Seven Ways To Leverage Instagram For Small Business Success

There is a common misconception among the business world that video content marketing is an expensive and time-consuming endeavour. Yet with a little know-how and Instagram’s free video capabilities, you can produce fascinating, informative and entertaining videos for next to nothing and share them instantly on your social media networks.

Instagram started life as a photo sharing service, but incorporated video in the middle of 2013. The fully loaded video service allows users to record, upload and share 15-second video clips. They can also be edited on Instagram and have filters applied to give normal cell phone quality footage an epic cinematic quality.

When you’ve got a new product coming out, shoot a little sneak preview to whet the audience’s appetite. It’ll help create a sense of excitement and expectation. You may even generate some pre-orders!

Here are a few tips to help you capitalize your business presence on Instagram:

1) Film video testimonials - satisfied customers are among the most powerful marketing tools so ask some of yours to film short video testimonials. Positive reviews are marketing gold that will encourage others to buy. You can shoot the short video yourself on a phone or tablet computer or ask your customers to film their own testimonials. Once you have them, upload to Instagram and share with your crowd

2) Compile portfolios of your work - no matter what industry you’re in, whether you’re a gardener creating a new landscaping plan or a bakery showing off your latest cake creations, film the best examples of your work. Send them to your followers and upload them to your main website.

3) Show comparisons - is your product head and shoulders better than your nearest rivals or the industry standard? If so, prove it by pitting them against each other.

4) Be more visible - customers love to see who’s behind their favourite brands. Shoot a series of  behind-the-scenes videos that show your staff at work Try using a short weekly or monthly message where you highlight some of the exciting things you think your customers need to know. You could also spotlight your team members and some of the great projects they’re working on.

5) Create quick tutorials and DIY videos - 15 seconds may not be a lot of time, but that doesn’t have to stop you from creating short, punchy videos that resonate with your followers. Perhaps you could turn your FAQs into short video explanations. You could even ask the audience to send their videos of how they use your products, and post and share the best ones.

6) Don't forget Facebook - videos and photos inspire the most comments, likes and shares on Facebook so make sure you share your Instagram videos with your Facebook followers.

7) Be creative - don't be afraid to break out of your zone. Try something new. Get inspired!

What do you think? Do you see a tip that will make a difference in your marketing? Tweet m3 your thoughts at @misstrendchaser or leave them below.

How To Turn Your Socially Engaged Employees Into Brand Advocates?

In social media, there is nothing more powerful than someone advocating for your brand. Advocates give their friends, families and colleagues trusted advice that is far more credible than any source of advertising; they defend a business against negative messaging in the countless small interactions that determine a brand's health. They volunteer ideas for product and service improvements.

And they do it all for free.

It's no wonder, then, that just about everyone is looking for advocates. Companies are executing deliberate social media programs to find, activate and maintain these vital assets. Understandably, current engagement effort are focused on making evangelists out of customers, widely considered the most authentic and valuable spokespeople, influences in the news media, academia and other fields are also cultivated. But while businesses reach out to these external constituents, they often forget about the potential advocates -their own employees.

Here are a few ideas to help you turn your employees into brand rockstars:

1) Make It Fun

Hold a brainstorming session. Encourage your employees to tweet about your brand's personality, share images (or even videos) of an upcoming event. Summer is a great time to capture images of fun events and socials and if you start now, the buzz can carry through the fall and winter. Don't be afraid to show off your company's inner workings. The key is to ensure that your content is relevant to your audience and related to your industry. Interestingly enough, it also serves as a strong recruiting tool.

2) Make It Easy

Send out suggested tweets/posts every now and then. Although you don't want a bunch of copycat posts, it's okay to rally the troops by sending out suggestions. This is a useful strategy for companies/brands who may just be adopting social media in their strategies or asking employees to get involved. If you can start the initiatives by giving some helpful recommendations, it will get the wheels turning.

3) Make It Tangible

If you receive inbound leads or interest thanks to their social efforts, be sure to communicate that back to employees. If they can understand how their presence on social channels directly impacts the business, they'll be much more likely to maintain an active account.

Keeping an active, relevant social media shouldn't be one person's job. It really is important to involve your whole organization in order to have social media channels serve their intended purpose.

By empowering employees to be a brand advocate, you're ensuring that your audience gets a steady stream of content and that your employees feel connected to your company.

Are you nurturing your professional relationships to gain more brand advocates? What do you do to encourage your team to do more? Share your thoughts with me in comments