Are you increasing your use of Instagram for business? (Hint: you should.) And now you can follow specific hashtags. Doing so can amp up your listening campaigns and help you determine the best hashtags to reach your target audience.
Get the complete scoop from Social Media Today.
There's no doubt that the use of social media has transitioned from "the new shiny" to established marketing tool. The Pew Research Center affirms this, stating that use of social media by adults in the U.S. has risen from 5% in 2005 to 69% in 2016.
By now we know that social media can help you promote your small business with:
Here are a few new developments in social media that can help you reach your customers:
Facebook Chatbots
Acting similarly to Facebook Messenger, you can initiate an interaction with a prospect using a Facebook Chatbot.
You can create your own brand page chatbot using one of these online tools: ChatFuel, Botsify, or OnSequel.
Shop or Book an Appointment with Instagram
Instagram recently announced they’ve reached the 1 million advertiser mark. So while it’s still a visual playground, it’s also a space where business can happen with ease. Soon, business pages will be able to include a “book” button, so customers can make appointments and reservations.
Video
Using video in social media isn't new, but if you're not taking advantage of this way to get in front of your audience, start today.
Facebook Live isn’t really new anymore but you should absolutely take advantage of using it as a communications tool.
You can use it spontaneously or schedule “Facebook live” sessions – Q&A's tours/walkthroughs, event coverage, and more.
How will you work toward including more social media in your marketing efforts?
Instagram has just unveiled a new feature - Hyperlapse. It will allow Instagram users to shoot a video using their mobile device's camera and upload to Instagram.
The Hyperlapse feature is currently available only on iOs. It is expected to be available on the Android platform "soon" and there are no current plans for Windows phones.
Stabilization for Hyperlapse from Instagram from Instagram on Vimeo.
As Wired.com points out:
Using clever algorithm processing, the app makes it easy to use your phone to create tracking shots and fast, time-lapse videos that look as if they’re shot by Scorsese or Michael Mann. What was once only possible with a Steadicam or a $15,000 tracking rig is now possible on your iPhone, for free.
Imagine the possibilities for creating content to promote your business.
Twitter announced yesterday that users can now tag Twitter users and add up to four photos within a single tweet. A move that could be interpreted as an answer to Facebook's recent acquisition of Instagram, this new Twitter feature allows you to tag up to 10 people in a tweet without sacrificing precious 140 character space. You will also receive a notification each time you are tagged - yet another reason to check your Twitter account, no doubt.
With Twitter's new feature, tagging up to 10 Twitter users & adding up to 4 photos to a single tweet is now possible.
This feature is currently available on the Twitter iOS and Android mobile app. According to Techcrunch.com, Twitter has indicated also eventually bringing this to the web and allowing the feature to be used in third party Twitter apps, good news to those of us who use the many available options such as Tweetdeck, TweetCaster, Hootsuite, etc.
What do you think of this new feature? If you're not yet on Twitter, will it lead you to try it? If you're already on Twitter, will it drive you to use the native app or will you wait for it to come to the third party apps?
