To look at the news about Instagram last week you’d be forgiven if you didn’t think it also is a tool for business, particularly suited to small communications shops. The rapper Nicki Minaj, who hinted all week she was about to do something big, posted a photo of her sitting on a small bed in what appears to be a tiny bedroom. True to Instagram’s acceptance of informality, the photo seems far from the highly stylized, professional picture of a celebrity that the public usually sees. The photo’s lighting is spotty, Minaj isn’t centered and the bed is disheveled. Still, it’s a very effective photo. Clad in six-inch heels with tassels, wraparound shades, bikini bottom and nothing else, Minaj makes an arresting subject. Quickly the post had in excess of 10,000 comments and thousands of likes.
Social Media & SEO
How to Deploy Brand Advocates When Promotions Are Crowding Social Media
February 20th, 2017 by Larissa von Lockner[Editor’s Note: This regular feature asks communicators to spot trends and discuss their reactions to them. In this edition we hear from Larissa von Lockner, PR & social media manager, PwC.] The Trend: We’ve all been there. You’re scrolling through your social feeds wondering what your friends and family are up to and you just can’t escape the those targeted ads. Those shoes you found last week during your lunch break—the ones you added to your shopping bag but never bought—they’re haunting you!
Fashion Brands Used Instagram to Dominate Consumer Engagement During Grammys
February 20th, 2017 by Seth ArensteinSponsoring a tent pole event such as the Grammy Awards does not insure you’ll pull big engagement numbers on social. In fact, none of the sponsors of the 2017 Grammys, held Feb. 12, made the Top 10 list of most-engaged brands on social that you see on this page, according to Shareablee data provided to PR News Pro.
Nissan’s Loud and Clear Lessons in Social Listening
February 17th, 2017 by Jerry AsciertoWhen it comes to social listening, it can be difficult to cut through the noise. While many analytics tools attempt to measure sentiment—to quantify how positive or negative a social media post or engagement is received—it has proven to be an elusive metric, even for a brand as big as Nissan. “One big misconception is trying to model the information in social media into something you want it to be, instead of listening to what the customer is saying and fixing the problem presented to you,” says Bryan Long of Nissan.
Snap Inc. Valuation and the Future of Your Snapchat Strategy
February 16th, 2017 by Ian James WrightSnap Inc.’s upcoming IPO is the talk of the tech world, and now the Wall Street Journal has reported that the company set its valuation between $19.5 billion and $22.2 billion, according to inside sources. Speculation about the success of the IPO hinges on a few important questions. New independent research might quell some people’s fears, however.
Don’t Fall for These Top Lies About Social Customer Care
February 15th, 2017 by Miri Rodriguez, Microsoft AmericasSocial media has become more than another brand marketing platform. For consumers, it has created a front door to directly communicate with organizations and seek support in a timely manner. Nonetheless, it’s clear that many brands have yet to grasp the importance of customer support on social media and what a critical part it plays in overall brand marketing. So let’s debunk the top three myths about social customer care and see how brands can best benefit from having a robust plan.
Instagram Insight for a Small Team: Find Three Photo Styles That Engage Your Audience
February 13th, 2017 by Seth ArensteinYou might think a small or a 1-person communications department would be unable to make use of Instagram to humanize its brand and raise awareness. Wrong, a pair of communicators who make use of user-generated content say. Here’s how they do it.
How Cisco Harnesses Employee Voices to Tell Its Snapchat Story
February 13th, 2017 by CARMEN COLLINSHow Cisco found social media ambassadors among its employees and empowered them to tell its story on Snapchat. The author argues that allowing employees to be authentic will pay large dividends.
A Look at Certified Angus Beef’s Sizzling Visual Storytelling
February 10th, 2017 by Ian James WrightWhen it comes to visual storytelling, it certainly helps if your brand is associated with a product that literally makes people salivate. Since Margaret Coleman, director of digital platforms with Certified Angus Beef, will be a featured speaker on the topic of Instagram at the PR News Digital Summit, February 24 in Huntington Beach, California, we decided to take a look at a few posts from the brand’s Instagram account to see how she works her savory magic.
3 B2B Instagram Lessons From Northrop Grumman
February 9th, 2017 by Jerry AsciertoWhen Northrop Grumman began posting to Instagram, it wasn’t quite sure what would resonate. The global aerospace and defense technology company made the initial mistake—as many brands do—of pushing out self-serving content, viewing the platform as another method to showcase pictures of its aircraft, spacecraft and radar systems. But as it dove deeper into Instagram, the company realized the platform could be much more than just a repository of slick product pictures.