Say it with (Social Media) Stories

Telling your brand’s story on Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn just got easier thanks to social media stories. Are you currently utilizing stories in your social media strategy? Where do you tell your brand’s “stories”? The data shared here may blow your mind.

If you are new to stories check out my blog post, The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Instagram Stories before you continue. Great, now that we are all caught up…

Stories on Snapchat and Instagram are commonly used, but what about Facebook and LinkedIn? Facebook and now LinkedIn stories (still in beta) are still foreign territory for some as they were the last to adopt the feature, but if you aren’t utilizing them you may be missing out and here’s why.

• 70% of consumers surveyed by Hubspot said they prefer to watch stories on Facebook. Only 17% said Instagram and another 13% responded with Snapchat

• Facebook Stories surpassed 500 million daily active users in 2018, just a few months after Instagram reached the same milestone

• Facebook is still the most used social media channel with 1.59 BILLION daily users vs. Instagram’s 500 million

While this blog post may be leaning towards the wonders of Facebook stories, the glory of social media is that you don’t have to choose just one platform! Since Facebook owns Instagram, the story features can be connected among the two, utilizing the same content. Use both and truly benefit.

The Real Deal about Instagram Reels

TikTok made news when it surpassed 1 billion global downloads within 18 months of its launch and with the latest news of an imminent ban on the popular app, some users are looking for alternatives. Enter Instagram Reels!

What exactly is Instagram Reels?

Reels is a feature within the existing Instagram app. It allows users to record or upload videos that are anywhere from 3 to 15 seconds long. These videos are editable, sound dub or effects can be added in before sharing them onto your feed and Stories (and Explore depending on your privacy settings).

…but wait there’s more!

The Reels camera and editor also includes the following features:

1. Additional editing tools - Transitions, speed up or slow down videos, and even augmented reality effects

2. Audio attribution - Crediting your sources is always important and social media is no different. If a user uploads native audio, other Reels users can overlay your audio in their video, but the you will be credited for it!

3. Shareability! - Depending on the privacy setting on your profile, you have the option to share your Reels with just friends, or to the general public in the Reels area of Explore.

The only downside to Reels (for now) is that it is truly a mobile-only function. Unlike Instagram Stores and profiles, you cannot view/upload Reels via a desktop.

Building Your Website's Foundation

Has your business been living off your personal Facebook page for a while? Are you finally ready to take the next step and get a .COM? We’re so happy you’re here and considering Melanie Pine Marketing as your website development agency!

Before we start building your “house”, we need to start with your foundation…

Register a Domain Name

You’re officially joining the .COM family! HOORAY! You’ll want your domain to best represent your company, be easy for customers to type into their browsers and most importantly work with your company’s long term plan. Once you’ve jotted down a few options make sure they are available here.

Think branding

Are you looking for your website to be an extension of your office, studio, or store? You may want to keep your branding consistent with its look and feel. What color schemes/fonts are you looking to incorporate? Do you need a logo (or maybe a logo redesign)?

Content is king

Every piece of content on your website should be written with your customer in mind. How can we inform and help them? Having pages and content covering key areas can help alleviate questions. We typically recommend these pages:

1. A Homepage (obviously)

2. Products or Services - explain what you offer and provide up-to-date pricing (if available)

3. About - yes, one of those pages, but with personality! Be yourself and let your business and even team shine.

4. Testimonials - a piece of your website where you can have your clients brag about how awesome you are. Video testimonials, Before and After Photos, the sky is the limit here.

5. Frequently Asked Questions - if you or your team has ever been inundated with the same 5 questions over and over again, you’ll appreciate this page.

6. Contact - What are your hours of operation? How can I reach you? Can I book an appointment online?

If you are particularly chatting about your industry (like me), you may want to incorporate a blog, like the one you’re reading right now! Thank you, BTW.

…& a picture is worth a thousand words

Have you ever been to a website that had photos from what looked like the ‘90s and you immediately wondered if this website was even relevant anymore? Images can make a break your website. There are several options available to you: take your own high resolution photos, hire a professional photographer or use stock photography from sources like Shutterstock.

Having a strong foundation is the best path to success! If you’re ready to start on this new exciting path, we’re here for you.

What Manufacturers Need to Know On Google

The majority of my corporate career was spent directly working for manufacturers. In my experience, it was always difficult to get CONSISTENT marketing information from us, the manufacturer, down to our wholesale partners, contractors, and end users.

Product information would often be abbreviated, missing key information or had a life of its own and didn’t resemble any of our well thought out selling points.

Let’s tackle this obstacle with the help of Google!

What is Google’s Manufacturer Center?

It’s a free platform that allows you to provide more accurate information about your products for use in Google Shopping Ads and other Google services.

What are the requirements for the Manufacturer Center?

1. Only manufacturers can set up a Manufacturer Center account. Google defines manufacturers as brand manufacturers, brand owners, or retailers of own-brand products who both manufacture products and own the licensing rights. The Manufacturer Center is not available to retailers who sell products exclusively from other manufacturers

2. Products must have GTINs,  UPCs, or ISBNs.

What will we need from you?

• Product information - ID, brand name, product title, GTIN (or UPC/ISBNs), product descriptions, and image links. Whether you need help enriching and optimizing your product titles and descriptions or need assistance with more robust product photos, we have you covered!

The Benefits:

Once your product data feed is complete and uploaded, the Google Manufacturer Center channels the library of data to your company’s distributors who can utilize the new data in their Google Shopping campaigns.

As the manufacturer, you will be able to access product analytics: view impressions and click-throughs as well as compare your products to others in similar categories.

For Google’s full Program and Policy Requirements.

Get Goin' with Google Analytics

Without the right data, you can’t make the right decisions. 

Enter Google Analytics. 

Google Analytics is a free tool that provides you with a plethora of insight on how your website is being used by its visitors. It answers how many people are visiting your website, who they are, where they are coming from, which source referred them to your site, how they are engaging with it and more…

 How will you benefit from Google Analytics?

1.  Improve Your Website Performance – Which pages do visitors exit on? Does your website load too slow?

2. Data for Marketing – Where do your visitors live? Which websites provide you with the most traffic?

3. Assist your Search Engine Optimization – Which landing pages get the most traffic? What is your website’s bounce rate?

Is your business missing this valuable data? We are here to help. Connect with us to set up your Google Analytics account. Data will be available to you after 24 hours! 

Need help translating Google-speak? We also provide monthly reports and recaps on key website metrics and trends to help you optimize your site and market to your customers.