a shining example of how innovation in the digital landscape can elevate a business’s presence, engagement, and ultimately, its success.

But they didn’t stop there. FASTSIGNS leveraged Hopper HQ’s analytic capabilities to gain profound insights into their audience’s preferences and behaviours on each social platform. This approach revealed that their messaging and posting structure needed to adapt and evolve depending on the platform they were engaging with. As one team member aptly put it, “I think also looking at the age range of who is on what platform that is a humongous thing because what I can market to millennials is not going to fly for the upcoming Gen Z.”

Armed with this data-driven knowledge, they fine-tuned their content strategy, ensuring that each post resonated with their target audience. They discovered the best times to publish content, the types of posts that garnered the most attention, and the messaging that truly connected with their followers.

One of their biggest aids, though, came in the form of Hopper HQ’s content scheduling feature, allowing them to plan and execute their posts at least two weeks in advance. Jacqui a marketing team member mentions “Being able to schedule the content out at least two weeks is the biggest stress reliever that we could have.” This approach not only alleviated their scheduling woes but also ensured that their content was well-organized and timely, despite the constraints of their small team.

Strategy:

• Consistency: Two posts a day and one on the weekends. Reels and TikToks published 3 times a week. At least one story a day.
• “Why FASTSIGNS Wednesday”: Highlighting their employees, what they enjoy, and the skills they bring to the team.  
• Content Curation: Unique content is created to resonate with the audience of each social media platform. 
• Organisation: Divide the social media platforms between the two marketing responsibilities and use Hopper HQ for scheduling and analytics. 

Results:

In implementing innovative social media strategies, Fast Signs Orlando witnessed significant improvements in their online presence and engagement metrics. These outcomes underscore the effectiveness of their approach in addressing the challenges of maintaining brand consistency across multiple platforms with a small marketing team.

Closing Remarks:

FASTSIGNS Central Orlando’s remarkable journey showcases the potential for social media success, even with a modest marketing team. Their commitment to innovation and strategic adaptation, supported by Hopper HQ, has resulted in significant achievements.

Through data-driven insights, they tailored their content to resonate with their audience, achieving a 200% increase in Instagram likes, a remarkable 1000% increase in Reel engagement, a 4.9 Facebook rating, and an 18% engagement rate on TikTok.

FASTSIGNS Central Orlando’s key strategies include consistent posting, platform-specific content curation, and efficient team organization. Their story serves as an inspiring example for other FASTSIGNS branches and businesses seeking to enhance their social media presence.

By following similar strategies and leveraging tools like Hopper HQ, organizations can improve their online engagement and excel in the digital landscape. FASTSIGNS Central Orlando’s experience is a testament to what’s possible with dedication, strategic thinking, and the right resources. As they continue to thrive, their journey can inspire countless others on the path to social media success.

To experience the same success as FASTSIGNS Central Orlando, try out the Hopper HQs’ 14-day free trial!

The post How to Master Brand Consistency Across Multiple Platforms: Strategies for Small Teams appeared first on Hopper HQ.

The Hopper HQ app is available for both iOS as well as Android! 

Let’s dive into the three major highlights:

1. Post and Schedule on the Go

Posting and scheduling content has never been easier! With our upgraded mobile app, you can now manage your social media accounts seamlessly, even when you’re away from your desk. You’ll be able to create captivating posts, add eye-catching visuals, and craft compelling captions all within the app. Whether you’re travelling, attending events, or simply taking a break, you have full control over your social media presence. 

With the “Post Now” feature you can add to your channels whenever, where ever, ensuring your audience stays engaged and delighted. You can also schedule your creative visuals to be autoposted at the perfect time and even reschedule posts that have historically good performance! 

2. Link Your Social Channels Effortlessly

Managing multiple social media accounts? No problem! Our enhanced mobile app allows you to link and manage all your social channels in one place. Connect your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube or TikTok profile and effortlessly switch between accounts with just a few taps. 

Say goodbye to logging in and out of different platforms—now you can streamline your social media management and maximize your efficiency. Anyone in your team when granted access can hop around and participate in the content process.

3. Experience the New Sleek Design

We believe that good design enhances user experience, and we’ve worked tirelessly to revamp our mobile app with a fresh and sleek look. Enjoy a visually pleasing interface that not only makes navigation a breeze but also easily uploads videos and images into posts, stories and reels.

You can quickly download posts directly to your phone and swiftly change posts’ statuses from draft to needs approval or scheduled.   From intuitive icons to smooth transitions, every aspect has been carefully designed to provide you with a seamless and enjoyable user experience.


Update your Hopper HQ mobile app today and unlock a world of convenience, productivity, and style. Managing your social media has never been this effortless. Stay connected, organized, and ahead of the game, wherever you are!

Find your best time to post

Schedule your social media posts at your optimal times and watch your engagement skyrocket with Hopper HQ! 

START FREE TRIAL!

The post The New Hopper HQ Social Media Scheduling App appeared first on Hopper HQ.

For the first time ever, Hopper HQ presents the 2023 YouTube Rich List

YouTube is one of the oldest social media channels around and continues to have a predominant role in most of our lives. 

So, it should come as no surprise that the top YouTubers earn a hefty amount for their sponsored posts. To even be considered for a paid post from YouTube, you must have over 1,000 subscribers and over 4,000 hours of video watched. 

However, the names mentioned, have vastly surpassed these minimum requirements, making them the most expensive YouTubers to work with! 

So, following the success of the Instagram Rich List, and the launch of the YouTube Shorts Scheduling on Hopper HQ, we proudly present:

The 2023 YouTube Rich List

Without further adieu, meet the biggest names on YouTube, some might come as a suprise.

Repost TikTok Videos to Instagram

Automatically post your TikTok videos to Instagram. without watermark!

Start Your Free Trial

1. Mr Beast

$1,872,000 per post 
168 million subscribers
$100 million net worth

Mr. Beast, known for his out-of-ordinary video content, that produces billions of views sits confidently on the top of this list.  Not only are his videos popular but shown to be quite expensive, like his real-life squid game which was said to cost over $3 million! Other stunts include spending 50 hours buried alive and offering $10,000 to anyone willing to sit in a bathtub of snakes.

2. Kids Diana Show

$297,000 per post 
112 million followers
$200 million net worth

The Kids Diana Show stars Eva Diana Kidisyuk, a Ukrainian-American YouTuber. With her brother Roma and parents Volodymyr and Olena, they create roleplay-oriented children’s content.  To reach a global audience her show has now been translated into several languages including Japanese, Arabic and Indonesian  

3. Like Nastya official

$268,200 per post
106 million subscribers
$203 million net worth

Anastasia Radzinskaya, popularly known for her YouTube channel Like Nastya, is a Russian YouTuber who, along with her parents, creates content for children. With her charming personality and engaging content, she has managed to amass a staggering net worth of over $200 million, making her one of the wealthiest child YouTubers globally.

4. Fernanfloo

$252,000 per post
46 million followers
$20 million net worth

Luis Alvarado, better known as Fernanfloo on YouTube, is a Salvadoran gaming and comedy YouTuber. Reaching a total of over 10 billion views, with more than 542 videos, and 46 million subscribers, makes his one of the most popular channels in Latin America. Currently being the most subscribed channel in El Salvador.

Plan & Schedule Your Social Media Posts

Visually plan your posts. Drag & drop everywhere in seconds

Create Your First Post

5. Vlad and Niki

$243,000 per post
99 million followers
$174 million net worth

Vlas and Niki, two brothers aim their channel to preschool and early elementary school children. They feature fin and educational videos about family activities and more. Known for fluently speaking several languages like German, Spanish and French, the siblings resonated with many families across the world. Although in 5th place in our YouTube rich list, with the recent ban on their channel, they might fall off the charts.

6. A4a4a4a4

$151,200 per post
46.3 million followers
$50 million net worth

Vladislav Bumaga, also known online as A4 started his YouTube Channel in November 2014 and since then his account rose to over 45 million subscribers. He is regarded as one of the most well-known YouTubers who speaks Russian. His fame first originated from a video called “24 hours in a trampoline centre”, which increased his subscriber count from 200k to 1 million. 

Simple Post, Story + Reel Scheduling

Visually plan your social content. Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn + Pinterest

Try Hopper HQ Now

7. Dan TDM

$135,000  per post
27.4 million followers
$43 million worth

Daniel Middleton, popularly known online as DanTDM, is a British YouTuber and gamer. He is best known for gaming commentaries, especially those centred around the game “Minecraft.” Initially, his channel focused on recording videos of himself playing the popular game but as his audience grew, he broadened his focus to include other games, like “Pokémon,” “Roblox,” and more. He’s also expanded his efforts to film and television roles, one of these being a cameo in the Hollywood movie “Free Guy”.

8. shfa

$79,200 per post
38.4 million followers
$50 million worth

Shifa, better known online as shfa, is an 11-year-old Emirati YouTuber who primarily uploads Arabic-language entertainment videos for children. She can also be found on several other channels which upload her videos in Korean, Spanish, and French. 

Schedule TikTok Posts from Your PC

Visually plan & schedule your TikTok videos right from your desktop with Hopper HQ

Get Started

9. Logan Paul vlogs

$77,400 per post
23.6 million followers
$13.5 million worth

Logan Paul has been mentioned all over the internet on several occasions, with the earliest video being his experience in the “suicide forest”, Aokigahara, where he was even sued against. Since then, he has joined other professions such as wrestling and has already signed with WWE. Logan Paul was ranked as one of the highest-paid YouTubers in 2017, 2018 and 2021. 

10. Kimberly Loaiza

$73,800 per post
41.2 million followers
$12.6 million worth

Kimberly Loaiza is a Mexican social media influencer who rose to internet fame through her YouTube channel. On her channel, she primarily posts videos of herself singing and shares insights on lifestyle topics. With time, she subsequently developed a very large following on other social media channels like TikTok, with over 60 million followers.

And there you have it, this concludes the 2023 Hopper HQ YouTube Rich List. 

Enjoyed this? You might also like:
– The 2022 Instagram Rich List
– The 2022 Pinterest Rich List
– The best time to post on TikTok

Want to be considered for next year’s list?

We’re now taking applications for influencers looking to be considered for the Youtube Rich List 2024 – if you’d like to nominate yourself or your client, complete this form.

TRY HOPPER HQ FREERefreshingly Simple Post, Story + Reel Scheduling

Visually plan all your social channels. Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook + LinkedIn.

Try Hopper HQ Now

The post The 2023 YouTube Rich List: Who Earns The Most from YouTube Sponsored Posts? appeared first on Hopper HQ.

Instagram continues to be the most dominant social media channel for partnerships and collaborations with influencers. However, the million-dollar question (quite literally) is,  who’s the highest-paid celeb of 2023?  

The sports niche continues to dominate the top 3, with Christiano Ronaldo in 1st and Lionel Messi right behind in 2nd place, a step closer to where he was last year (3rd place right after Kylie Jenner).

Speaking of the Kardashians, although still in the top 10, Kylie has dropped from being the runner upper to 4th place. Kim this year is in 8th compared to her 6th place position last year, while Khloe lowered one position to 10th place. Unfortunately, Kendall didn’t make it to the top 10 list, leaving her in 12th place. 

Based on Hopper HQ internal data, agency rates and public information, you can now find out just how much your favourite celebrities are earning for their sponsored posts.

With other public figures like Mr. Beast and Jake Paul on the rise, we’ve also curated the highest-earning YouTubers for 2023, go check it out! 

Plan & Schedule Your Social Media Posts

Visually plan your posts. Drag & drop everywhere in seconds

Create Your First Post

So, just as we did in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, 2022, Hopper HQ presents:

The 2023 Instagram Rich List

2023 Top 10 Highest-Earning Instagram Stars

1. Cristiano Ronaldo

596 million followers
$3,233,923 per post

Cristiano Ronaldo continues to sit at the top of the list with the highest-ever potential earning, making an average of $ 3.2 million per post compared to $2,3 million per post last year. Also, the football Idol is on the verge of reaching 600 million followers, which should happen any minute now! 

2. Lionel Messi

479 million followers
$2,596,834 per post

It’s no surprise that Lionel Messi places himself right behind his competitor Ronaldo. The rivals have made a significant amount of noise with their collaboration in the popular Luis Vitton campaign, which could have boosted Messis’ position to 2nd place.

3. Selena Gomez

426 million followers
$2,557,825 per post

Selena Gomez has come a long way this year, with rumours of being bullied by “mean girl” Haley Bieber.  In the past year Selena has risen to 3rd place for best-paid Instagram star, but what’s more astonishing, is her increase of over 100m followers.

4. Kylie Jenner

397 million followers
$2,385,757 per post

Kylie Jenner, who used to be the runner-up, has fallen to 4th place in the 2023 Instagram Rich List. With the birth of her second child, she has moved away from the spotlight to focus on building her family. 

5. Dwayne Johnson

387 million  followers
$2,325,862 per post

Dwayne Johnson or commonly known as “The Rock” has kept his place as 5th on the Rich List, the exact same position as in 2022.  However, with a 5 million increase in followers.  

Simple Post, Story + Reel Scheduling

Visually plan your social content. Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn + Pinterest

Try Hopper HQ Now

6. Ariana Grande

377 million followers
$2,263,171 per post

Ariana Grande has been mentioned all over social media due to her recent split from her husband Dalton Gomez and rumoured relationship with Wicked co-star Ethan Slater. Pushing her up to 6th place, one step higher than where she was last year.   

7. Kim Kardashian 

362 million followers
$2,175,235 per post

After having been in 6th place in our 2022 Instagram rich list, the Skims owner has dropped down to 9th this year. She has gotten quite a bit of backlash when it comes to her feud with her sister Kourtney, which could have impacted her popularity.

8. Beyonce

314 million followers
$1,888,884 per post

Beyonce however, has kept her eighth place for the third year in a row! The queen B continues to keep her place in the top 10 richest Instagram celebrities. 

9. Khloe Kardashian

310 million followers
$1,865,236 per post

Khloe Kardashian jumps to 9th place, shown to be a favourite amongst the Kardashian fans. Making her the 3rd best-paid Kardashian/Jenner after Kylie and Kim. Having had a tough time with her relationship with Tristian Thompson and the birth of her second child, she has won her fans’ hearts. 

10. Justin Bieber

237 million followers
$1,762,436 per post

Justin Bieber has reached the top 10 best-paid Instagram celebrities after not having made it in 2022.  Being stuck in the middle of what people calling a “love triangle” with Hailey Bieber and Selina Gomez, his popularity has grown. 

Check out the full 2023 Instagram Rich List here – featuring the highest-earning social media stars.

You might also like:
– The 2023 YouTube Rich List
– The 2023 Virtual Influencer Rich List

Want to be considered for next year’s list?

We’re now taking applications for influencers looking to be considered for the Instagram Rich List 2024 – if you’d like to nominate yourself or your client, complete this form.

TRY HOPPER HQ FREERefreshingly Simple Post, Story + Reel Scheduling

Visually plan all your social channels. Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook + LinkedIn.

Try Hopper HQ Now

The post The 2023 Instagram Rich List — Who Earns The Most From Sponsored Instagram Posts? appeared first on Hopper HQ.

Just within three years, the number of Instagram Stories daily active users has reached 500 million people, as specified in one report by TechCrunch.

With a lifespan of 24 hours, Instagram Stories create a sense of urgency that encourages users to watch ephemeral content to avoid missing out on something important. Instagram Stories have also increased the average time spent on Instagram from 15 to 54 minutes a day. 

Simply put, Instagram Stories help to boost engagement and many brands have realized the power of short-lived content on the platform.

Any proof needed? According to Business Instagram, 50% of businesses on Instagram create at least one Instagram story a month, ⅓ of the most-viewed Instagram Stories are from businesses, and 96% of marketers surveyed plan to continue using Instagram Stories ads to achieve their goals. In other words, there’s no need to get math help from digital experts to understand that Instagram Stories help to achieve business results.

If you use Instagram Stories for business, that’s great. But if you want to make the most out of this content type, check out 8 Instagram Stories features that boost engagement and examples from popular brands on how to use these features. Let’s dive in!

8 Instagram Stories features that boost engagement

1) Geolocation and Location Hashtags

One of the easiest ways to boost engagement is to increase organic reach and interact with your target audience. The more people see your content, the higher engagement you can achieve. Since engagement is the level of user involvement with your content, it’s important to make sure that your Stories reach the right audience. 

Thus, using geotags and location Instagram hashtags increases local discovery and leads to 79% more engagement. Let’s take a look at how Shake Shack uses a geolocation sticker to spread the word about its new location:

Want to know the best part? Using geotags in Instagram Stories allows you to reach people outside of your following which means you can attract more people who are interested in your product or services. As a result, you can get higher engagement rates as you reach the right audience.

Simple Post, Story + Reel Scheduling

Visually plan your social content. Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn + Pinterest

Try Hopper HQ Now

2)  Create a Poll for your Story

It’s in our nature to keep a focus on ourselves, so it’s no wonder that users dedicate 80% of their social media posts to their thoughts and beliefs. 

Modern people are not shy to express their thoughts on social media and they are happy to share their opinions with others. Thus, the poll sticker–a one-question poll for Stories–is a great way to start a conversation with your followers and increase user engagement.

Check out how ASOS uses polls to interact with followers:

When users tap on the poll, not only can respondents choose from two options to share their thoughts, but they can also see which choice is in the lead after voting or they can also see updated results by watching the Story again later on (the poll is available for 24 hours). 

The possibility to learn more about other customers’ preferences also motivates viewers to take part in polls and therefore the poll sticker boosts engagement.

3) Add a Quiz Sticker 

People love taking quizzes as they can learn more about themselves and test themselves, so they are more likely to engage with your brand if you use the quiz sticker. 

This sticker allows you to write out your question and provide multiple-choice options (2-4 answer choices). Once users have voted, the “right” answer will be highlighted green, so they can see whether they got it right. 

Whether you want to learn more about your followers or see whether they know your company well, there are many ways to use the quiz sticker. Let’s take Booking.com, for example. The company posts clues and includes the quiz sticker to test its followers. Here’s how it looks:

Not only does Booking.com keep its audience engaged, but the company also increases brand awareness by including its brand logo. 

If you want to create similar eye-catching Stories, you can use an online graphic design tool like Crello to find amazing Instagram Story templates that suit your brand identity.

4) Ask your audience a Question 

Having a solid following doesn’t mean interacting with your potential customers. Once you’ve grabbed the attention of your target audience, it’s important to ease the mind of worried customers and answer all questions. 

The discovery phase is one of the most important in the customer lifecycle as people learn more about your company and product to decide whether you can suit their needs. 

The solution? Questions in Instagram Stories! 

More and more brands use the question sticker to collect frequently-asked questions about their company and products to answer them in Instagram Stories. Here’s this strategy in action from Dunkin’: 

Modern people follow businesses on social media if they are interested in their products or services. When you invite your followers to ask questions about your company or product, you show that you put your customers first and it encourages viewers to interact with your company. Simply put, it’s another actionable way to boost engagement with Instagram Stories.

5) Make things fun with an Emoji Slider 

Back in 2018, Instagram announced its new Instagram Stories feature, the emoji slider. This feature allows you to ask more nuanced questions and find out how your followers feel about something by dragging the emoji to the left or right to make your decision. Since people vote with the emoji, it adds an emotional context that encourages users to participate. 

For brands, this means a new opportunity to interact with your followers and boost engagement. For instance, Tommy Hilfiger included the emoji slider when the company announced its new campaign #TOMMYNOW in Milan (Italy) to see whether its target audience was excited about the launch:

Notably, it’s you who chooses the emoji for your question, so it’s easy to customize your question and help your followers understand your tone and answer accordingly. For example, you can upload multiple photos/videos of a new product and invite followers to share their thoughts about it with the emoji slider. 

TRY HOPPER HQ FREERefreshingly Simple Post, Story + Reel Scheduling

Visually plan all your social channels. Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook + LinkedIn.

Try Hopper HQ Now

6)  Add a Shoppable Sticker

It’s no secret that you can engage better with your customers if you satisfy their needs and wants. Thus, including shoppable stickers is important. Why? Over the last few years, Instagram has become a powerful sales machine and 83% of people use this platform to discover new products. 

Since people are ready to find and buy products on the platform, it’s important to help them make the shopping process easier and bring your e-commerce business to the next level. 

Here’s how Calvin Klein uses shoppable stickers:

Not only do shoppable stickers allow viewers to discover featured products with ease, but they also help to improve customer experience. 

One study by GetVoIP found that people are 3.5x more likely to make additional purchases and they are 5x more likely to recommend a company to a friend after having a positive customer experience. 

In other words, when you help your customers discover and buy your products in-app, it helps to increase engagement. 

7) Use a Countdown Sticker

It’s no secret that creating a sense of urgency is one of the best ways to motivate your followers to take the desired action faster. 

With the countdown sticker, you can promote something important and allow your audience to set a reminder for any day and time (up to 1 year later) to get notified. Since people are afraid of missing out on something important, they tap on the sticker to get the countdown notification on time.?

Just take a look at an example from TailWindApp:

The combination of eye-catching design and the FOMO effect encourages followers to swipe up to learn more and turn on reminders or notifications. 

If you don’t have an in-house team of graphic designers, you can find and repurpose stock photos to use them as background images for your Instagram Stories. Once you’ve grabbed your target audience’s attention with the design, it’s easier to interest your followers in learning more about your time-sensitive offer.

8. Try the Swipe Up Link

If you use Instagram for business, it’s more likely your aim is to grow your Instagram account. Having a solid following is great for businesses of any size and shape, but reaching a 10k milestone allows you to  access the swipe up Instagram Stories feature. 

Once you can add a swipe-up link, you can redirect your interested viewers to your target website page, whether you want to take your viewers to a lead generation landing page or your blog post. This means you can help your followers learn more about your company and its products without leaving the app.

Big companies like MadeWell use the swipe-up link. For example, MadeWell ran an influencer campaign to spread the word about its products and invited opinion leaders to share their thoughts. Once the company published the campaign on its website, it included the clickable link to let viewers learn more about it:

The swipe-up link lets your creativity run wild as you can add a link to any website page. If you want to promote your new product launch, you can include a link to your homepage. And if you want to collect customer feedback, you can link back to a customer survey. Want to know the best part? 

This feature helps to provide your followers with more information which makes your following more engaged and interested.

The Bottom Line

Instagram is growing in popularity among people and businesses, so it’s getting harder to cut through the noise. If you want to attract your target audience and interact with potential customers on the platform, it’s important to boost engagement and using Instagram Stories isn’t optional these days. 

Do you use Instagram Stories to boost engagement? What is your favourite feature? Let us know in the comment section below.

Guest Author: Hugh Beaulac

Social Media Manager and Content Strategist—MC2

With over 7 years of digital marketing experience, Hugh Beaulac is passionate about social media marketing and blogging. He helps SMBs grow online, runs MC2 blog, and writes for top-notch websites to share his marketing tips.

Twitter: @HughBeaulac

The post 8 Instagram Stories Features That Boost Engagement and Examples appeared first on Hopper HQ.

This makes Stories a legit strategy to reach more Instagram users and raise awareness of your business, products, or services.

By the time you’re done with this guide, you’ll know how to:

• create, share, and save engaging stories
• design good-looking custom stories
• monetize stories and get a profit
• plan and monitor the performance of stories.

Plus, you’ll get inspired by tons of examples. 

Sounds good? Let’s begin with the basics. 

How to Create Instagram Stories

There are two ways to add a story to your account: take a photo or video by yourself or use content from your gallery. You can also put multiple pictures in your Instagram Story.  

When to use which to generate maximum engagement?

Ideas for taking a photo/video: 

• In case you’d like to share the news from a conference/meeting/webinar
• Live videos from your office or travels
• Live webinar where you share your knowledge or insights
• Live tutorials and how-tos.

In this story below, Gordon Ramsay shares an update on an upcoming live cooking session. 

Ideas for using pre-made content:

• Promote blog posts
• Promote Instagram posts
• Promote products/services 
• Conduct a poll/survey
• Hold a contest or giveaway.

Here’s an example of pre-made content that promotes a product.

Need more ideas on how to use Instagram Stories for business? Check out these 14 brilliant examples from real businesses. 

How to Edit a Story

Why edit stories? 

• It’s a great way to attract the attention of viewers who see tens and even hundreds of Stories every day. 
• It can make your Story stand out from the rest. 
• It’s a great opportunity to be creative and express yourself in a unique way. 

One way to edit a story is to use stickers. Instagram provides stickers for donations, countdown timers, questions, polls, hashtags, locations, and weather. 

To create a story, click on the Sticker button at the top of the screen. It takes you to the collection of stickers.

There are also tools providing editing. Canva, for example, has the Instagram Story Editor with stylish, professionally-created templates to start creating awesome content. 

Besides templates, Canva’s editor also provides access to a library of images, filters, and fonts.

How to Delete a Story

Open an uploaded story and tap on the menu icon in the bottom right. There, choose the Delete option.  

Archive a Story

Luckily for us, we can save stories for later by archiving them on the mobile app. For businesses, it could be a good idea to track content creation or backup content that performs well. 

To archive a story, you need to:

• Go to Settings in your Instagram mobile app
• Click on Privacy and then Story tabs
• Under the Saving section, switch on the Save to Archive option.

As you can see, there’s also an option to save content to the gallery. If you’d like to save the stories to your device’s memory, be sure to activate this option, too. 

What are Instagram Story Highlights?

Basically, these are stories the user can choose to save to their profile permanently. You can create a Highlight from an existing story from the archive or make a new one. 

For businesses, this feature is useful for:

• categorizing posts with products and services 
• differentiating types of content 
• keeping the feed in order
• allowing visitors to find products/services/content easier.

To add a story to a Highlight, tap Story Highlights just below your bio on the profile. 

Next, choose the  button to open the gallery of available stories. Make your choice and tap Next to go to the cover edit window. Change the cover to your liking.

Next, the app will prompt you to choose the name for the Highlight. Try to be concise with the title to be able to read it comfortably on a small smartphone screen. 

How to Share Videos in an Instagram Story?

One of the reasons people go to Instagram is to watch videos. The launch of IGTV a couple of years ago has drawn millions of video fans to the platform, making it one of the best social media for video marketing. 

If you’d like to share a video-based story on Instagram, you need to tap on the camera icon in the top left corner of the feed page.

Next, tap on the recording button and hold it to make the video. When you’re done, you can share it with your audience by tapping on the “Your Story” button in the left bottom corner of the screen. It will display the further steps you’ll need to take to finish publishing. 

Instagram Stories: Basic Analytics

How to Check Views on Stories

People often ask,

“Can you see who views your story on Instagram?”

Knowing who your viewers are is actually helpful. For brands, for example, it can help with customer segmentation and lead generation effort. 

Thankfully, you can see viewers, by opening a story and swiping up on the screen. 

The move opens the list of people who viewed your content. If you don’t wish to share it with everyone, there’s an option called Close Friends, just for that. 

By checking this feature, you can limit the number of people who can view your stories to a hand-picked group. 

To create an Instagram group of Close Friends, go to the profile menu (the three lines icon in the top right corner of your screen). 

Clicking on this option opens the list of followers with an option to Add and Remove people. Feel free to create a custom list and tap Done.

When you’re finished, next time you’re going to be posting a story, you’ll see a Close Friends option at the bottom of the screen. 

This feature has proven to be a big hit among both private and business Instagram users. An influencer, for example, can have customers in one Close Friends list to share their content.

Speaking of business users, Instagram has made post management, monetizing content, and getting analytics easier with the Facebook Creator Studio. 

The tool was created specifically for influencers and users who create a lot of original content (bloggers, etc.). That’s why it has advanced business options like content monetization and scheduling of IGTV videos. 

Explore The Data Behind Your Social Media Accounts

Find the best time to post, track your follower growth, and understand what content works best with post and account analytics.

Try Hopper HQ Now

How Often Should You Post Stories?

As just mentioned, scheduling is included in the Facebook Creator Studio to help content creators with achieving maximum reach. 

You see, there can be too many stories per day. If one doesn’t make every story epic – which is pretty hard if you’re creating original content – then one has to limit how many stories to post daily.

Unfortunately, the universal formula for the optimal number of stories doesn’t exist. However, you can figure your own unique formula.

“Start with one story per day and measure the engagement,” says Matt Bledsoe, a digital marketing specialist at Alltopreviews.com. “Based on the results, you can increase this number to two next week.”

Measuring the performance of your posts is critical to know which content performs better at engaging your followers. 

Also, bear in mind that the success of Instagram Stories heavily depends on their ability to grab attention and entertain people.

Dive Deeper: 

• How to Produce Epic Instagram Content for Your Business

Planning and Scheduling Instagram Stories

As with any other social media content, making a calendar and planning your stories is a legit technique to maximize user engagement. 

According to Social Media Today, these are the engagement levels that content gets on Instagram. 

Wednesday is an obvious winner, with Friday coming in second place. 

While your audience might have different high engagement days, one thing is clear: to achieve the highest possible user engagement, you need to plan and schedule your stories. 

Besides, planning ahead gives you more time to think about content ideas and research them. 

To make sure that posts will be published exactly when you want, you can use a tool like Hopper HQ. With it, you can schedule up to 50 Instagram posts and set times to share them.  

Instagram Story Features

How to make your stories stand out among the rest? By using features like filters, hashtags, and stickers. 

Instagram Story Filters

Since Instagram introduced filters last year, we’ve seen a steady supply of awesome AR (augmented reality) filters. While they might not be the best option for all brands, it’s an excellent option for those trying to reach Millennials and Gen Zers. 

Remember, 67% of Instagram users are aged between 18 and 29. 

Using filters is easy: they’re available directly in your stories. If you’re a business looking to launch a unique campaign, you’re welcome to use Spark AR Studio. 

Instagram and Facebook made this tool available for all users back in April last year and it has been super popular since. 

Basically, it’s a vast collection of AR assets such as 3D objects, audio files, face landmarks, and animations. An easy-to-use builder allows the creation of great filters without coding. 

Instagram Story Hashtags

They’re a great way to increase the reach of the story because it’ll be visible to users watching the hashtags’ story.

To add a hashtag to your story, simply start typing a # after choosing the content for uploading. Afterwards, you can place it in a text, a sticker, or as a location tag.

When used properly, hashtags can increase the reach of your content and help with personalization by targeting specific groups of users. 

If you’re promoting a campaign like the Timberland example above, make sure to place a hyperlink on your Instagram profile bio. This way, you’re driving more traffic to your campaign’s page. 

Here are a few ideas on using hashtags:

• Insert location tags in branded stories. Stories with locations get up to 79 percent more engagement than those without
• Use campaign slogans as hashtags. This is a good technique to make your campaign/slogan more memorable
• Never insert more than five hashtags. Even though the limit is higher, excessive hashtagging is a surefire way to come across as overly pushy and self-promotional.

Instagram Stories: Monetization

One way to monetize stories is with ads. 

How to Use Stories Ads

Sharing ads in stories is a good way to improve your social media marketing. 

Instagram often cites the case study of Ralph Lauren to show the effectiveness of stories ads. According to this release, the company was able to:

• improve sales by 18 percent
• increase the product page views among Gen Z users by 41 percent.

To create an ad, you need to have a Facebook Ads Manager account. The process is quite detailed but if you follow the instructions, you’ll make a targeted, engaging ad quickly. 

The cost of running advertising on Instagram depends on your budget and ranges between $0.20 and $2 per click.

The Ad Manager allows two budget options: per day and lifetime. So, you can run both short-term and long-term campaigns. 

Instagram Story Design Tips

This section breaks down some of the most important design tips to create better stories. 

Design Stories with Branded Colors and Fonts

Every brand has its own colour palette and default fonts, so try to use them every time you post a story. The consistency in colours will help with brand recognizability.

Get Creative with Stickers

Stickers are a great way to add more user interest to stories:

• If you’re a brick-or-mortar business, you can use location stickers to promote your products and attract more people to your store
• Poll stickers are great for requesting feedback and learning your audience’s preferences
• Stickers with follower’s nicknames are a must for sharing user-generated content and announcing contest winners
• Use GIF stickers to draw attention to call-to-actions. 

Important: use stickers in moderation. The viewers would have trouble understanding a story’s idea if a large portion of the screen is covered with stickers. 

Use Design Tools for Instagram Stories

These design tools will be helpful for creating custom stories:

• Canva. As mentioned Canva’s Instagram Story Editor has nice templates and easy-to-use design tools
• InShot. This is an Android and iOS app for creating and editing stories. Has both essential features like cutting and splitting to advances like video backgrounds, effects, and filters
• StoryArt. Find 200+ free story templates and themes in this Android/iOS app. Suitable for both private and business users. 

How to Use Instagram Stories for Business

If you’re a brand looking to use Instagram stories, here are the most important use cases. 

Increase Content Views

Instagram stories are a great way to get your content to be viewed by more people. To maximize the content reach with them, however, you need to meet the following requirements:

• Consistent posting of at least one story per day
• Using hashtags to draw more views, e.g. location tags are great for capturing local searches
• Content relevance for the target audience. Any content should be created with the benefit for the viewer in mind.

If you’re struggling with relevant content ideas, there are definitely some in your market research materials (customer persona, etc.). 

Presenting these ideas concisely can be a challenge due to word limits, but it’s also something that writing and presenting tools like Hemingway Editor and Trustmypaper can help with. 

Important! If you find consistent posting a bit of a challenge due to a lack of ideas, don’t create stories just for the sake of it. Take a break, make a content map with ideas, and then resume posting.

Simple Post, Story + Reel Scheduling

Visually plan your social content. Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn + Pinterest

Try Hopper HQ Now

Boost Engagement

Here are the points to keep in mind to create stories that reach their audience. 

• Use stickers creatively. Stickers can do so many things. To boost engagement of an upcoming campaign, for example, you can publish a short series of stories with countdown and other fun stickers
• Collect feedback on topics your audience might be interested in. Use question, poll or quiz stickers to make Instagram users stop and engage with you
• Go live. Instagram Live is a feature for launching an unedited, real-time stream. It’s perfect for making exciting announcements, conducting webinars and Q&As, and broadcasting from exciting events.

Here’s how Mackage, a clothing brand, announces an upcoming Instagram live event. 

Don’t forget to add links to Instagram posts and stories announcing events to guide the viewers to the landing page. 

Sell More

Many people make a mistake by getting to the selling point right away. 

Selling to Instagram users doesn’t work this way. 45 percent of Millennials, for example, expect brands to build relationships with them before making a move to sell them something. 

Rand Fishkin summarises this point beautifully in this tweet back from 2015. 

Instead of getting into sales right away, consider using these strategies.

• Anticipation strategy (for new products/services). If people don’t know anything about your product, they won’t buy it. Begin with stories that reveal some of the benefits and features of the product to generate some excitement. Then, in about a week or two, announce the launch and give some more details
• Information sharing strategy. Chances are you’ve seen stories with a brand and a few words about how great it is. That’s salesy and boring. Instead, think about questions customers might have about your product and share stories with answers to them
• Action-oriented strategy. If possible, try showing your products in action with a cool video. In this story below, for example, Suunto shows an athlete running with a sports watch.

With time, you can also start sharing information about discounts and sales. They’re a proven way to attract the attention of people, put the announcement in large letters to get them to look and add a link to the sale’s page.

Keep Track of Instagram Stories Performance

To have the best chance to achieve these goals, you need to know the best-performing stories. While they depend on your audience and strategy, you need to check the content via Instagram Insights. 

The data you get from there will make your work easier. Here are the most useful points:

• The number of replies to your stories
• The number of impressions
• The number of unique Instagrammers who viewed stories
• The number of clicks received by links in stories. 

Together, Insights will show the most popular stories so you can include more similar stuff in future posts. 

Instagram Story Ideas for Small Businesses

• Free trials. Share a story announcing a free trial to get more attention (see examples below)
• Go live. Show around the office, broadcast a Q&A, showcase your product in action
• Share user-generated content (UGC). About 84 percent of people trust online reviews, so share some UGC to create a trustworthy image of your new business 
• Conduct polls to collect user feedback to improve your product
• Engage with quizzes. They’re fun and low-pressure plus give people a break from an avalanche of promotional content
• Use influencers. They’re great for raising awareness of your product and getting you more sales. 

Instagram Story Ideas for Medium Businesses

• Free trials. These can work for any kind of business, so they’re always a good idea
• Share brief instructions on how to use your product to raise awareness
• Promote apps. Planning to launch a new app soon? Make a story (see example below)
• Conduct polls and surveys. Engage users with these tools but keep topics highly relevant
• Share UGC. It involves customers and increases your credibility (see example below)
• Influencer marketing. Use a relevant influencer, followed by your target audience to achieve maximum results.

Instagram Story Ideas for Large Businesses

• Free trials. This could work especially well for B2B businesses selling services
• Showcase your products in a creative way. If your product is well-known, try searching for creative ways to promote it
• Show your product in action. Shoot a video showing how people are using your product in real-life situations
• Announce new products and collections. Draw more traffic to your website by making an announcement (see the example below)
• Share info about your projects. These include community projects, charity, and collaborations (see example below).

Need more inspiration?

Dive Deeper:

• Instagram Inspiration: 15 Best Brands On Social Media.

Final Thoughts

Here you go, the ultimate guide to Instagram stories. Hopefully, you found answers to all questions you had and have a good idea of how to use them. 

There are many ways to use stories but one thing’s for sure: if you’re doing social media marketing without Instagram stories, you might be behind your competition.

Use the info you’ve just read to get ahead. 

Guest Author: Daniela McVicker

Daniela McVicker is a blogger and a freelance writer who works closely with B2B and B2C businesses. She is currently working with TopWritersReview, a service that collects feedback about paper writing websites on the internet.

Daniela is always trying to combine proven marketing techniques and new trends to build long-term relations with the audience.

The post Instagram Stories Guide – Tips, Tricks, and Best Practice appeared first on Hopper HQ.

But standing out from the crowd remains the biggest challenge for brands. Currently, the platform has over 2 million monthly advertisers. As a result, brands need to be more creative in their approach…

In this article, we’ll discuss the various strategies brands can use to get more out of their Instagram ROI…let’s go!

Instagram ROI Tip #1: Use the right hashtags

So much of Instagram visibility depends on using the best hashtags. With a handful of different hashtags, you could increase impressions tenfold.

Instagram even shows which hashtags contribute to discovery, under the Insights panel:

To see how effective hashtags can be, look at Audi’s past campaigns. When the company released the Audi R8, someone used the hashtag #WantAnR8 in their social media posts.

Audi saw this post and decided to surprise the user by letting them drive the car for a day. The hashtag was a massive success, and it brought lots of publicity to the Audi brand.

But what about your own brand? How do you know which hashtags to use?

• Use Instagram’s search bar
  Put yourself in the shoes of a customer. What would you search for on Instagram? Once you type a keyword, Instagram will give you associated hashtags and posts. Let these inspire your own list of hashtags.
• Try related hashtags #⃣
  Hashtag pages have a list of related hashtags right at the top. Some of these are great verticals and niche topics to explore. The more you target, the less competition to deal with.
• Analyze competitors and influencers
  What are others in your space doing? Learn from others, even if they are competing with you. Worst case scenario, you’ll find hashtags to avoid so you can stay unique.

There’s no magic bullet when it comes to using the right hashtag. Experiment and you’ll find that the right tags will vary on the post and situation.

How hashtags affect Instagram ROI:

Hashtags are key to increasing a post’s visibility and overall engagement. The more hashtags used, the more likely users are to stumble on the post. Without them, the posts might have gone completely unnoticed!

Instagram ROI Tip #2: Create Instagram Story Ads

Instagram Stories have proven to be an effective channel for advertising.

Why?

Because unlike posts, they don’t show any views, likes, or comments. They’re ephemeral and therefore allow brands to show different (often fun/unpolished) content. They also offer a different kind of experience for engaging with customers and potential customers!

For a more compelling argument, observe Converse’s story campaigns.

(Source)

Not only are their Stories consistent with their feed, they’re simple and inviting. Each story has a single graphic and caption, building hype and calling users to swipe up for more info.

Repetition is key. As other brands flood the platform, Converse reacts by posting several times a day. They not only captivate, but hold your attention.

And don’t forget to try other Story features — polls, geotags, hashtags, and even music! You can find a full list of Instagram Story ideas here.

How Story Ads affect Instagram ROI:

Instagram is a vast platform with many accounts and posts vying for your attention. Posts aren’t the only way to engage with your audience. Stories allow users to follow big news or giveaways without having to sift through pages of posts.

They also allow users to visit links, answer questions and respond to polls without being influenced by view counts or likes. In short — they offer a totally new way to interact with the brand without the vanity metrics that deter other users.

Instagram ROI Tip #3: Collaborate with an influencer

Influencers are all the rage these days. One study found that 94% of marketers found influencer marketing to be effective. But many fail to capitalize on influencer potential, usually from lack of experience.

Don’t make that same mistake! Start your campaign off on the right foot by using trackable links for Instagram. When collaborating with an influencer, make sure they share a link in their caption or bio. Since links aren’t clickable in Instagram, the latter is usually more popular.

For trackable links, Bitly remains the gold standard. Not only does it shorten the URL, but it allows advertisers to track traffic. You can then analyze how much of your traffic comes from an influencer.

Fiji water collaborated with We Wore What, a fashion blog by Danielle Bernstein on a campaign. Titled BodyWoreWhat, the influencer campaign offered 8-minute workouts with Bernstein and a trainer. It’s a classic example of finding a unique but well-suited match between two brands.

(Source)

How influencers affect Instagram ROI:

Influencers have that title for a reason. Even if their following may not be in the millions, they have more power and sway over their users than even the biggest brands.

They can convince others to try new products and services simply because they are real people with an authentic voice. With the right partnerships, an influencer can be a major driver of sales traffic and increase Instagram ROI!

Simple Post, Story + Reel Scheduling

Visually plan your social content. Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn + Pinterest

Try Hopper HQ Now

Instagram ROI Tip #4: Run a contest

Everyone loves a good contest! For marketers, they’re great advertising and community building tools. For contestants, they’re cheap or free ways to win a valuable prize. It’s a win-win!

One of the most popular ways to hold a business contest is still through SMS text message! Why? Because Millennials love texting.  76% say that it’s more convenient because they can check on their own schedule. 60% prefer to text with businesses because they’re less invasive and more personal. In fact, text messages are so effective, that they can increase engagement by 11-30 times. Text messages with a call to action is 40 times more likely to engage than an email.

But of course, you can find success in Instagram as well. Take it from Oris, producer Swiss-made watches since 1904. Users had a chance to win an Oris weekend bag or fountain pen. All they had to do was follow the Oris Instagram account, share a photo, and tag it with #OrisMovember:

The campaign was great because it encouraged young men to act for a greater cause —men’s health. While winning was a great incentive, it’s the cause that pushed people to care.

Follow these steps to run your own Instagram contest! 

How contests affect Instagram ROI:

Instagram contests build up hype and attention towards a brand. By making users tag others and comment to enter, brands can double their existing audience without having to pay for ads.

Contests are also great opportunities for brands to demonstrate awareness and support for certain causes, such as mental health or animal welfare.

Also Read: How To Embed Instagram Feed On Your Website

Instagram ROI Tip #5: Encourage user-generated content (UGC)

What’s better than branded content? The content made by your own audience. Not only is it cheaper, but it’s more engaging and effective. Nothing builds community quite like creative input straight from your end-user.

Check out how Adobe does it. On their Instagram page, they share high-quality photos and creations made with Adobe. They use a short but appropriate caption, and tag the respective artist.

In only a few minutes, Adobe has managed to create a great social post while highlighting their users. The result: that user gets a ton of referral traffic, while Adobe silently promotes their tool!

Promote the creations of your users. Share their stories and struggles. When you highlight the work of your audience, they’ll repay you with trust and loyalty.

How user generated content affects Instagram ROI:

UGC is cost-effective and community building. It may cost your brand just a few dollars to setup an ad or pay for someone to create the post, but the final result — an engaged and loyal audience — is completely worth the effort.

Explore The Data Behind Your Social Media Accounts

Find the best time to post, track your follower growth, and understand what content works best with post and account analytics.

Try Hopper HQ Now

Final Thoughts

You don’t need a million-dollar budget or a massive following to grow ROI on Instagram! All you need is a robust strategy that maximizes Instagram’s toolkit. With that comes a deep understanding of your audience and how to better serve them.

Leave no stone unturned. Experiment with a combination of these tactics, and find which ones work best with your users. Try starting a contest and promoting it with stories. Or use an influencer to start a hashtag campaign.

We gave you the lemons… now go make some lemonade.

Guest Author: Alexa Lemzy

Alexa Lemzy is the customer support specialist and content editor at TextMagic blog. She writes about the best practices and actionable tips for effective mobile marketing and customer service. Follow Alexa on Twitter.

The post 5 Marketing Tips for Better ROI on Instagram appeared first on Hopper HQ.

Why Should You Fix Your Social Media Review Process

A brand’s social media review process is a set of steps that any post needs to go through before being posted to social media. This is an important process because it helps ensure that all of the brand’s content is consistent, regardless of which member of the team creates and posts it. 

Having a successful social media review process is essential to any company looking to create an online presence. If your brand consistently posts content with mistakes, your followers will notice and it could make your brand seem unreliable. Similarly, if your content creator is creating posts that don’t align with your brand’s image and posting them without review, your brand will have no consistency.

Creating or fixing your social media review process thus is an essential aspect of ensuring brand consistency, catching any mistakes on posts, and overall saving your team time as multiple people can create content by following your review process. 

If your company already has a social media process, you may still need to fix it to ensure it is functioning as well as it can by following these steps.

Here’s the Social Media Review Process You Should Follow

The number one thing to keep in mind when creating or fixing your social media review process is to keep it simple. Try using a checklist that your team can easily follow each time they are reviewing your content. If your review process is too convoluted, your team may be less likely to follow it to a tee. Here is the social media review process you should follow:

Brainstorm

It is a good idea to start with a team meeting to brainstorm ideas for potential social media campaigns. As a team, you can brainstorm ideas together, prioritize them and perfect them before they are even created. The focus of brainstorming can be one project, or many, depending on what your upcoming goals are. 

Asset Collection

Following the meeting, the content creator should collect all assets necessary for the project. This includes things such as pictures and videos that will be included as it can help create the flow of the written content. 

Manage your creative assets by creating a digital asset management (DAM) system so all of your team’s content can be found in one place.

Writing the content

Once all of the assets have been gathered, the content can be written. At this step, it is typically the content creator responsible for creating the perfect copy written content independently. 

To ensure your content creator is creating content based on your brand’s standard, specific brand guidelines need to be created. Guidelines will vary based on the brand, but they will help keep each post consistent, regardless of whether the content creator changes from post to post.

Review and feedback

After the content creator has completed the writing, it should be sent off for review and feedback. Your appointed reviewers should check the project for things such as errors, poor flow, or inconsistencies. 

Once the content has been thoroughly reviewed, it can be sent to the content manager for approval.

Manager approval

At this step, proofed content should be approved by a content manager to ensure it meets brand guidelines and the goals set out for the project.

If more changes need to be made, the content creator should be informed to make the necessary revisions.

Revisions

If the content does not meet the brand’s guidelines or goals, more changes will need to be made on the project despite the extensive reviewing process. 

So, the project should be sent back to the content creator to make these final revisions and get your content ready for posting.

Schedule your posts

Finally, your project is ready to go. As many brands tend to create content ahead of time, you can schedule a date in your team’s calendar for when you want this new post to go up. Assign the role of posting to one person with a caption ready to go if necessary.

Reviewing and Approving Social Media Content: 5 Best Practices

Once you have a social media review process in place, sticking to it and following these five best practices will ensure that all of your content is perfect.

1. Assign clear due dates

As you have an entire team working on one project, ensuring that everyone completes their part on time is vital to keep the project running smoothly. In your project’s brief that we discussed earlier, you can assign each stage of the project a deadline. 

This will ensure each member of your team can be responsible for adhering to their deadline.

2. Guide a small team of reviewers

Assigning a small number of people the job of reviewing content is important in ensuring the content is reviewed efficiently. If you have too many people reviewing one project, it will not only take longer than necessary, but feedback will become repetitive and your content may get lost. 

Using only the amount of reviewers necessary and guiding them will streamline the process. Guidance for how reviews should be completed must be outlined by the content manager beforehand and will change based on the project. 

If you want reviewers to make sure that something specific is included in the content, they need to know that before they start to review. However you want your team to review the project, explaining that beforehand will ensure everyone is on the same page.

3. Keep your goals in mind

As a team, you should have discussed what your goals are for a particular piece of content. Since so many people are involved throughout the process, your goals may get lost along the way. 

To prevent this from happening, assign specific team members the task of reviewing content to ensure it matches your brand’s goal. This does not need to be a separate job, it can be assigned to reviewers to double-check as they go along.

4. Customize your review process

Every brand’s review process will differ based on their needs, goals, and team. Similarly, a review process is flexible and can be adapted at any time. So, if your brand was using a specific review process at one time, but you notice some aspects of it are not working, change it. 

You don’t need to stick to one strict review process forever. The only thing you need to ensure is that every member of your team is aware of your current review process, whatever it is.

5. Ensure your review process is consistent

As we previously mentioned, your review process is adaptable and can change at any time. Whatever your review process is, using it consistently is important. This means that every project should follow your review process. 

You may choose to leave some parts out or include new parts specific to your project, but the core of your review process should be followed every time. This can easily be done by creating a standard operating procedure (SOP) that your team can follow each time to ensure consistency throughout all of your posts. 

Conclusion

Creating a streamlined social media process is vital in ensuring your brand’s online image is curated perfectly. Consistency is key in most aspects of life, and creating a solid digital marketing plan is no different. 

Having a solid social media process will help your brand grow and develop before your very eyes. 

Author bio:

Max Benz is a marketing manager at Filestage and loves optimizing all kinds of marketing processes. On the side, he’s running a German SaaS directory, suitApp.de.

The post Here’s How to Fix Your Social Media Review Process appeared first on Hopper HQ.

Social media is the front and centre of your marketing efforts. That means you should be able to know what’s going out on which social channel and when. For that to be the case, you are required to keep your social media workflow on track at all times.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that creating and publishing content, monitoring engagement, and tracking social media marketing success across various social channels can be a bit challenging. And as businesses scales, this challenge only gets worse.

Let’s put it this way — to be able to manage and run your social media marketing campaigns, you’re going to need a successful social media workflow, and you’re going to need it fast.

A social media management workflow is basically a well-defined system or a series of actions that you follow to efficiently schedule posts across different social media channels in a timely manner. Now, different brands, businesses, and teams have different social media workflows depending on industry, audience and objective.

Sounds complicated? Well, fortunately, there are social media workflows and templates that you could use to simplify and speed up the process. And that’s exactly what we are going to discuss here…

[Source]

Mentioned below are some of the best social media marketing workflows you can implement in your marketing to help you improve your social media process in 2022…

Contents

1. Social Media Strategy Workflow
2. Social Media Calendar Workflow
3. Social Media Management Workflow
4. Social Media Analytics Report Workflow
5. Social Media Image Sizes
6. Social Media Bio Workflow
7. Social Media Audit Workflow

Simple Post, Story + Reel Scheduling

Visually plan your social content. Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn + Pinterest

Try Hopper HQ Now

Social Media Strategy Workflow

Whether you’re brainstorming on a new campaign or seeking ways to improve the current one, having a powerful social media strategy is a must.

Using a social media strategy template allows you to gain clarity over your social media goals, find your ideal customers and search for ways to better engage them, analyse your potential competition, evaluate your current social media presence, develop a thoughtful content strategy, and adjust the strategy as needed.

Head to our Guide To Social Media Marketing for 2022 for a break down of the steps! Once you have the right strategy that works for your business, you can formulate it into a template that can be easily adapted.

Social Media Calendar Workflow

Source

A social media calendar is where you organize each of your social media posts by channel, date, and time, and is crucial to your social media marketing toolkit.

If you’re constantly juggling with too many social channels, using a social media calendar template will help you better plan and schedule the posts or content you’re sharing. Plus, you can create a separate calendar or each channel/project without any hassle.

Use Hopper HQ as a social content calendar and see exactly what is going out when!

Social Media Management Workflow

Once you’ve created your strategy and organized social post calendar as needed—it’s time to get everyone in action.

You need to assign tasks to individuals/groups, give them the information they need, and keep an eye on how things are progressing in real-time. This is where Kanban boards and social media management workflows come into the picture.

They help you keep everything on track. There are work management software and apps that allow you to create custom workflows or use an existing template to organize your various social media tasks, assign them to others, collaborate on them, attach files in them, and view them moving (or progressing) through various stages.

Social Media Analytics Report

The social media analytics report template is the key to measuring the value of your marketing efforts. This is what helps you keep a tab on how your different social media channels are performing.

The template allows you to record and save social media metrics for every network, and include details like gained/lost followers, total engagement, total shares, total views, total sign-ups, and so on.

So these were the four major templates and workflows that every social media marketer should know about. Next, we’ve some bonus templates for social media that will save you hours.

Social Media Image Sizes

Having all social media image sizes saved somewhere handy will save marketing teams a lot of time. Content is an important part of digital marketing. But you can’t just publish a 1000-words blog post and expect it to go viral—unless you know how to keep it interesting.

Images, GIFS, memes, videos, etc are a great way to make the content look more engaging and grabbing the audience’s attention (on any platform). “Social media image size” is your quick reference resource to check what image dimensions and specs to use for every network.

Check out the correct image dimensions for Instagram!

Social Media Bios Template

Source

A key part of a social media marketing is to create and maintain a social identity. Your profile picture, your profile’s bio, and even your favorite literature genre and hobbies—every teeny tiny detail in your profile plays an important role in the first impression you make on your target audience.

Now, a social media bios template is what helps you ensure that you have covered up all your bases and effortlessly created a profile that reflects your brand’s voice. Here’s what it includes:

• Who you are
• Where you work
• What you do
• Why should people connect with you
• How to get in touch with you

Check out this guid for some tips to writing good Instagram bios!

Social Media Audit

A social media audit is the type of template that shows you a clearer picture of what is and isn’t working in your current social media strategy (and what you can do next). Such templates are considered quite useful in keeping new opportunities in check and getting the most out of your social media management resources while achieving higher audience engagement.

Within this audit you can look at all the analytics from your campaigns, assess follower number and engagement rate across all networks, and use the learnings to inform your future social media activity!

Try this out and you can make a custom template based on your business’ objectives for social media.

Explore The Data Behind Your Social Media Accounts

Find the best time to post, track your follower growth, and understand what content works best with post and account analytics.

Try Hopper HQ Now

Do you want to take your social media marketing like a marketing expert and to the next level? Then keep these templates and workflows in your consideration. Also, if you have a social media marketing suggestion, share it with us in the comments below!

Guest Author: Vartika Kashyap

Vartika is the Marketing Manager at ProofHub and has been one of the LinkedIn Top Voices in 2018. Her articles are inspired by office situations and work-related events. She likes to write about productivity, team building, work culture, leadership, entrepreneurship among others and contributing to a better workplace is what makes her click.

The post Best Social Media Management Workflows To Help Your Business appeared first on Hopper HQ.