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The JPG Top 3: How to post Reels content without totally losing your mind

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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 How do I get to be a “recommended post” on Instagram?

You know all those “recommended posts” Instagram likes to clog your feed with?  While you may shake your fist at them and wish they would go away, Instagram execs have made it clear they absolutely aren’t going anywhere (if anything, you’re going to see even MORE of them).  Instagram’s real goal is to make these recommendations just so darn awesome and perfect for your interests that you’re going to be happy to see them (and stay scrolling on their app longer and longer). 

So instead of trying to fight the impossible, we encourage you to embrace the inevitable and learn how the Instagram algorithm selects recommended posts.  These posts are going to be present whether you like it or not, so you might as well have it be YOU who’s being recommended, right?

#2 Email ain’t dead!

We see it all the time … we recommend email marketing to a prospective client and they roll their eyes and say, “Does that even work anymore?”  

The answer?

Yes.

Actually let me say that more emphatically … YES!!!!!

96% of consumers check their email every day, 81% of online shoppers are likely to make additional purchases because of email, and 60% say they prefer email communication from brands versus any other method.  Oh and it is free (or relatively cheap) to send them an email. (Thank you EmailIsNotDead for the factoids.)

Our clients see great results from email marketing as a way to sell products and events, but also simply as a way to stay top of mind with their customers and we HIGHLY recommend it as a tool in your marketing arsenal.  Still not convinced?  Read this … and if you do and still think email marketing sucks, well then we can’t help you and you should probably just delete us.

#1 An easy way to post some Reels content without losing your mind

Welp … here we are talking about Reels again.  If this makes you want to chug from the nearest bottle of tequila and pray to the Internet Gods that Instagram will change their minds, let’s run down some simple facts …

FACT #1:  Everybody is mad at Instagram.  

And yes, “everybody” is an over-exaggeration, but when you see articles like “Why Instagram Sucks Now” and top influencers are bagging on the platform, it’s pretty obvious that people are annoyed.  That said …

FACT #2: Instagram ain’t going anywhere.

Even if they “suck” and “everybody” hates them, Instagram is still a multi-billion dollar company that is owned by a megalomaniac who seems hellbent on world domination (or at least virtual world domination).  You would have to roll the cold dead corpse of metaverse overlord Darth Zuckerberg away before he would give up on Instagram or have it “lose” to TikTok.

What we’re getting at here is you can be rest assured that IG will be part of your social media plans for quite some time and that means it is important to incorporate best practices for the platform, and right now that’s with Reels.  It remains the single best (and free) way to have your brand reach new eyeballs.  But here’s one more fact …

FACT #3: Reels are a pain!

Posting a cute picture with a fun description is SO much less time consuming than a dang Reel!  Buuuut … if you really want to up the reach and engagement of your brand, you gotta suck it up and do ’em.  Doing Reels from scratch takes a lot of time and a little bit of skill (we’re happy to help if you need it BTW), but there’s also a way to balance that with something that is super easy … repurposing old Stories and turning them into Reels.  Meta has just added the ability to easily do this from your archives, and it is a great way to breathe life into some old content and post some Reels without going insane.  Is this the best practice for ALL Reels for your brand?  Probably not, but it’s at least something you can use to supplement your content.

Also, in other great news, you will soon be able to schedule Reels directly through the Instagram platform (as well as any third-party resources you may use), which is incredibly helpful if you’re someone who likes to stockpile and schedule content in one session versus having to develop it on the fly.  It’s still the added effort of creating Reels, but it’s at least a helpful way to schedule them out.

The JPG Top 3: The Ultimate Guide to Reels, LinkedIn Content That Works, and Who Owns YOU?

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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 Do You Know Who Owns You?

This story is an interesting one about what happens to sponsorship deals when an influencer couple breaks up (Yup … we’re at that point in the world where we’re talking about). But the reason we bring this up is to ask the question … do you know who owns YOU?

We see it time and time again when we work with a small business who has absolutely no clue who actually owns their digital assets. Their Facebook page was started by an employee 7 years ago who no longer works there (if they can even remember who it is at all), their website is hosted somewhere and they forget where or which email set up the account, and they have no clue what their Instagram password is because “it’s just saved on my phone.” (Any of these sound familiar?)

Would you treat your banking information like this? Of course not! So why are you treating your digital assets this way? Owning and controlling this information is absolutely vital. Without it you are unable to make certain growth decisions for your business, and you also run the serious risk of having your information deleted by someone who no longer cares about it. We HIGHLY recommend taking a look at all of your assets, making sure you control them all, and trimming access to only the most trusted members of your team.

#2 The Best Content to Post On LinkedIn

LinkedIn can be a powerful weapon in your digital arsenal. While other platforms make people slap each other in the face with tortillas just to get noticed, LinkedIn presents itself as more of a professional hub for both your brand and personal image. This becomes an opportunity to share your opinions and experiences as a business owner while networking with others in your industry and beyond. To be honest, it’s kind of a refreshing change from the grind of Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.

So the question becomes … What kind of content works best on LinkedIn? The Top 5 Content Types That Work Best on LinkedIn

#1 The Ultimate Guide to Instagram Reels

Like it or not, Reels are here to stay and they are a HUGE part of what’s working right now on Instagram. Gone are the days (for now) of just posting a quick picture and watching the engagement roll in courtesy of a few well-placed hashtags. And yes, photo content is still an important part of showcasing your brand’s voice, but to grow your presence beyond your current followers, Reels is the way it’s going to happen.

It’s pretty simple … Instagram is currently getting their butts kicked by TikTok, so they are pushing Reels HARD as a way to get people to stay on their platform as much as possible. As a result, you stand a MUCH better chance of having your brand reach new eyeballs when you play the game and do what the Instagram robots want you to. A real life example … We posted a Reel recently for a client that reached FIVE TIMES as many accounts as their current follower base. Needless to say, this video helped grow their brand to new people who otherwise would never see a single thing they post.

There’s a lot that goes into building successful Reels … video length, hashtag use, collaboration tags, etc … so we recommend this Ultimate Reels Guide as a good starting point. Good luck!

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.)