Instagram Surpasses Twitter and Facebook Engagement

Instagram Surpasses Facebook and Twitter on Brand Engagement

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Whether you’re an entrepreneur who uses social media to create brand awareness, or are simply an avid social media user, you understand the importance of developing your brand online. With millions of users on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ and Vine to name a few channels, which one do you focus your energies on? This latest social media news can provide some insight.

Forrester, a research organization with specialized focus in business and technology, conducted a study that indicates Instagram has surpassed Facebook and Twitter when it comes to brand engagement.

Instagram has seen exponential growth with 300 million users in comparison to Twitter’s 284 million. While Facebook has an incomparable 1.44 billion active users, Instagram has a higher growth rate and more importantly, a more engaged community. According to Forrester, 4 per cent of brands’ total followers have engaged with the content on Instagram compared to the other social media channels.

Socialbakers, a marketing partner that allows for tracking and analytics, took the survey results and compared it to the top 25 brands in Instagram engagement with the top 25 on Twitter. Three months’ worth of data indicates that one post on Instagram will receive more engagement (measured by likes and comments) in comparison to a post on Twitter (measured by retweets, replies and favourites). Despite the fact that there are more ways for a social media user to engage with content on Twitter, it’s falling behind.

A study released last May indicated that Instagram’s follower engagement surpassed Facebook by 58 times.

What does this mean when it comes to marketing your business online?

Engagement is key in order to not only develop your brand, but to establish a relationship with followers that will eventually convert to a customer.

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With Instagram’s growing popularity, it’s becoming important for businesses to market themselves across all platforms, especially Instagram. With 70 million photos uploaded to Instagram on a daily basis, it’s become an important marketplace for any business, entrepreneur and brand.

If your brand isn’t on Instagram yet, it’s time to join. With high levels of engagement, this could be a great opportunity for your business’ growth and brand message.

Having said that, it doesn’t mean you should neglect your Facebook and Twitter accounts? While one social media platform might be surpassing another when it comes to engagement, that doesn’t mean you should neglect other social media platforms. Having a presence on all social media channels will help you spread your brand message and connect with targeted audiences across all spectrums. After all, you don’t want to leave any stone unturned in the digital marketing world.

There’s a difference between being a user on social media and actively promoting a business or brand message.

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If you’re having trouble developing a strategy to promote growth, why not speak to the experts at Intact Marketing? We pride ourselves in working with clients to develop social media strategies that will help represent the brand and capture the targeted audience’s attention.
Don’t get lost in the social media world. Instead, let Intact Marketing guide you through the process of how to use social media channels that are right for you and your business!

 

 

Must have elements of a well designed website

Must Have Elements of a Well Designed Website

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We live in a digital world where it’s almost impossible not to find a business online. Technology has evolved and with it, businesses have adapted to the change in order to stay relevant and profitable.

Having a storefront is no longer the key to success; maintaining a strong online presence.

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Here’s why:

  • It’s a powerful marketing tool that lets people find you and the services you’re offering. Most consumers will do research on their needs and their search begins online
  • Having an online presence gives any business credibility. That’s because most consumers assume businesses will have a website. Without one, consumers might not take the business seriously. It’s important in order to establish a reputation.

Once you’ve decided that you need a website, you should maximize it to its full potential.

A well-designed website should include the following:

  • A purpose

Do you want to educate consumers about your business or organization? Is it a place for people to shop? Think about the type of consumer you’re trying to attract to your website. This will give yourself an idea of how your website should function in order to meet the needs of your consumers and generate more business. 

  • Content 

Content is an important part of any website. It gives you the opportunity to educate and communicate with your customers and connect with new ones. Whether you’re writing blog posts, or simply loading descriptions of your content/services, you want to capture your audience’s attention right away. Be conversational and speak directly to your reader. It will help them connect with you and will influence them in the buying process when it comes time to purchase a service or product. Also optimize your content with right keywords – this will help you rank in Google when someone is searching for your products or services.

  • Easy Navigation

The right type of content on your website is important, but so is the way it’s laid out on your website. That includes organizing the content into headings or categories and using bullet points for large pieces of text. Think about how  easy is for your consumer to navigate through the website to find what they’re looking for. Organizing your content into drop-down menus is a great way to keep everything in their rightful place on your website.

  • Simple fonts

You’ve got the content you want to post online and will have it properly organized. The next logical step in getting your content read is to ensure it’s readable. Present your content using a simple font. Picking a font that’s overly fancy may be distracting to the eye. Remember, you want your viewer’s experience to be a fun, yet purposeful one. Directing them to a page with fonts that don’t accurately represent your business (and aren’t pleasing to the eye) may prevent your viewer from completing their purpose on your site.

  • Don’t be afraid of colour

Choose a soft, yet colourful palette for your website. Complementing colours will create balance and help your content stand out if you use contrasting colours that are pleasing and professional.

When it comes to colours – think about what colour represents your business and your message. Every colour carries a meaning and feel. For brand recognition and continuity you want all your marketing materials to deliver your business message, so keep your website aligned with all your other marketing materials.

  • Add graphics

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, right? Leverage your business online by including infographics and other images that directly speak to your business. Often times, they can effectively communicate a thought and directly target your average consumer. There are plenty of free stock photo websites where you can find appropriate images to suit your needs.

Intact Marketing can make this happen for you

Designing a website and the content, infographics and images that go with it is a lot of work. If you don’t have experience in the design world, you may find it frustrating to create your own website while ensuring it has all of the above.

That’s where Intact Marketing comes in. We’re a full-service marketing company that can assist you with your digital imprint. Whether you need a brand new website designed, or need changes to your current one, we offer flexible packages to suit your needs.

We invite you to take a look at our extensive portfolio – Intact Marketing has designed and managed many company websites. You’ll notice they’re interactive, eye-catching and professional. All of these elements help your business thrive. That’s our mission when it comes to developing your website and personal brand online.

Make a strong impression online with a website that’s designed for success with Intact Marketing!

Your Business On Instagram

Why Your Business Should Be On Instagram

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As a business owner, you have a product that people want or need. You have a service that can make a difference in peoples’ lives.

But your business can only go so far if people don’t know about it! 

At Intact Marketing, we believe in the power of social media. It gives you an opportunity to build relationships with prospective customers, direct more traffic to your website, and improve your brand’s awareness.

Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest are all great social media channels, but have you ever considered using Instagram?

Visuals are still a form of content

Every marketer knows content is king, right? While it’s still important to post engaging content on social media, write educational blogs and send out emails, visual content is equally as important, if not more.

Instagram is based on a simple platform: tell stories through visuals. Upload a photo with a caption, and share with your followers. If you’re in the business of selling something, it’s a great opportunity to showcase your items and let your audience know what you can offer them. With over 300 million active users, there’s a big audience you can reach.

Creating content for Instagram can be challenging because you need images to communicate your brand’s story. If you can create a visual campaign and stick to it, you can reach your target audience through enticing photos and witty captions.

Why Instagram?

According to a study by Forrester Research, Instagram users are 58 times more likely to like, comment or share a post than on other social media channels, proving that it’s becoming one of the most popular social media mediums. In other words, if your business isn’t on Instagram, you’re not reaching a very wide prospective audience.

It might be a cliché, but a picture is worth a thousand words. Use this to your advantage and run a contest on your Instagram page. It’s an excellent way of engaging your audience. You can even ask them to use a specific hashtag when tagging their pictures. Then, search through the photos associated with the hashtag to learn more about who’s engaging with your business content and pick a winner. The more you can do to engage through visuals, the more you can grow your brand and increase sales.

Not convinced? While Instagram is a very popular social media marketing tool, it’s not the only one on the market.

Consider speaking to the experts at Intact Marketing. We bring knowledge and experience to every marketing project we work on and can help you develop a successful marketing strategy for your business.

Don’t forget to check out our website to learn about our online marketing solutions. Take it from our clients who have taken the time to share their experience with us!

We’re dedicated to helping your business grow in any way we can. Let’s work together.

 

Successful Social Media Strategy

How To Create a Successful Social Media Strategy

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Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, Vine, and the list goes on. There are a ton of social media channels, and most business are using them because they’re a great way to do the following:

  • Reach your target audience;
  • Grow your brand/reputation;
  • Generate sales/leads.

If you’re not on social media, chances are good your competitor is. That doesn’t mean it’s too late to join the social media world, but you have to do it right.

The first step in your social media marketing plan is to build a strategy, one that’s specifically designed to meet your business’ needs.

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It might seem like a lot of work, especially if you don’t know where to start.

Here are some tips to consider while you plan.

  • Pick your social networks

The social media network or channel you choose should work for your business. Perhaps you want a place to post awesome photos, or communicate directly with your audience. Think about why you want to use social media – this will help you make a decision as to what channel will work for you. Remember: you don’t have to be on every social media network; just the ones that are in line with your business goals.

  • Dedicate time and energy to doing it

Is your Instagram account designed to show off the latest and greatest products from your business? Are you using Facebook to provide valuable content? No matter what network you’re using, you have to devote time to being social online. Start off small – aim to spend at least half an hour a day on social media. This way, you can remain consistent without feeling like you’re overwhelmed.

  • Target the right demographic

Social media tools can help you determine which audiences are on what channel, as well as what they’re interested in. Play around with these tools so you can find out exactly where your customers are located. This way, you can reach them better on social media.

  • Complete your profile page

Your social media account(s) are a representation of your company. That’s why it’s important to spend time developing your channel and ensuring you upload information about your company, photos and more. You want your page to look authentic and real. Otherwise, users and potential customers may bypass it. With good visuals and content, your page will stand out from the rest.

  • Develop a strategy

This is where the fun happens! When it comes to social media, you have the ability to post content on specific dates, at specific times, and can even target your posts to specific demographics. With so many factors at play, it might be hard to do all of this at once!

Instead, pick one strategy and stick to it! If your goal is to publish relevant content, do it! Focus on posting without worrying about tracking time. If you’re more interested in posting frequently, then dedicate your time to strictly posting at any given time of the day. Alternatively, you can also be strategic about when you’re posting and focus your time on using the analytic tools within social media channels to determine when your followers are using social media. Track, then post away.

All three strategies are necessary to reach your social media goals (and grow your business). But doing all three at the same time might be too much to handle if you’re new to social media. Focus on taking your time and learning how to use social media before mastering the art.

  • Find your voice

When it comes to generating content, you want your readers to feel confident in you as a source of information. The same goes for social media. You need to find your voice and learn how to communicate in such a way that’s honest and true to you, but that will capture your audience’s attention.

  • Engage with your audience

Social media brings people together. It also brings peoples’ attention to your business. When you have followers who like and comment on your posts, communicate with them! Let them know that you’re paying attention and are a real person behind the page you’re managing.

Social media can seem like a wild new world to explore. If you need help getting your business online, why not contact an expert at Intact Marketing?  It’s our job to not only navigate you through the world of social media, but to help you every step of the way. We can set up your social media channels for you, put a content plan in place, engage with followers and more!

Get in touch with us, and see what a difference Intact Marketing can make in your social media marketing plan

How To market to millennials

How to Market to Millennials

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Millennials are setting trends, either with the adoption of social media, new technology, and even new ideas.  They’re the folks born roughly between 1980 and 1995: the so-called “Generation Y.”

A study by Forbes showed that only 1 per cent of millennials said an advertisement would make them trust a brand more.

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 The group is also the highest demographic of Internet users that install adblocking software.

In a study done by PageFair, 41 per cent millennials in the US have adblocking software of some kind installed.

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 In short, advertising campaigns are not very effective at reaching this demographic and even if they do see the ad, it isn’t going to have much effect.

They want social poofs

Millennials do not want to have something sold to them, but they do want recommendations from friends and family, experts, or even simply a person.

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They respond much better to social media content, conversation, stories, entertainment, and education rather than typical marketing messages and strategies.  For example, a brand like Taco Bell employs a social media strategy that involves humour and engaging with people on Twitter and Facebook.

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Many millennials will look at blogs and reviews before buying into a product, and

62 per cent say they are more likely to become a loyal customer if a brand engages them on social media, according to the Forbes study.

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Engagement, therefore, is key.

Typically most companies will develop a product and hope that their design works in their target market.  42 per cent of millennials, according to the Forbes study, say they’re interested in helping a company tailor a product to their desires.  Getting the customer involved in shaping a service will attract this demographic.  

A unique way to interact with clients and customers is to ask them to help you design something they would be interested in buying.

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 Not only are you creating a product that they will want to purchase, customers will see the effect their suggestions had on the final product.

Support a cause

Another method of attracting millennials attention is giving back to society.

Millennials, during their formative years in high school and college were bombarded with stories of corporate greed, record profits, financial meltdowns, and billion-dollar businesses.  Forbes says 75 per cent of them said it’s important for a company to give back to society in some way, usually through supporting local communities.  This isn’t a simple charitable donation: a bit of community involvement and participation in events can go a long way.

Go where the millennials are

For modern-day marketers hanging out where the Millennials hang out is crucial if you want to reach them. Considering that 85% of them have bought something after seeing it on social media, it’s essential to know just which social platforms they are hanging out in.

According to Social Media Today, Millennials’ top five social hangouts are:

  • YouTube (64%)
  • Facebook (51%)
  • Instagram (45%)
  • SnapChat (42%)
  • Twitter (28%)

The survey also found that video ads are the most effective for the younger portion of Millennials.

To see positive results in your marketing campaigns it is crucial to know your audience and learn how to appeal to them. Each generation comes with its own uniqueness, preferences, and priorities. The Millennial generation is tech-savvy, too smart to be pandered to, socially conscious, and not interested in the established norm. If you want to successfully market to Millennials, you have to work hard to capture their attention, be authentic, and give them the information that they are interested in.

So if you have a product or service that is targeting millennials keep these suggestions in mind. What worked 10 years ago might not be the best marketing strategy when your targeted clients are the GenerationY folks.  Be open to new strategies and mould your marketing tactics according to what works today.