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The JPG Top 3: Instagram is making big changes, Marketing during a recession, and the best times to post on Twitch

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We comb the interwebs to bring you the top 3 stories for small business social media marketing, branding, and engagement. Get it even sooner by subscribing to our FREE Top 3 email. Subscribe now

#3 Marketing During a Recession

Are we in a recession? Who the heck knows! What we do know is that whether or not some news report or pile of statistics can “officially” declare a recession, consumers and businesses are definitely ACTING like we are, so we need to plan accordingly.

One thing that tends to happen during an economic downtown is that companies start to panic and begin slashing budgets, especially marketing and advertising budgets. Don’t do it! Historical data (and we’re talking over 100 years worth here) will show that companies that perform the best during a recession are the ones who DON’T make those cuts. Not only that, but their businesses continue to have higher levels of success after the downturn. Read more here.

#2 The Best Time to Stream On Twitch

Last time we looked at the best times to post on Facebook and Instagram, so this time we wanted to give you the data on the most popular streaming times on Twitch. According to this Hootsuite article, the most popular times for viewership is 2-5pm eastern time, but they also make a very interesting point that that may be the exact time you want to avoid. Competition is high and some of the biggest names on the platform are active.

Meanwhile, the least active time clocks in at 3-7am eastern, and while that’s definitely “sleepy time” for those of us on the east coast, it’s also a time with far less competition. So if you’re a smaller channel looking to gain eyeballs, this may be the exact time you want to be streaming.

I would go one step further and use some similar mindsets when posting to other platforms. Take Facebook and Instagram for example. If you’re someone who uses Meta Business Suite to schedule posts and you look at the “optimal posting times” that Meta spits out, most of them tend to say roughly 7pm is when your page audience is “most active” (at least that’s the time I always see). Sure … on the surface that seems like a great idea. But then realize that EVERY OTHER business is also getting told this same exact time. So now 7pm is flooded with new posts that you have to fight with. With that in mind it makes sense to jump the gun and throw yours out there at 6 or 6:30 so you can get a head start.

#1 Big Changes at Instagram

Social platforms are forever changing things and testing out new features. Some of these features become across the board changes, while others disappear into oblivion. Here’s a couple IG is testing right now …

I won’t spend a ton of time analyzing the tests mentioned above simply because we don’t know if they’ll ever become anything more than just a test. The Notes feature is an interesting one because it’s the first real departure from pictures and video for Instagram and almost reminds me of a quick Tweet or the old “Zack Jackson is …” status updates from the olden days of Facebook. That said, if anybody actually cares still remains to be seen.

One big Instagram change that is definitely coming is a brand new sizing guide. Some of you may already have noticed that the images in your IG grid have gotten longer. Not everybody has had this change happen yet (I haven’t), but to those who have it means the old square picture setup is going to look cut off on both the left and right sides. This may not be an issue if your image is well centered, but it makes a huge difference when text is being cut off.

The biggest takeaway here is that Meta is gearing more and more to mobile content and viewing. They want everything to fit perfect on the screen of your phone and they don’t really care about any other device. Horizontal images and video were on life support already, but now you can pretty much save the date for their funeral. And yes, horizontal video may be higher quality, but we’re learning a very simple argument against it … NOBODY CARES! Get the full Instagram sizing guide

Marketing During a Recession: Time to Get Excited

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I know what you’re thinking as you read that title, “What the heck is wrong with you? Why are you excited for a recession?”

To be clear … I ain’t.  I’m just as annoyed, frustrated, and stressed out as you.  Every trip to the grocery store feels like a gut punch where the bill is high and every item you buy looks like it’s been shrunk down to the size of a Snickers mini.  Not a fan!

But when it comes to those of us who run a business, I’m excited because now is the time where we can truly separate ourselves from our competitors.  Super rich guy Warren Buffet once said, “Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy only when others are fearful.”  That’s where we are right now.  Fear is HIGH. Budgets are being slashed, jobs cut, plans changed.

So what do we need to do?  The exact opposite!

I know it’s scary. Trust me, I spend times at night thinking, “What in this house can I sell on eBay if I need extra money?,” but I also know now is the time that those who ACT are the ones who succeed.  And the best part?  There’s TONS of research to back this up.

In terms of marketing, companies who stayed the course not only saw an increase in business during a recession, they also saw continued growth AFTER the recession.  And this is from data dating back to the 1920’s!

Marketing budgets are one of the first things to be cut during a recession, so those that don’t cut theirs are met with decreased competition and higher audience share.  Their brands appear as strong and stable and their customer base responds accordingly.  One can easily argue that now is the perfect time to INCREASE your marketing budget.

At the same time, I know that’s not feasible for some businesses, but there’s other ways to succeed.  Now is an absolutely perfect time to be there for your audience.  Think about it … they’re dealing with the same stresses and frustrations, so when you are able to provide something truly meaningful to them, it helps ease that burden (even if just for a short time).  That’s not something someone soon forgets, and that will connect them to your brand in a very strong way.

The best brands understand they’re more than just a product or service, they are something that makes people FEEL.  People love brands almost as much as they love people (sometimes more depending on the person), and right now they’re desperate for connection and validation.  So when others panic and think small, now is the time to get excited and think big!

The JPG Top 3: The Best Time to Post, Using Communities to Engage Your Audience, and Pizza Robots

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We comb the interwebs to bring you the top 3 stories for small business social media marketing, branding, and engagement. Get it even sooner by subscribing to our FREE Top 3 email. Subscribe now

#3 Using Communities as a Way to Engage Your Audience

For TV shows and movies, one of biggest challenges in an on-demand and instant gratification world is preventing spoilers. At the same time, these shows and movies want their fans who’ve actually SEEN something be able to talk about it with one another. This article looks at how Marvel combats spoilers, and the use of the “Communities” feature of Twitter comes into play.

So I know what you’re thinking, “I ain’t Marvel, how does this apply to me?” That answer lies in the “community” aspect of what’s going on. Whether it be in Twitter Communities, Facebook Groups. Reddit threads, or whatever else, identifying groups that are relevant to your brand are an incredible way to interact with your audience. Not only do these methods tend to get better reach and engagement than simple social media posts, they allow you to interact directly with individuals who’ve already expressed an interest in what your business provides.

#2 The Best Time to Post is …

…4am eastern time! Wait … what??? That’s according to Sprout Social’s 30,000+ users as outlined in their latest research. Now where this DOES make sense is that on a global scale it also happens to be 9am in England, 10am in Europe, and 6pm in Australia.

Granted, times like these only matter if you’re trying to reach people on a global scale, so what does that mean locally? It means that one must understand their local audience and how and when they interact with your brand. One thing that does stand out across the board here is that Saturday and Sunday as a whole are the worst times to post. The simple reason? People aren’t at WORK, which is a place they LOVE to kill time on social media!

The moral of the story here is to make sure you’re playing around with posting times with your content. 4am may seem like a ridiculous time to post, but there’s way less competition at that time and it may give your content a little algorithm boost when people wake up a few hours later.

#1 Pizza Robots …. AHHH!!!

Are you ready for a robot to make your pizza? Or how about other meals when you’re out to eat?

As much as we love the human touch, especially when it comes to a restaurant experience, the reality is that it is getting harder and harder to find actual humans to do the work! We include this article not to suggest that you need to buy your own pizza robot (though having one in the house WOULD be cool), but instead to get you to continue to think about ways to streamline your processes within your business.

The simple fact is this … you’re going to be asked to do more for your business with LESS PEOPLE available to do it. It’s absolutely vital to figure out ways to streamline and/or outsource certain tasks so you aren’t being taken away from your #1 goal … running a successful business. Stop living “in the weeds” every day where you’re just trying to get by and instead allow yourself the ability to actually focus on your business’s success and growth plan by learning new ways to automate certain services. (Cheap plug: The JPG Agency can certainly help with that as well if you wanna hear more.)

Three Dirty Words … “Social Media Manager”

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As someone who helps small businesses with their branding strategies and digital presence, I’ve always loathed the term “social media manager,” because in my opinion that isn’t the true path to brand success.


Sure, having a strong presence on social media is important, but if you’re putting all your eggs into that basket, then you are doing your brand a disservice because you are now completely reliant on the “algorithm overlords” of a handful of billion dollar tech companies.


And since I don’t want my The JPG Agency clients putting all their eggs into that basket, I sure as heck don’t want to be putting all of MINE in there either. To me, true brand success is figuring out methods for owning your own audience engagement by figuring out how to engage with them directly through methods controlled by YOU. Social media management is just one piece of that puzzle.


The role of “social media manager” needs to evolve, and you can see that evolution in this Social Media Today report.

A Bad Digital Impression is Costing You Revenue!

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Having a strong digital presence isn’t a luxury in 2022, it’s a NECESSITY. This article will open your eyes when you see things like “increasing a customer’s satisfaction score can increase their spending by up to 37%. Reducing the effort required to complete a task online can lead to a 23% increase in the amount they spend.”

Plain and simple … making a sucky digital impression with your customers will cost you money almost immediately and probably send future business elsewhere. And small business often gets the shaft in this equation because they don’t have huge budgets to have large marketing departments or to hire expensive agencies.

That’s why at The JPG Agency we’re committed to providing those opportunities to small businesses at a price point they can afford. Small businesses are the backbone of so many industries, and they flat out DESERVE the same access to these resources as the big dogs. So happy to have a squad in place that feels the same way!

Thank you Nicole Cooper for sharing this article with me and MediaPost for putting it together https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/372174/revenue-lost-by-poor-digital-experience-can-now-be.html

#digitalmarketing #socialmediamarketing