Rallio – Social Media for Franchises, Small & Local Business

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Social

New Year, New Ways to Liven Up Your Social Media

Before the new year rolls in, social media marketers are always trying to come up with new and creative ways to advertise their brands on social media. After all, this is the time of the year when everyone’s making New Year’s resolutions, and small businesses are no exception. As we get ready to ring in 2023, consider the following social media content ideas while putting together your content calendar for the new year — and set yourself and your business up for 12 months of social media success.

1. Behind-the-Scenes Content

  • Go behind the scenes to show what it’s like to be a small-business owner. People want to know more about your life and how you run your business. Share challenges that you’ve faced, how you overcame them, and what the future holds for you in 2023.
  • Show your office or retail space. Do you have an open-concept loft or a home office with pets roaming around? A studio space where people take classes? A retail shop where employees work hard to get everything just right before opening up for the day? Be sure to take a lot of photos and videos that showcase your space.
  • Share what it’s like to work at your company through pictures and stories. It’s so important for companies to show their employees’ passion and dedication, especially when they’re all working toward the same goal.

2. Share a Project

  • Share a project that your company has completed. A great way to start the new year is by looking back at all the projects you’ve finished in the last 12 months. You can share these on your social media channels to show how far you’ve come, and it may even inspire others who are stuck on something or feel like they aren’t making progress.
  • Share a project that’s in progress. If you’re working on something in the new year, share a sneak peek! Whether it’s an upcoming event, a grand opening, or a seasonal product launch — sharing more about what’s happening will get your followers excited for what’s next.
  • Share a project that’s special to you. What’s a project that’s near and dear to your heart? Show photos and caption them with your thoughts on what makes this project so special.

3. Feature a Team Member

  • Highlight a team member’s accomplishments! Show the team member in action, either by taking photos of them doing what they do best or showcasing their skills through video. This will show your audience that you have great people working for you and that they are capable of producing results.
  • If possible, include other members of the company in these posts as well so your fans can see how everyone works together as one unit to achieve success.

4. Introduce Your Community

  • It’s all about the people. So why not show them off a little? Introducing your community to your social media audience is an excellent way to get people interested in your business.
  • This can mean anything from sharing pictures of your employees, celebrating milestones for customers, or even just sharing information about what it’s like to work at your business.

Related: Holiday Content Ideas to Brighten Your Social Media Pages

5. Create a Special Offer

  • One popular way to create a special offer is to make it exclusive only to your followers. Offer something that no one else can get, like a discount or a special deal.
  • You can also offer something valuable that isn’t available anywhere else. If you’re selling T-shirts, maybe you can give away some limited-edition shirts if people share your post with friends and tag them in the post.

6. Post a Roundup of Good News

Posting about good news is a great way to show your followers that you’re an organization with heart. It’s also a great opportunity to highlight some of your employees’ work and what they’re doing for their communities.

7. Create an Infographic on a Timely Topic

Visual content is more likely to be shared on social media than text-based posts, so infographics are a great way to get your message across in an easy-to-digest format. Infographics can be especially useful if you’re trying to educate your audience or simply provide them with interesting facts about a relevant industry or topic.

8. Post a Listicle With Tips Based on What People Search on Google

People love lists — they make it easy to digest tips and information quickly and efficiently! Try coming up with tips related to your business, such as “10 ways to save money at home” for a money expert or “5 ways to get your kids to eat vegetables” for a nutrition coach.

9. Generate Guest Posts

If you have an industry expert willing to write a guest post for your blog, ask them! It’s an easy way to keep people coming back to see what they have written about, while also promoting their work.

10. Create How-To Content

People love learning how to do things, especially when it comes to social media. Create a simple how-to guide or video for your audience with step-by-step instructions on how to use your product or service.

These ideas can help you get your company in front of more people.

As we begin a new year, don’t be afraid to experiment with new styles or formats on social media. The more comfortable you become with trying new things, the better positioned you’ll be for success in 2023. The tips above should help you generate a healthy amount of social media content every week. And ultimately, these ideas will help you get more engagement on your social channels, grow your audience, and build your business.

Learn more: 120 Killer Social Media Content Ideas Your Audience Will Love [Infographic]

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Social Uncategorized

Top Trends in Social Media Marketing for 2023

Social media marketing has undergone a lot of changes over the past decade. Some of these changes have been for the better, some for the worse, and some are still up in the air. But regardless of how you feel about social media marketing, you can’t ignore it if you’re hoping to grow your business. As we get ready to start a new year, we’ll explore some of the top trends in social media marketing that will affect your marketing strategy in 2023.

1. Marketing Automation

Marketing automation is the use of software to automate marketing tasks. It’s a way to increase efficiency, save time and money, and help you get more out of your existing resources. You might already be using some form of marketing automation for social media or email marketing campaigns; this trend will make it easier for you to expand your existing programs or start new ones.

The software platforms we’re seeing today are more flexible than ever before, which means they can accommodate both small businesses with limited resources as well as larger companies with big budgets. If you haven’t yet tried a tool like this yourself but have always thought it would be useful in your business, now is the perfect time. Be sure to check out Rallio’s dashboard and mobile app with integrated artificial intelligence for an easy way to create, automate, and manage social media content and online reviews.

2. Social Commerce

Social media is becoming more and more important for e-commerce. If you want to get ahead of the game and make sure your business is ready for 2023, you need to make sure your brand is set up for e-commerce on Facebook and Instagram (at a minimum). Use the platforms’ built-in shop tools and advertising options to promote your products or service offerings online throughout the year and make it easy for people to complete their purchases from the apps.

3. Augmented Reality

Augmented reality is a technology that integrates digital information with the user’s environment in real-time. It has been around for decades, but the emergence of AR-enabled smartphones has made it ubiquitous.

Augmented reality can be used to enhance marketing and sales by providing visual aids for customers who are shopping online or in person. For instance, if you’re shopping for a sofa, you might be able to get an idea of what it would look like in your living room with the help of augmented reality.

The technology also makes it possible for companies to provide virtual tours of their products and services, allowing potential customers to get a feel for what they’re buying before committing. It can also help businesses develop more personalized approaches to customer service by providing workers with information about each individual’s preferences and needs at any given time.

4. TikTok as SEO

Among the top trends in social media, you cannot ignore TikTok. This popular app that allows you to make short videos with music and effects, share them on social media, and engage directly with your audience. TikTok has surged in popularity among Gen Z in particular as a way of finding local businesses (for example, locating somewhere fun to eat). As such, there’s some chatter that TikTok is giving Google a run for its money as a search platform.

As the use of this platform continues to grow and evolve, it will only become more useful as a marketing tool for small businesses. Overall, the consumption of short videos is on the rise on all social platforms that support video uploads. If you’re looking for ways to reach new audiences or build up your brand recognition among certain groups, consider using TikTok as part of your marketing strategy in 2023 and beyond.

5. Social Media Increasingly Used for Customer Service

Social media is a great way to engage with customers, resolve issues quickly, and provide support. Social media channels can be used as customer service channels, especially if you have a large number of followers or subscribers. Social media is also an effective method for communicating with your audience in real-time. Companies that embrace this will have an advantage over their competitors that do not have the same understanding of social media as a customer service channel.

6. Interest Over Reach

Increasingly, engaging content is taking priority over accounts with a large follower count. This means that algorithms are favoring content of a viral nature — say, a cute puppy snoring or a mom ranting about prioritizing mental health — rather than accounts that have a high volume of followers. This is because the ability for viral content to spread and reach more people is generally more valuable than follower counts.

This trend makes sense when we think about how many times we’ve seen memes or videos go viral on social media — which are often funny, relatable, controversial, or just plain weird. The reason they get so much traction is simple: they’re shareable.

7. Nano Influencers

Nano influencers are micro-influencers who have a small following. They are becoming more popular than macro-influencers because they have a higher engagement rate and are more likely to be authentic and trustworthy. They’re also more likely to be active in the community, which is important because your brand needs to align with their values in order for them to feel comfortable endorsing you.

8. Audio Social Media

Although audio is not a new marketing medium, considering the popularity of podcasts, playlists, and radio to advertise brands. However, it has only recently emerged as a social media platform. Clubhouse, for one, is one of the leaders in the audio social media space and is growing in popularity.

One of the key benefits of audio social media over other forms of other marketing is that these platforms are interactive. Unlike a podcast, for example, a social platform like Clubhouse enables users to engage with brands just as they would on other social platforms. So, if you have a message that you want to get heard, consider implementing audio social media in 2023.

Social media is only going to grow in importance in 2023. Make sure you’re keeping up with the top trends in social media.

Social media isn’t going anywhere in 2023. It’s a channel that provides direct access to your customers and can help you understand them better than any other type of marketing. That’s why it should be a top priority for every business in 2023: as more people use these platforms, they will become even more important for businesses.

At the same time, the means of using these platforms and integrating them with your overall marketing strategy are certainly evolving. Make sure you’re aligning with the top trends in social media marketing above, and you’ll be in great shape with your marketing in the new year. For more help improving the results of your social media marketing, reach out to us at Rallio.

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Social

Holiday Content Ideas to Brighten Your Social Media Pages

It’s that time of year when everyone is looking for inspiration for their social media posts. You’ve no doubt seen a lot of them already, with people sharing pictures of their Christmas trees, wishing one another happy holidays, and sharing their best Rudolph jokes. Unfortunately, people may start to grow weary of seeing the same kind os posts in their feeds. The good news is that there are plenty of fresh ideas you can use to brighten up your social media pages this season! Check out some of our favorite holiday content ideas below.

1. Holiday Quotes and Visuals

For a holiday-themed post, you can use quotes to inspire your audience. You can do this by using a quote that is directly related to the holiday or one that is relevant to your brand and/or audience.

If you are posting on Instagram, make sure the quote is visually pleasing and easy for people to read. Share it to your Story to help increase exposure.

2. Giveaways and Contests

Giveaways and contests are a great way to get people to engage with your brand by getting them excited about the chance to win something. They’re also a good way to incentivize people to purchase your products — even if they don’t win a prize. Simply offer a small discount to anyone who enters the giveaway to encourage more sales, while also promoting engagement with your social media pages.

Related: Quick Guide to Holiday Marketing on Social Media

3. Holiday-Themed Posts

Holiday-themed posts are a great way to engage your audience. Think about what type of holiday-themed content you would like to create; this can be something as simple as sharing a photo from your holiday party, or it could be more complex, like a video or a podcast episode focused on the holidays. As long as it’s authentic and locally focused, it’s likely to resonate with your audience.

4. Holiday-Related Articles, Blog Posts & Press Releases

Holiday-related articles, blog posts, and press releases are a great way to build trust with your audience, promote your brand, and boost SEO. Try writing a few how-to, inspirational, or holiday-themed posts (much like this one) to get your audience in the holiday spirit.

5. Holiday Tips and Tricks

What are some of your holiday hacks for avoiding the crowds, scouting out great deals, enjoying local light displays, or hanging Christmas lights? Create a post or a video with some of your favorite tips and tricks. Invite engagement by asking your audience to share theirs in the comments section.

6. Holiday E-Books

Holiday e-books that you give away as a free download can help to grow your email list for use in later marketing campaigns. Include a link to download the e-book in the post, as well as an excerpt from one or two chapters of what’s inside. You can also give away a free chapter of a longer book if it makes sense for your business.

7. Behind-the-Scenes Content

Have you ever wondered what goes on in the offices of your favorite brands? Customers love peeking behind the curtain, so give them a look at what it’s like to work for your company. Showcase employee culture with photos and videos showcasing office events or employee testimonials. Let customers see where everyone works together to get things done. Use this content to show off what makes your company a great place to work.

Make the holidays meaningful for your customers with these holiday content ideas.

Holiday content is a great way to make the holidays meaningful for your customers. Whether you’re a retailer, a service provider or in another industry, holiday content can help you build brand awareness and attract new customers. By adding some seasonal flair to your marketing strategy, you can boost sales and conversions while keeping your social media pages fresh and exciting.

With these holiday content ideas in mind, you’re ready to start brainstorming your own holiday posts! We hope this list has given you some inspiration for what to post on social media throughout the holiday season.

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Social

The Easiest Social Media Audit You’ll Ever Run [FREE TEMPLATE]

Social media is a great way for businesses to connect with their customers and build relationships, but it can also be a huge time-suck if you don’t know what you are doing.

In this post, we will show you how to run an easy social media audit that will help you identify opportunities for improvement in your social media presence.

How to Run Your Social Media Audit

Social media marketing is one of the most effective ways to reach potential customers and increase brand awareness. However, it can be difficult to determine whether social media efforts are actually paying off. To help businesses better track their performance, we’ve put together a free template that makes it easy to conduct a basic social media audit. Simply fill in the blanks and you’ll know exactly where your money is being spent.

The template includes sections such as:

  • Audience demographics
  • Content strategy
  • Engagement metrics
  • Keywords
  • Performance tracking

What Exactly Is a Social Media Audit?

A social media audit helps you assess how well you are doing on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, Snapchat, TikTok, and other channels. It consists of several different steps that you follow to evaluate the effectiveness of each channel. You’ll find out what works best for your audience, where there are gaps in coverage, and whether the channels are being used effectively.

Audit Sheets

The first step is to collect data about your current performance on each channel. This includes information such as impressions, engagements, reach, and demographic data.

Next, you’ll want to review your brand presence across each channel. This involves looking at the type of posts they’re sharing, the types of images they’re posting, and how many people are following them on each channel.

Finally, you’ll analyze the overall health of the channels. In particular, you’ll look at the number of likes, comments, shares, and retweets. You’ll also check to see if the channels are optimized for mobile devices.

You’ll use this information to make recommendations for improvement. For example, you might suggest that your client post more videos, add more images, and increase their follower count.

If you’re interested in learning more about how we conduct audits, please contact us here. We’d love to chat with you about our process.

Related: Spring Clean Your Social Media in 4 Easy Steps

Perform a Social Media Audit in 7 Simple Steps

Social media marketing is a great tool for businesses looking to improve their digital presence. However, it takes some work to make sure you are getting the most out of your efforts. Below, we show you how to perform a basic social media audit in seven simple steps.

Step 1: Set Up Your Spreadsheet

The first step is to set up a spreadsheet that tracks your social media activity. This could include things like follower count, likes/dislikes, comments, and shares.

To do this, launch a spreadsheet using Excel or Google Sheets. Add columns for each type of social network you use, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and so on. Then, start adding rows where you will detail what happened on each day.

If you want to keep track of your performance over time, you can add another row every month. Once you have added your columns, you can start entering information into the cells.

Step 2: Assess Your Branding

If you’ve been running your social media campaigns without much thought, it’s probably time to sit down and think about how you can improve your overall online image. This includes your personal brand, your professional brand, and your offline brand.

Look over your profiles to identify opportunities for improvement. For example, review your LinkedIn profile and make sure it reflects who you really are. Take a look at your Facebook and Instagram profiles to make sure they still align with your brand. Scroll through previous posts; if there are any that no longer fit into your current marketing strategy, consider deleting or archiving them.

Take a look at your settings, too, and make sure that you’re following the guidelines of each network. Complete your bio and profile in full with your contact information, website, phone number, and other important details.

Finally, make sure that you’re keeping your profiles updated. Be sure to add relevant images and videos to your posts. If you haven’t added any new photos or videos to your profiles in quite some time, now is definitely the time to start adding some new material.

Step 3: Identify Your Top-Performing Social Media Content

Social media marketing is one of the most effective ways to connect with potential customers. But it takes time and effort to build up a following, especially if you are just starting out. One way to keep growing your audience is by finding out what works and what doesn’t work on social media.

With over 2 billion active monthly users, Facebook alone offers a wealth of insight into how people interact online. By looking at your top posts, you can find out what content performs best. In addition, you can look at similar posts and compare them to determine what content performs better. You can even use analytics tools to create custom reports and keep track of your progress over time.

Step 4: Evaluate Each Channel’s Performance

The most important question to ask yourself is “What am I trying to achieve?” If you’re looking to increase brand awareness, then Facebook is probably the best place to start. If you want to generate B2B leads, LinkedIn might be a good fit. You’ll also want to consider how much budget you have to spend on social media marketing.

If you don’t know where to begin, here are some questions to help you figure out where your audience spends their time online and where you can improve your efforts:

  1. What platforms do my customers use?
  2. How many people follow me?
  3. Which networks send the most traffic to my site?
  4. Where do my customers prefer to communicate with me?
  5. Do my customers like to talk about products or brands?

Step 5: Understand Your Audience on Each Platform

Demographics help you understand where your audience is coming from and what they care about. You can use this information to build better marketing strategies, campaigns, and even advertising. It will also help you make decisions about where to spend your money. Follow these tips:

  • Find out which types of audiences you’re attracting and where they come from. This lets you decide whether you want to focus on one platform over another.
  • Make sure you know where to post your content on each platform. You don’t want to miss out on potential traffic.
  • Keep track of how many people are talking about you online. This gives you insight into how much exposure you’ve received and how successful your efforts have been.

Step 6: Refresh Your Social Media Content on All Platforms

If you’re not posting consistently on the social media platforms where you have a presence, it will be difficult to engage and grow your audience. Keep in mind, you don’t always need to post something every day, but try to post at least a few times per week. Don’t worry too much about posting “perfectly.” Just make sure your content is relevant and engaging.

You should also take advantage of all the different features that each network has to offer. For example, Instagram and Facebook allow you to post Stories and go live in order to engage with your audience in different ways.

The key is consistency. One of the easiest ways to stay consistent is by creating a content calendar and using a platform like Rallio to schedule your content in advance. This way, you can simply focus on engaging with your audience and responding to their comments, questions, and reviews — all from one dashboard that you can access on our mobile app.

Step 7: Update Your Social Media Marketing Strategy Regularly

Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are great tools for businesses to connect with customers and prospects. But it takes constant effort to keep things running smoothly.

Also, each platform updates its algorithm from time to time, so what worked yesterday won’t necessarily work today. Staying on top of the trends ensures you never fall off the radar on social media.

While you don’t need to assess your performance every day, take stock of your current performance on each platform at least monthly. Which ones are delivering the most value? Think about how you can capitalize on your success from month to month and continue getting the most from each platform. Annually, look at the trends throughout the year so you can start each new year with the knowledge and tools you need to find continued success.

Ready to Conduct Your Social Media Audit?

Social media audits help you identify areas that need improvement, find out what people like about your brand, and uncover ways to increase engagement. You can use this information to measure success, evaluate campaigns, and make strategic decisions.

For more help getting the most out of your social media marketing strategy and improving your results, contact us at Rallio.

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Social

10 Types of Interactive Social Media Content to Increase Engagement

At the end of the day, social media marketing is all about getting more people to engage with your content — and that means it needs to be exciting enough for them to want to react to your posts and share them. The best way to do this is by creating engaging, interactive social media content. In this post, we go over 10 popular types of interactive social media content that get great engagement rates.

What Is Interactive Social Media Content?

Social media content is anything that people can share on social media. It can include text, images, links, video and audio. The content you create and publish on your own social media channels could also be shared on other people’s channels.

We can think of content types as falling into two broad categories: static and interactive. Static content refers to all of the assets in your digital portfolio that rarely change, such as your social media profile photos, bio, ebooks, or a pre-recorded webinar pinned at the top of your page. Interactive content is usually more complex and dynamic than static posts. It requires users to interact with the content — for instance, by playing games, taking a quiz, reacting to the post, entering contests, or signing up for newsletters/mailings/updates/alerts. The more they engage, the more they retain the information you are presenting.

Both types of content have their place in your social media marketing strategy. However, by definition, interactive content tends to win the war when it comes to getting an audience’s attention. In one Demand Gen survey, 91% said they prefer interactive and visual content over static material.

Your best bet is to get your static assets set up, revisit them from time to time to update them, and primarily focus on interactive content. Whether you want to introduce new products, increase your following, boost clicks to your website, generate more leads, or engage with your local community, interactive content can help you get there. Read on for 10 types of interactive content that will help you chip away at your goals.

1. User-Generated Content

User-generated content (UGC) is a great way to get your followers involved. A UGC campaign can be as simple as asking users to submit their favorite photos or videos, which you can then share on social media. You can also add a fun prize element to encourage participation. For example, if you want people to submit photos of their pets, offer the winner a year’s supply of dog food from your favorite brand.

Another option is running a contest where users are tasked with creating the best content for your brand or product. Winners could receive prizes such as gift cards, trips, or other items related to your business, such as branded T-shirts or other swag.

2. GIFs

GIFs are a great way to show emotion or convey a message in a fun and engaging way. They’re also popular on social media, which means that people are more likely to engage with them than other types of content. The best part about GIFs is that they’re easy and quick to create using a service like Giphy, making them an excellent option when you need something simple but effective.

3. Reviews

In the world of social media, reviews are one of the best ways to interact with your audience and let them know that you care about their opinions. However, it’s easy to simply ask for a review without following up after people leave them.

Responding to all of your reviews, both positive and negative, is one of the easiest ways to interact directly with your customers. If someone leaves a positive review, you can use it as an opportunity to thank your customer and share their feedback on social media through a graphically designed image. With negative reviews, you can respond to customer comments professionally and work to resolve problems. In many cases, following up with disgruntled customers helps to diffuse situations and even encourage repeat shopping in the future — even among casual observers who see these reviews online and your thoughtful follow-up.

4. Videos

Videos are an excellent way to engage your audience. You can use them in many ways, including:

  • Introducing a new product or service. Shoot a quick video explaining your new offerings and why consumers should be excited about them.
  • Explaining a complex concept. How-to videos, tutorials and explainers can help to break down complex concepts in a way that people can easily understand. These videos may start off as interactive content and later become static or evergreen content.
  • Sharing a story. Tell the story behind your brand, your products, your family business, or anything else that humanizes your business.
  • Promoting an event. Before, during and after an event, you can share the excitement about any events you are attending or a part of.

5. Q&As

Q&As are a great way to get people involved in your content. You can ask questions about anything you want and the answers will vary depending on who responds.

When creating a Q&A, think about what audiences would find useful or interesting. For example, if you’re selling a product or service, you could ask questions about how people use it and what they like most about it. If you’re in an industry where there are competitors providing similar products or services, asking questions that compare and contrast their offerings is another option for generating interest among potential customers.

You can also go live on different platforms to answer FAQ from your customers. Your audience will get notified that you’re going live and may be more likely to tune in than they would be if you just posted a video.

Related: 15 Social Media Content Ideas for Small Businesses

15 interactive social media content ideas

6. Challenges and Contests

Challenges and contests are a great way to get people to engage with your brand. You can use them to get people involved with your business and drive traffic to your website or social media channels.

With challenges, you can ask people to share photos of themselves using one of your products in a creative way. For example, you could create an online cooking contest where participants submit their best recipes on Facebook using one of your products as the main ingredient.

Contests are another great way to increase engagement around specific topics that relate to your business or product line. For example, if you sell shoes online, then consider hosting an Instagram contest where users post pictures or Stories showing different ways they wear a certain style of shoe from your store. You can then pick a random winner to receive a pair of shoes, and all participants could receive a discount code for a future purchase.

7. TikTok Duets

TikTok Duets allow you to post another content creator’s video side-by-side in a split screen as you react to their video. You can adjust your settings on TikTok to allow other creators to Duet your videos, too.

Duets are a fun way to give a nod to another creator’s content. They are also easy to create — someone else has already done the work to create the video, and all you need to do is react to it with your words and facial expressions. In fact, some creators build their entire accounts around Duets! Think of a chef who reacts to someone making a recipe, for example.

As a brand, be mindful of how you react to another creator’s content using Duets. Keep it kind and professional to avoid offending anyone, and you can easily start building your TikTok audience in this way.

8. “Behind the Scenes” Content

Behind-the-scenes content is a fantastic way to show your brand’s personality and can be a great way to differentiate yourself from other brands. You can showcase how you make your products, show your employees having fun, or highlight your team, your customers, and your community. You could even capture video footage of people working in their offices, throwing parties, or just simply enjoying life.

This type of content is also useful for building trust with your audience because it gives them a glimpse into what goes on behind closed doors at your company. This can lead viewers to feel like they’re in on some sort of secret or exclusive club — one that they want to stay a part of!

9. Polls and Twitter Threads

Polls are a great way to get people involved in your content. You can use them for everything from collecting data about how people feel about something, to just getting opinions on topics that are important to you and your brand.

For example, if you’re a restaurant owner with an online presence, asking fans what types of pizza they’d like to see on the menu might provide valuable information while also increasing engagement. On the other hand, if you run a clothing store and want feedback on which styles should be featured more prominently in the store’s window displays, you can ask followers “This or that?” questions. This will get them engaged without overwhelming them with options.

10. Blog Posts and Podcasts

The best content for social media is not always the most eye-catching. In fact, sometimes it’s the more bland stuff that gets the job done. Blog posts and podcasts are a great way to share your expertise and build authority in your niche. It’s also a great way to get people to subscribe to your channel if you have one. You can use these two types of content on virtually any platform: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more.

Interactive Social Media Content Wins the Engagement Game

When it comes to social media marketing and content, there are a lot of options out there. In fact, you could spend hours creating and curating different types of content that will help your business grow. But in the end, all these different types of interactive social media content have one thing in common: they get engagement.

The more engagement you get on your posts and other pieces of social media content, the more followers you’re going to gain. As you’ve seen in this blog post, there are many types of interactive social media content that can help drive more engagement from your audience and make them want to keep coming back for more.

Categories
Social

6 Ways to Improve Your Lead Generation

If you have ever struggled to get high-quality leads consistently, then you know what a challenge lead generation can be. However, once you put the proper processes in place, you can get your lead generation on autopilot and generate a consistent flow of leads. With our tips below, you’ll have a full pipeline and plenty of new customers coming through your virtual or brick-and-mortar doors.

1. Leverage Social Media

Social media platforms have become an integral part of the lead-generation process. They allow companies to create a community around their brand, engage with their audience, and build trust with them over time.

But if you’re not using these tools effectively, you could be missing out on a huge opportunity for growth. Creating an account on Facebook or Twitter is just the first step. Here are some steps you can take to make sure your social media strategy is helping you reach more leads:

Know your audience. Before setting up any social media accounts, you need to know who your target audience is and what they want from your brand. This will help you tailor your content and messaging so that it resonates with them on a personal level — something that’s important since most people use social media as an outlet for self-expression rather than information gathering.

Create engaging content. Once you’ve determined who your target audience is, it’s time to start creating engaging content that will resonate with them in a meaningful way. The best way to do this is by listening closely for what people are asking about or discussing online, then responding with useful answers or solutions that meet their needs. The more relevant and timely the response, the more likely it will be shared by others within

2. Determine the ROI of Social Media

It can be tricky to calculate the return on investment (ROI) of social media. If you’re running ads, you can analyze clicks and subsequent purchases to put a value on your ad campaigns. However, there are other metrics besides dollars and cents to track on social media. Brand awareness, follower counts, and engagements such as comments and messages are just some of the examples of ROI you may wish to track. 

The key is knowing what you want from your efforts so that you can measure them accurately. This will help you understand your audience, aka your source of new leads, and how to better target them. 

When looking at your social media metrics, ask yourself what you want out of each channel. Here are some common key performance indicators:

Follower counts

The more people who follow you online, the more exposure your brand gets. Having more followers also means more potential customers who might buy something from you down the road. While it’s not always easy to convert followers into customers, you can improve your odds by continually posting valuable content they want to see. Avoid overly promotional posts, focus on adding value through local content, and work to capture customers’ contact information that you can use later for targeted marketing.

Social media engagement

Social media engagement is a great way to measure ROI because it helps you determine whether your followers like what they see in their feeds. The more engagement you have with your audience, the better chance you have of increasing sales or leads through your social channels. Engagement includes things like shares, likes, comments and re-shares — all of which show that users appreciated seeing something on their feed or in their newsfeeds. As a result, they may take an active interest in your content by sharing it with others or liking it themselves. You can get an idea of how engaged your audience is by looking at the number of comments they leave on posts, the number of likes each post gets, and the number of impressions. 

Reach

You can also track reach, which is a measure of awareness generated by your posts. The higher the reach, the more people are exposed to your content. For example, if you have 1,000 followers but only 10 of them interact with your post, that’s a low reach. If you have 1,000 followers and a high percentage of them interact with your post — potentially exposing it to their network of friends — then your reach can grow exponentially. Here are some ways you can increase the reach of your social media content:

  • Include images and videos in posts because they tend to perform better than text-based posts
  • Be authentic; post real photos and videos of your business and the people who work there
  • Use hashtags when posting about events and topics relevant to your business or industry
  • Post content that provides value, entertains, or inspires

To learn more about the ROI of social media, read: The 6 Most Important Social Media Metrics to Track for ROI

ROI of social media and lead generation

3. Launch Ad Campaigns

If you want to increase lead generation on social media, you need to launch ad campaigns. Think about it: People are scrolling all day long on social media, and with ads, you can get your business in front of them. The good news is that Facebook ads are relatively cheap, and you can set them up in a matter of minutes. 

To start advertising on Facebook, you can either spend a few dollars a day to boost existing posts, or you can launch ads using Ads Manager. Ads Manager gives you additional options for tailoring your ads to your audience. Simply upload your image or video and write your copy, then choose how much you want to spend and when you want it to run — that’s it.

Be aware that ads may be rejected if they violate Meta’s advertising policies. We go into detail about why ads might be rejected and what you can do about it in this post. Once your ads are up and running, you can then track their performance and continue advertising to increase lead generation and grow your page’s following.

4. Set Up Your Google Listing 

Did you know that 2 trillion searches happen daily on Google? And that nearly half of them have “local intent,” meaning that people are searching for businesses near them? This is why it’s so important to claim your Google Business profile and make sure it’s updated with your current hours, location, website, reviews and more. 

It’s also a smart idea to launch Google Ads, which will allow you to show up in Google search results pages as well as on Google Maps. By the way, showing up in the top three map results is largely dictated by 1) having a Google Business Profile that’s accurate and informative, and 2) incorporating ads to drive local SEO.

With Rallio’s Business Listing service built right into your dashboard, you can update your Google Business information in just a few clicks. This will make it easier to launch ad campaigns and increase your chances of generating high-quality leads through Google.

Related: The Benefits of Reviews for Local SEO

5. Launch Email Marketing Campaigns

It’s no secret that recent data privacy changes have made it more difficult for marketers to track customer behavior and target their audience. However, email marketing remains one of the tried-and-true methods for reaching customers who have opted in to your marketing.

According to the Digital Marketing Institute, 84% of consumers report they check their email at least once per day. Get in front of these consumers with a targeted campaign, and you will increase your chances of converting them into buyers. To get started with email marketing, check out these tips:

Select an email marketing provider

Email platforms available vary widely in terms of features and benefits as well as user-friendliness. Research various providers such as Constant Contact, Active Campaign, and Mailchimp to find the one that will work best for your needs. 

Automate your emails

Welcome emails, auto-responses, and nurture sequences are all smart ways to engage a customer once they have opted in to your campaigns. Make sure you include links to your website, free offers, or other special promotions you want to push.

Be relevant

Avoid sending irrelevant emails, or you risk people unsubscribing. Provide value, be authentic, and only send promotional emails when you have a highly valuable offer.

Retarget customers

When people express interest but don’t buy, work to re-engage them with marketing emails that remind them to complete their purchase (and maybe throw in a special discount to get them interested again).

6. Build a Blog

A well-written blog can help you increase exposure, establish your business as an industry leader, and generate more leads. With the right keyword strategy, it can also help you boost your search engine rankings.

In terms of SEO, you’ll want to optimize your blog posts and other pages on your site with keywords and phrases for which you want to rank. It’s important to pick keywords that are not overly competitive, or else you might not appear on the first page of results. 

Instead, choose keywords that are related but not quite so difficult to rank for. Stary by using Google’s Keyword Planner or another keyword tool. This way, you can identify the best keywords, achieve higher rankings, and add to your lead-gen activities.

Final Thoughts

High-quality leads are the ones that are most likely to convert into loyal, engaged buyers. With our tips above, you should be able to improve your lead-gen efforts and grow your business consistently.

When you’re busy running and growing your business, it can be difficult to keep track of all the different moving parts. Rallio’s technology and services can help you keep everything organized and enhance your lead generation, so you have a consistently growing pipeline. Our all-in-one dashboard gives you one place to manage all of your social media and lead-gen efforts, with support from our dedicated team when you need it. Reach out to us at rallio.com to learn more.

Categories
Reputation Social

How to Engage Authentically With Your Social Media Followers

Social media growth is something most franchise brands, independent business owners and influencers are striving for, but it doesn’t come easy. It requires thought and effort. If you use social networking as simply a means to an end (aka sales) and not as a way to connect with your customers, you’ve failed. You need to work on building relationships with your customers. They will become your brand loyalists and help grow your brand organically. This article will lay down some simple tips on how you can engage authentically with your social media followers on Facebook and Instagram.

Why Engagement Matters

Engaging authentically with your social media followers is important for a number of reasons. First and foremost, it’s the only way to truly understand what your audience wants from you. Social media is an incredibly powerful tool for brands, but in order to use it effectively, you need to know how your audience interacts with your content.

Engaging with followers also allows you to build trust with them. People are more likely to follow brands if they feel like they’re being heard — and conversely, they’ll be less likely to follow if they don’t feel like their voices matter.

Lastly, engagement helps build your reputation as an expert in your field or industry. If people see that others are responding positively to your content or following your brand on social media, they’re more likely to check out what you have going on and give you a follow, too. Your reach can expand exponentially as more and more people engage with you and vice versa.

Related: 4 Big Reasons You Need Localized Social Media Content

Tips for Great Engagement

The way you engage with your followers on Facebook and Instagram is the most important part of your social media strategy. Yet engaging authentically is easy to say but hard to do. It’s a constant challenge because of all the noise on social media, especially if you have a business that relies on word-of-mouth recommendations.

The good news is that it’s not impossible to do well — even if you’re starting from scratch. Keep reading for all the tips you need.

1. Know your audience

The first step to engaging authentically is knowing the audience of each of your social media accounts. For example, if you have an Instagram account for your food truck, knowing that most of your followers are young professionals makes it easier to tailor content that appeals to them — such as pictures of healthy snacks or quotes about healthy eating habits — than it would be if most of them were foodies who enjoy eating fried chicken and potatoes (no judgments!).

2. Write great content

You can’t be effective at social media marketing unless you’re using it to provide value to your customers, and that means creating content that’s useful, interesting and engaging. But what does that mean? How do you write content that’s worth reading? How do you know if your content is working? Let’s explore some strategies for creating great social media posts that will encourage engagement and increase sales.

✔️ The best way to get people talking about your brand is by sharing relevant information that will interest them personally and professionally. If you’re a restaurant owner, show mouth-watering photos of your top dishes. If you’re a florist, share photos of your bridal arrangements for an upcoming wedding. The point is to make it personal to your brand so people will want to engage.

✔️ In most cases, use short sentences and paragraphs. People will be more likely to read your posts if they’re not too long or complicated. There can be exceptions, and sometimes, you may need more words to communicate something important — say, if you’re spotlighting a team member. In those cases, going longer can work to your advantage. But if you’re just sharing a photo of a favorite burrito, the image speaks for itself. Consider the content of the image or video you’re sharing to write your captions appropriately.

✔️ Use bullet points, numbered lists and emojis when appropriate, so readers can scan quickly scan your content and get the gist.

✔️ Use a combination of images, videos and links. Having a mix of content keeps things interesting for your audience.

3. Respond, and do it quickly

When it comes to social media engagement, responsiveness and speed are of the essence. The faster you respond to comments and messages, the more likely you will be to keep your followers happy and engaged. Note: Most customers expect a response to their social media posts within 24 hours.

Among the brands that do respond to customers on social media, research shows that most of them are doing a satisfactory job of answering their customers promptly. Beyond the speed of response, however, there’s another issue: Many complaints are never answered, according to Convince & Convert. The data is enough to have led C&C to create a formula for responding to customers: “Answer every customer complaint. In every channel. Every time.”

It’s not just complaints you need to mind, either. Messages, comments on your posts, reviews and more — whether positive, negative or neutral — all need a response or acknowledgment from you as the brand. Having a social media management platform like Rallio will allow you to pull all engagements into one dashboard so you never miss anything and can be responsive in real time. You can also make use of chatbots and auto-responses on your website and Messenger to let customers know answers to basic FAQ as well as when they can expect a response from you.

4. Be yourself

When you’re establishing a new brand or business page on social media, it can be tempting to try to be everything to everyone. You might start out posting about the things you love and then switch gears when you realize it’s not resonating with your audience. Or maybe you’re trying to be funny one day, then serious the next.

The problem is that this strategy will turn off some of your followers while leaving others confused about who you really are. Instead, aim for consistency and authenticity by sticking with a single voice that feels authentic throughout all of your social media channels.

This doesn’t mean that every post needs to sound exactly alike — in fact, using humor or being serious can help build an interesting persona for your brand — but there should still be some consistency between posts so that people who follow you know what kind of content they can expect from you each time they visit your page or check out one of your posts.

5. Don’t feed the trolls

One of the biggest challenges you may face as a social media marketer is how to deal with negative comments and trolls. It’s important to note that there are two types of trolling on social media: The first is when someone is mean or rude to you in order to provoke a response. The second type is when someone tries to derail your post by commenting about something completely unrelated or unrelated to your brand, perhaps trying to get eyeballs and followers on their own pages.

If you’ve ever posted something on social media and received some nasty comments, you know how demoralizing it can be. You have several options for dealing with trolls, including:

  • Ignore them. As long as their comments are not hateful, inflammatory or vicious, you can ignore the trolls. They will eventually get bored and go away.
  • Block them. This won’t always work because they can create new accounts. But you can always try it as a first step.
  • Hide the user and/or their comments. On some platforms, you can hide comments from view (see this page from Facebook) or hide the user — as on YouTube, where you can hide a user without blocking them. Essentially, any comments they make will go into a void, so they can shout all they want and nobody will hear them. For more on hiding a user or their comments, check on the specifics of each platform.

Engage Authentically to Build Your Brand

If you’re a small-business owner, chances are that you’re using social media to promote your business and build relationships with customers. But if you don’t engage authentically with your followers, you’ll lose their trust and interest.

Engaging with your social media followers is essential for building their trust in your brand. When you engage authentically with your followers, you’re keeping them in the loop about what’s happening in your business. This can help build rapport and strengthen customer relationships.

If you don’t know how to engage authentically, it may seem like a daunting task. Feel free to reach out to us via rallio.com for help creating and managing your social media marketing strategy.

Categories
Social Uncategorized

Ads Rejected on Facebook or Instagram? Here’s Why

Have you ever tried to post an ad on Facebook or Instagram and had your ads rejected? This happens more often than you might think, and it can be a frustrating experience — especially if you’ve put a lot of time and effort into your ads. At the end of the day, your perfectly designed Facebook or Instagram Ads could be gathering dust in your campaign archives. To make sure they see the light of day and get you the return on ad spend you’re after, follow our tips below for using words and imagery that won’t get your ads rejected.

Why Are Ads Rejected?

When you publish a Facebook ad or an Instagram ad, it goes into Meta’s queue for review, a process that takes anywhere from a few minutes to a day or more. Typically, most ad reviews are complete within 24 hours, depending on factors such as whether it’s a holiday.

If Meta’s review detects an issue, your ad will display as Rejected. While this isn’t ideal, it doesn’t mean that your ad will never be approved. You can view your ad account status and any rejected ads through your Ad Accounts section.

Here, you can view further details about your ad and address any issues. Typical policy violation issues include the use of prohibited content, such as grammar and profanity violations or language that refers to a person’s personal attributes — that is, anything that could come across as too intrusive. Other possible issues could include social and political issues or sensational content. If you believe the ad is in line with Meta’s advertising policies, you can request another review; or simply try to tweak the ad to get it approved.

Your best bet is to get your ads right from the get-go so you can get your ads up and running as quickly as possible while also delivering the best experience for your target audience. Below are some possible reasons for ads being rejected and ways to ensure a smooth ad production process.

Related: Boosted Posts Vs. Facebook Ads: How It Works and Why You Should Advertise

First Names

Facebook and Instagram don’t allow you to use first names in your ads because they can be perceived as spammy or intrusive. If you’re trying to target someone based on their name, it can come across as creepy or overly personal. Avoid this issue altogether and make sure you don’t get your ads rejected by excluding personal identifiers like names.

Religious Affiliations

While it’s not against Meta’s policies to include religion as an ad topic, you will want to avoid any language implying that you know a person’s religious affiliation. For instance, don’t say something like “Meet other Christian singles in your area”; make it general by rephrasing as “Meet Christian singles here.”

Other Personal Identifiers

There are many areas that fall under the category of being too intrusive or personally identifiable for your target audiences. Ages, gender identities, sexual orientations, mental and physical disabilities or disorders, and voting status are just a few of the touchy subjects where you need to be cautious with your wording and avoid anything that implies you know certain details about your audience.

For example, your language cannot imply that the reader is within a certain age group; you can’t say something like “Now that you’re in your 50s, you need this product.” Instead, rephrase it: “People in their 50s love this product.”

Financial Status

Avoid mentioning anything that implies you know a reader’s financial status. Instead of “Are you struggling to pay your bills?” try “Saving money is easier than ever with our software.” Are you catching on to the idea that you can’t say anything that makes Meta think you’re creeping on your customers’ personal information?

Social and Political Issues

Running ads on anything related to social issues or politics requires a special approval process first, so make sure you read through the requirements and request approval before attempting to run these kinds of ads. Anything from climate change to elections and social issues falls under this area. Also, be aware that these ads will include a “Paid for by” disclaimer for people to see.

Misleading Claims

If you are making any claims or quoting any statistics in your ad, make sure they are easily provable. While it’s fine to tell prospective customers about the potential benefits of using your products or services, nothing you say should be misleading or make any exaggerated claims about potential results or the expected time frames for success.

Before publishing ads, it’s always a good idea to review any claims or statistics in your copy. If you can’t prove the claims or if they’re demonstrably false, remove them from the ad copy and use another tactic to promote your brand.

Poor Grammar

A missing comma or a misspelled word is not ideal, but they are not necessarily grounds for an ad being rejected. However, you’ll need to avoid deliberate grammar and punctuation issues when you’re attempting to make your ad stand out. For instance, you cannot capitalize alternating or random letters, and it’s best to avoid accented letters if possible. To be safe, keep your copy clean and free of unnecessary punctuation or unusual use of letters, and remember, you can always use emojis to make your ad more noticeable.

Avoid Getting Your Ads Rejected

If you’re looking for more information about advertising on Meta platforms, take a look at this page. And remember, keeping your copy free of anything too personal will help to speed along the ad approval process. As always, if you need any help getting your ad campaigns up and running, reach out to us at rallio.com for help.

Categories
Reputation Social

Align Your Franchise Social Media Marketing Across the Brand

Franchise social media can be a fantastic way to build a community and reach new customers, but it’s still a relatively new marketing platform for many franchise brands. The challenge is that when your franchisees are using social media in their own way, it can lead to inconsistent branding and damage the brand’s reputation. It can also lead to challenges when building a local presence and engaging with these customers, who are used to a different level of service. Here’s how you can align your online presence across all of your social media channels and train franchisees to get their social media marketing aligned across the brand.

Use Technology for Social Media Management

As any business owner can tell you, sharing content across various social channels can be a time-consuming task. Logging in and out of different platforms, coming up with social media content, and engaging with followers is a full-time and one that most businesses don’t have time to tackle. And international franchise businesses that aim to expand their footprint outside of the country may face additional challenges when trying to organize and manage their social media platforms due to language and cultural differences.

By using a social media SaaS platform like Rallio, marketers can manage all aspects of their social media presence from one place. It allows them to schedule posts, monitor analytics, track engagement and more without having to log into multiple platforms every day. It also empowers them to engage directly with customers when they leave comments, post online reviews, and send direct messages to the brand — ensuring nothing slips through the cracks.

Related: For 5 Years Running, Rallio Is a Top Franchise Supplier

Keep a Consistent Brand Image

When it comes to franchise social media marketing, important to maintain a consistent brand image even down to the location level so that your brand does not become fractured. In addition to using Rallio’s technology, which allows franchisors to set global permissions based on their needs, there are several ways you can ensure consistency across all your locations:

Identify your key messages and themes

Make sure they are consistent across all social media channels. This will help you be more effective at driving engagement and conversions.

Develop a social media policy

The policy must outline how franchisees and their employees should use social media accounts on behalf of your company, including guidelines on what types of content should be shared, how often, and who has permission to post or upload content on behalf of the business. The policy should also outline what they can’t say or share on social media accounts and explain why these policies exist.

Ensure that each location has its own branded profile pages

This includes Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other platforms where they’re active. With unique pages, franchisees can show off their own personality through photos and other content and attract local business.

Set up a system for posting content at each location

Whether you hire a third party or create an internal team, make sure there is consistency in the images and messages being posted across all locations. This will help develop brand recognition and allow customers to feel like they know your brand well. It also helps establish trust between your company and customers by fostering consistency across channels.

Keep it local and engaging

It’s important to personalize content depending on what works best in each market or region within your franchise network — whether that means local news, events or weather updates — but don’t forget about developing unique content tailored specifically to each location as well. For example, if one of your locations has a great new chef or menu item, create a post that features the chef and their famous dish.

Build an editorial calendar for content sharing across all channels

Make sure that each piece of content is aligned with your company’s overall voice and tone and offers value to your audience — whether it’s tips for running a successful business or educational resources for customers or prospective employees.

Pay Attention to Customer Care

Social media is a critical medium for franchise brands to strengthen relationships with stakeholders and potential leads in today’s digital economy. It’s important to pay attention to customer care, as many people use social media as a customer service channel. Here are some tips:

Be responsive, but don’t overreact

You should respond quickly, but don’t panic if you aren’t able to answer immediately. Aim to reply to comments, messages and reviews within 24 business hours.

Don’t fear negative feedback

It’s inevitable that you’re going to get some negative comments on social media. And while a lot of people think that if they get negative feedback, their brand will be damaged, it’s actually the opposite! Use it as an opportunity to respond professionally and show everyone you’re able to resolve issues gracefully. You’ll earn your followers’ trust — and hopefully even more sales!

Use the right tone

The tone of your replies should match the flow of the conversation — if someone asks for help or has a complaint, respond in an empathetic tone; if they’re just making small talk, respond casually.

Provide value

Responding with basic information like “I’m sorry” or “Thank you” isn’t enough — you need to provide value by offering actionable advice or resources that will help them solve their problem or make them want to do business with you again.

Align Your Brand and Reap the Rewards

The franchise industry is continually shifting its marketing focus toward social media, and it’s safe to say that it’s going to continue to be a central part of most franchise marketing plans in the future. By investing time in social media and laying the groundwork now, you can build an effective franchise brand on multiple platforms. Social media will likely continue to expand into other digital channels in the future as well, so it pays to be prepared. Contact us at rallio.com to schedule a demo and start taking advantage of having a single platform for all your social media marketing needs.

Categories
Social

7 Tips for Better Fall Photos on Social Media

When you’re thinking about taking photos or videos for your business, there are a lot of things to consider. Do you want to show people your product? Will you be using it in an ad or on your website? Are there any specific colors or themes you want to highlight? And when it comes to fall photos, you have even more options. The colors are so beautiful and warm — why not use them to promote your business? We’ve rounded up seven tips for better fall photos that will help you take stunning pictures for your social media pages and attract local business.

1. Use Natural Light

Natural light is the best kind of light because it’s free, easy to find, and, depending on the time of day, flattering for the subject of the photo. You don’t need expensive equipment or fancy lighting setups; just be creative with what you have available to you.

If you’re taking photos outside, try shooting in the morning or evening when the sun isn’t directly overhead or below your subject — this can make for shadows on faces. If you’re indoors, make sure that the light is shining in front of you, not behind. For example, film yourself while facing a window, not the other way around.

2. Highlight Your Community

You can take a picture of just about anything with fall in the background, but why not include some of the things that make your city unique? Think about what makes your community special, like the city hall or a landmark building. If possible, try to find an angle from which the building is prominent in the foreground of your photo.

The best part about this is that it doesn’t have to be a big city. There are many towns and small cities that have a lot of character and charm. If you live in a smaller town, use this as an opportunity to showcase what makes it unique.

3. Keep It Simple

Fall is the perfect time to experiment with different types of photography and techniques. It’s also a great time for creating more artistic images that reflect the season. However, if you want to create an image that will attract customers’ attention and make them want to follow you on social media, keep it simple.

Just because the leaves are changing and the weather is cooler doesn’t mean you have to get fancy with your photos. You can take great pictures with just a smartphone or point-and-shoot camera, along with unique angles and subject matter. For example, if you’re taking a photo of an apple tree at harvest time, try lying down on the ground so that you can get a close-up shot of one of its hanging fruits or the foliage above.

4. Feature Your Fall Favorites

The best way to show off your fall offerings is with a simple photo or video that showcases the product or service itself. This is a great opportunity to feature your business’s fall favorites such as unique products or services, along with special fall promotions.

For example, if you own a bakery, show off some of the seasonal treats you’re offering such as pumpkin pie, apple cider donuts, gingerbread cookies and more.

If you’re a florist, feature some beautiful fall flowers like mums, chrysanthemums and sunflowers. Or if you own a clothing boutique or accessory store, bring out all the scarves, hats and gloves that are perfect for this time of year.

Service-oriented businesses can take before-and-after photos featuring their work or how-to videos explaining how to DIY a project. Adding value to your followers’ feeds ensures they will keep coming back to see your content, helping you increase your engagement and reach.

Related: 7 Proven Video Content Ideas Guaranteed to Liven Up Your Social Media

5. Go Behind the Scenes

Show your followers what it’s like to run a business by including images of employees at work or behind-the-scenes shots of how your products are made or delivered to customers. Make sure there’s something interesting going on in the shot; if all you’re showing are a few products on a shelf, it doesn’t make for a compelling image — instead, try including a customer or an employee in the photo.

These photos come across as more authentic and help to build credibility among your followers. When they see that there’s a real human behind the face of the business, they can begin to connect with you on a more personal level. This is great for local business — and for building your brand on social media.

6. Use Props Sparingly

Fall is a great time for using props — think trees, pumpkins, leaves and anything that will bring out the colors in your photos while still staying true to the season’s theme. Just make sure not to overdo it with too many props or things that don’t fit with your brand; it will just look cluttered and messy. A good rule of thumb is to find things that are already in nature and use them as your backdrop. For example:

Leaves

This is an obvious choice for fall photos because it’s such a popular season for getting outside and enjoying nature. Fall leaves are bright and colorful — just like your business’s social media pages should be! Use them as filler or fill up an entire photo with them to create a cohesive theme.

Pumpkins

If you’re looking for something more festive than just leaves, pumpkins are a great option. From carved pumpkins to fresh ones with stems attached, there’s nothing wrong with having too many pumpkins around when you’re shooting.

Local Trails or Vistas

Have any favorite trailheads or lookout points nearby? Head out with a few co-workers, friends or family members to capture scenes of nature and share them with your followers.

7. Plan Ahead

Be sure to plan ahead so you can take advantage of photo opportunities at local community events, fall festivals, and other local happenings. Are there opportunities to set up a table and conduct some local marketing? Many organizations will let you set up for free or for a small vendor fee.

Remember to mark these events down on your calendar, and be sure to get permission to film at the event or photograph attendees if needed. The Rallio mobile app includes a release form that people can digitally sign and give you instant permission to share on social media. Don’t forget to ask for their Instagram handle so you can tag them — and, hopefully, they’ll share your content with their network, too.

Better Fall Photos Mean More Engagement

From real pumpkins and corn stalks to fall music festivals, there are plenty of ways for you to incorporate the sights and sounds of autumn into your social media photos. With the help of a few props and the right location, you can capture the fun of fall and share it with your followers.

Plus, with better photos, you’ll have better engagement, helping you grow your local business. In the end, you don’t need to invest in a lot of new props or equipment to take better fall photos. With just a few unique items here and there, you can boost your engagement on social media without spending a ton of money. And that’s empowering, especially when it comes to boosting your local business.

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