MASTER INSTAGRAM 101 Social Media Guide for Nail Professionals WELCOME
Wella Education is a community grown from the Wella Company’s commitment to continuing education for salon professionals. When you join this community, you become part of our #WellaFamily — here to support one another and share our passion for the world of beauty. Our channels are meant to encourage and embrace all forms of creativity through education, elevating all of us! Whether you’re fresh out of nail school or an industry all-star, our community is a place where you can learn straight from industry professionals and find tools to accelerate your career so we can blow minds with our collective creativity.
We can’t wait to hear from you!
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@WellaEducation @WellaEdu @WellaEducation
STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT 2 INTRODUCTION
As nail techs, we are so lucky to have a tool that connects us with our community. While Instagram can be a wonderful asset to learn techniques, grow your clientele, and form relationships with peers in your industry, it can also be overwhelming without proper training. In this guide, we will cover:
• Developing an Instagram Strategy • Setting Up an Account • Creating the Right Content • Measuring Your Success
We hope you find this guide useful in starting your social media journey. Happy Learning! Sigourney Nuñez
Sigourney Nuñez | @nailartbysig OPI North America Education Manager
2 TYPES OF PROFILES
Before getting to the fun stuff, like creating captions, images, and videos, it is essential to determine your goals your account so you can develop the best strategies to get there. For the most part, nail techs on Instagram are trying to achieve one of two things: to grow their clientele or to grow their career as an educator. Below are some key characteristics for these two main types.
OBJECTIVE GOAL TARGET AUDIENCE
Nail techs, salon Expand their Book classes owners, and EDUCATORS education platform current clients
Get new clients to NAIL TECHS Build clientele and make an Current and promote their salon appointment potential clients
STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT 3 FINDING YOUR AUDIENCE Before you start talking, you need to know who you’re talking to...
After you’ve determined whether your account will have a nail tech or education focus, you need to take time to understand who you will to be talking to. We know educators and nail pros have a different audience.
Before getting into developing content, ask yourself the following:
• What does my audience value? What are they not getting elsewhere? How can I fill that gap? Take the time to look at your peers’ accounts as well as some potential new followers to see what content they are engaging with.
• Is this content relevant to the audience I am chasing? For example, if you are a nail tech that wants to grow your list of nail art clients but has no interest in educating, you probably won’t gain much value in showing a long, technical video about how you create your intricate designs. Your audience would probably be more interested in a stunning before and after that will inspire them to trust you with a new style.
Your audience will also determine what types of content you’re posting— are they more likely to engage with a story, photo or video? A more tech savvy audience may be more responsive to stories, where as an audience that spends less time on social media is more likely to browse their feed for photo and video posts.
STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT 4 EXERCISE 1: WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO? Take a minute to consider your target audience, AKA your ideal client or student. It’s important to understand their key motivations, behaviors and characteristics.
1. What is their job title/role?
2. Where are they based?
REVIEW YOUR POSTS.
WHICH ARE THE TOP 3 THAT 3. What challenges them? MADE YOU FEEL GOOD ABOUT WHAT YOU DO OR RESULTED IN ENGAGEMENT WITH YOUR FOLLOWERS? 4. What are they looking for from you?
5. What key words do they use?
6. What motivates them?
EXERCISE 5 ABOUT THE “B” WORD… Authenticity is key to building your brand
A brand is something you have, not something you are— you are still you! A brand is something that can certainly change over time as your career shifts, but it should always align with the goals you have in that moment.
A well-defined personal brand will give you the competitive advantage that will ultimately help you achieve your goals. Think of your brand as your calling caww and where you plan to go.
When figuring out your brand, it’s essential to be authentic. For both nail techs and educators, authenticity is key to attract other nail pros and potential new clients. By being yourself and showcasing your true talent, potential students/clients will easily be able to envision themselves in your chair or class.
A great way to show ongoing authenticity is to engage with your community. Your ultimate goal is to interact with followers— that’s why you’re posting the content in the first place. When a follower takes the time to comment or support your posts, it’s essential you like and respond. Think about it— this person has taken the time out of their day to give you a digital high five because they like what they see and want you to know it. Thank them! Odds are they’ll notice and be more likely to continue to engage with future content.
TO RECAP:
A GOOD BRAND A BAD BRAND
• Is consistent and • Feels forced and intentionally aligned in-genuine with career goals • Ignores its audience/ • Is clear and confident doesn’t engage
• All touch points are • Fails to be confident OR authentic— stories, seems unapproachable posts, engagements, etc.
• By viewing their content, it’s clear what they do, what they want, and how they’re going to get there
STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT 6 TONE
Tone is a big part of your brand. As a nail pro, you may be a bit more conversational and your tone will depend on the clientele in your market — after all, your end goal is to get them in your chair. Think about how you would talk to your favorite client if she came in for a service — that should be your tone.
As an educator, you’d likely want to be very confident and establish your expertise. Imagine how you’d speak in a class— that would be your tone as an educator.
GENERAL LOOK & FEEL
The style of photos and videos curated in your feed communicates a lot about the overall personality of your brand. Revisit your brand and think about what sort of posts best define it. For example, as an educator, you’ll likely be posting a lot of troubleshooting advice, pro tips, and technique content. As a nail tech, it may be more focused on nail art, enhancements, shaping and emotional/inspirations posts that clients can relate to.
For both educators and nail techs, it’s great to mix in some personal content as well. Show your family, animals, or vacation. Use the “Secret Sauce” posting method — for every 5 nail posts, post 1 personal. This will keep your feed mostly relevant to your work but will give your community a taste of who you are off the clock and make you more relatable.
POSTING SCHEDULE
It’s important to be consistent with your posting. If you post everyday but then go quiet for two weeks, it’s likely that you’ll lose a lot of followers and the Instagram algorithm will decrease your appearance in feeds. You want your audience to expect and treasure your content. For example, if you’re posting great nail art consistently, they will know your profile is a great place to come for inspiration and eventually a booking!
It’s also important to consider what time of day/week you post. You should think about your audience and determine what time will get the most views/engagement. You also want to make sure when you post you have a little time to respond to your active following— remember, it’s important to engage and say thanks.
STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT 7 EXERCISE 2: PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT
WRITE YOUR PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT. IF YOU HAD TO BOIL IT DOWN TO 2-3 SENTENCES, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
“By continuing my education and practice as a EXAMPLE NAIL TECH passionate nail tech and by improving my social MISSION STATEMENT: media presence, I will become a trusted voice in the online nail professional community and create a strong following of loyal clientele.”
EXERCISE 8 OPTIMIZE YOUR ACCOUNT
DECIDING ON THE RIGHT HANDLE
The first step in establishing your brand on Instagram is choosing theright handle for your account. Your handle is the primary source of recognition that your audience has about your brand. Whether you are starting from scratch or updating your account, be sure to keep your username simple, memorable, and easy to find. Using your real name will enable others in your network to easily find you!
CRAFTING THE PERFECT BIO
Although it is often overlooked and underutilized, your bio is the first thing visitors see when viewing your profile. The first impression they make about your brand will depend on how you use your bio to communicate who you are. Convert visitors into followers by leading with a strong call-to-action, a brief description about what you do and what you have to offer, followed by a humble brag. Take advantage of Instagram’s link in bio feature by driving to your website, blog, or YouTube channel to give your audience a chance to better familiarize themselves with your work. This is the time to make yourself stand out, so don’t be afraid to highlight the skills and values that make your brand unique. With only 150 characters allowed in your bio, every word counts. Switching to a business account gives exclusive features to your bio, such as your business category and contact information. Not only will these business features free up space to include keywords and hashtags, but the sophisticated structure of your bio will make a stronger impression on potential new followers.
If your goal is to educate, your bio should include your name, skills, contact information, and relevant hashtags or keywords that you want your target audience to associate with your brand.
If your goal is to build your clientele, be sure to include your name, the salon or studio’s username, contact information, the link to the salon or studio’s website and a service you specialize in.
BIO CHECKLIST
• Who Are You? • #Humblebrag
• Expertise • Contact Info
• Personal Connection
ACCOUNT SET-UP & CONTENT DEVELOPMENT 9 EXERCISE 3: PRACTICE WRITING YOUR BIO
PRACTICE WRITING YOUR INSTAGRAM BIO. SEND TO FAMILY, FRIENDS, & COLLEAGUES AND SEE IF THEY THINK IT DESCRIBES YOU.
Must-haves
❑ Include Your Real Name — So People Can Find You
❑ Be Public — Not Private
❑ Business Account — See What Resonates With Your Audience
DOES YOUR BIO INCLUDE Bio Checklist THE MUST-HAVES? ❑ Who Are You?
❑ Expertise
❑ Personal Connection
❑ #Humblebrag
❑ Contact Info
EXERCISE 10 MANAGING YOUR CONTENT MIX
Content creation is now one of the best ways to provide your customers with value and to establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry. It is essential your profile remains interesting and provides new information to your audience. Diversifying what you post and how you post it will keep your viewers engaged and wanting more. There are three categories that make up your content mix: Subject, Format, and Channels.
SUBJECT
Part of having a strong content mix is ensuring that your posts vary in subject and purpose. Variety keeps your profile interesting and audience engaged. The most popular types of content used by nail professionals on Instagram include: before/after shots, BTS, user generated content, motivation, educational, and DIY.
Reminder: Keep the Secret Sauce Rule in mind when planning your future posts and remember: 5:1 Business to Personal.
FORMATS
Instagram currently offers four types of posts: photos, videos, carousel posts, and shopping posts. Within each category are subcategories such as long- form videos, short looping videos, boomerangs, and hyperlapse for you to choose from. Consider the benefit of using each format when determining the best approach for sharing different types of content.
CHANNELS
The final element to consider when optimizing your strategy is a channel-mix. Implementing a channel-mix entails utilizing different communication channels to reach your target audience for each post. Integrate every Instagram channel that is currently available to amplify your message and grow your audience. The various channels available to us on Instagram include: In-Feed Posts, reels, IG TV, IG Live, IG Story, and Highlights. Utilize each channel for its unique features and ability to reach a different audience.
ACCOUNT SET-UP & CONTENT DEVELOPMENT 11 A great way to implement a channel-mix into your Instagram strategy is to have a plan about what type of content you want to share and where you intend to post. Here are few examples of different content that works well on different Instagram channels:
GOAL CHANNEL CONTENT
BTC, Educational, BTS, In-feed Posts DIY, Social Events, and Trending/Inspirational
Speak to your followers in real time by going Live and sharing content from Live a relevant event that you’re at. (competition, To or a trade show) Repurpose your Educate stories as highlights and categorize them Story/Highlights by Nail Art, Dipping Powder, Acrylics, Gels, Awards/Recognition, Tips, Favorite Products, Inspiration, and Nailfies.
Feature a range of content including BTC, Product, Education, Client Appreciation, Trending/Inspiration, In-feed Posts Transformations, Salon Staff, Services, Sales, Contest/Giveaway, Social Events, Salon/Studio Announcements, Holiday and Salon Specials To Build Go live to showcase new techniques you’ve Live Your mastered to get your followers excited about Clientele booking your new services.
Appeal to emotion and take a personal approach by posting stories. Repurpose your stories as highlights and categorize Story/Highlights them by Staff, Education, Events, Transformations, Products, Salon/Studio BTS, and Services.
ACCOUNT SET-UP & CONTENT DEVELOPMENT 12 EXERCISE 4: POSTING SCHEDULE Create a schedule for one week of posting to Instagram.
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
EXERCISE 13 CREATIVE CONTENT
Now that you are well-versed in the range of subject, format, and channels to utilize in your content mix, focus on how you can create quality, memorable content.
Here are five useful tips for capturing the perfect nail picture:
1. Follow the rule of thirds. As you capture your pictures, mentally divide your image into a 3 x 3 grid to bring the focus to your main subjects. This will help you create a visual balance for your image.
2. Take advantage of negative space. Avoid busy backgrounds in your photos by eliminating distractions in the space surrounding your main subject to emphasize the focus on the person you are capturing.
3. Look for interesting perspectives. Explore different vantage points when capturing your pictures to bring a unique feel to similar content and diversity to your feed. Try using a mix of flattering hand poses and closeups to see how different perspective can bring the focus to new elements of your shot.
4. Use natural light. Lighting is the staple of a quality photo, so do your best to avoid flash and take advantage of natural light.
5. Edit your photos with consistency and be sure not to overdo the filters.
Click here to discover a great app for editing Instagram worthy photos!
TIPS GET FEATURED
• Don’t overdo it with filters — if Share your perfect nailfie to get featured you do decide to use them, be on the @opi_professionals page! consistent with your choices. Including the following elements into your posts is a great • Frame and crop just right — use the approach for getting featured on grids that IG suggests and frame the @opi_professionals page: and crop the same way each time.
• Include shade names used in your • Use caption space properly — what caption and mention @opi_professionals. service this was to achieve this look,
what class can they take to get this • Ensure that you are using the correct look, etc. hashtags. VIEW OUR HASHTAGS HERE
• Share high-quality, educational posts, posts that would be relevant to the OPI Pro community.
ACCOUNT SET-UP & CONTENT DEVELOPMENT 14 NAIL YOUR CAPTION WITH A CALL TO ACTION
Curate a strong caption that drives your audience to move forward with either making an appointment or enrolling in your class. We call this a CTA, or “call to action”.
While the maximum length of an Instagram caption is 2,200 characters, the length should depend on the message you are trying to communicate through your post. Be conscious of your target audience and where you are looking to drive them when writing your caption.
For example, detailed educational posts will require a longer caption that provides additional context and steps on how to recreate a look. Nail art posts should include a short and concise description of the inspiration and shades used to execute, along with a clear CTA.
Staying focused on the purpose of each post will help you to clearly communicate your CTA to your audience.
If your goal is to educate, your CTA might be something like “sign up for a class before its too late” or “check out the link in bio to discover how you can recreate the look!”
If you are focused on building your clientele, your CTA might be “book an appointment today!” or “ready for pedicure season? Give us a call and let me help you get your perfect manicure.”
HASHTAGS AND TAGGING
Each caption allows a maximum of 30 hashtags. It’s important to focus on the relevant hashtags, rather than the quantity to reach your target audience.
Include a mix of branded, category and consumer hashtags that are relevant to the intention of the post.
Branded Hashtags: Promote your brand to an audience seeking out your content and collect user generated content. These hashtags can be used to categorize your own content within your feed and are specific to you or a specific person/tool you use.
Category Hashtags: Grow your reach by including the tags relevant to the content your audience is looking for.
Consumer Hashtags: Grow your following and reach the audience looking to stay up to date on the latest trends by including the top used nail and beauty tags.
ACCOUNT SET-UP & CONTENT DEVELOPMENT 15 EXERCISE 5: CAPTION CHECKLIST Follow this checklist to write a great caption that will engage your followers and bring your content to life.
❑ Does your caption tell a story?
❑ Does your caption have a call-to-action?
❑ Is your caption consistent with your brand voice?
❑ Does your caption add value to your post?
❑ Have you made use of hashtags and mentions?
❑ Did you use Emojis?
❑ Is your caption well-structured and easy-to-read?
EXERCISE 16 BELOW SHOWS HOW THESE THREE CATEGORIES VARY:
CONSUMER
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Adjacent category, CATEGORY e.g. #Fashion, cosmetics, skincare
#nailart
BRANDED
#acrylicnails #Moods/ #OPIGelColor look language, e.g. glamorous
#OPIPowderPerfection
#OPInailart #Moments/Days #gelnails
#Location/Places #dipnails
#Props
#Events
Source: eBench
HERE ARE A FEW EXAMPLES THAT SHOW HOW HASHTAGS AND CAPTIONS CAN RELATE TO CONTENT MIX.
CONTENT FORMAT CHANNEL COPY HASHTAGS
Call out Trending/ Story/ recommended Consumer & Industry Photo/Video Highlights trending products Category Insights and/or name of design/technique
Branded & SBS Provide next specific tags. steps to get the In-Feed/ #OPIGelColor, Educational Long-form look or where Reels #OPInailart, Video to sign up for a #PROtip, class. #OPIPowder
Call out the Transformation In-Feed/ product that Branded & (Before/After) Carousel Reels was used to Category create the enhancement
Mention the offer In-Feed/ and drive to your Branded & Promotion Photo Reels website with a Category link in bio.
ACCOUNT SET-UP & CONTENT DEVELOPMENT 17 EXERCISE 6: GET ORGANIZED Remember the 3 types of hashtags: Branded, Category, and Consumer
1. #
2. #
3. #
MAKE A LIST OF THE 4. # DIFFERENT HASHTAGS YOU WILL USE FOR YOUR POSTS.
ONCE THEY ARE FINALIZED, 5. # KEEP THEM IN AN EASY TO ACCESS PLACE (FOR EXAMPLE, THE NOTES APP ON 6. # YOUR PHONE) SO YOU CAN EASILY COPY AND PASTE. 7. #
8. #
9. #
10. #
EXERCISE 18 EXERCISE 7: CHECK THEM OUT Find 3 accounts that you follow and love.
What type of content are they sharing? What elements of their account stand out? How do their captions encourage engagement from their audience?
ACCOUNT 1
ACCOUNT 2
ACCOUNT 3
EXERCISE 19 TRACKING SUCCESS Measuring your performance will indicate if your strategies are working or not. There are different categories of data you can review to determine your strengths and weaknesses. There are many third party platforms that will provide this data automatically, but it’s essential to understand what these numbers mean and how they translate to your goals.
MEASURE ENGAGEMENT
Engagement with your audience is a key performance indicator (KPI) when it comes to having a healthy Instagram profile. It is considered by many to be the most important data collected in analysis. High engagement rates mean you’re building a strong audience that is eager to connect with you.
STAY UP TO DATE ON YOUR ANALYTICS
Optimize your analysis by knowing the right metrics to watch:
Engagement, Impressions, Interactions, Reach, PROFILE Follower Growth, Profile Visits, Mentions
POST Engagement, Impressions, Interactions, Saves, Comments
IG STORY Impressions, Taps Forward, Taps Backward, Exits, Replies
AUDIENCE Age, Gender, Location
Remember that the frequency of your analysis is dependent on the purpose of your measurement. There are two type of analysis that you should be familiar with:
• Social Monitoring: Staying up to date on your competitors will help to you identify new opportunities and stay ahead of trends.
• Social Listening: Tracking your engagement on a regular basis will give you a chance to tweak your strategy as your progress.
Having a bird’s-eye view of your social media activity helps put things into perspective by enabling you to look at your top performing content and fine-tune your campaigns in real time. In the long term, you will observe patterns and learn to predict your audiences’ behavior, helping you create optimal content.
ACCOUNT SET-UP & CONTENT DEVELOPMENT 20 EXERCISE 8: ANALYZE YOUR RESULTS Have you hit your mark? What aspects of your strategy are working and where do you feel you can improve?
WORKING WELL
THINGS I CAN IMPROVE ON
EXERCISE 21 BE FEATURED
Having your posts featured on the OPI Professionals page is a great way to reach your audience and grow your brand! Here are a few tips to get featured:
@Mention in Caption | Include Hashtags | Follow Up & Educate
HANDLES & HASHTAGS
@opi_professionals: #OPInailart | #OPIGelColor | #OPIPowderPerfection @WellaEducation: #WellaLife | #WellaEducation
ACCOUNT SET-UP & CONTENT DEVELOPMENT 22 EXERCISE 9: MAKE YOUR PLAN
For Exa mple:
USING THE BLANK Tag my favorite TEMPLATE ON THE products and interact with Start using at FOLLOWING PAGE, brands. least 5 hashtags for each post. ESTABLISH A MEASURABLE Follow more accounts that GOAL AND DUE DATE. WRITE inspire me. YOUR GOAL IN THE MIDDLE, AND THEN WRITE THE STEPS WELCOME 10 NEW CLIENTS TO ACHIEVING THAT GOAL Post content every day. IN THE BRANCHES. USE THE DUE DATE: LESSONS SHARED IN THIS MAY 15TH GUIDE AS DIRECTION FOR Start using Insta Stories HOW YOU CAN ACHIEVE to show YOUR GOAL. techniques I’m most proud of. Ask every client if they Order a ring can do a before and after light so my pic (not just the ones I’m pictures are closer to). Tag everyone prettier. (with permission!)
EXERCISE 23 EXERCISE 9: MAKE YOUR PLAN
GOAL:
DUE DATE:
EXERCISE 24 WHAT IT IS: WHY WE LOVE IT: HOW TO USE IT:
Discover the best Instagram BluePrint recommends courses Go to FacebookBlueprint.com and log marketing practices through a based off your personal business into your Facebook account. Browse series of online courses offered by goals, allowing you to enroll in the list of topics, find a course suitable Facebook BluePrint. Whether you courses that are the best fit for you. for you and enroll! are new to Instagram or a longtime With insights on how to target the user looking to establish your brand, right audience and build a loyal BluePrint offers self-paced courses following, BluePrint is a great for individuals at all levels. From resource for stylists looking to understanding how to market your build their clientele. brand on Instagram to tracking your performance, BluePrint is a great resource for every step of the way.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: PLATFORM MANAGEMENT 25 WHAT IT IS: WHY WE LOVE IT: HOW TO USE IT:
Hootsuite is a platform that offers Beyond its extensive educational Visit Hootsuite.com and sign up for a tools for scheduling, content curation, offering, Hootsuite provides tips and free account. Navigate to Hootsuite’s analytics and social monitoring. examples to maximize your take blog and search “brand voice” from The platform’s diverse range of away and increase your chances for an extensive range of articles. Select capabilities will help you to establish success. One of the main reasons the top article, “How to Establish Your your brand on social media. One brands are turning to Hootsuite to Brand Voice” to discover the tips and of the great resources by Hootsuite strengthen their brand image is the exercise that will help you to define is its blog, with countless articles platform’s offering of essential brand your brand identity! discussing how to build your brand building strategies all in one place. on IG. Hootsuite’s How-To guide With plans and resources designed for establishing your brand voice to meet your unique goals, Hootsuite includes a step-by-step exercise that makes it easy to take advantage of its will help you leave strong impression insights on building and managing on your audience. your reputation on Instagram.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: PLATFORM MANAGEMENT 26 WHAT IT IS: WHY WE LOVE IT: HOW TO USE IT:
Asana is a work management There’s nothing more satisfactory Visit asana.com to set up your platform people use to manage than crossing to-do’s off your list. account. There are multiple versions, priorities and tasks. It’s a great tool With Asana, it’s so easy to map out but most stylists should be fine with that can be used to coordinate all of the little tasks that result in big the basic (and free!) version. Once across a team or as an individual. results. Plus, it’s a really great tool to your account is created, Asana will The interface is very user-friendly and collaborate with your coworkers if walk you through a quick training on enables you to start organizing your needed. how to best utilize the platform. steps for achieving your goals!
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: PLATFORM MANAGEMENT 27 Posting Schedule
WHAT IT IS: WHY WE LOVE IT: HOW TO USE IT:
Optimize your Instagram content by Managing your Instagram feed Go to Later.com or download the app reaching your audience at the right has never been easier. By to create a free account. Once you time using Later. The visual marketing studying your post history and have your account set up, platform provides tools for scheduling audience engagement, Later’s you’re ready to start uploading and publishing your posts with ease. unique planning features allow you content to your Later calendar and Later’s intuitive calendar scheduling to effortlessly schedule your posts. scheduling your posts. View the offers weekly and monthly views, Discovering your top performing weekly calendar to determine when allowing you to determine the optimal posts empowers you to schedule your your audience is most active and time and frequency for posting. future posts with confidence. The free start scheduling your posts! The powerful Instagram planning and easy-to-use platform makes it tool looks at your engagement on a top choice for influencers, small previous posts and determines the businesses and individuals looking to most successful time to schedule expand their following. your next posts.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: PLATFORM MANAGEMENT 28 WHAT IT IS: WHY WE LOVE IT: HOW TO USE IT:
SKED Social is a management tool SKED has the competitive advantage To start using SKED, you’ll need to that allows you to visualize your of being a one stop shop, making it download the app and create an Instagram feed before posting. The a go to platform for those looking to account. Following your account set app is designed to help give your update their feed without spending up, start by uploading your images feed a consistent look and feel that too much time. Within the app, you’ll and selecting the photo editor will make your brand memorable to be able to edit your photos, save symbol. Once in photo editor, you’ll your audience. From image editing filters and apply them to other be immersed in a range of tools and and feed planning, to post templates, photos. Once your images are edited filters to choose from. After you’ve SKED provides the resources you need with a consistent look and feel, SKED edited your photos to perfection, to achieve the Instagram aesthetic takes it one step further in giving you the final step is to add them to SKED’s you have always desired. SKED’s filter- the opportunity visualize your feed visual planning Grid and see your saving feature enables you to curate before posting by to adding your desired Instagram aesthetic your brand image by adapting a photos to the Grid. come to life. theme to your IG feed.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: BRAND DRIVERS 29 WHAT IT IS: WHY WE LOVE IT: HOW TO USE IT:
Enhance the look and feel of your Splice allows you to combine videos, Download the Splice app on your videos straight from your phone insert photos and add music all in phone and start a new project. Select with Splice, a video editing application one go. In addition to the diverse the videos you want to edit and add that allows you to create professional capabilities offered by the app, Splice them to your project. You’ll have the looking content regardless of your is made for everyone. Alternatives opportunity to add music from the level of expertise. Whether you are such as hiring editors or downloading app’s free content library or straight looking to combine content, crop, software can be costly and time from iTunes. The final step before speed up, animate, or add music, consuming when you are busy jumping into editing will be to identify Splice offers the tools you need to building your brand. With Splice’s your video specs, such as format and customize your Instagram videos. powerful editing tools, you can length. Once you have selected your The mobile optimized platform produce beautiful, high quality videos content and determined the right includes features that will help you to that you’ll be excited to share. format, you’re ready to start editing! create Instagram worthy videos that will excite your audience.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: BRAND DRIVERS 30 Hashtags and Tagging
WHAT IT IS: WHY WE LOVE IT: HOW TO USE IT:
Later offers a detailed Instagram A key component of getting your If you haven’t done so, start by Hashtag Strategy Guide to help posts seen by current and potential downloading the Later app to boost your reach on east post. followers is having the right hashtag create an account. To locate Later’s The platform’s 53-page hands-on strategy. Later’s unique Saved Caption Instagram Hashtag Strategy Guide, guide provides clear instruction for feature allows you to organize your scroll to the Guides category at determining a hashtag strategy that hashtags by category to help you bottom of the page. You’ll need to is optimized for your brand. In addition save time and expand your reach. insert your email before downloading to its strategy guide, Later offers tools Finding the right hashtags can often the free guide. Once you’ve read for organizing your previously used feel overwhelming, resulting in a lack through the guide, you’re ready to Instagram hashtags and suggesting of effective hashtags. Not only does navigate to the Saved Caption feature related hashtags. With optimized Later help you to understand the within the analytics section and start hashtags readily available, Later will benefits of using hashtags, it organizing your hashtags! help you to grow your reach on IG. provides the resources to help you execute for each post.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: BRAND DRIVERS 31 WHAT IT IS: WHY WE LOVE IT: HOW TO USE IT:
Crafting the perfect caption is made One of the unique features offered by AdEspresso offers a range of plans simple with AdEspresso’s Instagram AdEspresso is its ability to breakdown for brands at varying levels. For caption checklist. AdEspresso is an each lesson. Coming up with the those looking to utilize the platform’s easy to use platform for creating and perfect caption can be exhausting free features, start by visiting optimizing social media advertising when you don’t know where to start. AdEspresso.com and navigate to the campaigns. A key component of Throughout its 7 Ingredients checklist, blog. You’ll have the opportunity to AdEspresso is its blog, which is filled the platform uses example posts to browse a variety of articles or search with articles to help you expand highlight what a good caption looks for a specific post. To locate The your Instagram presence. Beyond like, to ensure that the message Secret 7-Ingredients Recipe, simply providing insight into why the right is understood by readers. After search the article title and start caption is crucial, AdEspresso offers a making sure the message is clear, completing the checklist! 7-Ingredient checklist for curating the AdEspresso’s caption checklist helps ideal caption for every type of post. you to apply each element to your own Instagram posts.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: BRAND DRIVERS 32 WHAT IT IS: WHY WE LOVE IT: HOW TO USE IT:
Keyhole is a social media analytics The competitive advantage obtained Visit Keyhole.com and sign up to start tool that equips you with resources by using Keyhole is the ability to your free trial. Once your account for monitoring your engagement on monitor data in real time. Tracking is set up, navigate to My Tracks and Instagram. Interpreting your metrics is your analytics is a combination create a new tracker. You’ll have one aspect, knowing how to improve between measuring the success of the opportunity to track hashtags, based on the results is a different your strategy on previous posts and accounts, keywords, mentions and task. Keyhole’s account analytics tool observing audience engagement URLs. Add the accounts you’re looking presents your data using easy to read in real time. With Keyhole’s detailed to monitor and view the statistics. charts, helping you to determine the metrics for analyzing your Instagram Determine the analytics you want content that grabs your audience’s strategy and its AI feature for focus on, select the date range and attention. With the use of Keyhole, predicting how future posts will start monitoring! you’ll be able optimize your strategy, perform, you’ll be equipped to fine- grow your audience and obtain tune your strategy as you progress. insight into competitor strategies.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: ANALYTICS 33 WHAT IT IS: WHY WE LOVE IT: HOW TO USE IT:
Sprout Social is a powerful social Analytics are an essential aspect of Get started by visiting media management platform that your Instagram branding strategy SproutSocial.com and selecting Start provides resources to help you grow that are often neglected due to lack Your Free Trial. After signing up, you’ll your brand and form real connections of understanding. The tools offered be given a 30-day free trial to test with your followers. Within the by the Sprout platform enable you out the Sprout Platform and utilize its platform, you’ll find strategies for to measure and understand your Smart Inbox feature. Take advantage delivering and measuring valuable engagement with ease. In addition of the platform’s measurement content, nurturing relationships with to providing the means for tracking feature by tracking the volume of followers, as well as performance engagement, the platform offers engagement on previous posts and reporting and social listening. A key detailed insights into how you can determining the best ways to improve component of the Sprout platform boost engagement and connect your connection with your audience! is the Smart Inbox feature, which with your followers. Utilize the enables you to track and measure Sprout Platform and discover what your engagement on Instagram. type of content your audience engages with most.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: ANALYTICS 34 GLOSSARY
Brand Awareness The level of familiarity that your customers/audience has about your brand. Brand Awareness is measured through recognition and recall.
Branded Hashtags Hashtags that are created specifically for your brand. These include your brand name, key messaging, campaign slogans, etc.
Brand Identity The unique attributes that define your brand. A brand identity is comprised of many different elements including tone, general aesthetic, etc.
Brand Image How your brand is perceived by your target audience. The mental associations, ideas, feelings and beliefs people think of when they see or hear a brand.
Brand Personality The human characteristics that are associated with your brand. There are five main personality types: excitement, ruggedness, competence, sincerity, and sophistication. Each personality is comprised of a group of traits that shape the way consumers feel about the brand.
Brand Positioning The positioning a brand occupies in the mind of the target market. Brand positioning is comprised of factors such as relevance, differentiation, and credibility.
Category Hashtags Hashtags that are related to the content your target audience is searching for. Category hashtags include all trending search topics within a specific industry.
Channel-Mix A strategic blend of multiple channels utilized to maximize reach when delivering messages to your priority audience. A channel-mix considers the most effective way to reach your audience by ensuring that your message is in shared at the right place and time.
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Content-Mix A diverse collection of content that is shared with the purpose of keeping your audience interested and engaged. A content mix considers the needs of your audience, along with your overall strategy.
Consumer Hashtags The top trending hashtags within a specific top/industry. Consumer hashtags are used with the purpose of making your content visible to your target audience by making your content visible
CTA Call to Action; this is the next step that you want your audience to take.
Frequency The number of times an individual is exposed to your message.
Engagement The interaction between content and audience. A greater engagement with your audience will lead to brand loyalty and trust down the line. To determine your engagement rate, calculate post engagement divided by impressions.
Impressions The number of times your post or story was shown to users.
Reach The number of people that saw your post or story.
Social Listening Social listening is about tracking and analyzing the conversations about your brand.
Social Monitoring Social media monitoring is all about collecting data. It allows you to look back at what has already happened.
Strategy The “big picture” plans and tactics used to create long-term brand equity and competitive advantages from branding.
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