Social media marketing - a guide to tools you might not be aware of

Social media is constantly evolving, and features continue to be added. It can sometimes seem overwhelming when trying to keep up with the latest digital advancements. The team here at GottaBe! understand you don’t always have the time to discover the latest features and understand how your brand can benefit by using them, so we have created the ultimate social media tool guide. We have broken it down into sections so you can gain a better understanding of the tools you have available to you. 

The ultimate guide to social media for your business 

How does Instagram work? 

Instagram is a social media platform created for users to share images, the app has developed and now offers a variety of features. As video content began to rise Instagram jumped to deliver video sharing options for personal and business users. There are many other content-sharing options. 

Grid images/video 

Your Instagram page whether it is a personal or a business account, allows you to post pictures or videos 60 seconds in length on your grid. This is your profile and is found by pressing the bottom right circle (contains your profile picture). From your profile, you can access your grid images and pictures, reels, IGTV, guides, and tagged images. This does not differ too much for business accounts however, the major difference is through a business account you can view insights and pay to advertise your posts and story. 

Story 

A story on Instagram provides 24-hour content that is not shared onto your grid. The content can be 15-second videos or images and within stories, there are options to use gifs, stickers, and location tags as well as the newly added links. If you wish to keep the content for longer than 24-hours, then it can be added into a story highlight. 

Highlight 

On your profile, there is an option to add highlights. For businesses, highlights are a good place to have behind-the-scenes videos, promo codes, and links for customers to return to. This content is not posted on the grid so often is more personal.

Links through Story

Previously to use links/ swipe up on your Instagram story your account needed 10k followers, but this has recently been removed meaning anybody can now add external links to their story content. Links through stories allows a brand or influencer to link external content such as blogs, tickets, YouTube videos or affiliate links. This makes it easier for brands to use CTA’s as consumers are more likely to follow through with an action when it is direct and easy. 

Count downs 

The countdown feature is available to add to a story.  Giving a visual countdown the sticker when activated by users delivers push notifications at the end of the countdown. 

Reel

When TikTok became popular Instagram released reels in competition with the rapidly growing app. Reels are currently one of the most popular features on Instagram and allow users to create 60-second videos that loop and are typically synced to music. These can be posted on the grid but also have their section on the profile. Reels are more likely to viral with new trends weekly. 

The music charts have also been impacted by the use of reels, sending new and old songs back into the charts. 

IGTV

IGTV is another video feature to be used on Instagram. It allows videos that are up to an hour-long almost like a TV episode. IGTV can be found in the tab section of your profile, but videos can also be linked to the grid. 

Video is the fastest growing trend in content marketing as over 80% of businesses are using video marketing, if your brand is looking to grow digitally videos are a good place to start. To discover the importance of digital marketing for your brand head over to our blog Traditional or Digital Marketing. 

Guides

Instagram’s newest feature is Guides, it allows you to share curated content from your page or others in a similar format to a traditional blog. Just like reels and IGTV, guides are found on your profile and can be made by all account holders. For B2B guides are an excellent way for your brand to showcase your services. For B2C Instagram allows you to create product guides, to give a deeper insight into each product, for example a Christmas gift guide. 

IG Live 

Instagram now gives you the ability to schedule your IG Lives, which gives you time to plan and promote. “Practice Mode” has also been added and allows you to invite others to practice with you or have them watch to provide feedback.

So, when you decided to go Live your followers will get a push notification telling them you’re going live. Followers can comment on or like your Live Video stream in real-time allowing you to hold live Q&A’S. Once the live is over it is gone after you end it unless you save it manually (it doesn’t save to your account). 

Shop – products 

Ecommerce brands can link their sites to Instagram accounts so that consumers can shop through the app. This also allows your brand to create guides linking your products, so consumers have a direct link to purchase. 

Instagram shop also connects your brand with new customers as it has a dedicated shop explore page which means your products can be seen globally. In e-commerce the conversions are improved when a consumer’s journey is as short and easy as possible. By linking products to your posts shoppers can easily click on the product, discover, and purchase all within a very short journey.

Link from Instagram to WhatsApp

If you’re looking to provide your customers, the chance to communicate with your brand then you can link your Instagram account with WhatsApp business. Allow customers to message your company on WhatsApp rather than filling up the inbox. Allowing customers, a personal platform to connect with your brand builds the bond between them and you.

Facebook 

Facebook is the biggest social network worldwide with roughly 2.9 billion active users found Statista. Like a personal account, Facebook business allows brands to send and receive messages, post updates, get notifications, and like, comment, and share other Facebook users’ and pages’ content. 

Groups 

Groups offer your brand the opportunity to specifically target consumers more intimately. Within private groups, brands can deliver a range of things including building a community, webinars, and exclusive discounts and content.  Connect your page with the community by joining relevant groups. GottaBe! Ethnic uses the power of social media for ethnic outreach as it is extremely effective at reaching new audiences, across the UK there are many ethnic Facebook groups for specific areas/counties. This method is incredibly effective as ethnic communities trust in the messages shared by these groups and therefore often there is positive engagement and action.

Watch party 

When uploading your videos, you will be able to select the watch party feature which in short allows your brand to promote your video content at the end of a video. This enhances the reach of your content to new and existing customers.

Facebook shops 

Your products can be added to Facebook shop with an easy-to-use customisable online store. Very similar to the shop feature on Instagram, the Facebook shop allows businesses to sell via the social media platform. 

Direct bookings

A ‘book now’ button is now available so your brand can manage appointments directly through Facebook and sync them to your personal calendar. This feature also will send customer confirmation reminders and follow-ups through Facebook messenger.

Newsfeed targeting 

Improve organic content views through the audience optimisation feature. Boost your reach using this tool to stand out from your competitors as it reaches users most likely to be interested in it.

Messenger advertising

Within Facebook, there are many ways to implement direct marketing, and messenger is one of them. The advert slots into the messenger app between personal messages and are usually redirected ads. When customers click on the ads they are welcomed by a CTA and the option to select a variety of questions or to write their own message. By reaching out to the customer directly a conversation begins, and the experience is more personal. 

Response Assistant 

Response assistant is a great tool for small businesses that do not have staff available to reply out of hours. This feature sends a personalised message to let the customer know you will be in touch soon. 

Pinning posts

If you have a post that did particularly well or shares important information, use the pin option. This pins the post at the top of your page so that users will see it for weeks or months as the first thing they see as they look on your page. 

CTA Buttons

Adding action buttons to your page will mean that customers can easily access your products or services and promotes an action from the content they are seeing. A e-commerce store would use a ‘shop now’ or a beauty therapist may use ‘book an appointment’, the CTA buttons must be business driven to make the most out of the feature. 

Reels are coming to Facebook

Reels were launched on Instagram in competition to TikTok and after such success, it is being tailed on Facebook in the USA. With video content popularity rising it will be the perfect addition to your brands' social media. Currently being trailed in the US Reels are set to head onto Facebook globally in the next few years.

Events 

Let customers know if you’re hosting any events whether that be online or in-person through the Facebook events feature. Here you can include a date, time, and location and ask people to send an RSVP for both private and public events. Through the events, section customers can also buy tickets to paid events. For anyone who has responded to the event they will be notified of any changes, updates or posts within the page.

Job Advertisements 

If you’re looking to hire, why not post a job specification directly from your Facebook page, it will then be posted automatically in the Facebook job marketplace. The feature allows you to track and review applications before contacting them to schedule interviews all through Messenger.

Social media advancements will continue to change, and it is impossible to do it all. That’s where we come in. GottaBe! have a dedicated team challenged to stay up to date with the latest features and tools. If you are left feeling overwhelmed by the features discussed in this guide, then we can help. Digital marketing is one of the many services we offer, the team can run your brands' social media or help you to get it off the ground. Whatever level of support you need we are here. Contact GottaBe! today to discuss your options +4423 8063 4283.