Resources - Crystal Media

October 5, 2020 By Steph Bechard 2 Comments

3️⃣ Best Practices to Boost your Content in the Instagram Algorithm

Instagram can be tricky with ever-changing rules, best practices and algorithms. Lucky for small business owners, you have Crystal Media’s team of social media experts here to keep you up to date and give you all the best tips. You could be getting more engagement and views out of your Instagram posts with only spending a little bit more time on each of your posts, and this has nothing to do with the content itself. 🔑 Today I wanted to share 3 Best practices to boost your content in the Instagram Algorithm, and teach you some posting strategies to optimize your social media.

1) Post while most followers are active. 📊 If Instagram notices your post is getting a lot of attention within the first 30 minutes of being posted, the app will believe this is a post of interest and show it to more viewers, in hopes of keeping them on the app longer. A good way to get the most attention while your content is freshly posted is by posting while most of your followers are active in the Instagram App. This information can be found under your Audience Insights. To get here click the main menu on your Instagram Profile, then click Insights -> click Total Followers -> scroll down to Most Active Times -> the view Hours

2) Make Edits in the Instagram App. 📷 While posting a photo on Instagram, you have the option to Edit your photo, in the posting portion right before you add a caption, location, and tags. Instagram tends to reward content that uses their features, so be sure to make some adjustments to your photo within the Instagram app, even if it’s just brightening and sharpening your image by 1-5%.

3) Write a detailed caption. 👍 Writing a detailed caption adds more to your post than just a photo. Be sure to include emojis, a question, and a CTA in your caption to help invite engagement from your audience.

If you’d like to read more Best Practices to boost your content in the Instagram algorithm, check out our Post Anatomy free resource, which includes 12 tips to create high performing Instagram posts.

To growing your audience, and your social media knowledge,

Steph

August 17, 2020 By Robin 2 Comments

Does Your Copy Connect with Your Customers? 📝

Connection. There are many ways to achieve this with your customers through social media, but did you realize that the copy your customers read is one of the most underrated ways? Your copy (think post captions, product descriptions, customer communication, etc.) can transform a post, image or product from falling flat to taking flight.

There’s a difference between selling to your customers and connecting with them through the words you choose and HOW you choose to say them. So, keep these 3 tips in mind when tapping away on that keyboard to convey a message that lands.

Write with your customers’ best interest in mind. Ask yourself: What are their needs? How can you impact their lives in this moment? Determine what matters to them and ensure your content addresses that.

Don’t tell, SHOW through your words. Yes, a picture’s worth a thousand words but your words are worth a heck of a lot too! Think about the sensory experience of what you’re writing about (the look, smell, touch, sound of something) as well as how YOU feel about it (excited? proud? nostalgic? etc.). Customers can always pick up on the energy your words put out. And psst… this is one of my secret weapons: https://www.thesaurus.com/

Be succinct. We’re all on a limited budget with time and attention span these days. Be choosy with your words. You can still deliver an impactful message without being verbose.

Remember, connecting with customers builds trust and customers LOVE buying from businesses they trust. Make sure your copy is helping you achieve that.

Any copy that has worked well for connecting with your customers? Let us know in the comments below!

June 29, 2020 By Pauline Blasetti Leave a Comment

Maximizing Your Virtual Conference Experience 💻

In a few weeks, Crystal will be speaking at the Retail Success Summit, and like most events these days, it will be virtual. While virtual events have their pluses (hello, no airport security!), if you don’t prepare you might have a hard time adjusting. Luckily, like most things, the right mindset and some prep is all you need.

Here are some simple tips to help you maximize your time at a virtual event.

Test logging into the event- make sure you know where and how to log in.
Keep the event coordinators information handy: If you’re stuck or need help with something, make sure you know who to reach out to.
Print or download any pre-work or notebooks provided.
Create a comfortable space in your house or office to “attend” the conference.
Treat this as an in-person event when choosing what to wear and what snacks to have on hand.
Set an out-of-office on your email to eliminate distractions, and turn off unnecessary notifications on your phone.
Allow yourself to be present. Don’t gyp yourself by trying to multi-task just because you’re at home.
Set clear goals on what you’d like to learn or accomplish while attending the conference.
Have a dedicated page(s) for action items so you can easily reference it after the event and start taking action.
Budget in time after the event to debrief with your team.

Bonus Tip: Tell your friends, family, and/or roommates you’re invisible. 😝

If you’re interested in attending the Retail Success Summit you can learn more here. I hope to ‘see’ you there!

I’d love to hear. your tips for attending virtual events, please share in the comments below.

June 15, 2020 By Pauline Blasetti Leave a Comment

How to Respond to Negative Comments 👍🏻

Recently on one of Crystal’s weekly Facebook Lives, Crystal shared how to deal with bullies. If you missed the video we rounded up the points Crystal talked about to help you navigate a situation where you are faced with a mean comment or bad review.

1. It’s not about you. 🙅‍♀️ Always try to keep this in mind when you read a negative comment. If a person is being cruel online, try to remember there is usually a deeper-rooted personal reason they are trying to deal with. Unfortunately, they are taking their anger out on you, but it’s not about you.

2. Have empathy. 💓 It goes without saying that emotions are running high when there is a mean comment said about your business. Try to take a moment to think of a thoughtful answer that won’t provoke more anger. Letting a customer know you have received their message and then approaching with empathy can de-escalate the situation.

3. Is there a lesson to be learned? 🤔 Admit when you are wrong. Own up, and move forward. This can be a chance for you to take something away and do better next time.

4. Respond to facts. ❗️Try to leave out emotion and defense while responding to a comment. Respond to their statement with facts.

5. Respond from the heart. ❤️If a person has gotten to the point where they want to publicly humiliate or bad mouth your company, they have likely been hurt, even if it was from a misunderstanding. You can take this opportunity to mend the situation with love. Responding genuinely and from your heart feels more authentic.

6. Monitor the comments. 📲Be sure to monitor comments on your post so you can quickly respond or remove a comment. Also, if you engaged in a conversation, it is kinder to respond to further comments rather than to just leave them unread.

7. Have a pre-made document with answers. 📝This can be helpful when you get asked a common question or have a lot of similar feedback. Creating a document with pre-written responses can help you quickly answer a comment. Also, you are likely writing out the responses in a time when your emotions aren’t running so high, so you have time to formulate a professional message.

8. Defer to trusted resources. 📋This can be extra true currently during the COVID-19 pandemic. If a customer is leaving a nasty comment about certain precautions you are taking, be sure to defer them to regulations you have to abide by as a business to stay open.

9. Don’t be afraid to hide or delete a comment. 🚫Usually, we would encourage you to leave a comment up and try to respond to it the best you can, but if a comment is particularly unfair, rude, untrue, or includes profanities, don’t be afraid to remove that negativity from your page.

To check out Crystal’s video about Responding To Bullies, follow this link! 📹