Welcome to the first Crystal Media blog of 2020! I’m actually writing this during our winter break because I wanted to wait until the last minute to get the feedback from the team. We all collaborated for you this week on what’s still working in 2020. Keep reading to see if you discover a few themes.
“I think we’re going to see the use of Instagram Stories continue to grow. With Instagram adding fun Stickers, Filters and more, the IG user is not only posting Stories, but they’re also watching. In fact, 500 million people use Stories every day. Stories are a great way to stay top of mind daily. If you’re new to Stories, don’t overthink it! It seriously takes a minute or less to post. Just be you, relate to your audience, and be consistent. As you keep posting, you’ll start picking up what’s performing well and what your audience wants to see.” – Crystal, Founder of Crystal Media and Retail Social Media Expert
“Humanized content and behind the scenes will continue to capture your audience and grow your brand in 2020. People buy from people and it’s a HUGE advantage small businesses have over the big box. Don’t shy away from sharing your story, what makes you unique, your funny quirks, passions, and interest. Sharing behind the scenes videos of you and the team will help potential customers get to know you. If you’re stuck one simple tip is to talk to the camera like you would talk to a customer in your store, it doesn’t have to be perfect but it does have to be real.” – Pauline, Director of Operations and Retail Social Media Mentor
“Authenticity is going to be key when creating content for Instagram. Consumers want to get to know the face behind the business, so don’t be afraid to tell your story whether that be through video in Stories or a long-form written caption. The more connected your customer feels to your brand/business the more likely they’ll share your content with others on their own accounts.” – Erika, Marketing Coordinator
“Video! Using videos as ads, especially Video View ads as an objective continues to be the most engaging and cost-efficient content. Take it one step further and go Live on Facebook and then turn that into an ad.” – Jess, Facebook and Instagram Ads Manager
“Videos are definitely still working today, as they are engaging and memorable: Your message is more likely to stick! Posting interactive humanized content or sharing user-generated content are also great tools. You want your viewers to be engaged and feel included!” – Maddie, Facebook and Instagram Ads Manager
There you have it, without knowing it all 5 of us predicted very similar trends to continue in 2020. Are you taking advantage of video? Facebook ads? Instagram Stories? Humanized and authentic content? If not be sure to add it to your plan and leave a comment with how you’ll use these tips in 2020.