Inner Sircle

On this episode, I talk about: High Profile Celebrities Are 'Freezing' Their Facebook and Instagram Accounts in Protest Over Hate Speech I reference this article

On this episode, I talk about tips for launching a new brand or product on social. I reference this article which interviews the brand Jot on their approach. 

On this episode, I talk about how Instagram Reels are REAL and worth a second look! I reference this article and specifically: 87% of Gen Z TikTok users who have used Instagram Reels agree with the statement, “Instagram Reels is basically the same as TikTok.” Most respondents (daily or weekly) who have used Instagram Reels do not think that TikTok is inherently special. 61% of Gen Z TikTok users said they plan to spend more time on Instagram in TikTok’s place. Instagram was the #1 alternative destination for the youths; Snapchat came in second, with 34% planning to spend more time there instead of TikTok. Bottom line: Millennials can say all they want about Reels having an inferior UX to TikTok’s, but Gen Z seems interested in Instagram’s latest copycat. Marketers hoping to reach Gen Z might not want to write the feature off just yet—especially given that TikTok's eventual buyer may not even inherit its celebrated algorithm and engineers.

Instagram carousels are the most engaging post type. I reference this article. 

Instagram Checkout: Everything You Need to Know I reference this article and these tips: Here are our top 5 tips for driving sales with Instagram Checkout: #1: Be Consistent with Product Tags #2: Share an Exclusive Product Drop on Instagram #3: Provide Multiple Routes to Shop #4: Partner with Influencers Who Have Access to Shopping from Creators #5: Don’t Forget About Shoppable Instagram Stories Stickers

Facebook is bringing a shop section to its app, while Instagram expands live shopping 

On this episode, I talk about how Instagram Rolled Out Suggested Posts at the End of Your Following Feed to All Users.  I reference this article and talk about why I am a buyer. Are you?

On this episode, I talk about not being so binary with your social media efforts. Get in the middle, dare to be wrong, but reap the benefits from DOING!

On this episode, I talk about social media being a horizontal layer of a business and not just part of marketing. It really has a 360 impact on all facets of a brand's lifecycle.

On this episode, I give my POV on Hashtags being encouraged by Facebook. I am a buyer of at least experimenting! I reference this article.

On this episode, I talk about Instagram's launch of Reels. I reference some context from the Axios article.

On this episode, I am just sharing some great tips from the Indie CPG newsletter, that I highly encourage people to sign up for.  Big shout out to Steven Vigilante. This experience opened my eyes to new opportunities for brands and restaurants to be friends. Here are a few partnership ideas. Cafe / Marketplaces In some states, a restaurant is still allowed to welcome customers inside their cafe if they post a "Mini Market" sign outside. These cafes are acting as local culinary bodegas, often featuring staple goods like condiments, snacks, imported pasta and wine, and packaged food made by the restaurants. Chefs usually source their inventory through UNFI, Hubba, Faire, and local distributors, but you can also pitch them directly. And some restaurants are even creating their own branded small-batch products like granola, sauces, cocktails-to-go, and bulk pantry staples. Pop-up Sampling / Free Gift With Purchase Offer free, unopened product samples to cafe customers. Design a one-

Now that August is here a clearer picture of July’s #StopHateForProfit movement, in which 1,000+ brands including Unilever, The North Face, Heineken, and Chipotle staged a public advertising boycott of Facebook, is coming into focus. It's just a flesh wound On its earnings call Thursday, Facebook said ad revenue grew 10% annually in the first three weeks of July. Zuck said, “some seem to wrongly assume that our business is dependent on a few large advertisers.” Some numbers: Throughout most of July in 2019, the top 100 advertisers on FB spent $251.4 million. In 2020, that number was 12% lower, according to data from Pathmatics. Some perspective: Facebook raked in $18.7 billion—with a “B”—in revenue in Q2. The top 100 spenders contributed 16% of those sales. Bottom line: The leaders of the boycott said it won’t formally continue past July because of the strain it puts on businesses that rely on the platform for marketing. But the movement as a whole “will get bigger and broader” until they feel Facebook ta

On this episode, I talk about Snapchat Brand Profiles that are now being rolled out. I like this move by Snap and think this is something to pay attention to in the coming months.  From this source: Brand Profiles offer a permanent home for brands on Snapchat, built around their unique investments in the app – starting with AR Lenses, native commerce stores, and content highlights. Brand Profiles bring these various brand experiences for Snapchatters together into a single home on our service. Four main components of a Brand Profile: AR Lenses: Brands can save and showcase Lenses on their profile, allowing any Snapchatter to discover and/or revisit a brand’s unique AR experiences. These Lenses will be discoverable through both Snapchat Search and Lens Explorer. Native Store: Profiles may include a Native Store experience that enables Snapchatters to seamlessly browse and purchase items directly within the Snapchat app powered by Shopify. (Checkout the Spectacles Brand Profile to see the native store

On this episode, I talk about how Influencers need to be a part of your "new information" marketing plan. Whether it is a new SKU, retailer, brand update, etc. you should be leveraging these trojan horses for guaranteed delivery to a specific audience. 

On this episode, I talk about the importance of engagement on social media. I am not talking about how many likes you got, but more importantly a brand's focus on community management. Closing out conversations, getting into a dialogue, and facilitating answers to prospects and customers. This is an area where even some of the best brands miss and I think it is a big mistake. 

On this episode, I talk about the potential ban on TikTok in the US.  I don't think it will happen, but if it does we move on and focus our attention elsewhere. Here is a link to more on the topic. 

On this episode, I talk about Facebook Adding Custom Audience Creation Options Based on Shopping Activity. You can read more about it here: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebook-adds-custom-audience-creation-options-based-on-shopping-activity/580922/

On this episode, I talk about Instagram Testing Shopping Tags in Post Captions. Not out in the wild yet, but it was spotted on a celebrity's account and talked about here in this article. 

On this episode, I talk about how Instagram Outlined Steps to Address Potential Areas of Racial Inequality on its Platform. Mosseri outlined four steps that Instagram will be taking to improve racial representation and equality on its platform. Harassment - Mosseri says that Instagram will be looking to address any potential gaps in its policies which may be seeing different groups experience more harassment and abuse Account verification - Mosseri says that Instagram will also re-assess its verification process to ensure that there's no endemic bias in how verification is allocated and approved. "Verification is an area we constantly get questions on - what the guidelines are, and whether or not the criteria is favoring some groups more than others." Distribution - Mosseri also says that Instagram will review its content policies to ensure that there's no inherent bias in how content is chosen for its Explore and Hashtag pages. Mosseri also says it will investigate "shadowbanning", which sees content g