DUREAL REAL PEOPLE
REAL OPPORTUNITIES
IF YOU WANT TO GET OUT JUST DO IT By now, the aftermath of what you did over the last two months is very real. My experience was in an urban setting. Buckhead Georgia,( Atlanta ) which is still the home of many blacks and whites,.who have lots of money! The beautiful homes and high-rises still stand out unlike other areas, Okay, The SpringHill Suites located in Buckhead Georgia, you could but help how clean the facility is. There was free breakfast,.the first day; the breakfast line was moderate, even long, even longer at times. People of all different nationalities, perhaps Southwestern countries such as Mexico, the Middle East and of course America, and I did not even have to leave the country. Breakfast did not disappoint either, it was very good.
The knock on The Door Keeping in mind this was still an urban area. You have to look out for your safety, people here compared to other cities I have visited lately were wearing their masks. But don't let
your guard down. These are the holidays. People may not always have your best interests in mind. One night there was a knock on my door, I checked it out and a white guy wearing a hoodie was knocking. He had long fingers, don't ask what he looked like. Scary to me. Immediately I called the front desk.They informed me they would look into it. Keeping in mind your own mental health, this is important for everyone in your group and is a good prescription on how to look out for everyone. Not only yourself, but even children can look out for their family. This one kid pushed the elevator key for me, to hold the elevator for my floor. He looked straight in my eyes and was very precautious. I thanked him. It does not hurt to say thank you.
This is the eCourse. I’ve added the Table of Contents for your convenience so that you can see the days and subjects per day.
Contents Email 1: Making Use of Geotags & Hashtags...................... 3 Email 2: Tools to Help Market on Instagram..................... 5 Email 3: Growing Your Ideal Followers.......................... 7 Email 4: Promoting Your Products & Offers...................... 9 Email 5: Tracking & Analyzing Your Progress................... 11 Email 6: Marketing using Instagram stories.................... 13 Email 7: Tips for getting on the Instagram Explore page....... 15 Email 8: Instagram Marketing Mistakes to Avoid................ 17 Email 9: Boost your brand with images on Instagram............ 20 Email 10: How to Engage Your Followers with Your Brand........ 22
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Email 1: Making Use of Geotags & Hashtags Subject: Making Use of Geotags & Hashtags Dear [Name], Make use of geotags and hashtags on Instagram. They help your business greatly. Geolocations are obtained from the physical geographic location of your smartphone. This data is acquired in a variety of ways such as your IP address, GPS settings, Wi-Fi settings, etc. If you use an iPhone to take pictures, you may notice that the location, time, and date of the picture is automatically saved. Similarly, when you open your Instagram app to take a picture and you have your location enabled, it will do the same thing. You can choose whether to let the Instagram app access your geolocation in your smartphone settings. If it’s enabled, Instagram will automatically create a list of existing locations around you for you to geotag. Even if this isn’t enabled, when you decide to upload a picture, the data is transferred to Instagram, which will suggest a list of places to “geo-tag” based on the picture. Keep in mind that Instagram can only post your photo location if you give them permission. When you add a geotag, your posts will show up when people search for a specific place or landmark, which increases your business’ exposure and enhances your post’s reach. What’s even better is that you can tag your photo locations even though you're not physically there. When someone searches for photos in a specific location, your matching, tagged photo will appear. On Instagram stories, add location stickers so they appear in searches. This boosts your feed’s exposure, so it’s read more frequently. Do this for photos and videos. In addition to geotags, use hashtags to let your audience know you’re in a certain location. As users share geo-tagged content, you can use it to connect and communicate. Make geotags and hashtags relevant to your audience, even when you are targeting new audience prospects. Keep small audiences in mind and add places where your content is important. Followers who live near these places or near your tagged business are prone to have a stronger connection with you and engage with your brand more. P a g e 3 | 23
Hash tagging and geotagging work in similar ways. They provide a common channel filter, where Instagram users search for content. For example, if someone is planning a trip to California and wants to see what the locals are wearing, the Instagram user would research posts that are geotagged with California. If you own a grocery store in the area, you can use the same hashtag or geotag. Your posts are likely to show up in the users’ feed, giving you more exposure than you would ordinarily have without tags. Hashtags and geotags are an important function of Instagram but sometimes they are ignored. They can give you a boost to reach more people. Instagram geotagging is a greatly underrated method of creating engagement and touch a larger audience than the people who are already following you. [Sign off]
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Email 2: Tools to Help Market on Instagram Subject: Tools to Help Market on Instagram Dear [Name], There are so many different websites and tools to help you with the marketing side of your business on Instagram. Some perform better than others, and some have been on the market since Instagram’s conception. While it’s not possible to cover every single platform available out there, we have reviewed and researched a few of the tools to give you a short list below. Iconosquare: Iconosquare helps you grow your social media presence. It is a premium Instagram analytics tool that has data and analytics hat can be immensely helpful. This includes showing you which hashtags perform the best for you, and the times of day to post for optimized engagement. Buffer: Buffer is one of the top tools on the market for streamlining your content across social media. You can build your audience and grow your brand on social media with simplified content planning. IT is also great for collaboration if your business has multiple employees who may be on the go. You can coordinate with team members easily and organize your content effectively. Buffer also allows you to repost other accounts using their platform. Awario: Awario is a social media tracking platform that finds connections to your company using keywords across the internet, news / blogs, and other social media platforms. Through examining the references of your brand on the website, it shows you who your company supports and who the industry influencers are, what the feelings are behind your brand. Finally, it analyzes the growth and reach of your references and tells you how you compare them to you competitors. Hashtags for likes: Hashtagsforlikes.co is a quick and straightforward tool that recommends to you the most up-to-date relevant hashtags. Recognizing the most popular hashtags in real-time helps companies stay up to date with trends, news, and to successfully increase your followers. Canva: Canva is by far one of the best and most intuitive, easy to use design tools that are on the market. It is a great match for marketers and companies that don’t have a graphic designer P a g e 5 | 23
on hand. Canva gives you the ability to create Instagram posts and stories that are perfectly curated for your audience. They have eye catching, stylish templates and easy design tools to set your content apart of the crowd. Shortstack: Shortstack is a resource for running Instagram contests. The contests are massive on this site, creating tons of hype, boosting brand awareness, and attracting new followers. ShortStack collects and shows all user-generated content, such as photos that have been posted to your branded hashtag. It also keeps track of your campaign’s performance, showing your traffic, engagement, and other valuable data. [Sign off]
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Email 3: Growing Your Ideal Followers Subject: Growing Your Ideal Followers Dear [Name],
Instagram has more than one billion consumers. At least 80% of users follow a business account or brand. So, get your business on Instagram to build your following and ultimately your customer list and profits. Below are some simple insights on how to increase your target market with Instagram. Posting content consistency is vital for Instagram’s algorithmic timeline. Simply put, the more often you post, the more likes and followers you get. Posting on a regular basis, along with daily engagement, can ensure that your posts are seen on your followers’ timelines. Accounts that post one or more times a day get more likes and followers, compared to accounts that post infrequently. Building brand and business awareness using influencers. With much research and testing, many expert Instagram agencies have found that utilizing influencers and micro influencers can significantly bolster your brand awareness to the general public. When you create strong, viable relationships with influencers, your brand may build a stronger bond with the followers of your chosen influencers. People are more trusting of established, individual influencers rather than big brands and companies. Choose an influencer with a similar or complimentary target market. This is key for sustainability. Be Authentic. Authenticity is key to unleashing your businesses full potential. Share behind-the-scenes candid moments related to your brand, products, and company. Creating compelling content is key but it goes together with genuine brand messaging. Showing up in the suggested list of accounts can also help to gain your account exposure. You can do this by connecting with and following some of your competitors or brands that produce similar products as yours. Instagram’s artificial intelligence can direct your account to the followers of those larger brands
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They will see your account listed under the bio of your competitors because you are in the same industry. [Sign off]
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Email 4: Promoting Your Products & Offers Subject: Promoting Your Products & Offers Dear [Name], Instagram contests are a fun and friendly way to get your audience involved and engaged in your business. Some companies and brands decide to giveaways products while others may run contests to giveaway an entire vacation. Whether you are raffling off a product or service, contests are a surefire way to bring attention to your brand. First, establish the goal for your contest because this will determine how you execute the contest. Generally, contests are dynamic strategy to increase your following and expand your exposure on Instagram. There are different campaign contest goals you can set up depending on your business needs. Next focus on deciding the good or service you want to giveaway to the prize winners. You could ask followers to like and share certain post to win, and they can repost them to for a chance at winning your contest. They can repost your content to their timelines directing more traffic to your own account. You could also use the contest criteria to "tag a friend in the comments" your current audience is focused on sharing your post with their peers. This creates a domino effect because their followers and friends will also feel compelled to enter the contest and do the same thing, and so on. This multiplies effort of getting your business discovered. Hashtags and tagging could also be beneficial in a giveaway or contest. Choose a branded hashtag that aligns with the overall theme of your business or one that is specific to the product or service you are giving away. Ask your followers to use a branded hashtag and tag your account to be entered into your contest. Overtime, it is a good practice to track the outcomes of your contests to gauge the involvement. Tracking progress shows how you can increase your followers and clicks to your account’s Instagram page and even clicks to your website.
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From there you can compare between the types of contests and compare the products or services you choose to giveaway to determine which ones to perform the best, and which should be discontinued. [Sign off]
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Email 5: Tracking & Analyzing Your Progress Subject: Tracking & Analyzing Your Progress Dear [Name], There are many tools that can help you track and analyze your progress over weeks and months, including Instagram itself. Instagram can help show you some things using their interface, but plugging your Instagram account to other 3rd party apps and websites can show you so much more in depth and valuable analytics to give you a comprehensive 360 overview of your Instagram strategy and where you stand amongst the competition. There are many metrics that can be tracked and measured that the average Instagram user doesn’t even think about. Even better, once you hit a certain number of followers on Instagram, even more trackable metrics can be unlocked such as insights for your stories, tracking click throughs from Instagram to your website’s landing page and more. Below are some of the analytics you will want to focus on while building on Instagram. Audience Insights: Whether it's creating attractive content, driving sales, or even developing your overall customer experience, it is important to know and understand your average customer. Instagram analytics also delves deep and lets you understand wha t your customers are looking for most and their thoughts. Understanding how and why you acquire customers can help you make a high-quality product and remain ahead of the competition. Companies s killed in understanding and using Instagram analytics will gain new customers and expand their client base. Knowing what works and what doesn’t: By researching your Instagram analytics in your company, you will be able to identify which posts are most popular and most successful for your customers. You can identify which types of post receive the most engagement and which ones are less engaging. If you are only using Instagram analytics for this you won’t be able to track your accounts performance over a long span of time, as Instagram only allows you to see up to two weeks of P a g e 11 | 23
analytics. However, if you are willing to use other platforms such as Buffer or Sprout Social, you can track your growth over months and years. Optimizing Posting Times: You need to know when your targeted audience spends the most of their time on Instagram to choose the right time to post. Sometimes the key is not what you post but when you post it. Your reach could be decreasing because you aren’t optimizing the time your followers will see your content. It’s a waste to spend time creating great content only for it to be overlooked by Instagram’s algorithm and left of your audience’s feed. [Sign off]
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Email 6: Marketing using Instagram stories Subject: Marketing using Instagram stories Dear [Name], Instagram stories are wildly popular. Although Snapchat was the first to roll out this concept of 24 hour only posts, Instagram has capitalized on it. In addition, studies have shown that out of all Instagram Stories, a third of the most viewed stories come from business profiles. There are so many different things you can do within stories that you can’t with regular static posts. You can take host interactive surveys, create links for your followers to click through and more. You can add stickers to your stories, geotags, music, memes, gifs, and polls. Stories offer quick ways to enable simple interactions to engage your followers. They're also the perfect way to show your followers short quick pieces of content. These are a great way to show a more humanized and down to each side of your business. Potential and existing consumers will find your business more interesting and relatable. Although individuals may use Story to show pictures or videos from a trip, a work function, or other facets of their everyday lives, companies use this same feature to highlight photo or video content about their product, company, or the topic within their field. Once you have a certain number of followers, Instagram will enable the swipe up feature for your Instagram Stories. This enables you to add a call to action link to direct your followers to a landing page of your choice. This feature is great for businesses selling products or services because you can direct people to your ecommerce storefront which can easily convert them from being just followers on Instagram to real life customers. Essentially, stories are another world of their own offering businesses one more avenue to increase their presence on Instagram and make it easier to find your brand or business. P a g e 13 | 23
In the past year or so Instagram has also allowed stories to show up on the Explore page which is a great way to be discovered by potential customers that might not have known of your business otherwise. Creating the right strategy for marketing our Instagram stories is sure to increase your reach. [Sign off]
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Email 7: Tips for getting on the Instagram Explore page Subject: Tips for getting on the Instagram Explore page Dear [Name],
The Instagram Explore page should be the goal of any business or brand. The main reason is that it’s a great opportunity to be discovered and seen by new people every day. If you are a brand or a company, you should be intentionally targeting the Explore page for the same purposes that you are using any part of Instagram. Historically, Instagram would show the most popular posts on Instagram based on several factors including the number of followers an account has or an accounts location, and a few other metrics. Now, Instagram has found a way to make the Explorer page more tailored for each individual user. Everyone’s Explore page looks totally different form person to person because Instagram’s algorithm has enabled it to learn what you like and don’t like based on your interactions with certain posts. Through controlling how you connect with Instagram; you can use its algorithm to pick content that aligns with how you use the app. This includes who people are following, which accounts they comment on, and more. Likewise, your business account is distributed in the same way and Instagram recommends your business to relevant audiences who may like or interact with accounts or hashtags that are like yours. To increase your chances of being discovered on the Explore page it is important to consistently post and engage with similar accounts that may have more of a reach than you. Here are some things to know about making it on Instagram’s Explore page. • You can also use your analytics and insights to find out which content echoes the most as the content that is already trending on the explore pages.
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• Static posts don’t work as well for engagement as Instagram stories. Instagram stories allow you to have quick and meaningful interactions with your audience everyday which boosts your engagement rate, thus boosting your chances of landing on the Explorer page. Creating video and IGTV stories is a great way to increase your chances of making it to Explore page. Studies have shown that motion pictures and video perform way better than photos when it comes to the Explore page. • Don’t waste your time trying to recreate your audience and focus on the people who are already following similar businesses or brands as yours. Interacting with them and analyzing the content they like and don’t like can help you end up on their Explore feed in no time. •
Use more visual, quick video and images and less text.
• Create “how to” videos or industry information videos to boost engagement on your posts. • The Explore page is like an interconnected community that has its own algorithm to determine what shows up and for who. Don’t try to be relevant to everyone, just stay true to your brand and if you have it, your existing fanbase. • Instagram Explore page has a “Shopping” channel that allows people to shop their favorite products and brands with a simple click in the app. By researching how to land on this specific channel, you can profit from the many features Instagram already has built in. [Sign off]
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Email 8: Instagram Marketing Mistakes to Avoid Subject: Instagram Marketing Mistakes to Avoid Dear [Name], Many businesses that are just starting off on Instagram are eager to jump in and let the world know who they are. Although the excitement is understandable, it is vital to put together a comprehensive strategy and figure out several things from your brand voice, to your engagement strategies and much more. Just as there are many things you could end up getting right with Instagram, there are an equal number of things that you can get wrong. Use the list below to understand the top Instagram Marketing mistakes to avoid on your pursuit of launching your business on Instagram. Not learning your audience: Engaging in social media marketing before you know who you are talking to can be a huge mistake. It’s not enough on Instagram to know your audience’s demographics, likes and dislikes, but you need to ensure your brand voice is speaking to them and the things that they care about every day. Knowing your audience is an essential part of creating a successful plan. You want to know the answers to these questions and more: • • •
What causes are they interested in? Who are the top influencers they follow? How active are they on social media each day?
Don’t lump everyone into the same categories. Being too broad with your scope of audience comes across as if you are trying to please and cater to everyone. Be specific and build a community with your audience. Studies have shown this leads to high customer retention and builds trust among your consumers. All of these are necessary to analyze to make sure you aren’t coming across as tone deaf with your posts and messages. Not optimizing your Bio and Profile: Don’t forget to optimize the bio and your profile in your account. Did you know that besides your account name, Instagram allows users to search the name in your account’s bio? You can P a g e 17 | 23
utilize this space to increase your potential to be seen by people who search more generic terms. For example, if your business is a @KatesHardwareStore, your Instagram bio name can read “Hardware Tools and Supplies” and when people search hardware tools your account will show up. Another good thing to note is that when people are searching to discover new businesses on Instagram, most users spend at least 3 seconds on a profile’s bio to decide if it’s worth scrolling down that account’s posts. You only have one chance to make a good first impression and in the world of Instagram your bio is where this happens. Choosing the wrong tone Your tone and brand are what you want to project out as your business’ overall personality. Although for the most part, your tone will be set based on the type of business you do and what you offer, it is possible to shape your brands tone in a way that you feel would resonate with your intended audience. In this day and age, it is possible to break the walls down and remove messaging that feels “too official” or too authoritative, especially on social media. There is an art to balancing your businesses’ persona while still remaining professional. You don’t want to appear to be boring because that leads to less interactions and engagement. You also don’t want to be too casual or laid back. People want brands that they can relate to that don’t come across as stuffy. Not Responding to Your Followers: Responding and engaging with your followers is a must. It’ is important for brands and businesses because it shows clear and transparent communications for a number of reasons. Everyday interaction is important, but it’s even more important when it comes to product hiccups, when people come to your accounts page to notify you of a problem or have a suggestion. Your customer support should always respond to comments and concerns on the same platform where they were initially written. Ignoring trends and analytics It can be a hard concept to grasp for some, and to other it may come more easily but ignoring trends and analytics is a big nono if you want to sustain Instagram growth and build your P a g e 18 | 23
presence online. For one, your analytics are there to help show you and guide you to what performs the best on your account so that you aren’t wasting time creating material that will not resonate with your brand’s audience. Similarly, ignoring trends whether it’s Instagram insider industry trends, or trends across the globe in news or entertainment, staying on top of what’s happening in real time is a huge factor in powering your brand on Instagram. It’s free (for the most part) knowledge that you can get at your fingertips to help improve your business account. To stay up to date with what is happening, it’s wise to subscribe to some of the industry newsletters and archives that are available online. You can also use websites and Google Alerts to have trending news delivered to your inbox in a daily digest, that you can read through in about 5 minutes. [Sign off]
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Email 9: Boost your brand with images on Instagram Subject: Boost your brand with images on Instagram Dear [Name], When it comes to social media marketing and the establishment of your brand identity, nothing catches the eye and attention more than your images. Strong images that powerfully convey your messages will lift up and carry your brand to the masses. So, it’s vitally important to consider a few key concepts when choosing them. Have a Clear Theme The last thing you want to do is to confuse your audience with an ill-chosen image. If you are promoting early child education, for example, avoid using images that show teenagers or adults in learning situations. Instead, use professional baby stock photos or focus on the tools of early education, and show them in fun and playful environments. You want your images to be appealing, and not discourage your audience from reading further. Establish the Right Tone People are drawn to happy, hopeful imagery. Consider the color tones and lighting in addition to the subject matter when choosing the right image. The last thing you would want is to convey scary or spooky impressions when marketing a children's dance class, for example. Set the tone for your message by choosing images with strong design elements. Set Yourself Apart Look for images that stand out for their uniqueness instead of conforming to norms. Showing your creativity when promoting your services will help you stand out from the crowd and give you a unique visual identity. Avoid Clutter P a g e 20 | 23
Images should be clean and have a clear focal point. That is the area you want most associated with your brand. Avoid images that are cluttered as they may contain hidden messages or unintended meanings, which can result in social media users picking up even the tiniest thread and running with it. Stay Appropriate While it is perfectly appropriate to use grungy, edgy images when promoting an adult business such as a bar or tattoo parlor, it would not be wise to use them when marketing a nursery. Remember, you never want to go "viral" for all the wrong reasons. Best to keep your imagery audience, and subject, appropriate. Don't Forget Your Avatar When it comes to social media marketing, it's important to keep brand consistency across channels. As well as your logo, colors and fonts, don't forget your avatar, which is the little box associated with your name or business when posting on social media. It may seem like an odd place to focus, but it can have a big impact on your brand identity. Use the same avatar across all your social media platforms. The more unique and creative your avatar, the more positive attention it will garner. So, what are you waiting for? There’s nothing left to do but to start supercharging your images on Instagram and making them stand head and shoulders above that of your competitors. [Sign off]
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Email 10: How to Engage Your Followers with Your Brand Subject: How to Engage Your Followers with Your Brand Dear [Name], In order to motivate your audience, you need to engage with them to keep them interested in your business, so you can compel them on to the next stage in your Instagram marketing funnel. You do this by sharing content which tweaks and develops an interest in your business. For example, you can show the process of producing a popular product via your Instagram story. This is an effective strategy since people like to know how their favorite products are being made. In addition to producing high quality pictures and videos, writing motivational Instagram captions is also a powerful tool. There are tools for every part of your caption, from its hashtags to its texts. Instant Caption is a helpful Instagram app. It lets you to write the best captions for your posts. Don’t miss Instagram stories which even is outpacing its rival, WeChat. The number of Instagram active users sharing Instagram stories reached 400 million in July 2018, a number which was just 250 million in July 2017. Story Art is a powerful tool that can make your stories even more interesting. Automation tools like Instamber bot make Instagram users aware of your business and products, providing services like following other users or sending them direct messages, and even encouraging them to visit your profile and follow your page if they find it interesting. But in this stage, automation tools also let you to engage with your followers with such things as: • •
Liking their posts Comment on them
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•
Managing your own comments and respond to the most important ones.
Now social media is not just about presence, it is also about engaging and caring. Once your followers feel they are important to you, they will become more engaged with your brand. [Sign off]
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