Crystal Media

Marketing Clarity.

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3 Instagram Stories Every Retailer Should Post

One of the most popular social media platforms in the world is Instagram(IG). And thankfully for you, retailers are seeing LOTS of sales from their posts and Stories. With over 1 Billion IG accounts active every month, there’s a good chance your customers are on IG. Translation: you should be too.

How often should you post? Daily. Yep, I said it. I recommend posting every…single…day on IG but not on your Feed, in Stories.

Because IG Stories disappear after 24 hours, ensure you’re showing up there with everyday posts.

The good news?

IG Stories don’t need to be super polished, professionally-designed, lifestyle-feeling posts; those which typically perform best in the IG feed.

Your Stories can (and should!) be more organic, behind the scenes and authentic to you.

Below I share 3 tips of what a retailer should post in their Stories. But first, are you using IG for your business? Are you posting to Stories – and doing so daily? I was SO surprised during my in-person social media boot camps that the attendees were NOT using Stories. In fact, out of 32 attendees, only 5 were using Stories. Insert gasp!

If you’re not using IG for your business and are not posting to Stories (daily!), you are completely missing out on using this app to drive customers into your store. Don’t wait another day to leverage IG. Start today and post to your Stories using one of the below ideas.

(Not sure how to post to IG Stories? No worries, I got you! I created a quick how-to video located at the bottom of this blog post for your convenience.)  

Three IG Stories Every Retailer Should Post:

  1. Limited Quantity Items. It’s all about F.O.M.O. – the Fear of Missing Out. If you only have one or two items left of something, create a Story to highlight the item. Share urgency that it’s the only one left, how much it costs, and tag your store location on the post. (This can be a video or photo.)
  2. Event or Sale Info. Timely stuff works well in Stories and, with events and sales, they’re timely! So invite people in the day before and the day of an event or sale using your Stories. You could create a Story-a-day for 5 days leading up to the event or sale, especially if it’s a big one (open house/annual sale/anniversary sale, for example) and share something different about the event in each Story like items that will be discounted (and the benefits of the items), guests at the events, giveaways, event tips (parking, when to arrive, what to bring), etc. If you’re posting the day of, and tomorrow the event or sale is over, make sure you list the date and time when it ends in case someone is watching the Story a few hours after the event ended.
  3. Behind the Scenes. Stories should include….stories! Share a day-in-the-life snippet of the store owner. Unbox new merchandise. Share something funny that just happened at the store. Talk about what’s going on with the owner personally in the coming days. Show pictures from your most recent vacay. Take people on a buying trip to market. The options are endless! The goal of these is to be human, be you, and show the behind-the-scenes of running your biz and, if you feel comfortable, behind the scenes of YOU. Remember, people buy from people. You can use Stories to share more about you to build stronger relationships with your IG followers.

Ok, over to you! Get out your phone (or you might be on it reading this :)), go to Instagram and post a Story. If it’s your first one, let me know in a Direct Message (DM) on IG! We’re @CrystalMediaCo or simply leave a comment on this blog post.

Never miss a tip!  Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter in which we send a social media tip every Monday.

Happy IGing!

Crystal

Oh wait! One more thing…my brand-new Instagram for Retailers Training Course is now available! 🎉Click here to get it today for only $397!

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Super Simple Instagram Tip to Help Save Time: The Modern Marketing Show, Episode 55

While at the Retail Success Summit, an attendee came up to the Social Edge table and asked us a question. It wasn’t related to social media or marketing strategy, but it was about the functionality of the Instagram App itself. Now, to us, this was a pretty basic question. Then it dawned on us that we suffer from the Curse of Knowledge, so something so obvious to us may not be as obvious to someone else. That’s why we want to share with you this super simple time-saving trick for Instagram.

Watch full episode:

The question was, “Is there a way to switch between my personal Instagram and my Business profile without logging in and out each time?”

And, the answer to this question is yes!

In order to do this, you’ll want to add multiple accounts to your app. To add an account, you’ll:

  • Go to your profile and tap the gear or settings icon in the top right corner
  • Scroll down and tap Add Account (it’s near the bottom of the menu)
  • Enter the username and password of the account you’d like to add

Then to switch between account you’ve added, follow these steps:

  • Go to your profile
  • Tap your profile at the bottom of the screen
  • Tap the account you’d like to switch to

Or…

  • Go to your profile
  • Tap your username at the top
  • Tap the account you’d like to switch to
  • Note: This is another place you’ll be able to add other accounts you manage

Now you won’t ever waste time logging in and out of your accounts again!

On a separate note…have you started using IGTV for your business yet? This new Instagram feature allows you to upload pre-recorded videos up to 60 minutes in length to an IGTV channel.

Watch our first IGTV episode here to see what it’s all about!

You can catch new episodes of The Modern Marketing Show every Monday at 10 a.m PST on our Facebook Page. Replays will be available on the blog each week.

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Attract New Customers Through Facebook and Instagram Ads – DYA Webinar Replay

Welcome! Here’s where you can access the latest webinar replay, Attract New Customers Through Facebook and Instagram Ads . As a Social Edge member, you have endless access to this webinar!

Sign Up here for just $97/month or $747/month with the coupon code Youngson **this expires on Saturday! **

A great obstacle in many of our ways is time. Maybe you love everything on the webinar, and you think “once I have time, I’m going to get right on this!” My response? One of my favorite quotes:

“Tomorrow is too late, yesterday is over and now is exactly the right moment to start. So start.”                 – anonymous

So let’s get started.

Any questions or help you need, please email us: [email protected]

And without further delay, your webinar replay!

**Please note, there are 2 videos due to the interruption we had on our webinar feed — make sure to watch both!

Part 1:

Part 2:

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Make Sharing Photos on Social a Snap

You’re a business owner. You know your products and services. You know your customers. You know that you need a marketing strategy in order to keep up with the competition. What you don’t know…Is how to pick the right Instagram filter!

Photography may not be your business, but it is a big part of making a business successful. Luckily, cell phones, apps, and easy-to-use editing tools make the process a lot more simple that you may realize. Here are some of the most important things to keep in mind when sharing photos on social media.

Make Sharing photos a Snap
Make Sharing photos a Snap

It’s All in the Filter

Filters are essentially collections of photo edits — lighting, focus, coloring, etc. Instead of altering all of these elements on your own, a filter allows you to choose sets of edits to enhance your photo. You may not know it, but some Instagram filters work better with certain subjects than others. For instance:

  • Lo-Fi enhances vibrant colors. Great for shooting bold and bright colors in your store.
  • Kelvin adds warmth to a photo that may have turned out a little bit cold.
  • Sierra adds a cloudy, light effect to photos, which makes it perfect for scenes you want to give a dreamy look to.
  • Rise does a great job of hiding blemishes and imperfections, so it’s great for snaps of staff members.

Mashable has a great guide on using filters, but as long as you keep a few things in mind, you’re sure to succeed:

  • Make sure viewers can easily see the photo subject.
  • Make sure the crop is right for the photograph. (Hint:  Instagram now allows you to post photos of all shapes! Just pinch the photo and “zoom out” in order to use this feature.)
  • Don’t forget the caption! Once you’ve picked the right filter, hashtags can help users find your amazing photo!

Remember that pictures of products most likely won¹t have a filter because you want to showcase the colors of the product. However, the photo should have great lighting, be crisp/clear and, depending on the image, might need text on top of it and/or a blurred background to make the product pop.

Have the Right Tools

Tools can take a photo from bland to grand. Instagram has some great editing tools on its own, but if you ever need a little extra help amping up a particularly great photo (or adding text!), here are some great tool for “photographers” of all levels.

Basic:

  • Paint (Resize/add text; Desktop)
  • Instagram (App)

Intermediate:

  • Canva (Desktop)
  • PicMonkey (Desktop)
  • VSCO Cam (App)
  • Camera + (App)
  • Pic Collage (App)

Pro:

  • Photoshop (Desktop)

Consider These Creative Twists

  • Do a flat lay of new products in-store.
  • Consider a DIY light reflector.
  • Step back and put yourself in your customers’ shoes. Would you engage with this photo?
  • REALLY go behind the scenes. Consider a shot from your perspective, like looking down onto your cash register or tablet.
  • Don’t forget that you don’t HAVE to use an Instagram filter. Sometimes a photo speaks for itself.

Pictures are worth 1,000 words! It’s time to feel confident about sharing your photos with your customers.