Social Media Stories: When and How to Use Them

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Platforms are constantly adding new features that provide ways for you to share personal things as well as ways for businesses to reach their consumers, making social media marketing a growing trend. It is not a newly developed feature to be able to share stories on social media platforms; if used correctly, they can be an excellent and quick method of sharing content. In 2013, Snapchat was the first platform to introduce Stories, and they remained the only platform with the feature until Instagram introduced their own version in 2016. Most social media platforms followed, and Tiktok just had a recent update to include a stories option for their creators. Stories usually consist of short video or picture clips that expire within twenty-four hours and, oftentimes, these posts appear less polished than what we would see in feeds. In many cases stories are created on a mobile device and provide a behind the scenes, unfiltered and may not align with your aesthetic. Stories are displayed in chronological order in which they were submitted in a slideshow format. The nice thing about using stories is you do not have to worry about the algorithm in the sense that neither hashtags nor post times are significant. Stories provide countless opportunities for you to engage with your audience easily and quickly and each platform comes with there own benefits for you or your business brand.

Snapchat Stories

Businesses don’t always think of Snapchat when choosing a platform to market on, but as long as you have a following, it might be worth considering. Snapchat can be used by brands with a large following on other platforms using content to cross-promote, provide a sneak peek new products or to create brand-specific filters. Influencer takeovers and brand deals are the perfect opportunity to offer exclusive content on this platform and grow your audience.

Facebook Stories

In both mobile and desktop versions of Facebook, stories appear at the top of the feed, and they are a great way to reach an audience. In the moment camera first communication is on the rise and is the perfect venue to provide more relaxed and casual content for your viewers.

Instagram Stories 

In the top of your feed, these appear in a small circle format and tend to contain a mix of personal and business accounts. Instagram offers many interactive tools like polls, stickers and links that allow you to interact with your viewers and can assist with engagement. If a viewer wants to communicate with a story it can be done through direct messaging.

YouTube Stories

Stories on YouTube expire after seven days, they are not searchable, and they are only available on the mobile app. The option to produce a story is still in beta mode and is only available to those with over 10,000 subscribers. I’m looking forward to seeing if they continue to develop this option and make it available to all users.

TikTok Stories

This is still currently only a pilot program on TikTok and only available for select content creators. Story links are available by clicking the profile picture of the user whose stories you want to view and they are also appearing on your For You Page feed. Similar to other platforms, these stories are only available for twenty-four hours and you can comment on them, though the creator cannot see how many views they have received.

Stories as a Marketing Tool

There are great tips in this video below for anyone seeking to use Stories as a marketing tool on social media. Remember it is a great idea to post stories regularly, but not everyone has the time to post on a daily basis, so adding them to your existing social media calendar is a great option.

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Stories are a great tool for recording behind the scenes content, promoting giveaways and contests, linking to external content and so much more. Take the time to explore what each platform stories has to offer and how you can use it to your advantage to build your social media content strategy. If you are interested in finding out more information on what social media platform would be the perfect fit for your personal brand or business check out this article for tips. So enjoy the creative freedom that stories can provide and start producing great content! Do you currently take advantage of using Stories for you or your brand? Is there a favorite platform you go to post stories? What platform do you view the most stories on?

Facebook: Utilizing the 24 hour Stories on #socialmedia to your advantage. https://bit.ly/3xgIYFk #stories #engagement

Twitter: Stories: When and how to use Stories to boost #engagment. https://bit.ly/3xgIYFk #socialmedia

Favorite or Following: The Newest Update to Instagram

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You can now control what you see on your Instagram feed in two new and exciting ways. With quick access to your favorite content and the ability to personalize it according to your preference. Favorites and Following is the perfect way to ensure you don’t miss posts that you want to see. While Instagram will continue to suggest accounts for you to follow alongside those you already follow, they have now added a custom feed option that you can tailor to your own preferences.

What does Favorites mean on the new Instagram update?

As a Favorite, an account will appear higher on your home feed and this will prioritize their posts to be the first things you see. Selecting an account to be a Favorite will notify them when you add or remove them from your list, and you can select up to fifty accounts at a time to be favorited. This is a great option for someone who wants to ensure they see updates from friends and families posts as well accounts belonging to creators or influencers. This view displays these Favorite accounts in chronological order based on the most recent post.

What does Following mean on Instagram?

Selecting Following on you feed you will see posts from everyone you are following in the order they were posted. This will sort all of the accounts you follow in chronological order. This option is perfect for someone who has a curated following and doesn’t want to miss a post.

How Favorites and Following Works

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On your home page, you can choose Favorites and Following by tapping on the word Instagram in the top left corner and viewing the drop down menu. There is also a section where you can curate your Favorites list. If there is an account you want to add to your Favorites list, you select the account, click the “Following’ drop down menu, and add it. This is in the same menu as where you would follow or unfollow someone. Check out this step by step guide by How-to Geek to help you navigate this change.

You can now customize your Instagram feed with this new feature, giving you more control over what you see and when you see it. If you do not use either of these two new options your Instagram feed will remain in a ranked feed based on the current algorithms and what Instagram thinks you want to see. As a result, the way you currently see your feed isn’t going away. Having options tailored to your personal preference is a great feature, regardless of what you select.

Who is your favorite influencer or creator that you will add to your Favorites list? Is this update something you have been wanting to see from Instagram? How can you ensure that your business or personal accounts end up on a Favorites list?

Facebook: Want to get familiar with the newest feed update to Instagram? This article is for you! https://bit.ly/3K3721X #favoritesandfollowing #socialmedia

Twitter: Interested in more control over your #Instagramfeed? https://bit.ly/3K3721X #favoritesandfollowing #socialmedia

Influencers: 4 types and how to find the right one

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In the ever growing world of social media there are many different types of influencers. Some accounts like to showcase many items and are always promoting new products. You often see posts containing gift guides which link you to new products that are often trendy and being promoted by many other influencers. They could be try on hauls to boutiques or information about just one specific chain store or brand.  Influencers often promote products they haven’t tried or used themselves, but they are still considered helpful because they provide information about emerging trends. Creators that tend to fall under this type of influencer do many brand deals at a time and often have a constant flow of content. Another type of influencer we see is more niche accounts which focus solely on one subject of interest. These accounts often have advertisements here or there and usually working with a big name company within their niche market. Someone who does DIY projects may do a partnership or brand deal with a paint company or a power tool company. Often the following of niche influencer accounts are very loyal and trustworthy.

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Often, different types of influencers are broken down into different categories based on their number of followers, and for the purposes of this blog, I have broken them into four categories.

• Mega Influencers have more then one million followers
• Macro-Influencers have 500K to one million followers
• Micro-Influencers have 10k to 100k followers
• Nano-Influencers have 1k to 10k followers

Mega Influencers

Often these are celebrities who have millions of followers and are very visible on social media platforms. If you want to reach a large audience with your brand, then you should work with these influencers. Working with an mega influencer is not a bad idea if you want to have a wide audience view your brand, however, the disadvantage is that they often don’t have a personal relationship with their followers. Additionally, the influencer becomes synonymous with your brand, so every move they make becomes associated with you, which poses a risk when dealing with social media.

Macro Influencers

The accounts of most of these influencers have been created from nothing and have substantially grown over time, thus providing a large audience while still having personal connections with their followers. It is not uncommon for macro influencers to belong to niche markets and be familiar with how brand deals work as well as how they are implemented. Many macro influencers are already working with an established agency and have support from a management team.

Micro Influencers

Micro influencers tend to generate higher engagement levels than bigger influencers because they are considered to be more relatable and considered to be more credible due to there following size. Partnerships and brand deals are much more accessible and require less investment then a macro or mega influencer. In addition, it is important to remember that this is usually not the influencers primary occupation, and they may also have other commitments or take on too many brand deals.

Nano Influencers

People are familiar with these influencers from their local community, those who maintain a perfectly curated Instagram and have a knack for social media. As far as investment costs are concerned, this would be the ideal option for small start up businesses with limited marketing resources or for a start up company with minimal funds for marketing. Remember that this type of influencer usually has little to no experience and may be learning as they go.

There are a few things you need to consider before you work with an influencer, and it is important to do your research and look at past campaigns to ensure they align with your personal brand or company aesthetic. If you are looking for ways to reach influencers either for personal use or for your company, then check out this perfect guide to influencer marketing.

In promoting your personal brand, what kind of influencer do you want to be or would like to work with? Is there an influencer you like to base your social media presence around? What type of influencer

Facebook: We’ll show you the different types of #influencers and what they can do for your brand. #digitalmarketing #socialmedia https://bit.ly/3wB28W0

Twitter: Discover how influencers can help your brand. https://bit.ly/3wB28W0 #influenced #digitalmarketing

Filters on Social Media : Expectations vs Reality

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On social media, we view filtered images of ourselves and others as we scroll through feeds. It only takes seconds to swipe over and edit your facial features, adding a little nip here, or airbrushing skin imperfections to create the illusion that you are flawless. On the other hand, filters can also be fun to experiment with what you look like with dog ears, as a Pixar character or a new hair color. It is natural for us to compare ourselves to other people on the internet but when does it become unhealthy and detrimental to our mental health. Many people feel self-conscious about their appearance after seeing professionally edited and filtered pictures, so they seek professional services in order to obtain plump lips, sharp jaw lines, and smaller noses. This has become so popular that doctors have coined the phrase “Snapchat dysmorphia” and according to Dr. Tijion Esho more and more people are obsessing over their looks.  

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Previously patients would come into clinics with pictures of celebrities or models they admired and wanted to look like,” he explains. “But with the introduction of social platforms and filters over the last five years, more and more patients come into clinics with filtered versions of themselves as the goal they want to achieve. – Dr. Tijion Esho

bit.ly/3KAtWgS

Cosmetic procedures are not the only results we are seeing from Social Media filters, there has also been a rise in low-self esteem, body dysmorphia and self confidence. This Canadian study goes on to explain that toxic feelings about themselves can be obtained in only five minutes of scrolling on a social media platform. If it’s only taking five minutes for us to feel bad about ourselves or compare ourselves to others how much damage is being done in the hours we spend scrolling daily. What sort of impact is this having on our mental health and what is the solution?

@jillian.harris

A friendly reminder that the internet isn’t!

♬ Let’s Get It On – Marvin Gaye

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Thankfully over the past few years it has become trendy to show your true unfiltered self on social media to allow others to no longer hide behind the filters and editing. It is beneficial to follow users who embrace natural beauty, body positivity and authenticity, and in turn, promote healthy self images of your yourself. If you are interested in following Canadian influencers who do, check out @thebirdspapya, @aliciamccarvell and @yourgirlkarly on Instagram.

Tikotk and Instagram stories and reels both allow you to see what filter is being used for the video you’re watching, but this does not indicate whether a filter was applied prior to it being uploaded. If photographs and videos are filtered or edited with software, should they be accompanied by a disclaimer? Or should they include a hashtag to alert users of social media platforms? Let me know your thoughts below.

Facebook: Is adding that filter on social media doing more harm than good. The harsh reality of the mental affects that digital distortions can cause. #socialmedia #bodydysmorphia #filterforthat https://bit.ly/3t5b4Rq

Twitter: Filters on #Socialmedia the expectations versus reality. #bodydysmorphia https://bit.ly/3t5b4Rq