#Regram. Your business's guide to reposting on Instagram

Image courtesy of PetaPixel

So when you want to share other people’s content with your own business’s followers on Facebook and Google Plus you share, on Twitter you retweet, but what do you do on Instagram?

Let me introduce you to regramming (or reposting).  Hootsuite defines a regram as: “when an Instagram user posts a photo from someone else’s account to their own”. As well as being able to share fantastic content with your followers there are numerous other benefits to your business if you use regramming correctly; it has the potential to supply an endless amount of fresh content for your page, it can increase your brand awareness, encourage more engagement with your brand and improve your social proof.

In this article I will tell you exactly how to regram as well as show you how to unlock all of these benefits and more for your business.

How to regram

There are several different ways you can share other people’s content on your Instagram page. We will look at two in particular; manually posting the content and using one of the numerous apps that offer the service. The former option is a little stone age however it is a useful technique to know and will enable you to post content without having the app’s brand name overlaid on top of your images.

Manual regramming

Manually reposting content on Instagram is easy, however it is worth bearing in mind that this only works on photographs and will not work for video. Simply follow the steps below: 

1. Open Instagram on a mobile device
2. Navigate to the post you would like to regram
3. Take a screenshot or save the image to your device
4. Press the + button in the centre of the bottom navigation row on Instagram
5. Select the screenshot you have just taken
6. Crop the image so that only the picture you want to repost is in the frame (if required you can edit the image with your devices native editing suite)
7. Proceed to the caption page and write your caption, remember to give credit to the original owner of the image (more on this later)
8. Hit share

Easy, however for better quality reposting and the ability to repost videos the next option is the one you want.

Regramming tools

There are a whole host of tools and applications out there designed for specifically regramming content. Head over to your device’s application service and search for “repost Instagram”, choose an app that has good reviews and for-fills your requirements. A great tool that I have had success with in the past is Repost for Instagram from the guys over at Red Cactus.

Although the process differs a little from app to app the basics are the same:

1. Install your choice of application
2. Open Instagram on a mobile device
3. Navigate to the post you would like to regram
4. Tap the three dots on the top right of the post
5. Press “Copy Share URL”
6. Open your regramming application
7. Edit the post as required
8. Share the post

Boom, 2 minutes of work and you have some fantastic content to share with your followers.

Regram like a professional

Get noticed

So earlier I said that regramming content can be a great way to increase your brand awareness, here is a great trick to get potential customers noticing your brand.

When you are looking for content to regram, focus on people that have a use for your product or service. If you regram someone’s content and notify them like I will outline below, I guarantee they will take an interest in your brand and head over to your business’s Instagram page.This is fantastic free way to get your business noticed by, and give value to new potential customers. If you have chosen correctly, (someone that resonates with your brand and requires your product or service) this potential customer will likely become an actual customer later down the line.

#Hashtag

Another simple, but great hack is to make sure you use the hashtag “#regram” when you repost someone else’s content. Using this hashtag shows people that your business is both ethical and genuine, showing that you are more than happy to highlight that this post uses someone else’s content.

Secondly, when posting one of your happy customer’s posts about your product, using this hashtag shows that someone loved your product/service so much that they posted about it. Let your customers show people why they should buy your product, social proof beats your own advertising every day of the week.

Responsible regramming

If I were cynical, I would perhaps think that some of you would read this blog and go about reposting other people’s content without asking permission and claiming it as your own. However, let me highlight a few important things here. Not only would that be showing a complete lack of respect for the person who created the great shareable content, but you would also be shooting yourself in the foot, here is why:

Asking before you use

Asking permission to use someone else’s content before regramming is a must. Simply drop the user a message and ask if you can use their post on your page, 9 times out of 10 they will say yes. The best way we have found of doing this is by simply commenting on the user’s post with a kind message or remark about the photo or video followed by the request for permission to use the post.

Do not just go ahead and use the image or video once you have requested permission, wait for the user to reply and say it is ok before regramming their content. This is not only a nice thing to do but it also has a lot of benefits for your business. For example, the content creator will likely be thrilled that a business thinks their image or video is good enough for them to re-use it and as a result is likely to think of your brand more favourably in the future.

Crediting the creator

In addition to asking permission to use people images and videos it is imperative that you give credit where credit is due. This is easy; simply include the users name in your caption prefixed with something like; Photo by (@username), Image Credit (@username) or Captured by (@username). What comment you use is not as important as making sure you make it clear who provided the original image or video, so feel free to get creative.

By tagging the content creator in your post you ensure that your regram will show up in the news feeds of all of their followers. So not only is this good practise, you will instantly increase your post’s reach!

If the above benefits are still not enough to stop you ripping off other people’s content, remember that if the original content creator finds out and wishes to do so they can justifiably report you to Instagram and your account will be suspended or removed. It is also worth noting that in this situation Instagram will not see it as sufficient if you have just tagged the user in the image, make sure you mention them in the caption.

So there you have it, regramming can be exactly what your business needs to take it to the next level on Instagram. Follow all of the best practises I have outlined above and you will be well on your way to Instagram success. I would love to know how you currently, or plan to use regramming as part of your Instagram strategy, let me know in the comments!

George Rudge - Social 365

The Most Common Mistakes Businesses Make on Social Media

Image courtesy of RQ Health

It’s nothing to be ashamed of. A lot of business owners get confused when it comes to the nitty-gritty of social media.

And who wouldn’t be? Social media is still young, and there are so many platforms out there, how are you supposed to know what to do and where to do it?

Today, I am here to help you realise the most common mistakes businesses make online. There are more mistakes businesses make, of course, but these are the most common ones we see at Social 365.

Not committing to social media long term

This is a common issue a lot of businesses have.

They start their business. They analyse the avenues and places they need to go and be seen. They create their pages and post on them religiously for a month or two.

But then what happens? They forget about them, and their once new and glorious pages become dusty and bare.

Social media needs to be embraced by your business and you need to make a commitment to work on it (or at least monitor it) every day.

With the amount of people on social media growing daily, it’s no surprise that a lot of businesses want to be present online.  

But you MUST commit. There are great benefits from being on social media, from revenue generation to simply brand awareness and customer service.

You don’t want to miss out because it takes you too long or you can’t be bothered anymore. Use it for a long time, commit to the process and reap the benefits.

Talking one-way

Many businesses post on social media platforms for one reason: they think they have to.

Now, you should post on your platforms regularly, don’t get me wrong. However, the way in which businesses post when they have this mind-set writes-off any interaction with their audience.

There’s no possibility of a two-way conversation. 

With access to information and the ability to influence hundreds (if not thousands and millions) at peoples finger tips, people want to be heard and people want to be noticed.

If you are posting every day, or even every other day, but aren’t giving your audience a chance to engage with your business, then you’re wasting your time.

Don’t just talk at people, talk TO them. Engage with them. Post interesting content and ask your audience questions.

You can even interact with them directly on most platforms by simply adding the “@” symbol then typing someone’s name.

This seems like an obvious and simple thing to do, but you’d be surprised how often it’s overlooked.

Not knowing how often to ask for business

When to ask for business, and how often you should ask, is an age-old problem.

On social media however, it becomes even more of an issue.

Businesses tend to go one of two ways.

Businesses either spend a long time building up their following and their reputation, offer value and take the time to interact with their audience, but never experience this value converting to sales.

On the other hand, some businesses get followers, and straight away start asking for business and bombarding their audience with links to their services, without offering any value or interacting with them first.

You NEED to build rapport with people. You NEED to offer your audience valuable content, and valuable content that they actually want.

You wouldn’t go up to a random stranger in the street and start shouting your prices and services at them, so don’t do it on social media.

If you interact with your customers, offer them tips, help, and knowledge only you (an expert) could tell them, you’re much more likely to get sales.

It is simple reciprocity. You offer people your valuable time and information, and in time they will repay you in sales.  

Not having a clear social media direction

Having a social media strategy which is congruent to your overall brand strategy might seem like common sense.

However, you’d be surprised how many businesses do not take the time to devise a social media strategy at all and just “wing it”.

Without knowing the direction you want to take the pages, to the tone of voice you are going to use and the content you are going to share, your social media pages will fail to achieve the results you desire.

Spend the time to think about your social media goals, and think about how you are going to achieve them. If you’re unsure, get some help from a professional. Don’t be ashamed to ask for guidance. After all, billions of people have the potential to see your pages – do you really want to get it wrong?

Overloading on social media platforms 

Facebook.

Twitter.

Google +.

Instagram.

Pinterest.

Foursquare.

YouTube.

I could go on, but the list of potential platforms is quite long!

There’s a ton of social media sites which are available to businesses today, so there is no surprise people get confused.

Each platform has its own pro’s and con’s. Each platform has different uses and different functions. If you’re entering the world of social media without much knowledge, the scene can be quite overwhelming.

The common mistake made by a lot of businesses is to get on everything. No matter what their business is or what the platforms do, some businesses just get everywhere.

STOP. Think about what your business needs. Think about what the platforms do. You don’t need to be everywhere, and it makes much more sense to start with one platform and master it, than spread yourself over them all and make mistakes.

Take the time to think about what your business really needs and where you need to be seen, and from there, take each platform one at a time and master it. You’ll thank me later.

What now?

Whether your business has 1 or 1000 employees, take the time to think about your social media presence. 

Examine your results every month or quarter, and get help if you’re in doubt. You could save thousands - and you could earn even more - by avoiding these common mistakes. 


Aaron Savage - Social 365

5 Essential Social Media Goals For Your Business And How To Achieve Them

Image courtesy of  Bluetrain

What are you trying to achieve on social media?

What gets measured, gets managed and your businesses social media presence is no exception to this rule. This is where your social media goals come in, they add direction to your social media activities and provide motivation on the days when your posts are just not resonating with your audience.

Your businesses social media goals will be derived from your greater business objectives and will form the basis for all of your actions on social media, from what you are posting to how you are responding to customer comments. These goals will also allow you to set targets against which you can measure your businesses performance and highlight areas for improvement.

In this article I will give you some examples of some great social media goals as well as show you how you can measure your progress towards achieving them. So without further ado, here are 5 goals you can tailor to your business:

1. Increase sales

Or replace sales with sign ups, revenue or any other final stage sales funnel term. This is without question the most common social media goal people come to us with, and ultimately this is often the final objective.

Used in isolation this goal can fail to encompass many of the factors that will ultimately determine your success on social media. However do not be deterred, this can be a fantastic objective when used in conjunction with other goals or if your business has a particularly short sales funnel.

A great example of this goal in action is the use of Facebook ads directly looking to sell a product or service, from our experience this can be a fantastic strategy to use if your business sells low value, simple products that are fairly self explanatory.

Tracking sales

To track your progress towards this goal it is simply a case of measuring the amount of sales/revenue coming from your social media channels in general as well as your social media campaigns.

In order to measure the number of sales coming through to your website from social media you need look no further than Google Analytic's goal conversion feature. If you are using Facebook Ads to directly sell, you can also set up the Facebook Pixel on your website and assign a monetary value to each conversation. Once you have this in place you will need to review the data frequently to ensure you are moving towards your goal and amend your sales funnel if necessary.

2. Generate leads

If you have a longer sales funnel and/or a more expensive product, your overriding social media goal is more likely to be to generate new leads opposed to immediately targeting sales. The massive audience social media gives you access to can be a gold mine for new leads, especially when combined with the specific targeting options that most platforms offer through their advertising services. 

Leads can come in various forms, however usually they involve a potential customer showing interest in you business, product or service by providing you with their personal information such as their email address, name and area of business.
 

Tracking lead generation

There are several metrics you can use to track the number of leads coming from your social media platforms. Some of our favourite are; measuring the clicks on posts that are specifically aimed at lead generation, tracking the number of downloads of gated content, measuring participation in social media contests and of course keeping tabs on the amount of personal information that is being collected.

In addition, it is also important to analyse the quality of the leads you are getting from social media. This can be done by measuring the conversion rate of leads you receive and comparing this to your other lead sources. All of these metrics can be measured through Google Analytics. Once again you will need to set up conversation goals to track these metrics, once you have done this you will be able to see your conversation statistics in the Conversations tab.

3. Increase website traffic

In the same vein as generating new leads, another social media goal you may chose to pursue is to drive more traffic to your website. Increasing the traffic to your website or blog can be a great way to show your social media audience exactly what your business is all about and hopefully convert them into customers. A secondary benefit of pursuing this goal is improvement to your websites search engine ranking, more people visiting your site will convey to Google that you are an authority on your particular area of business.

Tracking website traffic

Traffic to your website can be measured using several different metrics. Obviously measuring overall traffic volume is a good idea, in addition, you will want to measure the proportion of traffic coming from social media and compare this to your other sources. Another important metric to consider is the bounce rate of the traffic from social media, this will give you a good indicator of the quality of the leads coming from your social platforms.

Once again Google Analytics is your friend here, simply go to: Acquisition - All Traffic - Channels and you will find all of the above metrics and more.

4. Improve brand awareness

Unless you are the likes of Coca Cola or Apple, it is probably safe to say that improving your brand awareness is fairly high up on your to do list. Social media is the perfect place to get your business in front of new potential customers, Facebook alone has over 1.86 billion monthly active users, that is almost 25% of the worlds population! Setting this goal is a great way to help you stay accountable and will add direction to your overall social media strategy.

Tracking brand awareness

Tracking this goal is a little less obvious than the others that I have mentioned thus far, however fear not it can still easily be done. The key metrics that you should use for tracking this goal are follower/like count, post reach and the number shares, mentions and re-tweets you are getting. Combining all of these metrics will give you a great overview of how many people are seeing as well as interacting with your businesses content.

If this is a goal you wish to set for you own business, measuring these metrics is easy, most platforms have these statistics easily available through there native analytics tools and come at no additional cost, simply Google the platform followed by "analytics".

5. Increase brand engagement

If you want your content to be seen by as many of your social media followers as possible, you will need to prioritise increasing the engagement your content receives. Several of the biggest social media platforms use algorithms to place high engagement content at the top of users news feeds. The key to increasing your brand engagement is to make sure you are publishing content that encourages your target audience to like, comment and share. In addition, a great way to directly increase engagement on your posts is to simply reply to any comments/tweets your pages receives and encourage further interaction.

Tracking engagement

The key to tracking engagement is to measure the amount of likes, shares, comments, mentions and replies you are receiving. The easiest way to do this is once again using the native analytics provided by most of the major social media platforms. Another great tool you can use to track this goal is social listening. Sprout Social defines social listening as: "the process of tracking conversations around specific phrases, words or brands, and then leveraging them to discover opportunities or create content for those audiences". There are some great free tools out there for helping you do this, a good place to start is Social Mention.

In Summary

There are many different goals that your business can pursue on social media, the ones your chose will ultimately be decided by your businesses objectives. The key to reaching your social media goals is establishing a reliable way of tracking your progress and reviewing this frequently. When outlining your social media goals the for month, quarter or year, decide which metric/s most reliably track the underlying fundamentals to your goal/s and set up a process for tracking this metric. If you do this for all of your social media goals you will be one step closer to achieving them and reaping all of the benefits that social media has to offer.

What goals have you established for your businesses social media? Let us know in the comments.

George Rudge - Social 365