Instagram's Newest Surprise

So just when we thought Instagram couldn't get any more exciting for us social media people/small biz owners/marketers (multiple account log-in ability seriously changed my life), they have decided to surprise us once again with a new feature to grapple over. 

Photo courtesy of Instagram

Today Instagram rolled out their newest feature: the ability to post multiple photos and videos in one post! Starting today, you can share up to 10 photos and videos in a single post on the platform. When you go to upload a photo to Instagram, you will see a new icon that lets you select multiple photos and/or videos. 

This feature also gives you the option to edit each photo and video individually or all at once, and it enables you to change up the order of the photos. They are all housed in one slideshow post- one caption and location apply to the entire slideshow as well as the number of likes and comments.

So now that there our friends at IG have gifted us with this major rollout, what do we do with it? Yes, for personal use, that means we don't have to agonize over what photo to post from our vacations (and for me, more pictures of my dog @ladythekingcav,) but as brands, small businesses and bloggers, how do we effectively try out this new feature and gauge its success to deepen our brand presence, gain followers or increase sales?

Social media is always changing and evolving, so over time we will have more refined ideas on how to use this new feature, but I wanted to share a few ideas to get you started on how to best harness this Instagram feature to benefit your brand and business. 

The power of story telling. 

Now that we have the ability to post multiple photos and videos in each Instagram post, we can deepen and enrich the way we tell stories on Instagram. Are you launching a new product or service but using one photo makes it hard to fully show what you want to promote? This new multiple photo option will do just the trick.

Keeping those photos brand and message-consistent is even more important in slideshows, but when used properly, you can better convey what your business or product is all about. You can use a slideshow to show how your product can be used in multiple ways, tell the story of how something is made, or show different angles and views of a product. Tutorials and how-to's will also be a dream via this feature, as you can clearly show step-by-step processes with up to 10 photos or videos. 

In-depth behind-the-scenes sharing. 

Multiple photos and videos housed in one Instagram will be a great tool to showcase behind-the-scenes images for events, photo shoots, product launches or even a day-in-the-life of your business. This will be similar to Instagram and Snapchat stories, but those videos are deleted after 24-hours, making the slideshow feature more valuable. But as always, MORE is not always BEST in social media world. I am a big believer in refining your content to fit your brand and audience in an authentic way, so if the photos don't work together in cohesive unit or are not high-quality, don't use them. 

Thanks, Instagram, for always keeping us on our toes! I personally am excited about what this feature can add to my client's and other businesses social media strategies, and I can't wait to see how people around the world harness this tool for even more creative story telling and marketing. Stay tuned for another post in the coming weeks with a case study on how some of the biggest brands on social media use this new feature!

Oscar Night Recap: Social Media Takeaways We All Can Benefit From

Well friends, it’s the Monday after the Oscars and I know that your Instagram feed, the morning network TV shows and your coworkers are most likely gabbing about anything ranging from Chris Rock’s opening monologue, to fashion hits and misses, and of course, Leo’s Oscar win (finally!). But instead of writing a blog post about my personal opinions on Lady Gaga's white ensemble or makeup trends spotted on the red carpet, I wanted to use one of the biggest nights in Hollywood to share with you some insight from the social media buzz surrounding The Academy Awards that you can adapt for your own business' social media strategy.  

Get Behind the Scenes

You’ve probably heard it before, but it is always good to remind yourself that content is KING in the realm of digital marketing.  There are so many brands vying for the attention of audiences these days that we as digital communicators must think outside of the box on how to gain the interest of our target audience. @TheAcademy totally nailed this last night in terms of capturing behind-the-scenes content in a way that made this 25-year old pretend she was actually on the red carpet and backstage at the Dolby Theatre.  A few of my favorites:

Sweet behind-the-scenes videos of Jacob Tremblay interviewing on the red carpet! I mean, how precious is he in that tuxedo? 

Second stop press #oscars

"Second stop press #oscars"

Source: The Academy/Instagram 

I also thought this timelapse video of the Oscar's culinary team was a great way for The Academy Awards to add unique content into their schedule for the night. It also made me want my own chocolate Oscar...

Oscar meets chocolate Oscar. Time for the Governors Ball #oscars

"Oscar meets chocolate Oscar. Time for the Governors Ball #oscars"

Source: The Academy/Instagram

Wondering what behind-the-scenes content you can share for your own business? Snap photos of your team on retreats or in meetings and highlight the people behind your brand! If you own a business that creates a product or offers a service, share a timelapse video of what actually goes into making your product or what "a day in the life" of being in your profession is actually like. When you are authentic with you audience and share a bit of your personality, great things can happen. 

Know your audience and share what they want to see. 

Numerous social media accounts took advantage of Oscar night and used the timely and fresh content from the event in a way that tied into their own brand. While scrolling through Instagram last night, I was really impressed with Refinery 29's presence. Throughout the evening they shared graphics with powerful quotes from the stars as they were interviewed on the red carpet or as they accepted their awards. Refinery 29 is one of the fastest-growing media companies with an aim to provide content for "stylish, intelligent women who crave thought-provoking conversation around limitless ideas". Here they shared a photo of the stunning and eloquent Kerry Washington:

Source: Refinery 29/Instagram 

Refinery 29 pinpointed what content they could garner from Oscar night and then curated it in a way that perfectly fit the interests and passions of their audience. Bravo, R29, bravo. 

So next time you are thinking through your company's social content (which should be all the time!), think through the lense of who you want to target via social media. Once you think like them, talk like them on social media and give them content they actually want! 

Accuracy is everything, people.

Misspellings, typos, wrong photo attributions. It happens to the best of us, but every time I see a social media blunder on a national scale, it reminds to me TRIPLE check everything before I hit "post", "tweet" or "share" for each of my clients.  I am sure that @TotalBeauty had the best of intentions when Tweeting this photo, but their social media manager failed to do one important thing: verify the person in the photo. 

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If you don't know, the women in the photo is Whoopi Goldberg, not Oprah Winfrey. Needless to say, social media erupted in a firestorm of backlash after this Tweet went out, even though it was quickly deleted. 

I do want to point out that Total Beauty handled it well and every social media manager should take note: 

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Source: Total Beauty/Twitter 

When faced with a social media snafu like this one, take the blame and apologize. It is always better to own the mistake rather than try to cover it up. Because, let's face it, once something is put out on the world wide web, it seems to never fully go away. 

As I clearly saw from last night's social media buzz, we as marketers, communicators and business owners should never underestimate the power of social media to change and elevate our brand or business! 

Do you have a favorite social media moment from Oscar night or have a question about how to get the most out of your social presence? I'd love to hear in the comments below, or give me a shout via my contact form!