Seamless, sharp, and sophisticated. That is the vision that Front Porch Marketing has for you and your brand as we share why you should style your Instagram highlights.

With the right color scheme, design, and icons, you can drive more views and engagement with your Instagram bio at little to no cost.

If you are looking for a push to execute this vision and wow your audience the next time, they see your page, this is the blog for you!

The Vision

When you open up your company’s Instagram page, what is the first thing you see? Most likely, your eyes go to the colorful posts or maybe a bold profile picture with a strong branding icon, but acting as an overlooked middleman is a row of highlight icons. Currently, there may be as little as 0 or as many as 100 on your page – the sky is the limit.

Truly, the only limit that is regarded is that only up to 100 pictures can be posted within a story highlight, but highlights – much like a reel – should be seamless, sharp, and sophisticated and not fragmented, sloppy, and cluttered. Most importantly, they should be an extension of your brand’s story.  

The Highlight

Many take a lot of time and effort to create the perfect “story” to post on Instagram. Whether it includes colorful gifs, a unique poll, engaging videos, or a giveaway you are extending a vision to viewers about your brand and its values. What is disheartening about all that time and effort is that it dwindles in significance alongside the 24-hour frame that stories are set on. Plus it requires the utmost strategic thinking.

Now, with story highlight reels you are able to make the stories on your Instagram stay permanently on your profile for viewers to enjoy at any given moment. By adding this extra step to your Instagram branding strategy, you are able to strategically use a prime location on your bio and create an immediate place of engagement with users.

Step 1: Be Seamless

What is great about engagement is that you can cast the vision for what viewers see and find different ways to resonate with them. For example, aesthetics are incredibly favored amongst millennials and are a growing target market for many companies. Thus, considering aesthetics on all social media platforms allows you to connect with this audience and others like it.

To create a seamless experience for users, use highlights to promote content that can showcase your products or services, express your brand, drive traffic and market your business. If your profile has bold colors, seamlessly transition the same color palette to your story highlights while also extending a nod to your brand as a whole. If your posts have a color scheme, extend it to your highlight to establish immediate brand recognition or go with a splash of color to draw in your audience with a double look. No matter what you choose, think about your brand as a whole and embody that within your highlight story covers – the first picture that viewers see on a highlight reel.

Step 2: Be Sharp

When it comes to your story highlight covers, always use high-definition content and think “succinct” when it comes to titles. There is a 10–11 character count rule of thumb when it comes to highlight covers. The more characters you use, the higher the chance that your highlight title will end up with an ellipsis instead of the word you were trying to promote. Whether you use CTA words like “events,” “promotions,” “sales,” or “giveaways,” be consistent and above all, do not be misleading in any way.

Step 3: Be Sophisticated

Last but not least, when it comes to Instagram story highlights create a look of sophistication. By using sites like Canva, Unsplash, and/or Pinterest, there are 100’s of highlight cover designs that are pre-made and ready to go at a moments notice for you and your company. No matter if you choose icons, HD pictures, graphic designs or a color palette, always keep your brand at the forefront.

In Conclusion

First, to bring your Instagram to the next level, revamp the look of your Instagram’s aesthetics with a seamless, sharp, and sophisticated look. Second, when it comes to highlight covers think about what story you want your viewers to plug into. Third, see your platform through the viewers eyes to see which highlights you want them to engage with first.  In summary, bring the middleman to the forefront.

Chances are you have seen a post or two about what days and what times are the best for posting on social media. And in fact, they are all probably right, and probably wrong. You see, the best time and place for YOUR social media is totally dependent upon your followers.

Short Cuts to an Optimal Social Media Time and Place Posting Schedule

What people want is a quick fix to their social media. A set-it-and-forget it system that they can follow that requires the least amount of work. But social media is not a broadcast channel like television, radio, or a print ad. Social media is supposed to be SOCIAL. Your social media channels are the place where you can actually have one-on-one conversations with people who love your brand already. How do you know they love you already? They’ve chosen to follow you, haven’t they? So talk with them when they are sitting there ready to have that conversation.

Sure, there are general guidelines for posting on social media channels, many of which have to do with putting yourself in someone else’s shoes for a moment. When are people most likely scrolling thru Instagram? What are people doing on their lunch break besides eating? (hint: scrolling thru Instagram) What’s the last thing that people do before they go to sleep at night, while they’re laying in bed? (another hint: scrolling thru Instagram) You get the picture. So how do you determine what social media channels and times are the best for your brand? When can you maximize a conversation with your followers going forward? The short answer is “the past”.

The Right Channel for Your Social Media

Each social media platform has a specific and different purpose. By offering a little bit different perspective and content on each channel of social media (instead of using the channels to broadcast like a tv or radio station) a company can show their many sides and offer a more nuanced look at their company, much like you would develop a friendship with a real person and grow to appreciate the many facets of their personality. So after you’ve given your social media channels a spring cleaning, start looking at your analytics.

Social Media Analytics

Every platform you post on for your brand has some form of analytics. You can see a surprising amount of information about your followers in the insights part of your dashboard, whatever the platform. One of the most valuable pieces of information in there is when your followers are on the platform. Start there. Your followers might be the breakfast crowd, in which case 6:15 – 8:30am is a good time for you. Maybe your followers are night owls in which case, program your posts (or manually post them) after 9:00pm.

With 63% of American users checking Instagram at least once a day, and 74% of American users checking Facebook once a day – according to Hootsuite – , you’re sure to find at least one and probably more than one heavy use time in your follower insights.

Scheduling platforms like Hootsuite, Buffer and Planoly make it even easier – they look at the analytics of your followers and tell you the best times to post without the research. Taking advantage of these low-cost automation platforms can save you valuable time, so you can concentrate your efforts on content creation.

Past Performance

Look at your social media feed on any channel as an indicator of what to post in the future. Which posts did well? What type of content got the most likes or comments? Do more of that. Look to your past performance to guide your future endeavors.

What are your competitors doing?

Competitive research is not just for branding and creative. Take a look at what your competitors are posting – what, when and where – when you’re setting up your optimal schedule. Look for patterns in not just your own feed, but in the similar feeds of your competitors and do more of what they are doing the best.

Post, Rinse, Repeat

Testing your content in different forms and at different times will also provide key insights when scheduling the best times and places for your social media as part of your content marketing plan. There is no one-size-fits-all best time solution that will fit every grand, as your brand’s best time and best platform are just as unique as your branding.

With a little effort upfront, you can glean insights into your audience that will not only increase your engagement, but actually help your followers even more. They have questions they want answered and you have the answer – so use the information that is readily available and answer that question sooner.

The Clean Up 

Spring cleaning comes in many forms but have you extended it to your social media? Although this sounds like an odd notion, tidying up your social media ensures that your online platforms are building up daily engagement and generating leads. 

When you don’t pay attention to your social pages, your platforms become dated – something that should always be a priority to avoid. 

By focusing on these five points in your social media, you can make sure to revamp your social presence, renew your look, and refocus your brand strategy.

The Logo

When it comes to spring cleaning, start out with the basics. Your logo! Are your colors dated? Should you go brighter? Bolder? Is your logo still considered modern? These are all questions you should ask yourself to make sure that your company is putting their best foot forward and aligning with today’s day and age. 

The Header 

The header is one of the first things that your viewers will see when they come to Facebook and LinkedIn! When you look at it, ask yourself if the picture is…

1. High quality? 
2. Modern or dated? 
3. Reflecting the season your company is in? 
4. Updated with the awards and certificates your company has gotten throughout the year? 
5. Used across all platforms? 

Once these questions are answered, your social media strategy is that much closer to being polished.

The Bio

The bio for your company may be short and sweet or long and informative but is it as updated as possible? Are there new hashtags you want to include that are easily found? Are there any typos you may have missed the first time you wrote it? 

No matter how fantastic your bio may be, the smallest writing error can cast doubt about your capabilities to be detail-oriented. This is a mistake you never want to have reflected in your platforms.

The Feed

When it comes to your feed you want to make sure that it is an extension of your latest brand strategy. If your brand is bold then extend that message through bold colors, sharp photos, and succinct captions. If your brand is playful then extend your brand through bright colors, whimsical photos, and emojis. 

Now that you know what you want your feed to look like, look at it from a grander scale.

Do the last posts reflect a past brand strategy? Do you want that to be the first thing that viewers note? Or do you have a new brand strategy that you want to promote and want that to be the focal point? 

Whatever the case, you will want the most current brand strategy to be noticeable at first glance. Take the time to see your company from the eyes of your viewers.

The Website

When your customers look for your website, are they able to find it easily? If not, you may need to revamp and renew the list of keywords that is used for your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) on each page.

By using the most up-to-date keywords, you’re able to make sure that your site is found in an easy manner. Decreasing the level of friction for customers to be able to locate your website and find the information they are looking for is important because it can be the difference of gaining or losing a lead. 

You’ll also want to make sure that all the tweaks that you make on your social media platforms are extended to your site. If you made the colors brighter on your logo, extend that color palette to your site. If you modernized your feed, make sure that your photos and messaging on your site reflect that change. For every action there will always be a reaction.

The Conclusion

No matter how big or small your spring cleaning is, always keep your brand at the forefront. Taking the time to be detail-oriented, using these focal points, and putting your brand first is sure to create a springtime glow for you and your company.

A branded Facebook page has the power to be a gathering place, a showcase or a conversation starter for your company. As a part of your social media marketing, a Facebook Business page is a very good addition to your digital asset family to connect with your customers and build a following for your business.

Why should your brand be on Facebook?

Here are five good reasons why your brand should consider being on Facebook, and a few suggestions on how to use this social media channel and it’s features to build your business.

1. Your next customer is looking for a local business just like yours

Potential customers are using Facebook to find a new favorite neighborhood restaurant, plant store, realtor or dentist. You might not think of it this way, but Facebook is a search tool just like Google. People use Facebook to ask their friends about their experiences with businesses all the time…in front of all their other friends. They use Facebook to look up your business to see what your food looks like, what your office interior looks like, what people say about you, and more.

Facebook organically suggests brand pages to people who are located nearby. Facebook also suggests brand pages to people whose friends already like that page and engage with that business. If your brand is not on Facebook, you’re not benefitting from this simple suggestion.

If your business is on Facebook, friends can recommend you easily, give you good reviews and chat about you with their circles. Facebook is a good way to be a part of the conversations that are already happening between friends all over the country…but especially in your local trade area. By having a page, you can present your brand to your community and host those conversations.

Local customers are also looking for events in their area, and Facebook Events – another great Facebook feature – helps you easily create and post an event page with its own URL and mechanism for inviting people right on Facebook. Have a fun outdoor pop-up event next month? Build an Event page and share it. Need volunteers for a non-profit help day? Facebook Events can rally neighbors to help.

2. Engage Your Employees Digitally to Show the Human Side of Your Company

You want people to think of your business as a person that they like. They need to connect to faces, names, voices and personality. Showing the human side of your business endears your brand to your customers, and creates loyalty. You already accomplish these things in your place of business with your own employees, so extend this personality and corporate culture onto your page, giving your employees a digital way to connect with the company. This both gives them the emotional reward of connectivity and shows their friends publicly what a great company you are.

Your employees are your ambassadors. Highlight their accomplishments and their awards on your company’s page, and their networks will see that engagement as well. Value your employees publicly to build positive company culture not just among your current employees, but with your future employees.

3. Your Future Employees Are Keeping Tabs on Your Company

When you use Facebook to showcase your company, you are speaking directly to not just your own employees, but to their communities containing your future employees. Convey the personality of your company and attract new employees who are already a good culture fit.

Facebook also has another helpful feature called Facebook Jobs. Companies with a Facebook Business page can build a job post easily and immediately post it into the Facebook Jobs bank. Your followers will be the first to see your job posting – which also resides as a post on your business page. Who better to be your next employee than someone who already knows all about your brand? Facebook jobs also appear in Google search and display job local to the searcher.

4. Your target demographic is on Facebook

Do you know who your customers are? Facebook Insights can help you discover the demographics of your customers, to better market to them. When people like, visit and comment on your page, you can gather information from their Facebook profiles that is helpful for your business. Using this information, you can pivot what your business does to meet your customers’ needs.

For example, if you are a CPA and your Facebook followers continue to ask you what seems like the same tax question over and over – that might be a cue to write a blog post on your website that addresses that very topic. Then, share that page on Facebook so that your followers get the information they need. And voila, you are the voice of authority and their hero.

5. Build Your Digital Presence with Facebook Traffic

On Facebook you can present information and tell stories about your company a little bit at a time; much like you would become good friends with a person over a period of time by sharing little stories about yourself. These stories give weight to your SEO and give your company better Google Search Ranking.

You can drive traffic to your website from your page. Sign up new email list subscribers. Build your authority in your field by curating and sharing relevant and useful articles. In addition, offer special sales to customers, incentives for activity on your page and hold contests or promotions.

Facebook Business pages are one of the important tools many small businesses use in their digital marketing plan. In conclusion, with 2.4 Billion active Facebook users, more and more small businesses are utilizing a Business page to connect with their customers – and future customers – through daily conversations and brand story telling.

With the ever-growing presence of technology in our world, social media is something that should not be overlooked. It should actually be at the forefront of your business, giving people an idea of what you are all about and hopefully prompting them to become customers! Whether you are skeptical about the use of socials to generate business or have an active presence on all platforms, there is something to be learned for everyone! Here are some ways you can boost your business on social media:

Engage in Comments Timely

Simply put, you want engagement! Facebook and Instagram use this as a primary factor when determining what to display. Posts that have more comments are displayed more prominently within feeds and pages.  Also note that the faster you respond, the more likely others will too, which can spark a conversation and increase engagement. Some companies employ a social media monitor whose primary focus is to react timely to comments.

Measure On-Platform and On-Site Success

Google Analytics is an excellent tool to see if your social media strategy is measuring up. It tracks follower growth, engagement, distribution, and on-site performance. Analytics also measures on-site behavior, so you can see the average time a user spends on your website.

Improve Search Engine Ranking

Good news- social media can improve your search engine ranking! When your social media share rate increases, your domain authority increases! This leads to an improved search engine ranking. Hence, more visits to your socials will also increase your social media page ranking, improving your chances of being one of the top ranked pages.

Drive Traffic

Relying on only your network to drive traffic is completely nonsensical! Social media expands your brand reach and generates traffic organically. If you don’t have a profile yet, create one and use it to share customized content. You want to make sure your audience can seamlessly share your content!

Conclusion

Using social media to boost your business is as important, if not more important, than other business-boosting tasks. Front Porch has provided these tips as a way for you to dive deeper into your social strategy. We want to see you succeed with your socials!

Next up in the Rocker Spotlight series is Front Porch Rock Star Vanessa Hickman, where she shares her experience on the porch and things she has learned throughout her career.

Biggest Misconception about Marketing

The biggest misconception about marketing today is that there is one solution to advance brands in their marketing goals.

Advice You Would Give To Someone Struggling With Brand Identity

Seek  third-party experts to facilitate the process!

Lessons Learned

As a marketing maven and Front Porch Rock Star, one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is “your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do”- Steve Jobs.

What is Good Marketing?

Above all, good marketing is intentional, consistent and precise.

Dinner With 1 Person Living Or Dead

If I could go to dinner with one person living or dead I would choose Jesus.

Describe Yourself in 3 Words

I describe myself as loyal, inclusive and loving.

Favorite Thing About FPM

My favorite thing about FPM is delivering results for a variety of clients. Above all, I would describe the culture at FPM as collaborative, caring and dedicated. Furthermore, FPM differentiates itself with its sound strategy, excellent execution and tenured team members.

Fun Fact

My fun fact is I graduated with a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts when I was 20 years old.

The Rocker Spotlight Series interviews each rocker on the porch. To begin, Chief Rocker Julie Porter shares marketing insights. Let’s dive in and learn more about this incredible business leader.

Favorite Thing About Front Porch

My favorite thing about FPM is being my own boss and doing what I love for clients I love while taking care of my loves.

Misconceptions and Lessons Learned

The biggest misconception about marketing today is that it is cheap and fast. Furthermore, there are three key points: good, fast and cheap. Your marketing can be any two of these but never all three.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is don’t be the biggest barrier to your own success- get out of your way and get stuff done. However, if you can’t get something done, delegate it to the smart people around you.

What is Good Marketing?

Good marketing is elevating the customer experience, building personalized connections, adapting to technology evolution, attracting customers using inbound and outbound marketing, and more.

Culture On the Porch

Our culture is one of straight talk, true partnership and aligned values. Therefore, the team at FPM all regards their families as their highest priority, and we are servant leaders who believe in service to ourselves, team, families, clients, and the communities in which we live and work.

Julie’s Characteristics

I would describes myself as quirky, competitive, and anxious. If I could be anywhere in the world it would be in my living room playing a game with my family since Andrew leaves for college this fall.

Fun Fact about Julie

I got to work with Renee Russo inside the NYSE to celebrate a client’s IPO. I’ve also worked with the Flying Elvi, the skydiving team from the movie “Honeymoon in Vegas,” all over the country to celebrate a promotion for an international sunglass manufacturer.

Thank you for reading! We hope you enjoyed Julie Porter sharing her marketing insights!

Over the last four weeks, strategic business leaders and owners have come to us to go back to their branding and marketing foundations. They are focused first on their team’s safety and well-being. Most talk of the “return to normal” and taking it “day by day.”

They use this time to re-evaluate and plan. The COVID-19 crisis is causing business leaders to be strong and agile. One of our favorite client quotes over the last several weeks is, “With drive, passion and desperation, we will RISE!”

David McCormick, the C.E.O. of the hedge fund Bridgewater, was a Treasury Under Secretary during the 2008 crisis. At that time, he said, “America must step up to retain its economic might.” This rings true today.

Step up we must.

Another business leader told us recently, they feel like everything is, “Ready. Aim. Fire.”

This does not have to be.

Focus on your foundation first.

3 Strategic Branding & Marketing Fundamentals

• Define or re-evaluate brand architecture. Think of this as the foundation of your brand. It has four pillars: brand vision, brand personality, positioning and affiliation. Our branding process is collaborative. It builds conviction. The process is built upon perceptions and goals held internally by key stakeholders. Using all points of view, we ensure brands are both differentiating and emotionally relevant.
• Build or revisit your marketing plan. Every business should have one. Marketing drives new business development. Without those sales, you do not have the resources required for your business’s long-term stability and success. Therefore, as important as these plans are, most business owners and leaders do not devote enough time and resources to them. We tell our clients use a rifle vs. shotgun approach. Your services and/or products are not for everyone. The plan focuses on key targets who are most likely buyers. Think fewer, deeper. As a result, more meaningful strategic initiatives on a consistent basis develop connections and broaden awareness.
• Re-evaluate or enhance your website. Is your website true to your brand? Its personality? Is the navigation user friendly? For instance, lucrative website loads fast and is mobile friendly. In other words, make your site work hard for your brand. Don’t get the veto vote because it doesn’t.

Successful business owners and leaders take the time to develop their brand architecture. Then, they develop marketing strategies and plan to build a company with a purpose. Above all, remember, “With drive, passion and desperation we will RISE!”

As we are staying-at-home, trying to flatten the curve, how should businesses and non-profits adjust their marketing strategies?

Double down on digital.

There is substantial evidence to suggest that the next new normal will look very different. Much as 9/11 changed how we fly, this pandemic will change much of how we live our everyday lives.

Tap the Breaks

A business leader’s first reaction may be to slam on the breaks on marketing.  Knee-jerk reactions are not helpful. Decisions made from fear are not helpful.

Let’s gently tap the breaks.

Yes, overall spending on digital ads is down 33% and spending on traditional media is down 39% from what companies had expected to lay out. But Nielsen data shows that when people are forced to stay inside, they watch about 60% more content than usual.

And, there is more good news. Home goods saw a 51% sales increase in Q1.

Don’t stop all your marketing and advertising. If your company or organization stops marketing all together, when shelter-in-place ends, you will have to start all over again introducing your company to consumers and clients.

Double Down on Digital

Advertising is most effective when it is consistent. Shift your advertising spend instead of just stopping suddenly.

While everyone else is pulling back, you may be able to maximize your ad spend. Because there has been such a steep drop ad spending, your company can take advantage of cheaper rates and lower bids on pay-per-click advertising.

“The best time to double down is when others are not. You may not see the biggest return right away, but in the long term, you will.”

Neil Patel, Marketing Guru

The Return of Email

Email is a crucial part of your marketing mix. Remind your customers through email that although storefronts may be closed, they can still purchase your products and services online. Don’t go in for the hard sell, just be reassuring and compassionate. Remind them that you are here for them, in whatever capacity that may be, no matter what.

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Your company is on the metaphorical Ark right now. Unlike the housing crisis and other events before it, we can see land (relief) in sight.

We are pleased to see companies coming to us to re-fresh their brands. Companies are asking us to update their collateral materials. And, some are asking us to help them double down on digital.

At some point, we will be able to go back to our everyday lives, with new and different habits to practice. Prepare now for that moment when you reach land. And in case we must get back on the Ark again, you’ll know what to do.

Experts including Mark Zuckerberg say 2020 is the year social media becomes less social and more private. What are these social media trends and channels for 2020, and how will they affect business?

 A Hootsuite study highlighted these five trends:

1. Social media networks are doubling down on one-to-one channels. This means marketers are personalizing and customizing their efforts by truly getting to know their customers. An excellent example of this is a “Suggestions for you” message on an online website. Amazon does this exceedingly well with the “Customers Also Bought” pop-up suggestion.

2. Employers must use social media to amplify employee trust & pass it along to consumers.

3. New trends show that TikTok growth may be declining, so marketers should approach new apps with caution.

4. Marketers feel threatened by a decrease in organic reach (which is the number of eyes that have seen a post without using paid social). As a result, they must juggle short-term sales and long-term brand building.  

5. There is a gap between tools existing to meet the demand of social and the skills of marketers. In other words, the tools are there but people may not possess the knowledge on how to use them.

Social Media Trends with Fast Company:

Hootsuite CEO Ryan Holmes predicts there will be more private messaging and one-to-one platforms this year. He also notes how companies are speaking out on social media channels.  This is an important change because people are now more interested in companies that support their values; therefore, silence is no longer a viable option.  Holmes also notes the recent trend that “encourage(s) users to engage with videos and photos on their own merits, rather than simply following the herd.” To conclude he brings to attention how ads may reach a breaking point. Users are overloaded by apps and 86 million users now use ad-blocking software, which is used on $20 billion worth of ads in the U.S. annually.

Social Media Channels:

It is important to have a presence on all or most channels to diversify your repertoire and reach various groups. However, what works for one channel may not work for another. Here are some of our suggestions, with help from Search Engine Journal.

• Facebook- tried and true. No matter what industry you are in, you should have a FB account.
• Twitter- it is a nonstop conversation! This article from Search Engine Journal encourages your business to get to tweeting if you are in marketing, entertainment, sports, or politics.
• LinkedIn- useful if you are looking for professionals to hire, partner with, etc.
• Instagram- especially beneficial for product-based businesses, influencers, and coaches. The shoppable posts feature added in 2018 has increased product-based business most notably. FYI- 63% of users are between the ages of 18 to 34, so take this into consideration when forming your audience.
• Snapchat- definitely a go if you have a much younger target audience. Best for behind-the scenes, user-generated content.
• Pinterest- if your audience is predominantly female and/or if you utilize lots of visual interest.
• Reddit- has forums dedicated to a vast array of topics. Here it is all about finding the niches where your potential customer is active.

What now?

The Porch encourages you to first solidify your presence on channels and then decide what works best for your business. If you are flourishing on a particular channel, you may want to consider doubling down on your socials for that channel.

This provides more value to the consumer and helps you expand your reach. As business becomes more customer-focused, it is vital to stay up to date on the latest social media trends and channels for 2020. As marketers, we will never cease to stay ahead of the curve, putting all efforts towards meeting our customers when and where they need us.