Rallio – Social Media for Franchises, Small & Local Business

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Social Uncategorized

11 Days of Instagram Caption Ideas

In our last post, we explained Instagram grid layouts — an easy way to make your page look like one cohesive work of art instead of a random series of photos. Now that you’re an Instagram grid guru, you might be wondering, what do I post on Instagram? Glad you asked — because we’ve got Instagram caption ideas to spark your imagination!

The captions below are not “cut and paste,” meaning you will need to customize them for your business. Obviously, you also need your own photos to post. However, with these Instagram caption ideas in hand, you’ll have plenty to work with when you’re snapping photos and figuring out what to post.

What other Instagram caption ideas can you come up with? Challenge yourself to get creative and think outside the square — the Instagram square, that is. Snap some personalized photos, add your own caption and hashtags, and create a grid layout of your own to start making the most of your Instagram profile.

Related: Quick Guide to Instagram Grid Layouts

Instagram grid layouts

#1 Get a Case of the Mondays

Play off the day of the week, like Mondays and Fridays. It’s a relatable topic that everyone understands and probably has an opinion about.

Example: I don’t know about you, but I like Mondays. ?? I actually wake up excited to start a new week. It’s true: Love what you do, and you’ll never work a day in your life, including Mondays. Anyone feel the same way?

#2 Quote Somebody

Quotes are one of the easiest types of posts you can create. Throw a quote into a nice layout (Canva.com makes it easy), and voila! There’s your post.

Example: “Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.” — Abraham Lincoln

#3 Talk About Your Industry

Post something about trend in your industry that your followers would want to know more about. You’re the expert on something, so share your knowledge!

Example (for a marketing company): Video will continue to be a dominant focus on Instagram going forward. Comment below and let us know: Are you using video in your social media content? Why or why not?

#4 Post a Testimonial

Ask a happy customer to give you a review, and get their permission to take a photo of them. Nothing is more powerful than the words of someone who loves your brand!

For this example, use your customer’s own words, shortening it as needed for purposes of a caption. If the customer is OK with it, tag them in the photo and ask them to share the post on their own profile. 

#5 Post a How-To

Take a video of yourself explaining how to use one of your products or services. Keep it short and sweet but helpful, too.

A furniture company could post a video explaining how to care for a leather sofa. A beauty brand could post a tutorial for applying face serum. The possibilities are endless!

#6 Post an Offer

Offers shouldn’t be the bulk of your page, but they can be sprinkled in. Make sure it’s aesthetically pleasing and doesn’t look like a giant “Sale!” sign. You can easily grab a nice product photo from your website and add a caption that explains the offer.

Example: Don’t miss out! For three days only, get free shipping and 25% off your order when you spend $99. Head over to the link in our bio to snag this deal before it’s gone!

Related: 15 Social Media Content Ideas for Small Businesses

social media content ideas

#7 Post a Giveaway

Like offers, giveaways can be mixed in among your regular content to gain engagement and get your followers excited about your page. Try partnering with another brand to collaborate on the giveaway.

For this example, spell out the contest rules clearly and make sure you add in language that encourages people to follow and engage with your brand.

#8 Post a Behind-The-Scenes Photo

Who started your company? Who’s your star employee of the month? What fun events do you do as a team? Get snapping and tell your followers about it!

Example: This is Christie. She runs our front desk like a boss and always has a smile on her face. She also makes the best German chocolate cake this side of the Colorado River, and she has three adorable beagles she sometimes brings to work. Leave a comment below and give Christie a shoutout!

#9 Post a Fun Fact

Again, you’re the pro. What information can you share with your followers?

Example for a cleaning company: Ever feel like your floor is constantly getting dirty? Cut down on the dirt and germs by removing your shoes every time you walk in the door. If you have pets, consider purchasing pet-friendly paw wipes to reduce the amount of dirt tracked inside.

#10 Make a Prediction

What industry predictions can you make? Pull out your crystal ball, and take a few wild guesses!

Example: Here it is: our top three predictions for the latest and greatest in [XYZ industry] trends for 2022.

  • Prediction 1
  • Prediction 2
  • Prediction 3

What about you? What are your top predictions?

#11 Focus on the Little Things

Like a day of the week, talking about small, relatable topics has a way of connecting with your followers.

Example: Never underestimate the power of a smile from a stranger, a chocolate chip cookie hot out of the oven, and fresh, clean sheets on the bed. Today, we are grateful for all the little things.

Instagram Caption Ideas Are Easy Once You Get Rolling

You’ll notice that the ideas above are repeatable, so you can recycle the same ideas with different captions and photos to keep your content fresh. You’ll never run out of content this way!

Of course, not everyone has time to post on Instagram if you’re busy running your business. Does your business need help posting more frequently? Contact us at Rallio and we’ll help you out!

Categories
Social

Quick Guide to Instagram Grid Layouts

Around the world, thousands of businesses use Instagram to market their products and services. Whether you’re selling your new lipstick line or promoting your life coaching program, there are so many ways to connect with your target audience, build a following, and grow your business. One way to connect with them and impress your followers? Instagram grid layouts.

While you can easily get started posting without a specific pattern in mind for your page, eventually, you might want to think about creating an Instagram grid layout. With a grid layout, your page looks like one cohesive work of art instead of a random series of photos. 

Arguably, a grid layout is not the be-all, end-all of gaining followers and engagement on your page. Some people will come across your posts in their feeds and won’t bother to visit your page. They also might solely view your Stories or Reels, making the grid layout less important.

However, if you want your page to be aesthetically pleasing — say, for a fashion, beauty or graphic design business — then a grid layout is the way to go. Plus, driving people to your profile is ideal because that’s where you’ll have a link to your website or other important information.

Related: 3 Big Reasons You Need Influencer Marketing

Squares Grid

As the most basic Instagram grid layout, squares are a great place to start if you’re new to creating grids. The idea with squares is to simply post a photo one at a time, using consistent colors and filters.

For example, use a simple black and white aesthetic to give your feed a consistent look and feel. Select colors and filters that reflect your brand’s personality and industry niche, and then stick with that theme throughout your feed.

Checkerboard Grid

If the squares layout grows tiresome for you, at some point you might want to swap it out for a checkerboard. With a checkerboard Instagram grid layout, you alternate between two types of posts or color themes. 

For example, you might have a quote post one day, followed by a real-life photo the next, and you continue to alternate these post types throughout your feed. Another option with the checkerboard is to alternate backgrounds — say, a dark background one day and a white background the next.

Again, stick with the same color scheme and filters. Also, use consistent fonts if you’re posting any quotes or images with text.

Row By Row

Are you a natural storyteller? The row-by-row layout could be for you.

With a row-by-row layout, you create a visual story that moves from left to right like the pages of a book or a magazine. The key is to share a story within three posts that share a similar visual aesthetic, if not the exact same person or object within the three photos. You can also publish a series of quotes across three different posts.

While visually appealing, the row-by-row layout can be challenging if you don’t have the time or resources to post three photos at the same time. (It has to be done this way, or you’ll wreck the layout.) 

However, if you’re able to plan ahead or have someone help you with your posting — our Rallio Local division, for one — then the row-by-row layout can be a fun, engaging way to display your feed.

Puzzle Grid

The puzzle grid is perhaps the trickiest type of Instagram grid layout. With a puzzle grid, you have one image split into multiple posts that are each part of a whole. 

Even though puzzle-grid photos fit together as part of a larger image, ideally the individual photos should be able to stand on their own. This way, if someone views a post within their feed, the photo will still make sense.

Again, the puzzle grid takes some planning and foresight to pull it off effectively. As always, stay consistent with filters, colors and fonts across your puzzle-grid photos.

Related: 3 Simple Ways to Increase Your Exposure Online

Vertical or Diagonal Lines

With a vertical or diagonal lines grid, you have a consistent theme either vertically or diagonally in your feed. Examples include:

  • Quotes with a consistent background 
  • Images with a consistent background or visual aesthetic
  • Consistent borders, such as framed quotes
  • Similar post types — say, images of dogs all down the middle of your feed, surrounded by quotes

It’s common with vertical grids to post photos down the middle of a feed, but you could also post on the right or the left. With a diagonal grid, it’s the same idea, only the photos share a similar look and feel in diagonal lines.

Additional Grid Options

If none of the options above work for you, try one of these:

  • Rainbow grid. Gradually change the core colors of your feed every three, six or nine photos. Use a color wheel to slowly transition from one color to the next.
  • Mixed grid. You don’t have to stick with the same grid forever. You might have a puzzle grid for a specific purpose, such as a product launch, and then implement a different grid once the puzzle is complete.

Keep Your Feed Fresh With Instagram Grid Layouts

Keep in mind that Instagram is primarily a visual platform and should be treated as such, with aesthetically pleasing photos and carefully thought-out themes that catch your followers’ eye. With proper planning and consistent effort, your Instagram page can really come to life with a grid layout. 

Could you use some help creating an Instagram grid layout for your page? Reach out to sales@rallio.com and we’d be happy to recommend the best strategy for your business.

Categories
Social

3 Critical Questions to Ask Before Slashing Your Marketing Budget

This post was originally published in October 2020 and has been updated.

There are many different ways to trim your budget as you consider your business spending for 2022. While there may be certain cost-cutting measures you can take, however, your marketing budget should not be one of them. 

Internet and social media usage continue to be at an all-time high, meaning you have an opportunity to reach customers who otherwise would never find you. Statista reports that usage continues to climb, with 82% of the U.S. population saying they currently use some form of social media.

Although the pandemic has brought about challenging times for businesses and consumers alike, it has also presented opportunities for businesses to grow. Rather than slash your marketing budget, ramp up your marketing efforts stay ahead of your competition.

According to Harvard Business Review (HBR): “Companies that have bounced back most strongly from previous recessions usually did not cut their marketing spend, and in many cases actually increased it. But they did change what they were spending their marketing budget on and when to reflect the new context in which they operated.”

As you finalize 2022 marketing planning, ask yourself these three critical questions. You might find that it’s simply a matter of reallocating your marketing dollars in new and better ways.

Related: The 6 Most Important Social Media Metrics to Track for ROI

Have You Pivoted?

By pivoting, we mean changing course. Throwing your marketing dollars at the same things you were marketing heavily a year ago just doesn’t make sense. Instead, consider how your business can shift to address the current reality — now that we’re nearly two years into the pandemic.

By now, many businesses have already figured out how to pivot. There have been entirely new lines of business created, out of necessity:

  • Fitness studios, forced to close their doors due to COVID-19, had to launch virtual classes. Many of them are continuing these virtual offerings even as they reopen to cater to people who want to stay fit from home.
  • Restaurants had to create takeout and delivery options. 
  • Retailers had to create ecommerce offerings in place of in-person shopping.
  • Businesses that lost workers are now using social media to recruit new talent.
Many of these new additions to businesses are here to stay. And yet … can you do more?

Now is not the time to get comfortable. Keep the things that are working, but keep discovering ways to be better than your competitors, too. 

As HBR puts it: “Research … shows that products launched during a recession have both higher long-term survival chances and higher sales revenues. That’s partly because there are fewer new products to compete with, but it also comes from the fact that companies maintaining R&D have focused the investment on their best prospects — which may explain why products introduced during recessions have been shown to be of higher quality.”

“A new and innovative product engenders hope that the economy is on the mend, and that the consumer may soon be able to afford it,” HBR adds.

It’s not enough to launch new products and services — how are you going to spread the word?

It’s essential that you pair your launches with strategic marketing plans for the greatest impact with your target audience. 

Read more: Lessons Learned From the Pandemic: A Conversation With Franchisees

Are You Satisfied With Your Share of Voice?

Share of voice (SOV) is a metric that describes your share of advertising compared to your competitors. It also includes all forms of measurable brand awareness, such as the number and reach of online mentions, pay per click, website traffic and other factors, says Search Engine Journal (SEJ).

“Basically, share of voice helps you understand how popular your brand is compared to all your competitors,” adds SEJ.

Calculating your SOV requires a detailed explanation that goes beyond the subject matter of this article. The SEJ article referenced above offers a nice breakdown you can use to determine your own SOV. (Feeling acronymed out yet?)

However, the key takeaway is that increasing your advertising is a smart move right now while your competitors are cutting back. Think about it: As they decrease, and you increase, you gain more SOV.

“During recessions, when most firms are cutting back on their brand advertising, a firm’s share of voice increases if it can maintain or increase its advertising budget,” says HBR, citing Reckitt Benckiser, whose family of brands includes Clearasil, Durex, Woolite and, notably during the pandemic, Lysol. 

“In the recession following the 2008 financial crash, the company launched a marketing campaign aimed at persuading its consumers to continue purchasing its more expensive and better performing brands, despite the harsh economic climate,” explains HBR. “Increasing its advertising outlays by 25% in the face of reduced marketing by competitors, Reckitt Benckiser actually grew revenues by 8% and profits by 14%, when most of its rivals were reporting profit declines of 10% or more. They viewed advertising as an investment rather than an expense.”

In today’s climate, gaining SOV means ramping up your marketing budget and advertising via social media and other digital mediums. Your followers need to hear from you, or they’ll forget about you and go elsewhere. 

And even established brands need to work to stay relevant. Just look at big names like Coca Cola in 2020, reminding its customers that the brand “always has been, and always will be there for you, in good times and bad,” notes HBR. (Learn more in this YouTube segment.)

Your followers also need to see that you’re responsive to social media questions, comments, online reviews and other digital engagements. All of these small interactions add up to a greater SOV than the competitor with no social presence, unanswered comments and questions, and sometimes even reviews that haven’t received a response.

In summary, increasing your marketing budget has the potential to give you:

  • Not just greater SOV, but also greater market share as a result of increased connections with customers and new prospects. Your social media ad campaigns, boosted posts and related email offers all help you reach your target audience.
  • Retention of your core customer base. Staying top of mind means they think of you when they need your products or services. Out of sight means out of mind.
  • New customers. How are you going to keep a constantly growing pipeline if you aren’t marketing and advertising yourself?
  • A positive online reputation. Having someone dedicated to responding to every single social interaction and review is essential for cultivating credibility and trust with your target audience.

Can You Better Allocate Your Marketing Budget?

So if you aren’t going to cut your marketing budget, it makes sense to look at where you are spending your marketing dollars.

If you take a good look at where you are spending your marketing budget, you might find that you need to make some tweaks. If you’re spending money on pay per click but spending nothing on social media, for instance, you’re missing out on opportunities to reach your customer.

Learn more: 5 Ways to Integrate Email Marketing With Social Media Marketing



What kind of tweaks can you make? 

  • Allocate money toward social media. Our research and firsthand experience with clients have demonstrated the value of social media marketing and advertising. Time and time again, we’ve seen that even a modest social media ad budget allows brands to extend their reach and expand their following. We are also actively helping our clients navigate iOS privacy concerns and changes to Facebook ad targeting options, which will become significantly reduced starting in January.
  • Ensure your digital platforms are an extension of in-person experiences. Your social media messaging, design, visuals and even the people pictured in your local photos should reflect what you have in-store. Own a restaurant? They should see James, your head chef, and Sally, your hostess with the mostest.
  • Provide a seamless shopping experience by aligning your social media with the rest of your marketing. For example, a shopper who shops in your physical store should be able to hop on your social media pages and have a similar experience. A shopper who receives marketing offers via email but isn’t targeted and retargeted via social media is a lost opportunity. 
  • Consider whether outsourcing would help you achieve more of your marketing goals with less money. The cost of hiring someone to manage the full-time job of social media marketing is often greater than the cost of outsourcing to a partner like Rallio.

Your Business Deserves a Smart Marketing Budget

We understand the current economic climate might make some businesses nervous about spending money on marketing. However, without a dedicated and properly allocated marketing budget, your business will have a tough time getting ahead.

Keep in mind that Rallio offers a variety of different products and services to help with your marketing goals. We’ll make things work for your particular marketing budget — so you can feel good about spending the money. Schedule a no-obligation consultation to find out how we can help.
Categories
Social

3 Big Reasons You Need Influencer Marketing

It’s harder and harder to get people’s attention these days. As consumers thumb through their social media feeds, you have only nanoseconds to stop the scroll. Marketers are getting savvy about solving this problem, however, and influencer marketing is one way to stand out from the crowd.

Influencer marketing involves having your product or service promoted by someone who has a social media following. Rather than rely on big celebrity endorsements, you’re working with influencers who tell their followers what they like about your brand.

These influencers don’t need to have hundreds of thousands of followers, either. Even accounts with modest follower counts are able to capture the attention of their fans. 

There are many reasons for this shift toward influencer marketing. In this quick read, you’ll discover three of the biggest reasons you should add influencer marketing to your strategic plans.

Influencer Marketing Offers Long-Term Results

When you partner with influencer marketers, you’re able to create a mutually beneficial long-term relationship. These people effectively become brand ambassadors who promote your brand message among their own followers. 

Those followers may share this content with their own followers, too. This broadens your reach even further, as more and more people learn about your brand. This extended network is filled with potential new followers and customers who want to buy from you.

Related: 3 Simple Ways to Increase Your Exposure Online

increase your online exposure

People Trust Influencer Messaging Over Brand Messaging

The Digital Marketing Institute (DMI) reports that 70% of younger generations trust influencers over celebrities. The messages coming from influencers are viewed as more authentic and credible than a paid ad or promotion from a brand.

With this credibility, you are more easily able to connect with your target audience. DMI also states that 49% of consumers depend on influencer recommendations, and 40% had purchased something after seeing it on Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.

Think about a product you love that you found through social media, and you can understand these statistics. Seeing how a product is used in real life by someone who seems relatable makes you more likely to buy it.

Influencers Can Include Employees and Customers

Consider, too, that influencer marketers aren’t just outsiders who partner with your brand. They can also include happy customers as well as employees within your own company. DMI notes that employee-generated content is re-shared up to 24 more times when posted by employees versus a brand. In addition, these posts get up to eight times more engagement.

Moreover, you can incentivize employees to post both branded and unbranded content about your company. With Rallio’s Activate platform, the process is even easier: Provide your employees and influencers with limited mobile logins so they can upload and post content about your brand.

With customers, you can feature their testimonials on your own social feeds. Either post a photo or video of them that you film yourself, or reshare user-generated content. For example, if a customer posts a Story about your new soda flavor or lipstick shade, reshare it on your own stories.

Related: Employee Advocacy Checklist: A Guide to Creating Your Advocacy Program

Start Small and Grow With Influencer Marketing

The best part about influencer marketing is that it’s possible to get started without investing a lot of capital. If you have a product or service people love, they will be happy to share about your brand. 

Sometimes, all it takes is asking. Get in touch with your top employees and customers, and ask if they’d be willing to post about your brand. Create an incentive plan or special discount that makes it worth their while.

In time, you’ll be able to grow your influencer marketing program to include influencers with a bigger following. Remember, though, it’s about quality and not quantity. Your followers will often connect more readily with people who have a modest following rather than a large account, which they might view as less trustworthy.

To learn more about how Rallio can help you power up your influencer marketing, contact sales@rallio.com.

Categories
Social

4 Big Reasons You Need Localized Social Media Content

Social media is the first and last impression your customers will see of your brand on the web. You need to stand out from the competition and post localized social media content that is engaging and speaks to your audience. 

There are several benefits of posting localized social media content on your profiles. For one, it lets people know that you understand their needs and interests — and that there are real humans behind the scenes. Because social media is a fast-moving platform, it pays to have content that’s relevant and tailored just for your audience’s needs.

Not convinced yet? Here are 7 reasons you should ditch generic posts and create localized social media content for your business’ social profiles.

#1: Localized Social Media Content Shows You’re Invested in Your Community

Posting localized social media content that includes real photos and videos of your team, your location and your community allows you to showcase your brand’s personality. When people see your content, they’re more likely to engage with it if it comes across as authentic. There’s no better way to illustrate your authenticity than with real-life snapshots of a day in the life, team celebrations, birthday parties, pet pictures, customer testimonials and community events. 

Consider how you personally interact with posts on social media. Would you rather like and comment on a post that’s entertaining, inspiring or informative — or a post that includes a stock photo and a generic caption? When you post locally relevant content to social media, it has the effect of building relationships with locals 1-on-1. This can be beneficial for business because it makes local communities feel “known” and understood.

Related: Case Study: Why Localized Social Media Matters

Rallio Local

#2: Localized Social Media Content Differentiates You From the Parent Company

Most franchisors have social media marketing assets that they share with franchisees, and there’s a place for this branded content. After all, as a franchisee, you joined a brand for the name recognition, processes and systems. So why not use the brand name to your advantage? 

While it makes sense to make use of your parent company’s marketing tools, it’s important that you don’t rely exclusively on them. When you personalize your pages with real photos and videos from your location, you send a message to your followers that you’ll treat them as individuals, not just another follower on your page.

#3: Localized Social Media Content Generates More Opportunities

By posting localized social media content and attracting more likes, comments and shares, you create opportunities for more leads and customers. If a follower comments on your post, you can interact directly with that person, showing you’re interested and engaged with your community. 

At times, your followers may have questions that they leave within the comments section or through a direct message. Or they might even leave a review about your business on a review platform. When you stay engaged and alert to what customers are saying about you, you have an opportunity to make that customer happy. You also show prospective customers who are checking out your business online that you care about your customers.

Related: Upgrade Your Social Media in 4 Simple Steps

upgrade your social media

#4 You Create Loyal Customers

According to Salesforce Research reported by Hubspot, 89% of consumers are more likely to make another purchase after a positive customer service experience. When you consider that many people turn to social media for customer support issues, you can better understand why you need to stay on top of your local social media page.

“Despite social media’s role as a place to connect with friends and coworkers, many businesses and consumers are using it to connect as well,” notes Help Scout. “Functionality like Facebook and Instagram messaging have made it easy for users to connect directly with brands in a more meaningful and authentic way than they used to. Because of that, many companies are striving to create more presence in those environments.”

If a customer were to comment on a post or reach out via Messenger and other forms of direct messaging, they expect a speedy response. When you make a habit of checking your engagements, posting regularly and monitoring mentions of your brand, you’ll be able to follow up on any customer service issues promptly.

Localized Social Media Content + Consistency Are Key

As you may know, there is plenty of competition out there for brands like yours. Localized social media content, posted at least three or four times a week, will give you the consistent online presence you need to stand out from the crowd. Over time and with the addition of ad spend, you’ll build a relationship with your customers — and you might even enjoy the process of getting to know them. If you need more help creating that localized presence and automating the entire process, reach out to us at rallio.com. 

“We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It’s our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better.”

–Jeff Bezos

 

Categories
Content Marketing Uncategorized

12 Surefire Ways to Grow Your Email List

So you have a special offer, promotion, announcement or video you want to email to your customers. But what do you do if your email list could fit on, uh, a sticky note? Or, more to the point, how do you grow your email list so you actually have people to email?

It’s a common problem among businesses that are just starting out or that haven’t put focused effort into acquiring subscribers. Start implementing the following 12 tips, however, and you’ll be well on your way to bulking up your email list and converting more of those people into paying customers.

Ready to grow your email list? Let’s go!

#1: Create a giveaway.

One of the simplest ways to grow your email list is by launching a giveaway where people need to provide their email address to enter. It’s best if you give other options for entering via social media — by liking a post and tagging a friend, for example — so that your giveaway is accessible to everyone (not just people who give you their email).

For the email entry, create a landing page for the giveaway that’s independent of Facebook and your website. A simple email entry form will let you capture email addresses, and you can provide further details about the giveaway rules and the giveaway itself. You’ll also make use of this landing page in additional steps below.

#2: Add a call-to-action button to your Facebook page.

You can use a Sign Up button on your Facebook profile that links users to your giveaway landing page. This button can also be linked with other content when you’re not hosting a giveaway, such as a gated featured resource that requires email access. 

Related: 3 Simple Ways to Increase Your Exposure Online

Increase your online exposure

#3: Create an email automation.

Once you have a subscriber, you can send them through different email automations. An email automation is simply a series of emails that you send to a subscriber based on different triggers. These emails not only provide information to subscribers, but also help with retention so people don’t immediately unsubscribe after your giveaway is done.

For example, once someone enters your giveaway, you can send them through an automation that tells them more details about the giveaway. Then send them another email on days 2, 3, 4 or however long you want the automation to be — a seven-day sequence is a good goal. When they reach the end of the automation, have the automation subscribe them to a general email list that you can then use for your email marketing.

In the subsequent emails, add value by sending out blog posts, freebies or other information. You can also pair your emails with social media posts that echo your email content.

#4: Create a challenge.

You could also create a landing page featuring a unique seasonal challenge with a downloadable resource — an ebook, for instance — such as “7-Day Healthy Eating Challenge” that people would opt into. You could then take info from your ebook and create an email sequence to distribute the healthy tips and create other assets to go with it on social media, such as social media posts and even a private Facebook group (more on that in tip #11). 

#5: Host an online event.

Have a topic you know something about? Or some type of special event you can host virtually? Create an educational webinar, a “virtual tasting” event with food or drinks, or even a how-to session explaining one of your products. 

Create a landing page or use a service like Eventbrite.com where people input their email address to join your event or class. Be sure to promote the event on social media, in your newsletter and on your website. 

Related: 5 Easy Steps to Run a Successful Social Media Contest

social media contest

#6: Add an “Instant Win” to your website.

Ever seen a “spin the wheel” animation on a website? People can enter their email address in exchange for instant savings, such as a percentage off at checkout.

See Viral Sweep for instant win ideas. Note that after a user enters their email address, they can be presented with social media sharing options.

#7: Use your cover photos.

Turn your Facebook and Twitter cover photos into calls to action to sign up for your email list, for a contest, for a special challenge or anything else that gets people to subscribe. 

Canva.com is an easy graphic design tool, or you can use a service like Fivrr or Upwork to locate a freelancer who can create the artwork for you.

#8: Post snippets to social media.

Draw out useful tidbits from your monthly newsletter content or blog that you can repurpose on social media. Ask your followers to become email subscribers — send them over to that landing page you created. 

Related: Upgrade Your Social Media in 4 Simple Steps

Upgrade your social media

#9: Pin a link to your landing page to the top of your profile. 

As with your cover photos, you can pin your landing page to the top of your Facebook and Twitter profiles. You can also put this link in your Instagram bio and/or link to it from Stories. If you have more than 10K followers, you can add this link as a swipe-up feature.

Note: If you have multiple links you want to share with your followers, gather them together in a single link using a link-bundling tool like Linktree.

#10: Add an “Email” link on your Instagram profile. 

This technique to grow your email list might not get you an influx of subscribers, but it falls under the category of “why not?” You’ll simply go into your Instagram settings to add this button and provide another means for people to message you.

Then, if and when you get an email, you can invite them to join your subscriber list. Try adding a call to action to “subscribe to emails” within your email signature, so that anytime you reply back to someone, you have another opportunity to obtain new subscribers.

#11: Create a Facebook group.

Facebook groups can be a great place to connect with a smaller group of followers who are interested in your topic. If you have a massage business, you could start a Facebook group featuring tips on stress relief and healthy living, for example. 

Within your Facebook group, you can try various tactics to gain email subscribers. The massage business could create “7 Days of Stress Relief” where people opt in to receive emails. Each day, they would get a different email with new stress-relief tips.

Be sure to promote your Facebook group via your main Facebook page, too, with social media posts inviting your followers to join the group.

#12: Partner with a business.

There are plenty of complementary businesses out there that would be willing to add your email newsletter link to their own website, newsletter and social media channels in exchange for you doing the same. Reach out to them and let them know you’ll feature the partner in your own newsletter. 

This technique can also work well for co-hosting contests and giveaways. Plus, if another business provides the giveaway item, it won’t cost you anything.

Grow Your Email List One Tip at a Time

As you can see, many of these techniques make use of existing resources such as your social media pages. You can get them done in seconds and, in many cases, without spending any extra money. 

Start with the tip that’s easiest for you, and then continue through the list until you’ve checked off all 12. Before long, you’ll be able to grow your email list to a sizable number of subscribers who are interested in your brand.

 

Categories
Social

3 Simple Ways to Increase Your Exposure Online

Are you looking to increase your exposure online? With so many different types of media competing for your audience’s attention, standing out can feel challenging — but it’s not impossible. 

Rather than try to implement every idea under the sun as far as social media marketing goes, try a few of the simple ideas below. Set aside an hour a day for your marketing efforts, and little by little, you’ll be able to make progress.

Get Active on Social Media

If you haven’t already, start by setting up social media profiles on the major platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. Each platform is slightly different in terms of how content is presented and the types of tools available. But don’t worry about that too much right now. Just start with the basics of a profile picture, cover photo, bio, and information about your business such as website and contact information.

Then, start posting content! Does that sound scary? It shouldn’t. All it takes is a smartphone with a camera to get started.

You can snap photos of people, customers who wish to provide testimonials, fur babies who visit your location or belong to your team, community events, and other real-life people and places. These types of authentic photos will help you connect with your audience and provoke conversations online. (Nobody can scroll past a cute puppy, right?)

See our article 15 Social Media Content Ideas for Small Businesses for more ideas of what to post on social media.

Hold a Contest

Running a contest on social media can help you not only grow your following, but also build brand awareness while rewarding your loyal followers.

Some of the possible goals you might have in running a contest on social media could include:

  • More views of your posts. Ask people to like and comment on your contest posts, so that more people will see them. Add a boost to these posts for even more visibility.
  • Brand awareness. As more people see your content, they’ll become more aware of who you are and what you have to offer. Partner with complementary businesses and influencers to be introduced to their followers, too.
  • Email list growth. In addition to asking for engagements on your social contest posts, you can also request entry via name and email address. (Tell your followers this is an optional step that earns them an extra entry, however — otherwise, you risk losing people who don’t want to provide an email address.)
  • Buzz around your brand. With an exciting offer, you’ll generate buzz and increase the chances of gaining new followers.

Make sure you have a good giveaway to offer; consider partnering with a complementary brand to award a unique product or service. This way, it doesn’t cost you much to increase your exposure online, and the other brand can help spread awareness, too.

See our article 5 Easy Steps to Run a Successful Social Media Contest for specifics on running a social media contest.

Engage in Conversations 

Visit Facebook and LinkedIn groups related to your brand, and get involved in conversations to help increase your exposure online. Respond to questions that people post. Establish yourself as an expert on a topic, and drop subtle hints about your own brand.

Subtle is the key word here. Don’t use these groups as a way to pitch your products or services unless someone specifically asks a related question. 

For example, if there’s a question about the best tires for a certain type of truck, and you own a tire shop, it would be natural for you to provide your recommendation and mention that you have a special going on these tires.

If someone asks for a referral to a gardener and you’re a housecleaner, this is not a natural place for you to mention your housecleaning services. However, if you know of a gardener through your business connections, you can tag them in your reply. By mentioning another business, you build trust with the audience. The gardener might be inclined to mention your services, too, if the need arises for a housecleaner.

We Can Help Increase Your Exposure Online

It might take a little effort to increase your exposure online, but it doesn’t have to be labor-intensive. By putting in a little effort consistently, you can gradually reach more of your intended audience, grow your brand, and eventually let your followers do some of the work through word-of-mouth referrals. 

Do you need some help coming up with ideas of ways to increase your exposure online? Rather have us do the heavy lifting for you and let our technology automate the entire process? Visit rallio.com to request a demo or contact us for more information.

 

Categories
Social

Now Introducing: Rallio Local a la Carte Social Media Services

Sometimes, when you hit the drive-thru, all you want is an order of fries. That’s it. No burger, no pink lemonade, no chocolate chunk cookie. And no matter what that person taking your order says, you’re simply not going to cave in. 

You’re going home with your order of fries. That’s it. Nothing else.

Now, at some point, you may decide that your fries weren’t enough. Suddenly a chocolate milkshake sounds like the perfect dipping sauce for your fries. And you find yourself back in the drive-thru again.

Where are we going with all this fry talk, you ask? Compare that order of fries to the social media services you might need. Maybe all you want is someone to create ads for you or post content on your page, and you’re not ready to commit to anything else.

The good news is, our a la carte services menu has you covered. Now, when you sign up for Rallio Local social media services, you can pick and choose from among our many different services and only buy the ones you need.

Later, if you decide you need that proverbial milkshake or want to switch social media services altogether, it’s easy to make the change. We bill month-to-month, with no annual contract — because, like that midnight milkshake craving, how are you going to know what you want or need 12 months from now? 

With Rallio Local a la carte, you can revisit our online shopping portal anytime to select the social media services you need. Below, you’ll find a quick rundown of each menu item. Click on the link below each description to start filling up your cart with social media services today.

Related: Why Use Rallio Local for Your Social Media Needs? Because It Just Makes Sense

Rallio social media services just make sense

Post Creative

If posting is falling to the bottom of your priority list, leave the weekly posting to a Rallio professional. A Rallio social media professional will create up to four unique posts per week for your social pages. Both you and your employees will utilize Rallio’s mobile app to snap in-the-moment photos and videos, or even upload previously snapped content from your camera roll. Our team will select only the best content for your pages, craft highly engaging captions, and publish on your behalf. Want to approve the posts before they publish? Our post-approval feature can be turned on at any time.

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Reputation Management

Responding to your online reviews, whether positive or negative, is a digital marketing must. Rallio’s reputation management services will ensure all of your online reviews on Facebook, Google and Yelp are responded to within 24 business hours. No robots here! Rallio’s trained staff of social media professionals will craft custom, unique responses to each of your online reviews in an authentic and professional way. You will also have the ability to approve review responses before going live. with our review response approval system.

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Dedicated Strategist

If you feel like your social media needs a little extra attention, partner with a dedicated Rallio Social Media Strategist. By working with a Strategist, you’ll have unlimited direct access to their genius mind. Your Strategist will analyze your social media profiles in their current state and develop a monthly strategy to help you maximize your results using goals and benchmarks you will decide upon together. From that point, you can take the strategy and run with it yourself or you can opt into Rallio’s Post Creative, Weekly Boosting,  Reputation Management and Social Care subscriptions and have your dedicated Social Strategist handle it all for you.

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Social Care

A Rallio social media expert will ensure all your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn comments and messages are engaged with within 24 business hours. Questions, messages and comments that require simple answers able to be found using your website or other information on the web will be published automatically. Some messages and comments might require a little more insight before they receive the proper response. In those cases, a Rallio professional will contact you to ensure you are alerted of the message and even recommend a response for you to publish yourself.

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Related: 4 Big Reasons You Should Outsource Your Social Media Marketing

Outsource social media services

Weekly Boosting

Rallio’s weekly boosting service guarantees you’ll get the eyes you need on your best and most important posts. Each week, a trained Rallio social media professional will place some of your monthly ad dollars on one of your recent top-performing posts. If you want something specific boosted or you want to up your budget, Rallio can accommodate those requests.

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Following Growth

Growing your following is a major part of increasing your overall brand awareness. This service guarantees that you’ll receive new followers month over month. A trained Rallio social media professional will target people in your actual community, ensuring that you always reach real people with real customer potential. If you want to up your budget, Rallio can accommodate that request.

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SEO Management

Having your business information consistent across the web is important for your online search rankings. A Rallio expert will optimize your listings on over 30 different online directories to make sure that your customers can find you in the places that matter most.

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Advertising Bundle

Bundle Rallio services and save. Includes $70/month in advertising dollars.

Bundle Rallio’s Weekly Boosting service and Following Growth service to guarantee you’ll get the eyes and followers you need on your social pages.

Weekly Boosting: Each week, a trained Rallio social media professional will place some of your monthly ad dollars on one of your recent top-performing posts. This will ensure that your post reaches your desired target audience with a specific call to action, like “Call Now” or “Send Message”.

Following Growth: A trained Rallio social media professional creates a campaign encouraging potential customers in your actual community to follow your business page.

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Online Reputation Bundle

Bundle Rallio services and save.

Bundle Rallio’s Review Responding service and Social Care service to guarantee your customers get a response everywhere, every time.

Review Responding: A Rallio social media expert will ensure all of your online reviews on Facebook, Google and Yelp are responded to within 24 business hours.

Social Care: A Rallio social media expert will ensure all your Facebook and Instagram comments and messages are engaged with within 24 business hours.

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Premium Bundle

Bundle all Rallio services and save.

With this bundle, your entire social media marketing efforts will be handled by a Rallio Social Strategist. This bundle includes:

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Get the Social Media Services You Need With Rallio Local a la Carte 

Forget about buying the entire family meal; Rallio Local a la Carte gives you the exact social media services you need, when you need them. And when your needs change, we make it easy to make the switch.

To get started, visit the links above or reach out to a Rallio Local expert at sales@rallio.com.

Learn more: Why Social Media Is Important for Business Marketing

Categories
Social

Upgrade Your Social Media in 4 Simple Steps

The realization that you need to upgrade your social media doesn’t necessarily come naturally. If you’ve had your social media pages on autopilot, posting sporadically or simply relying on the status quo to get by, then you might not recognize there’s a problem brewing.

It’s like when you’ve been driving around your reliable, fuel-conserving car for a number of years. It’s easy to get comfortable with your ride, right? You trust that you’ll be able to pop in your key, turn on the engine, and drive away into the sunset (or the local coffee shop, depending on what strikes your fancy). 

Then one day, you turn your key and hear a dreadful gurgle, a noisy clatter, a wheezy cough — or, perhaps worst of all, deafening silence. And you realize it’s time to head to the mechanic or maybe even upgrade your ride altogether.

If the day comes when your social media pages seem to be gurgling, clattering, wheezing, or producing the sound of crickets as your followers fade into the night, then you’ll know that’s the day to upgrade your social media. 

Never fear, because the following four simple steps are here to make your life easier. If you complete even one or two of these upgrades, then your social media pages should be humming along again in no time.

Step 1: Create Videos

This step is so easy, you’ll wonder why you haven’t been posting videos all along. Video content is huge on social media, now that anyone with a smartphone has a built-in video camera. All you need to do is pull out your phone and film a short video, upload it to social media with a fun caption, and maybe boost your best video content for better results (more on that later).

Here at Rallio, our video content is professionally scripted and filmed, with carefully crafted story lines and themes. However, you needn’t worry about getting too fancy if you don’t have the resources or time. 

A simple how-to video or a quick “hello” to your audience can be enough to breathe life into your social media pages, helping you move beyond just image-based content. You can also use live formats on Facebook and Instagram to build even more excitement and catch your followers in the moment, as they scroll.

We reveal several different video content ideas in our article 7 Proven Video Content Ideas Guaranteed to Liven Up Your Social Media. Read through it to see what types of content might resonate with your audience. Happy filming!

Step 2: Humanize Your Content

Creating video content is a great way to bring an authentic look and feel to your pages, but you can also extend that concept into all your different types of content. Posting real photos of your team, your location and your customers, along with their testimonials, is another way to humanize your content with your audience.

Know what doesn’t work? Bland, stale, “stock photo” imagery of random people doing random things. One of the simplest ways to upgrade your social media is by getting rid of anything that doesn’t authentically represent your business. 

Your followers can sniff out a phony from a terabyte away. And on the flip side, they’ll be instantly drawn to your page and your content if you ditch any photos that you, your team or your customers didn’t snap from your own cameras.

Step 3: Crowdsource Your Photos and Videos

By the way, another easy upgrade to your social media is through crowdsourcing content. You don’t have to be the one running around with a camera all day; assign the task to a social media manager, or distribute the task to a few different team members. 

You can also get your entire team involved by creating an employee advocacy program. With this program, you can formalize the process of taking and submitting photos, as well as rewarding your team for their contributions.

We go into more detail with our Employee Advocacy Checklist: “Did you know your employees have greater social reach than you do? And that people are more likely to buy something that’s been recommended by a friend or family member? It’s a hard truth, but one worth embracing. The fact is, your employees’ posts are more likely to earn engagements and visibility than content you create and post on your brand page.”

Walk through the steps to set up an in-house program that will help bulk up your social media presence, increase engagement and boost your following.

You can also try our Rallio Activate platform to organize all your assets in one place and incentivize team members. Need a hand creating and scheduling content? Our Rallio Local program gives you even more options to outsource the work.

Step 4: Toss Some Ad Dollars Around

If you’re new to advertising on social media, it can feel overwhelming to know where to begin. However, advertising is a non-negotiable when you’re looking for ways to upgrade your social media. As we write in this article: “Advertising on Facebook and other social media channels helps you to build brand awareness, generate leads and grow your following. [The] winning combination of great content, coupled with ad spend, increases the likelihood of making your content visible in newsfeeds.”

To get started, try boosting your popular content with a small amount of ad dollars. This way, you can push out your content in front of more eyeballs without spending a lot of time or money. In time, you might wish to incorporate additional ads in Messenger, Instagram Stories and other areas in order to increase your visibility even more.

Read through the article referenced above for a complete breakdown on the process. Again, our Rallio Local program can take this task off your plate if you’d rather let our experts get it done for you.

It’s Easy to Upgrade Your Social Media

Maybe you’ve put off upgrading your social media due to time constraints or lack of motivation to get it done. That’s understandable — and that’s why we’ve kept these four steps fairly simple. 

As author Mark Victor Hansen says: “Don’t wait until everything is just right. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.” 

The simple actions you take will start to propel you forward into additional actions and successes. This week, commit to just one of the steps above, and before you know it, you might just find yourself making additional upgrades to your social media.

Categories
Social

Why Use Rallio Local for Your Social Media Needs? Because It Just Makes Sense

When you use Rallio Local for your social media needs, you’ll get the creativity of a social media expert combined with the efficiency of technology. Reviews, comments and social content are handled for you, so you can focus on your business.

But the real reason you’ll want to use Rallio Local for your social media needs? Because it just makes sense. To illustrate this point, we’ve rounded up a few videos in our “Just Makes Sense” series.

Witch Babysitter

Hiring a witch to be your babysitter might sound like a good idea when your kids are misbehaving. But, in reality, you’re not going to trust your babies with someone whose favorite pastimes include riding a broom sans helmet, or mixing up crazy concoctions in a cauldron. That’s one cooking lesson your kids do not need!

 

Viking Gardener

You wouldn’t hire a viking to be your gardener, would you? Unless you want your backyard to look like a kid with a bad haircut, you’ll probably want to go with — well, an actual actual gardener.

 

Invisible Man Aerobics

Taking aerobics classes from the Invisible Man might seem like a great way to tune in to your own body. But what happens when you need an expert coaching you on the proper way to do a double kettlebell snatch or claw-fingertip pushups?

 

Rely on Rallio for Your Social Media Needs

In working with business owners over the years, we’ve come to identify a few truths about being in business for yourself. One of them is that it pays to surround yourself with people who are experts in their field. That’s why most businesses choose to hire, say, an accountant, an attorney or an insurance agent. They are the best at what they do — so you can be the best at what you do in business.

In our case, we are experts who will handle every aspect of your social media, online reputation, directory listings and even recruiting to an extent. Known as Rallio Local, this in-house team consists of social media strategists who work one-on-one with business owners, using technology to streamline the entire process. 

The benefits of hiring social media experts to, well, manage your social media, are numerous:

  • You’ll get time back in your day as a business owner because you’re not worried about your social media. You can focus on other aspects of your business — all the things you love about entrepreneurship that made you start a business in the first place.
  • You’ll have trusted marketing advisors who have your back and keep an eye on your pages for any new comments, reviews, questions and direct messages. Nobody is slipping through the cracks when you have our team on your side.
  • You’ll increase your chances of growing your business faster because your social media marketing will be aligned with your overall marketing strategy. Your dedicated strategist will get clear on your goals and deliver on them.

Related: Small-Business Technology Roundup: How Rallio Can Help You Run Smarter

How It Works

  • With our winning formula of local content + targeted ads, your social media pages can begin to produce results for you. Local content = Real, authentic photos and videos of people at your business, featuring employees, customers, owners and other actual humans — not stock photos and sales pitches. Targeted boosting = Advertising your content to your followers and their friends to get more eyes on your page and ensure your content is visible.
  • Have special offers, recruitment posts or events? Your Rallio Strategist will work with you to get all the details and schedule out posts strategically, as well as boost them for greater visibility.
  • When your followers engage with you via online reviews, comments or direct messages, our team responds to those engagements (with your input, as needed) within 24 hours. Everything gets pulled into your own dashboard so you can easily see everything in one place. With our Revv technology, we can also help you get new, positive reviews, while negative reviews are handled offline instead of published publicly.
  • What about changes to your hours, address, phone number or other business information? Your Strategist will make sure it gets updated across the web, using our Business Listings service that’s built right into the Rallio technology. 
  • Our technology can also incorporate employee advocacy, so you can get your team involved in creating and posting content, helping to extend the reach of your content through their personal pages.

The key takeaway? Rallio Local gives small-business owners both the technology and the team to be successful on social media. We understand the complexities of your social media needs and are able to navigate them on your behalf.

Whether you want a lot of help or just a little extra push, we can provide the right solution for your small business or franchise brand’s social media needs. Drop us a line at sales@rallio.com and we can set you up with a quick demo to show you how we can help your business.

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