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4 stats to enhance your 2021 social media marketing strategy

Posted on by Erin Reynel

It’s important to identify social media marketing trends and review statistics from 2020 in order to determine what types of content will resonate with our target audiences in 2021. 

For brands, having and maintaining your social media should be a fundamental aspect of your business by now. Brands investing in their social media marketing will benefit from increased sales and consumer recognition over their competitors! 

Obviously, 2020 was a unique year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Forbes reported that internet usage increased by 50-70%as people turned to the internet for news and entertainment.

 So let’s take a look at some more interesting stats that should influence your social media marketing for 2021. 

1. Poor customer service will impact your following 

According to Sprout Social, 49% of consumers said they’d unfollow brands due to poor customer service. Therefore, customer service should remain at the forefront of your social media marketing strategy. 

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Image Source: Sprout Social Index 

So, one simple way to improve marketing in 2021 is to ensure customer inquiries are handled quickly and efficiently on your social media channels. If you don’t have anyone managing your social media channels, and you’re too busy running the day-to-day operations of your business, it might be time to hire someone to manage your social media. 

2. TikTok is growing rapidly

We’ve certainly seen an increase in demand for video content over the past few years, but TikTok saw its growth increase exponentially in 2020.

Statistics for TikTok according to Oberlo:

  • TikTok has roughly 800 million active users worldwide
  • TikTok has been downloaded over 2 billion times on the App Store and Google Play
  • 41% of TikTok users are aged between 16-24
  • TikTok has been downloaded 611 million times in India, this is around 30% of the app’s total downloads globally
  • The average time spend on TikTok is 52 minutes per day

If your target audience is between the ages of 16 and 24 then consider integrating TikTok into your social media strategy for 2021. 

3. Visual content for the win

Sprout Social’s research concludes that 68% of consumers would prefer to engage with images and 50% would prefer to interact with video content. 

HubSpot states that video has become the most commonly used format in content marketing, overtaking blogs and infographics, with promotional and brand storytelling videos being the most popular types of content created by marketers! 

Social media is quickly becoming saturated with your competitors, so how do you stand out? Beautiful photography! 

65% of people are visual learners, so inform your audience about your brand with this type of content! 

Visual content is a quick and effective way to communicate with your audience:

  • Showcase your products and promotions 
  • Share your brand’s story 
  • Convey an emotion
  • Increase traffic to your website 

We strongly believe in creating scroll-stopping content with social media photography! 

4. Facebook should not be neglected

Facebook has over 2.7 billion monthly active users making it STILL the most used social media platform worldwide. Therefore, a large portion of your target audience remains on this platform and Facebook should certainly be part of your content marketing strategy for 2021!

If you have a product to sell, then you’ll want to be utilizing Facebook Shops. 

Final thoughts

We hope you found these stats and trends of consumer behaviours and preferences as interesting as we did and apply them to your social media marketing strategy this year! 

If you’re looking for help with your social media marketing, get in touch!

 

Our top 5 favourite social media publishing apps

Posted on by Erin Reynel

We have previously posted about our top 9 favourite social media apps that we believe will step up anyone’s social media game, but what about publishing apps? If you want to be efficient in your social media strategy then using a publishing app is the only way to go. Here are our top 5 picks:hootsuite- legendary social media vancouver

Hootsuite is one of the most popular social media publishing tools (with over 15 million users) and for good reason. They offer a complete solution for all of your social media management needs. Hootsuite is compatible with over 35 social media networks, including Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram and Pinterest.

Our favourite aspect of Hootsuite is their bulk uploader and unlimited scheduled messages – by uploading a CSV file (with your pre-planned content), you could literally plan your content for the next year and beyond!

One of Hootsuite’s other most compelling aspects is its analytics abilities, though you need an upgraded plan to access these. The tool helps you and your team understand social results by producing more than 200 metrics to measure performance. Once you’ve generated reports, you can easily export them to Excel, Powerpoint, PDF and CSV files to be distributed amongst your team/or company. 

Hootsuite also has a limited free plan that includes 3 social media profiles, 1 user and a limit of 30 scheduled messages. 

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later-legendary social media vancouver

Later is a scheduling app for Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. We personally love – and use – Later because they have an awesome visual posting calendar and it’s easy to use. You simply upload photos to your media library and then just drag and drop them to the time you want to post, allowing you to create a visually pleasing feed quickly. 

Another nifty aspect of Later is it allows you to schedule your first comment on Instagram, so if you want to use hashtags (a great way to reach a wider audience) but wish to keep your caption neat and tidy, then scheduling the first comment is the solution for you. 

What really sets Later apart from other publishing apps is their “free forever” plan, that would sustain the social media needs for some small businesses: 

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sprout-social-legendary social media vancouver

Similar to Hootsuite, Sprout Social combines several media tools into one platform, including social media scheduling, monitoring and reporting. Sprout Social is one of the few publishing tools that has a CRM (customer relationship management) feature. Sprout’s CRM allows companies to better serve their customers by analyzing previous interactions.  

Sprout Social is most commonly praised for its reporting features: beautiful reports ready to be downloaded and shared with clients without editing (a big time-saver for a social media manager). 

Their integrations include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Reddit, LinkedIn, Youtube, Tripadvisor and Google.  Making it a very impressive centralizing publishing tool. 

One drawback of Sprout Social, however, is the price:

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tailwind-legendary social media vancouver

Tailwind is focused on visual content for social media – specifically for Pinterest and Instagram. For Pinterest, you can use this app to schedule posts, find trends through their insights, monitor your brand, launch contests and promotions as well as gaining access to analytics and reporting. 

Included in Tailwind’s software is a smart scheduler that will help you decide when is best to post your updates in order to maximize engagement. 

For Instagram, Tailwind has a nifty feature called ‘hashtag helpers’, which will assist in finding, using and analyzing the best hashtags to help improve your reach and engagement. 

Tailwind is ideal for bloggers/influencers who produce content that includes a visual element and needs to link back to a website, which is perfect on Pinterest. Pinterest has 322 million active users per month, so the potential reach is massive and not a platform to be forgotten about!

tailwind-social-media-legendary social media vancouverbuffer-legendary social media vancouver

Buffer is an intuitive and streamlined social media publishing platform that allows users to optimize their posting schedule to ensure the best engagement with audiences. It supports Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and pro users can use the platform to publish to Pinterest. Free users have the option to connect up to 3 social accounts, including Facebook Pages and Groups. 

As the name suggests, Buffer allows users to build up a selection of relevant posts you want to share, which you can then schedule to go out at the most suitable time for your audience and provide the analytics to show the success of your posts.  

Our favourite feature within the Buffer platform is the ‘Buffer reply’ which allows you to take the following actions:

  • Reply
  • Like
  • Follow
  • Archive 

This feature also allows you to tag a conversation, allowing you to follow up later and assign the conversation to another team member who might be able to answer queries better than yourself! 

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Final thoughts

If you haven’t yet dabbled with any of these publishing apps for your social media, then we would recommend checking out as many free trials as possible and see which apps work best for you and your existing workflow. 

If you need help with your social media management, our team can help! 

Check this out: Holiday stop motion video & social media photography showcase

Posted on by Erin Reynel

The team at Legendary had a lot of fun creating holiday photography and stop motion video assets for our clients. Due to COVID-19, Christmas arrived a little early this year. As soon as Halloween was over, we saw Christmas trees and holiday decorations popping up all over Vancouver! 

A lot of planning goes into the assets we create. Our in-house photographer, Kat, works alongside an account manager and sometimes with the client themselves to create a plan of action. It goes a little something like this:

  1. The account manager creates a schedule of upcoming promotions, events and themes to discuss
  2. Schedule a shoot date
  3. Create the shot list 
  4. Prop shop
  5. Photoshoot and styling
  6. Editing 
  7. Delivering the final edited files

After all the hard work that goes into creating and executing content, it’s super satisfying to see everything come together, so we want to share some of our work with you today!

What we created for The Facial Room

Our client The Facial Room offers an exclusive experience that goes beyond delivering beautiful Eminence Organic Skincare products across Canada, and we need to emulate that in our work – especially our photography work, as that’s what initially draws customers in. 

For The Facial Room, we currently create and run the following elements of their social media marketing:  

  • Styling & photography for a visually cohesive feed
  • Facebook & Instagram content creation
  • Community management
  • Social media advertising campaigns
  • Blogs for SEO
  • Email marketing campaigns 
  • Stop-motion videos

To kick off the holiday season this year, The Facial Room ran an irresistible Black Friday promotion for their customers. Check out our photography work on the homepage of their website and how it came together:

 

We also created a blog (which is great for your SEO btw, you can read more about that here) sharing more in-depth product knowledge with customers, giving them product suggestions and gift ideas for the upcoming holiday season.

We made sure to share the blog in early November, allowing customers enough time to plan their gifts and get their orders in (before Canada post is overwhelmed by the holiday season). Check out the blog post here!

 

As you can see in this blog post, we shot lifestyle images of The Facial Room owner, Patricia Asmar, and her daughter against a holiday-themed backdrop. During our lifestyle shoot, we paid close attention to the colour of props, clothes and products to ensure the final images were cohesive with all our other product photography.

Check out The Facial Room on Instagram to see what awesome promotions they’re currently running. 

And here is the stop motion video we created for their Black Friday promotion in action! 

What we created for Waves Coffee House

Our longtime client, Waves Coffee House, is a Vancouver-based chain with over 31 coffee shops across BC and Alberta. Not only is Waves all about serving customers delicious coffee and locally made snacks, but they also invite their customers to connect with each other at their local Waves Coffee shop. We just love this sentiment!

For their holiday campaign, we created photography for their social feeds that showcase their holiday beverages, snacks and gift sets. Check out some of our favourite shots from our holiday photoshoot:

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As part of their social media marketing, we also create the following:

  • Instagram and Facebook content 
  • Community management 
  • Paid social media ads
  • Spotify ad campaigns
  • Stop-motion videos
  • Influencer campaigns 
  • Giveaways and contests

Check out the stop-motion video we created as part of their holiday marketing campaign:

 

What we created for Love & Natural 

Love & Natural is a skincare eCommerce platform that was born during the COVID-19 pandemic when Winne, the owner, wanted to help her clients and others by offering personalized skincare solutions online. 

Check out some of our favourite photography from this holiday period: social-media-photography

Since coming on board with us, we have built a multi-faceted social media plan for Love & Natural. Our work so far has included creating and managing the following:

  • Styling & photography
  • Social media management across Facebook & Instagram
  • Community management
  • Traffic advertising campaigns (leading audiences to your website)
  • Conversion advertising campaigns (converting sales on the website)social-media-photographer

We also created this stop motion video for the launch of their new product collection, Esenti Body Mists. 

Are you thinking of stepping up your social media game in 2021? Then look no further! Legendary offers well-rounded knowledge and services that could help elevate your business to the next level!

How to optimize your Instagram Business profile

Posted on by Erin Reynel

Your social media channels act as a digital storefront for your business. Instagram has 500 million daily users, so the potential for high volume digital traffic is huge. This means that your Instagram Business profile needs to make a lasting impression in order to stand out against your competitors. 

You only have a few seconds to capture the attention of Instagram users, so here are our top tips for gaining the attention of your target audience. 

1. Create an Instagram Business profile 

Make sure you set up an Instagram Business profile that allows you to gain insight and understanding of your followers in order to grow your business on Instagram. 

2. Write a badass bio

Your bio is going to be one of the first things viewers see when they land on your Instagram profile, so it deserves your time and consideration when writing it. 

Your bio will also likely influence what actions the viewer takes once they’ve landed on your Instagram Business profile, so make it snappy! 

Your Instagram bio should include:

  • Explanation of your business/products or services offered 
  • Establish your brand tone
  • Appeal to your target audience by defining your mission and what solutions you have to offer them
  • Share retail/restaurant location 

Instagram-Business-profiles-legendary social media vancouve

Check out how we have optimized some of our clients’ Instagram Business profiles below, using the suggestions above. 

3.Create a searchable Instagram handle

It’s important that your Instagram handle/username makes sense, is searchable and the name of your actual business. If the username you want is taken, try adding your area code to the end. Our client Disco Cheetah added YVR to the end of their handle which is synonymous with Vancouver. 

4. Optimize your profile picture 

When it comes to optimizing your profile picture, it’s essential that it’s instantly recognizable for users when they visit your Instagram page. For most businesses, this means using one of the following options:

  • Logo
  • Logomark (the logo without text)
  • Mascot (this would be applicable if you have an iconic mascot)
  • Headshot

Whatever you decide to use, just make sure it’s on-brand with your business and be consistent across all your social media channels.  

5. Add a CTA or link to your profile 

Instagram wants its users to stay within the platform, therefore they have limited how many URLs you can use in your profile to just one. 

If you have over 10,000 followers, you can use links in your Stories and drive traffic from there, but of course, this doesn’t work for smaller accounts. 

We recommend using Linktree which will lead users to a page with several URL options. Check out how two of our clients have used Linktree to suggest link destinations to users. 

instagram-business-profile-legendary social media vancouver

Final thoughts

Just remember, an optimized Instagram account is an active one. So remember to build your Instagram community, by following and engaging with other users. As a business, you should make sure you answer questions, DMs and reply to comments regularly. As well as creating consistent, high-quality content. Here at Legendary, we can help with content creating and social media strategy. Get in touch for a personalized quote! 

Why social media will be crucial to your business’ success this holiday season

Posted on by Erin Reynel

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we anticipate that the majority of holiday shoppers will shift their spending online. This means that your website and social media platforms will act as your storefronts. Today, we’ll discuss how to effectively leverage your social media to get more sales during the 2020 holiday season. 

Salesforce recently posted about how COVID-19 will shape the 2020 holiday season and expressed that “Social media will be the most important emerging platform for engaging with customers.”

Enable Facebook & Instagram shops

Earlier in the year, Facebook launched Facebook Shops, making it easier for small businesses to create an eCommerce platform. Facebook Shops gives businesses the opportunity to create a mobile-first online store that lives on their Facebook Business page and Instagram profile. 

Setting up a Facebook Shop is free and simple, so ensure you’re not leaving any money on the table and set this up if you haven’t already! 

 By enabling this feature, you have instantly increased shopping opportunities for your audience. 

Implement your holiday marketing and promotion strategy 

The online shopping arena is especially overcrowded this holiday season, so your holiday marketing efforts need to stand out from your competitors and grab the attention of your customers. Your social media strategy should include the following:

  • Paid social media ads
  • Search ads
  • Email marketing campaigns
  • Video content
  • Increased holiday-related SEO efforts

Do you have holiday-themed promotions planned for your customers? For our clients, we have these planned, photographed and ready to execute by the end of October. Some of the ways in which you could build up holiday excitement with your customers include:

  • Create weekly promotions
  • Promote gift card purchases, make this an easy add on at checkout
  • Create a sense of urgency with time-limited offers
  • Offer free shipping
  • Plan holiday giveaways and contests on social media to increase engagement
  • Create an influencer campaign (great for exposing your products or services to a new service)
  • Offer a contactless pick-up option, make sure it’s safe and convenient for customers

Use social media to communicate with customers

Your social media is also your megaphone, so use your platforms to effectively communicate the following to your audience:

  • Share your exciting promotions (on your feed and in stories/reels)
  • Showcase high-quality images featuring products
  • Use video to share product knowledge
  • Share key delivery and shipping information (due to increased digital orders, postal services are already seeing a surge at distribution centres and delays may occur, offer your customers a fair warning of this potential issue)
  • Feature customer reviews
  • Do you have any charitable efforts going on? Perhaps you could share these, or offer to match what your customers donate. Only include this if it’s authentic! 

Key shopping dates to note for your social media 

Event  Date
American Thanksgiving  November 26
Black Friday  November 27
Small Business Saturday November 28
Cyber Monday  November 30
Giving Tuesday  December 1
Free Shipping day  December 14

Final thoughts

Essentially social media is crucial to your success this holiday season, as it’s your storefront, marketing and communication platform all in one. Explore every aspect and functionality of your social media channels to ensure you leave no stone unturned. 

Client Feature: Disco Cheetah Korean Grill

Posted on by Erin Reynel

We’re back with another client feature! This time, we’re super pumped to introduce one of our long-standing clients, Disco Cheetah Korean Grill! 

“We cook up bright, bold Korean dishes that are totally unique in Vancouver, you won’t find our flavours and colours anywhere else. And we serve it all hot, fast and in a format that’s affordable and comfortable for urban Vancouverites to enjoy.”

When we began working with Disco Cheetah in 2017 they were a popular local food truck that could be spotted around the streets of downtown Vancouver during the week, and at local farmers markets and events on the weekend. Since then, they have expanded to their first brick-and-mortar location on Davie St and have quickly established themselves as one of the top delivery restaurants in the city on UberEats. 

Our team can’t get enough of their delicious food!

What we provide for Disco Cheetah Korean Grill 

We manage nearly all of Disco Cheetah’s marketing needs. Our work so far has included creating and managing the following:

  • Social media marketing on Facebook and Instagram (including running contests and giveaways)
  • Content creation (captions and stories)
  • Community management
  • Food photography & styling 
  • Paid campaigns (leading audiences to their website and ordering from food delivery apps)
  • Local radio ads (listen for their ad running on 102.7 The Peak) 
  • Influencer media tastings

To grow Disco Cheetah’s following, our content manager, Nina, creates posts with engaging and humorous captions (so many puns!). Our in-house photographer, Kat, creates beautifully styled photoshoots showcasing their food’s bright colours.

client feature disco cheetah korean grill - legendary social media vancouver

Influencer marketing in Vancouver

One of our favourite services that we provide to Disco Cheetah is hooking them up with local foodie influencers for media tastings and contests. These partnerships have generated a ton of brand awareness for the restaurant. Our monthly influencer lead contests generate 2,000+ entries each and gain Disco Cheetah an average of 100 new Instagram followers per month. 

Keep an eye on their Instagram for the next contest! 

client feature disco cheetah korean grill - legendary social media vancouver

What can we do for you?

Are you ready to up your social media game? Legendary Social Media can help with that! We have a well-rounded team of experts who can help your business reach its goals. –

Is Instagram Checkout available in Canada?

Posted on by Erin Reynel

Instagram Checkout is now available to all eligible Instagram business and creator accounts in the US, but what about Canadian users? 

In short, the answer is no. 

Canadian business users still don’t have access to this feature as of the date this blog was posted. But since this feature will likely be released north of the border soon, here’s what Canadians can expect from Instagram Checkout. 

What is the difference between Instagram Shopping and Instagram Checkout?

instagram-product-tag- legendary social media vancouverInstagram Shopping gives businesses the opportunity to easily link their shoppable products within Instagram, either in Instagram Stories or Feed. Users can simply tap on the product tags and be led to the brand’s website to view more information and purchase the product. See the example of how we tag products for our client, The Facial Room. Here we have tagged several product suggestions for dry skin within one post, encouraging users to checkout via The Facial Room’s website. 

Instagram Checkout is similar, but the major difference with this feature is that everything is done within Instagram. Customers never have to leave Instagram to complete a purchase. The first time a customer checks out, they simply fill out their name, email, shipping and billing information.

See the screenshots below of the Instagram Checkout process. 

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Image source: Instagram for business

This feature is a great way to easily and quickly convert your Instagram audience into loyal customers. 

Should businesses set up Instagram Checkout?

The opportunity to turn a browser into a purchaser with just a few clicks could have a huge impact on your conversion rates. This feature creates an effortless experience for customers by ensuring the purchase process is simple, convenient and most importantly secure! 

So, to summarize, the benefits of Instagram Checkout are:

  • Allows users to purchase products in just two to three taps without leaving Instagram
  • Eliminates checkout form issues and errors that often result in cart abandonment due to user frustration
  • Businesses no longer need to worry about maintaining and optimizing a mobile-first webshop (ideal for small businesses that are just starting out with eCommerce)

What are the disadvantages of using Instagram Checkout?

There are a couple of drawbacks to using Instagram Checkout that should be considered:

  • Instagram will collect a commission from the merchant on every order that is processed via the app. The current selling fee is 5% per shipment or a flat fee of $0.40 of $8 or less (including PayPal fees). 
  • Businesses could lose out on valuable customer data. For example, when customers check out on your website, you have the opportunity to collect emails for future marketing purposes. By using Instagram checkout, your business can only access limited customer information.
  • Instagram Checkout eliminates website traffic by allowing people to make purchases within the app. This may affect your website’s SEO performance and could reduce product reviews on your website.

Overall, we believe the benefits of using Instagram’s checkout outweigh these negatives. Offering up a great way for small businesses to break into eCommerce and showcase their products to new audiences. 

A few tips for driving sales with Instagram Shopping

So whilst Canada still doesn’t have access to Instagram Checkout, let’s make the most of the tools we can use! You can still drive sales through Instagram by following these simple steps:

    1. Be consistent with your product tagging. If you’re posting three times a week, make sure at least two of these posts include tags to your products that drive customers to your external website. 
    2. Create some excitement with an exclusive product drop on Instagram. A great way to create a little buzz around your products is by launching a product exclusively to your Instagram audience. 
    3. Add product stickers to your Instagram Stories. Don’t overlook this feature – it’s another opportunity to redirect customers to shop on your website. 
    4. Share a sale or promotional code on your products. Running a sale or promotion is an undeniably great way to drive sales.
    5. Work with an influencer. Consider working with an influencer who can drive their larger audiences to your Instagram or website!
    6. Create striking photography. Instagram is ultimately a visual platform, so if you want to stop a customer in their tracks, then create visually appealing images that make them want to shop! We can help with this. 

Final thoughts

As Instagram continues to enhance its eCommerce abilities, shopping via the app is growing in popularity leading us to believe it’s only a matter of time until Instagram checkout is available everywhere. So we encourage you to start building your product catalogues now and familiarize yourself with the Instagram shopping features in order to benefit your business and drive eCommerce sales. 

What apps are you using to manage your social media channels? We recommend checking out these nine apps. 

 

Client Feature: Le Hibou Kids

Posted on by Erin Reynel

We’re back with another client feature! This time, we’re super excited to introduce to one of our newest clients, Le Hibou Kids.

Le Hibou is a kidswear brand based here in Vancouver. Their mission is to bring play-friendly and timeless kids clothing for 6 months + to Canada. Part of what makes LeHibou so unique is that their clothing is thoughtfully designed and made in Korea, where the founders, Alyssa and Liz are originally from.

“When I moved to Canada and had my own child, I struggled to find timeless clothing that was unique and affordable, and I wasn’t the only mom looking for this! So I founded Le Hibou Kids with my friend Liz, and haven’t looked back since.” –Alyssa, co-founder of LeHibou

What we provide for LeHibou kids

Legendary has been working alongside Le Hibou Kids to create the following:
Shopify Website Copywriting
Conversion Optimization
Social Media Advertising Campaigns
Social Media Management
Social Media Photography
Video Production
Email Newsletter Consultation

Check out our most recent photo and video shoot for their Fall Collection:

kidswear-legendary social media vancouver

 

 

How to use Instagram Reels

Posted on by Erin Reynel

Facebook-owned Instagram recently released a new video feature that allows users to record 15-second clips set to music. Sound familiar? Yes, it’s Instagram’s answer to TikTok. 

What is Instagram Reels?

Instagram Reels is the brand new way to create short, fun and engaging videos from Instagram Stories. Reels allows you to record and edit 15-second multi-clip videos with audio, effects and other new creative tools. You can share reels with your audience on your feed, and if your account is public, make them available to the wider Instagram community through a new space in Explore. 

How to create a Reel

instagram-reels- legendary social media vancouverSelect Reels at the bottom of your Instagram Camera. Once you’ve selected Reels, a variety of creative editing tools will appear on the left side of your screen to help you create your Reel. These include the following: 

  • Audio: Search and use a song from Instagram’s music library. Alternatively, you can use your own original music or audio by simply recording a Reel with it, which will then be attributed to you. If your account is public, people can create Reels using your audio by selecting “Use Audio” from your Reel.
  • AR effects: Choose from a variety of effects (similar to filters) to apply to your video clip. 
  • Speed: You have the ability to speed up or slow down the pace of your video or even just sections of the video. 
  • Timer and Countdown: Set the timer and record your clips hands-free. Once you press record, a three-two-one countdown timer will appear on your screen. In your timer, select how long you want your clip to be (maximum fifteen seconds).

How to share Reels

With Reels, not only can you share with your followers but you have the opportunity to be discovered by a larger, diverse community on Instagram’s Explore page. A great way to reach a wider audience! 

  • If you have a private account: Your privacy setting will be applied to your Reels. You can share your Reel to your feed which allows only your followers to view. Users will not be able to access or use your original audio and people cannot share your Reels with other users who don’t follow you. 
  • If you have a public account: You can share your Reel to a dedicated space in Explore, where it has the potential to be viewed by a larger Instagram audience. You can also share your Reel with your followers by posting to your Feed. By featuring certain songs, hashtags or effects, your Reel could appear on a dedicated page if a user clicks on that particular song/hashtag/effect. And of course, if you’re public, your Reel can be shared with other users and posted to their Stories. 

Once you have recorded your Reel and you’re ready to share, move to the share screen where you can save a draft of your Reel, change the cover image, add a caption and hashtags, and tag your friends. After you have shared your Reel, it will live on a separate Reels tab on your profile. Similar to Instagram Stories, your Reel will disappear from your profile in 24 hours. 

Watching Reels

As we’ve mentioned throughout this blog, Reels has its own version of For You page: the new Reels Explore Feed. This feature is similar to TikTok: not only will you see Reels from people you follow, but you will see Reels from popular or trending accounts on Instagram. So far, we’ve observed that this is influenced by your likes/interests and where you’re located. 

Final Thoughts

Reels is still very new and we expect there will be further developments in the Reels feature in the near future. Stay up to date with all things Instagram and Facebook related by following us on Facebook!

You can check out our work here! 

Should you set up a Chatbot for your social media?

Posted on by Erin Reynel

If you haven’t set up a chatbot for your business’ Facebook age yet, then it’s time to consider getting with the times! Messenger bots can be very valuable to any business as they can be programmed to automate customer support functions and answer basic questions, as well as capturing and converting new customers. 

What is a chatbot?

Chatbots are automated messaging software that uses AI to converse with people. You’ve probably noticed it on Facebook Messenger or certain apps and websites. 

Chatbots allow business pages to automate many low-level customer service functions or questions by using a series of menus or keywords to guide customers to the next steps. They’re favourable for many customers as they’re easy to use and a major time saver! Nobody wants to deal with calls to a customer service agent! 

They can be used to:

  • Answer basic customer questions
  • Deliver promo codes to potential customers
  • Automatically deliver important information or links

Example of our client The Facial Room’s chatbot at work:

chatbot-legendary social media vancouve

What benefits do they provide for both the brand and the customer?

Save time and money on customer care

Often, business owners don’t have time to answer customer questions promptly on Facebook Messenger. So by adding this step of automation into your workflow, you could satisfy customer questions, provide automated responses and even perform tasks without burdening a member of staff. 

Facebook now uses an NLP (Natural Language Processing) engine that understands and extracts meaningful information from messages you receive and send. This is how Facebook’s Messenger bots can identify intent and automate some of your replies and route the conversation to a human live chat. NPL also allows Chatbots to sound more human-like and gives the customer a better overall experience. 

Fun fact: Dates and times are automatically localized based on the locale sent from the user’s profile. 

Identify leads

As your Chatbot greets potential customers, it can filter through their needs and ask basic questions like “What is your budget?” or “How quickly are you looking to move house?” and re-direct high-quality leads to a person on your sales team or a product page on your website. 

24/7 availability

Facebook Messenger Chatbots are available 24/7/365 even when you and your staff aren’t! 

How to set up a Facebook Messenger Chatbot?

If you know how to code, then you can build your own Facebook Messenger Chatbot. Facebook offers up a lot of information and tutorials on how to set one up, so if you take this route, be sure to use these resources. 

If you don’t know how to code, don’t panic! There are several third-party tools available so you can create and customize your own Facebook Messenger Chatbot. Check out some of these third-party services available:

Tips for using a Facebook Messenger Chatbot

Chatbots have the ability to increase conversion rates, as long as the pre-designed messages are written and planned effectively. Make sure you’re doing the following to ensure top-notch customer service:

  1. Get to the point quickly! According to VentureBeat, the point of sale should be within five clicks of the designed user experience. Beyond five clicks, you risk losing the lead. 
  2. A Chatbot’s success depends on its ability to recognize when human interaction is needed. Make sure that the customer has the option, at any point to communicate with a person.
  3. Invite personalization! A Chatbot that has the ability to recognize a user’s preferences and needs quickly will result in higher click-through rates and engagement. 
  4. Integrate Chatbots into your social media marketing strategy. Measure its performance and update automated responses when necessary.    

Final thoughts

Chatbots are a welcome time-saver for customers and a cost-efficient way for businesses to limit their need for customer support staff. We definitely recommend expanding your Facebook marketing by implementing a Chatbot into your Messenger account in order to generate more leads/sales! 

If you need more information or help with setting up a social media or marketing strategy, get in touch!

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