Showing posts tagged with: Team Vision Marketing

June 12, 2019

10 Types of Content That Will Boost Engagement

If you’ve landed on our Hawaii Marketing Tips blog by accident while searching for Team Vision Marketing, please visit our homepage, creative portfolio or client video testimonials.

10 Types of Content That Will Boost Social Media Engagement

Are you noticing your likes, reach, and web site traffic from social media posts are dying down? Well, your suspicions are correct. According to SocialMediaToday.com, only 6% of your Facebook and Instagram audiences will see your posts on their feeds.

This is because social media platforms are prioritizing content that evokes deeper interactions among users. Receiving comments and shares, not just obtaining Likes, may be  the best engagement metric to gauge the success of your brand’s posts because they can indicate a wider reach.

This challenges your social media agency to craft organic posts that will incite conversation and shares. But, creating organic content that generates deeper interactions can require more effort than the standard pretty photo and catchy caption. To help inspire you and give you some direction, our team has outlined 10 types of social media content that will boost your engagement!

 

1. Take advantage of trending social media topics

Although there’s a small window of time to capitalize on trending content, these posts can attract more conversations on your feed. After all, these topics are trending because they are widely discussed online. In addition, social media platforms reward profiles posting trending topics by boosting their discoverability, which may lead to stronger engagements.

TIP: Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter automatically list the top trending topics in a “Trending” tab or section, which is usually located in the side menu.

2. Create an organic social media campaign!

Developing engaging organic social media campaigns are great for promoting brand awareness and showing off your team’s creativity. Make your campaign inspiring with motivational quotes, informational with industry tips, or humorous with memes.

Recently, we developed the #DreadedAgencyRequests (#DAR) organic hashtag campaign, a humorous collection of client requests we’ve received over our 20 years in the marketing and advertising industry. Our industry peers found our humorous #DAR series amusing and relatable, which generated a lot of new likes, comments, and followers, creating a 100% gain in Instagram followers in just 3 months.

TIP: Pair your organic campaigns with a unique hashtag. Then, encourage your audience to follow that hashtag to view more of their favorite content. By following your hashtag, content from your campaign can reach audiences who don’t normally see your brand’s posts in their feed.

3. Post More Videos

Videos are much more entertaining content for your audience to engage with than static images and graphics. With video, it’s easier to convey information or share a story in a more amusing and relatable way. Videos are also likely to earn more comments than static posts. According to SocialMediaExaminer.com, a study by Mention found that out of 115 million analyzed posts on Instagram, videos earned 46% of the total comments.

TIP: The higher the quality the video is, the more engagements it will receive. However, creating a high-quality video isn’t as easy or as cheap as one might think. There are many elements to consider and plan out before production, including storyboards, talent, lighting, sound, equipment, and much more. If you don’t have the resources or time to produce your own video, consider reposting a video created by another profile,  or create more simple videos on apps, like Ripl.

4. Repost Content

Building your brand’s community by proactively engaging with your audience is just as important as getting engagements from them. By reposting, you are interacting with your audience, sharing meaningful content on your page, and strengthening your brand’s online community. Reposts also diversify your profile with great content that your social media agency team didn’t have to create.

Reposting user-generated content is a great strategy to start with, for two reasons. First, customer reposts are considered as engaging customer testimonials. Second, it’s a great way to show your appreciation to your community of consumers for using your product or services. Most people will feel flattered that one of their favorite companies wants to feature their content on the company’s feed.

Our client, Dole Plantation’s, social media community continues to strengthen due to our Dole Plantation repost program. We found that our reposts perform strongly on our feed, earning a lot of comments, shares, and likes. It’s also a sustainable content strategy that doesn’t require our team to create new content from scratch, which saves our client time and money when used as one piece of an integrated social media program.

You can also repost content that is on-brand but not directly linked to it, like quotes, memes, stats, or anything that you think your audience will enjoy. For example, for Castle & Cooke Hawaii, one of Hawaii’s leading real estate developers, we repost homemaking and home improvement content, including delicious recipes and simple DIY crafts, to diversify their feed.

TIP: Make sure to get permission to repost other people’s content, preferably by having them sign a waiver, and properly credit the original posters. Without these extra steps, you can potentially face legal issues.

5. Post Questions & Fill-In-The-Blanks

Remember, comments are social media metric gold! The more your posts get, the more discoverable and viral your post will become. Comments can also give valuable insight into your follower’s likes and dislikes.

Naturally, a practical strategy to boost the number of comments on a post is by asking audiences to share their opinion on a hot topic. Your questions can include something about your industry, brand, or something fun, like your audience’s favorite ice cream flavor. Your brand can also take this opportunity to get to know your followers better by having them share something about themselves, like what their favorite things to do in Hawaii are.

Another option that’s more convenient for your audience to interact with, are fill-in-the-blank questions. These questions usually require a one-word or very short answer, and they are just as effective.

TIP: Make sure to ask questions that don’t require long answers from your followers. The key to increasing audience interaction and participation is to make the interactions as convenient as possible.

6. Implement a Stories Poll

Polls are an effective option to entice audience interaction and feedback with their easy, one-click format. They can be sales orientated or fun and conversational, like this poll on what’s the best way to #DoleWhip, which we posted on our client’s  Instagram Story:

Hawaii Social Media - Dole Plantation Instagram Stories

TIP: If the polling topic is interesting enough, the  results can also act as bonus content! On Instagram stories, you can easily share the results of the poll before it disappears. Keep your followers on edge by sharing updates on the current poll results.

7. Host a series of Ask Me Anything (AMA)

Popularized on Reddit, AMAs are essentially Q&As. This social media trend is a great opportunity for brands to educate and connect with their audiences. With AMAs, brands can accomplish:

– Raising brand awareness
– Showing more brand personality
– Establishing your brand or key team members as business influencers
– Help your team learn more about what your audience’s interests  are, and what questions/concerns they may have about your company, products, or industry

Whether your social media team answers questions in a live stream or by writing replies in the comments, this type of content will boost your engagements.

TIP: Instead of hosting one general AMA session, organize them into a series where each AMA session covers one topic at a time. For example, if Team Vision hosts an AMA, each session would be broken down into “How To Start Your Own Hawaii Agency”, “How To Create A Successful Marketing Campaign”, or “How to Increase Your Social Media Engagement.” By breaking up your brand’s AMAs into focused topics, your team can receive better questions and you can provide more specific answers. It also gives your audience the flexibility to tune in on the AMAs they are most interested in.

BONUS TIP: If you choose to live stream your AMA, promote it beforehand. Although Instagram and Facebook will notify your followers when you’re live streaming, promoting it can draw an even bigger crowd and build up the hype.

8. Run a Social Media Contest or Launch a Giveaway

Entering for a chance to win a free prize is irresistible for anyone, which is why social media contests and giveaways are one of the most popular posts on many business feeds. Whether the purpose is to build hype for a new product, promote your hashtag, or create user-generated content, these posts can help drive a strong increase in engagements.

TIP: Keep the rules simple and geared towards interacting with the post. For example, have participants share the post on their feed or share why they should be selected as the winner in the comments below.

9. Post Accomplishments & Company Milestones

Your social media audience is made up of more than just your customers, they are fans of your brand. Winning awards, accomplishing goals, and reaching company milestones are the type of meaningful content many of your followers will want to interact with!

TIP: Posting accomplishments is  also a great marketing opportunity to boost your company’s clout, if it’s publicized properly. To avoid coming off as arrogant, celebrate your brand’s accomplishments with the team. Post a group shot of your team (with the award) along with a message that shares how proud and thankful the company is for their talented team.

10. Take Your Social Media Followers Behind-the-Scenes

The behind-the-scenes action can be just as engaging as the end product. Audiences enjoy seeing what it takes to plan an event, set up photo shoots, or create a project from start to finish. It’s also great for building hype or extending the buzz around an event, premier, or new product release.

Of course, not everything happening behind the curtain is interesting, and just like a magician, you might not want to give everything away. To keep the audience engaged or overly informed, capture the highlights of the process. You can also keep your followers on their toes by making the caption a little vague on what is going on in the photo.

TIP: Try having your followers guess in the comments on what is going on in the scene. Our secretive behind-the-scenes Instagram post of our team filming a Castle and Cooke Hawaii social media video ad for the recently sold out Waipahu real estate community, Pu’uwai Place, is an effective example.

Hawaii Advertising Agencies, Social Media companies, branding, social media, digital marketing, hawaii, Team Vision

There you have it, Team Vision Marketing’s Top 10 recommended organic social media content ideas that will help increase engagement on your company’s posts. Just remember that the best business social media pages have a healthy mixture of content, and it  might take some experimenting to get just the right mix.

Have you tried any of these content strategies on your brand’s social media channel? Tell us in the comments below. To get the latest news on social media trends and marketing tips, subscribe to the Team Vision Hawaii marketing blog.

If you need help with your organic social media marketing or content creation, reach out to our team for expert assistance. Team Vision is a full-service advertising agency and digital marketing firm with over 20 years of experience working with some of the top Hawaii brands, including Castle and Cooke Hawaii, Honua Kai Resort and Spa, Dole Plantation, and more.

See more of our creative work that spans beyond organic and paid social media campaigns in our comprehensive portfolio.

 

Contact Us:

Phone: (808) 536-0416

Email: info@www.teamvision.com

Web: www.www.teamvision.com

Hear from Harry A. Saunders, President of Castle & Cooke Hawaii, on his 20 years of experience working with Team Vision.

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June 5, 2019

Video Advertising is Growing – Are You Making the Shift?

Video Advertising Experiences Rapid Growth – Are You Making the Shift?  

As digital marketing strategies evolve, brands are turning more and more to video ads to promote their products or services in a fresh, creative way and to connect with their audiences. Videos add a jolt of excitement to any digital marketing strategy if they’re produced well and combined with a solid programmatic strategy – and as an added benefit, videos also have a very positive effect on your search engine optimization (SEO) rankings. According to GeniusMonkey.com, viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a creative video compared to 10% when reading it in text. Forbes says that video “creates an immediate, real and authentic route of interaction and connectivity with audience members”.

Still not convinced that you need to add more video advertising to your creative marketing mix? Take a look at these quick statistics:

  • 46% of users take action after viewing a video ad (GeniusMonkey.com).
  • Embedding videos in landing pages can increase conversion rates by 80% (Forbes).
  • An email with a video is 96% more likely to get a click-through (GeniusMonkey.com).
  • 64% of customers are more likely to buy a product online after watching a video about it (MarketingProfs.com)
  • 52% of marketing professionals worldwide name video as the type of content with the best ROI (SocialMediaToday.com).
  • Marketers who use video can increase their revenue 49% faster than non-video users (SocialMediaToday.com).
  • 43% of consumers want to see more video content from marketers (SocialMediaToday.com).
  • By 2019, video marketing will make up 80% of online content (Forbes).
  • According to YouTube, mobile video consumption grows by 100% every year.
  • Video ads spending will grow nearly 30% to $27.82 billion in 2018, which means video ad spending will make up 25% of US digital ad spending (emarketer)

Social Media Video Ad Revenue
Image Source

  • US digital video ad spending in 2022 will surpass $50 billion (emarketer)

Video Ad Spend ForecastImage Source

So, what does this all say about video advertising?  Videos provide an effective marketing tool and they strongly influence the audience’s buying behavior. “…Viewers are more than 85% more likely to make a purchase after watching a product video.” (GeniusMonkey.com). Also, according to Forbes, 90% of customers report that product videos help them make purchasing decisions. Team Vision Marketing recommends that brands and marketers should seriously consider adding more video ads into their marketing mix to take their digital marketing strategy to the next level. In fact, many major brands are allotting more of their online marketing budget to video development and video editing, but keep in mind that the ads need to be entertaining and authentic in order to engage the audience.

Convinced you need to create more video ads and don’t know where to start?  Well, creating quality video ads can take a lot of time an effort. And in a world that’s moving more and more toward videos in advertising, you will likely need to start producing new web, advertising and social media videos on an ongoing basis.  Unless you happen to be a small business owner with a background in video editing (and have the time to do it), you’re likely going to need to look to an advertising agency or digital marketing agency. That’s where we come in.  If you’re in need of television commercials, long and short format video development, drone videos, promotional videos or social media videos, please give us a call at (808) 536-0416, or use our website inquiry form at www.www.teamvision.com/contact.

Our team can help you create well-produced video ads as well as help you integrate those ads into your marketing and social media campaigns.  Browse through some of the creative videos in our web site portfolio at www.www.teamvision.com/portfolio and view our client video testimonials at www.www.teamvision.com/clients.

Hear from Harry A. Saunders, President of Castle & Cooke Hawaii, on his experience working with Team Vision.

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Contact Us for Help with Your Video Advertising

Call Us Today at (808) 536-0416.

Sources:

https://www.emarketer.com/content/video-swells-to-25-of-us-digital-ad-spending

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/20-essential-video-marketing-statistics-infographic/527305/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamcraig/2018/04/24/the-growth-of-video-marketing-and-why-your-business-needs-it/#45d911c27c2d

https://www.geniusmonkey.com/blog/video-marketers-have-the-advantage/?utm_source=GeniusMonkey&utm_medium=EmailNewsletter&utm_campaign=VideoMarketersHaveTheAdvantage

https://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2018/33914/nine-types-of-video-to-help-you-close-sales

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2017/02/03/video-marketing-the-future-of-content-marketing/#506d874e6b53

May 20, 2019

Why You Should Advertise on Facebook Messenger

If you’ve landed on our Hawaii Marketing Tips blog by accident while searching for Team Vision Marketing, please visit our homepage, creative portfolio or client video testimonials to learn more.

If you haven’t noticed, Facebook recently got a makeover. Along with a cleaner look and a new logo, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and Founder of Facebook, announced the social media network’s new algorithm, features, community standards, and security measures at their F8 conference – all of which are designed to emphasize family and friend connections.

Although organic reach for brands on social media has declined over the years, the new algorithm is looking into limiting their presence, organic and paid, even further. This is because Facebook is prioritizing content that is more meaningful and interactive with its core audience.

This leaves brands and agencies wondering how they can adapt their social media advertising strategies to satisfy the new Facebook algorithm. One solution? Advertising on Facebook’s newly updated Messenger.

Why Advertise on Facebook Messenger?

Messenger ads are designed for advertisers to drive more meaningful interactions with their target audience, which includes increasing website traffic, app downloads, Messenger Update subscriptions, starting conversations on business pages, and ultimately booking appointments through Messenger.

Not to mention, Messenger is the second most downloaded iOS app with almost 1.3 billion people using Messenger per month, 40 million of which are business profiles.

In addition, in combination with Facebook’s geo-targeting feature, your brand can send highly targeted promotions directly to the people who have already talked to your business through Messenger.

1. Click-to-Message ads

This Messenger-style ad is designed to start a conversation with your target audience and to gain subscribers. The ad pops up on the feed (yes, ads will still show up on the feed) with a “Send A Message” Call-To-Action (CTA)  button that will lead the audience directly to a Messenger chat instead of a landing page.

Team Vision Marketing suggests using this ad type for remarketing. This is because it gives the brand an opportunity to engage with and inform the prospective customers without an aggressive promotional approach, which might lead to a conversion.

2. Sponsored Messages

A sponsored message is Facebook’s version of email marketing. It delivers your brand’s specifically crafted messages directly into a targeted user’s inbox, who has subscribed or interacted with your brand via Messenger.

Our team recommends launching Sponsored Messages simultaneously with an email marketing campaign. We also recommend that your team plan to be active and responsive to re-engaged customers. You can also set up chatbots to send automatic replies.

3. Home section ads

The Messenger Home Section, or inbox, is a new placement for Facebook Ads. With this ad type, your brand’s audience can be sent to the destination of your choosing, whether that be to a Messenger conversation or to a landing page.

We suggest considering placing ads for your next Facebook Ads campaign on the Messenger Home section. Home section Ads are automatically placed where they are most likely to drive campaign results at the lowest possible cost.

BONUS: Chatbots

We highly recommend setting up a Response Assistant or chatbots on your business page. With a Response Assistant, your brand can send instant replies to anyone who messages your Page. This is ideal for consumer service, as well as reducing the need for your team to have to constantly monitor chat inquiries.

When you run an ad that clicks to Messenger, you can also set up an automated chat to generate leads. This is a more conversational method of collecting information from prospective consumers.

Messenger ads are designed to help advertisers drive more meaningful interactions with their target audiences, and the ads also provide a potential solution for businesses trying to gain increased online exposure.  

If you need help navigating the complex world of digital marketing solutions, please reach out to Team Vision Marketing and we will help you get started on a digital marketing plan with recommendations on the best Facebook and Instagram ads strategies. Messenger ads programs,  and other digital marketing opportunities.

Team Vision is a full-service Hawaii advertising agency serving local Hawaii businesses on O’ahu, Maui, Lanai, the Big Island, and Kaua’i for over 20 years. View our extensive creative work in our portfolio. Hear from our clients in our client video testimonials gallery. Then, subscribe to our marketing tips blog to stay up to date on today’s advertising and marketing trends.

 

Contact Us:

Phone: (808) 536-0416

Email: info@www.teamvision.com

Web: www.www.teamvision.com

Listen to Dolly Moreno’s, Director of Sales & Marketing, Honua Kai Resort & Spa, experience working with Team Vision Marketing.

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Contact Us for Help with All Your Digital Advertising Needs

Call Us Today at (808) 536-0416.

April 15, 2019

Top 10 Instagram Hashtag Tips for 2019

Top 10 Instagram Hashtag Tips for 2019

If you’ve accidentally landed on our Hawaii Marketing Tips blog while searching for Team Vision Marketing, please visit our homepage, creative portfolio or client video testimonials to learn more about us. If you’re interested in learning more about our Top Instagram hashtag tips, please continue reading.

Hashtags get a bad reputation for being a nuisance, but they’re still a valuable social media marketing tool. With the right strategy, hashtags can generate new leads, create more views on posts, attract new followers, and strengthen your brand. We should know, over the years, Team Vision Marketing has managed social media profiles of some of Hawaii’s top brands, including Dole Plantation, Castle & Cooke Hawaii, Honua Kai Resort & Spa, Ke Kailani, and many more!   

Here are our Top 10 hashtag tips based for 2019.

1. Don’t use irrelevant hashtags.

Social media apps can flag profiles that don’t use relevant hashtags on their post as spam or a nuisance. Users can hide your post, unfollow you, or report your posts, which can negatively affect your presence on your follower’s feeds. Make sure your photo/video and caption are optimized for the hashtags your brand plans on using for each post.

2. Find your magic number.

Team Vision recommends that you experiment to find the magic number for your brand. We’ve found on our Instagram channel that between 11-30 hashtags work best to attract new Followers and Likes. Just remember that the maximum hashtags brands can use on Instagram is 10 for stories and 30 for posts. Twitter recommends using up to two hashtags and Facebook recommends keeping your hashtags simple.

3. Find your brand’s top hashtags.

Look through your brand’s top performing posts and compare which hashtags performed the best. Experiment with using different hashtags and see which ones generate the most new Followers and Likes. Also, make sure you search for hashtags you use in your posts to review the types of content others are posting using the same hashtag.  This will help you better understand the quality and type of content people are looking for when they follow a specific hashtag.

4. Try out the 10/10/10 rule.

The 10/10/10 rule translates to 10 location hashtags, 10 broad hashtags, and 10 specific hashtags. Team Vision recommends mixing broad and specific hashtags because broad hashtags attract the views and specific hashtags attract new followers by targeting your posts to the right audience. You can check how broad or niche a hashtag is by typing it into the search bar in the Explore tab. A dropdown section will show how many posts have used it and related hashtags.  Adding location hashtags helps brands connect with their local market.

5. Use related hashtags.

One hashtag, like #Hawaii, might be too diluted. So, try using a related hashtag, where your post might have a better chance of getting discovered. When you type a hashtag into the search bar in the Explore tab, a dropdown section will show how many posts have used that tag and suggest other related hashtags. You can also find related hashtags on hashtag pages (see image below).

Related #Hawaii Instagram hashtags

6. Check out which hashtags the competition or influencers are using.

Why not? Take inspiration from their most popular posts to see which hashtags or number of hashtags are working best for them. Then integrate some of those into your hashtag strategy.

7. Follow the top hashtags you use.

See who else is using the hashtags you frequently use and determine what kind of posts are using it. This might help inspire your content creation or give you an idea for a new campaign.

8. Experiment with emoji hashtags.

For now, Instagram is the only major social media platform where users can use emojis as hashtags. The more hashtag diversity, especially with more creative hashtags, the more visibility and engagement your posts will receive.

  • 11.9 million posts are using #?
  • 8 million posts are using #?
  • 28.9 million posts are using #❤️

9. Create branded and campaign hashtags.

Creating a branded hashtag is a great way to strengthen your brand, campaign, event, or cause’s awareness. Having a branded, or campaign hashtag, can also encourage user-generated content, which your brand can repost on your feeds, or use to measure the effectiveness of your social media campaigns. To pull this off successfully, our team suggests launching both paid and organic campaigns to spread the word about the hashtag and to provide an attractive incentive when your audience uses it. For example, we created the #HKMemories hashtag for Honua Kai Resort & Spa for an ongoing brand awareness program.  The campaign used both paid and organic social media, print ads, and more to encourage guests to use the hashtag whenever posting their vacation photos to social media. These user-generated photos and videos are regularly reposted to the resort’s social feeds.  

To garner even more awareness of the Team Vision Marketing brand, we developed two organic social media campaign hashtags for our feed: #TeamVisionMarketingTips and #DreadedAgencyRequests. We use the #TeamVisionMarketingTips to boost our educational posts, including our marketing quote series, blog posts, and Hawaii advertising and marketing tips. Our most recent social media series, #DreadedAgencyRequests, is a collection of humorous client requests that we have received over our 20 years as a Hawaii Advertising Agency. See a roundup of our favorite #DreadedAgencyRequests on Instagram here. These campaign hashtags combined with our organic social media series have helped grow our engagement and following by over 500 New Followers in a 45-day period. You can find the full campaign for both series on our Instagram page at @teamvisionhi, or you can search for #DreadedAgencyRequests and #TeamVisionMarketing on Instagram or Facebook.

10. Try using engagement-oriented hashtags.

Engagement-oriented hashtags incorporate pop-culture phrases, like #ILikeItLikeThat, which is a reference to a chart-topping rap song by Cardi-B. These are great for increasing visibility on posts and for attracting new followers. However, our team recommends that any engagement-oriented hashtag your brand uses still be relevant to the post.

Here are some more examples of engagement-orientated hashtags:

  • 319,000 posts used #ThankYouNext
  • 872,000 posts used #JustGirlyThings
  • 2.9 million posts used #TreatYourself.

 

Hashtags are a valuable social media marketing tool – if used correctly. If your brand follows our 2019 social media hashtag tips, your strategy will attract more impressions and post likes, garner more followers, and strengthen your overall brand.

If you’re looking for a full-service Hawaii advertising and marketing agency to help you launch creative and engaging social media campaigns, give Team Vision Marketing a call at (808) 536-0416, or send us a message through our Contact page.

 

Contact Us:

Phone: (808) 536-0416

Email: info@www.teamvision.com

Web: www.www.teamvision.com

Listen to Dolly Moreno’s, Director of Sales & Marketing, Honua Kai Resort & Spa, experience working with Team Vision Marketing.

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Contact Us for Help with All Your Social Media Marketing Needs

Call Us Today at (808) 536-0416.

Sources:

https://business.twitter.com/en/blog/the-dos-and-donts-of-hashtags.html
https://blog.hootsuite.com/instagram-hashtags/
https://medium.com/@jennabrandon07/why-and-how-to-improve-your-instagram-hashtag-strategy-top-trending-hashtags-2019-af2d1b2f8944
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/instagram-hashtags
https://www.prdaily.com/9-social-media-tips-pr-pros-cant-ignore/
https://www.smartinsights.com/social-media-marketing/how-when-and-why-you-should-be-using-hashtags/
https://www.adweek.com/digital/why-its-time-to-update-your-instagram-hashtag-strategy/

March 13, 2019

2018 Social Media Trends: Were We Right On The Money?

2018 Social Media Trends: Were We Right On The Money?

In 2018, we suggested that Hawaii brands try out these four social media trends: Stories, Transparency, A.I. and Chatbots, and Videos and Live Streaming. Now it’s time to check-in to see if these trends lived up to the hype in 2018 and what their future looks like for 2019.

Need help executing high-quality marketing campaigns that utilize the latest trends to achieve your business goals? Send us an email at info@www.teamvision.com or give us a call at (808) 536-0416.

Did you land on our Hawaii Marketing Tips blog by accident while searching for Team Vision Marketing? Please visit our homepage, creative portfolio or client video testimonials.

1. Stories

2018: Stories include photo or video content that is only available for 24 hours and they are quickly growing in popularity. This type of content is versatile; the possibilities of content are endless. Brands have been using stories for branding, promoting, and advertising.

The following infographic, compiled by story-experience producer Fastory, shows the popularity growth of stories.

Read more on Rise of the Story Format.

The Verdict: 2018 was a major win for the story format.

The Stories trend continues to be victorious! EMarketer reported that 400 million people used Instagram Stories, 450 million use What’s App Stories (owned by Facebook), 300 million used Facebook Stories, and 186 million used SnapChat Stories.

In fact, its wild success got Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s CEO, to claim that stories will eventually be bigger than the News Feed. Many other prominent brands, such as Facebook, Vogue, Microsoft, and Deutsche Bank, recognize the influence and see a strong future for this new content and ad placement medium.

So, what’s next for Stories? SocialMediaToday.com reports that Instagram is currently testing a new Stories feature where users can ask their followers to donate to their favorite charities. Another new Story feature in the works, as reported by Mashable.com, will give Netflix users the ability to share what they’re watching on the Netflix app to their Instagram Stories. This means that brands could possibly have another organic way to interact with the story format beyond posting on stories or buying ads.

2. Transparency

2018: One of the greatest (and sometimes worst) things about being on social media is how quick news spreads. One tweet or post can go viral, and with this political climate, people are feeling more empowered to voice their opinions. Audiences are demanding change, transparency, and advocating for social justice (i.e. #MeToo and #MarchForOurLives).

  • 81% of consumers say social media increased accountability for businesses
  • 47% of consumers use social media for complaints
  • Only 8% of consumers say they would be silent if a brand posted something inappropriate

Statistics provided by Social Sprout.

The Verdict: Transparency is evolving and the public want brands to be more transparent.

Last year some brands and influencers are really making an effort to appease the demand for transparency and social justice movements:

  • Last year, Facebook made some major changes in the social media’s platform algorithms and security measures after sitting on the hot seat before the public and court.
  • CVS is debuting a new social campaign where consumers are encouraged to upload their own unaltered photos under #beautyunaltered to social media for the chance to have them displayed on the brand’s Times Square billboard. As part of the effort, CVS partnered with lifestyle influencers Sara and Erin Foster on a new Beauty Mark t-shirt; proceeds will support nonprofit Girls Inc.
  • An increasing amount of celebrities and social media influencers are pledging to improve the way they declare sponsored posts and endorsing goods.

Although extra transparency actions taken by Facebook and other brands are appreciated, there is still so much room for improvement. Jen Wong, COO of Reddit, says, “There’s going to be a much longer arc [in 2019] around this movement around data transparency and management.” According to a Sprout Social report, topics consumers want brands to be more transparent on business operations, marketing, policy changes, and business values.

For 2019, brands have two challenges to overcome: 1) Go deeper in their transparency and 2) Create new, engaging ways to address public issues as big as scandals to individual complaints on products and services other than press releases and replies in the comment section.

3. Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) and Chatbots

2018: To help effectively communicate with consumers, more brands are using chatbots or A.I. programs to increase positive experiences, handle customer service, complete purchases, or to provide more information about a product or service. According to CMO by Adobe, 72% of business leaders agree that A.I. can provide a fundamental business advantage. These bots can help your brand identify business issues, compile data, and target audiences with your posts better.

Read more A.I. statistics from CMO by Adobe.

The Verdict: How did we live without AI?

The growth in AI usage is undeniable. According to Hootsuite, the International Data Centre reported that worldwide spending on AI solutions will increase more than 22.1% from January 2017 – that’s $103 billion. In 2018, Salesforce’s State of Marketing reported that 52% of consumers are more inclined to change brands if a company doesn’t offer personalized communication.

The future for AI Marketing in 2019 is to incorporate it into personalized marketing strategies to form a deeper relationship with their consumers. Big names, such as Digital North America, Reddit, Unilever, and Clorox, say that data marketing, data-driven marketing, AI, and personalized marketing is the future.

Read more on Let’s Get Personal: How To Win At Personalized Marketing

4. Videos & Live Streaming

2018: Live streaming and videos are quickly becoming an important tool to communicate and market your brand. They add authenticity, keep your audience engaged, and can get your audience talking about your brand. Video also entertains and can help influence purchases.

Here are some tips for creating successful videos and live streams:

  • Catch the audience’s attention in the first 7 seconds
  • Rehearse before filming live
  • Have a concise message
  • Host a live Q & A and get your audience to post their questions on your social platforms

Check out Team Vision’s video work.

Read more video and live streaming tips.

The Verdict: The stats don’t lie! Make 2019 the year you start video marketing.

If your brand is not on the video and live streaming train, you better hop on now. Why deny your brand from using the top engaging media format, which has been a staple in digital marketing for years? If you want to stay relevant to your current audience and attract potential consumers, get your team started on producing videos, building their skills in video/live streaming, and collecting data on what engages with your audience most. Still need convincing? Here are some stats from 2018 that prove the success of videos and live streams:

 

If you’re looking for help with your Hawaii Social Media Marketing, give Team Vision Marketing a call at (808) 536-0416, or check out samples of our social media work in our extensive online marketing portfolio at www.www.teamvision.com/portfolio.

To read more about social media marketing tips, please check out and subscribe to our Hawaii Marketing Tips Blog.

Hear from Dolly Moreno, Director of Sales & Marketing, Honua Kai Resort & Spa, on her experience working with Team Vision Marketing.

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