Instagram Trends for 2018

Instagram Trends for 2018

SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram Trends for 2018
Nick Rojas, Blog Contributor
Dec 27, 2017
Every year we see wondrous new things across all social media platforms. In fact, stunning new developments seem to be a requirement if you want to be a player in the social media site game. This high tech, low contact form of interaction has been around long enough and has become widespread enough that it has managed to become an integral part of not only social aspects of the lives of its users but the business aspect as well. Whether you are hoping your make-up tutorials get you discovered, your DIY holiday centerpiece gets over 1000 likes, or to increase revenue for your business, social media has quickly become the cornerstone of accomplishing… well, almost anything.
Instagram has now reached over 800,000 users and that number is on the rise. Bloggers and vloggers from the far corners of the Earth seem to have settled on Instagram as THE app to use to promote your business, your YouTube channel, your micro-company, and just about anything else you can imagine. The influencers are flocking to Instagram. If you are interested in the new and upcoming social media trends that we are going to see from Instagramming 2018, pause that Snapchat story, ignore that post from David Avocado Wolfe on your news feed, and read on.

Instagram Stories

This popular Instagram feature is only about a year old. Its immediate rise to popularity is indicative of an upward trend in video content. Instagram stories will continue to be refined and video content and quality will continually improve. The story feature is already being utilized by several niche markets and, as a result, companies are going to want to partner with influencers who are comfortable reaching out to their market in this way. The site’s algorithms are even being redone to include videos receiving more updates and thereby becoming the more promoted posts. In order to receive higher engagement rates, companies will have to get comfortable in front of the camera if they want to stay competitive on social media platforms.

Sandwiching

According to an article on digiday.com, sandwiching is “strategically placing promoted posts between imagery forecasted to have high rates of engagement, based on existing data.” Influencers accomplish this by taking a post and publishing it in between two posts that they know from experience will have high engagement, such as a post for a contest and a post for a giveaway. This new trend comes on the heels of the new algorithm that Instagram has implemented, which left a lot of brand owners wondering why so many of their posts were suddenly receiving such low engagement. While this current attempt to beat the system has proven successful, Instagram surely has lots of other nooks and crannies where future surprises are hiding.

Shopping

Since late in 2016, it has been possible to shop directly from within the Instagram app itself through a feature known as “shoppable photos”. This capability was limited, however, as the shoppable feature was only used by certain brands.The feature went through extensive testing by Shopify throughout 2017 and in 2018 this feature is really expected to take off, with only a few minor limitations this time. Merchants can only sell physical products like food, clothes, books, toys, art, stationery, and electronics. There is a limit of five tagged items total in new and old posts combined.

It’s a smart bet that these three trends will not be the only ones you see blow up on Instagram in 2018, but these are definitely they three you will need to know about in order to increase your brand recognition and drive your company’s sales upward. With all of these brand new app innovations, cell phone companies are developing increasingly higher tech phones in order to keep up with the current market. Given the right combination of cell phone capability and social media know how any aspect of any business will soon be able to be accomplished from anywhere.
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Instagram Marketing for the Holidays

Instagram Marketing for the Holidays

Instagram Marketing for the Holidays

Instagram provides excellent digital marketing opportunities, and many small businesses use it to raise awareness of their products and services. That said, Instagram marketing can be an extremely competitive space, especially during major shopping seasons. If you want to stand out from your competition on Instagram during the holidays this year, you might want to brush up on your knowledge of how to use the app as a promotional tool. We have some tips that can help you begin.

Put a Holiday Theme in Your Profile

Your Instagram profile is somewhat akin to the homepage on your website—it’s the first screen users will see when they click on your name, just like your homepage is (usually) the first screen they’ll see if they click on a link to your site. Would you change your website to reflect a seasonal trend? Probably, so you should do the same thing for your profile. Try updating your bio with a brief holiday message, like this.

Run Smart Holiday Instagram Ads

Instagram provides excellent digital marketing opportunities, and many small businesses use it to raise awareness of their products and services. That said, Instagram marketing can be an extremely competitive space, especially during major shopping seasons. If you want to stand out from your competition on Instagram during the holidays this year, you might want to brush up on your knowledge of how to use the app as a promotional tool. We have some tips that can help you begin.

Ads are a pretty new feature on Instagram, so a lot of people are still figuring out how to make the most of them. You can beat them to the (holiday) punch by being clever about the ads you place. Instagram ads are partnered with Facebook ads, but it’s a mistake to forget that these are separate platforms requiring different approaches. Consider using ad formats that perform especially well on Instagram specifically, like carousel ads and videos. Engagement for video posts on Instagram has risen by 53% in the last year alone, beating the growth rate for photo engagement. Just make sure that you have the available capital to place an ad that will reach a substantial audience… and remember to put some holiday content in your videos—maybe a carol or two?

Connect with Influencers who Thrive During the Holidays

Influencer marketing remains one of the most effective ways to reach Instagram users. The most successful profiles on Instagram aren’t businesses—they’re individual influencers and celebrities. Still, a lot of businesses waste time trying to figure out how they can convince an influencer to plug their products or services when the answer should be obvious: just hire them. Since influencers can often achieve up to 16 times more engagement than paid media, hiring one normally proves cost-effective in the long run.

Some Instagram-based holiday marketing strategies are easy and inexpensive, but most require a certain investment of capital as well as time. To make sure you can afford to overhaul your Instagram for the holidays, look at practical short-term borrowing options. Taking out a working capital loan to fund your next ad campaign can be a smart choice, especially since the average consumer spent nearly $1000 extra last season. The more eager shoppers you net with your marketing this year, the easier it will be to pay off debts and collect substantial profits.

Social media has provided small businesses with many versatile options for digital marketing during the holidays. Whether you make small adjustments to your profile or invest in major campaigns through ads and influencers, this time of year represents an opportunity you won’t want to miss.

Thanks to Nick Rojas for his guest blog post. Follow Nick Rojas on Twitter

Nick Rojas is a business consultant and journalist who lives in Chicago and his hometown Los Angeles with his wife. His work often discusses social media, marketing, and branding in regards to small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Luxury Sellers and Buyers Expect More

Luxury Sellers and Buyers Expect More

Luxury Sellers and Buyers Expect More

You’ve heard the old saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words”. Well, if that is true, then how much is a “Video” worth?  I will leave that one up to your imagination. Luxury buyers and sellers really do expect more and it’s time to give them video. You can’t position yourself as a high-end agent if your materials look sub-par or video isn’t in your marketing mix. But seriously, when it comes to selling a luxury home or property, a professionally created Real Estate Video Tour can be the difference of whether you get the listing or not. We’ve all seen the videos with background music and they’re okay. I am usually thinking that this sure is a beautiful property, but I want to know more! We give your property a voice. 

We Make It Simple

Most local MLS’s limit the number of photos that can be placed on-line, but will allow a location where a real estate video tour link can be placed and many luxury homes are much larger than 25 photos can showcase and also much more glamorous than 25 photos too.

Your online luxury listing has the gorgeous photographs, the property features and location information. The only thing its’ missing is a Real Estate Video Tour with a voice. 

Here’s how we make it simple. Queen Bee Media takes the online content you already have and converts it to create a stunning Real Estate Video Tour. It really is that simple.

We professionally write the script for your listing. Once approved, by you, choose choose a female or male talent for your voiceover. We’ve got some awesome talent that have been voicing for us for years. We blend it with some wonderful music that makes your customized real estate video tour perfect.

Your property listing Real Estate Video Tour can be uploaded to YouTube, Facebook or Vimeo.

We Give Your Luxury Listing a Voice

Our real estate video tours allow you to the ability to point out the luxury real estate property’s best features or communicate any special information with a professional voice over. Our Real Estate Video Tours also include features that make the neighborhood popular with buyers. These might include schools, parks, recreational areas or nearby shopping and dining districts.

Our Real Estate Video Tours are a great way to allow potential buyers the ability to “walk-through” the luxury home in the comfort of their present home.

What Are You Waiting For?

Our Real Estate Video Tours start at $699.99 per property. For more information contact us today and let’s get started on building your video empire. We also create stunning videos for Commercial Real Estate too. See and hear the difference ‘Queen Bee Media’ creates for your properties today. Contact us today for a free consultation.

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Why We Love YouTube (And You Should, Too!)

Why We Love YouTube (And You Should, Too!)

YouTube is the leader with it comes to online videos

As Valentine’s Day approaches, we’re sharing fourteen reasons why we love YouTube, and you should too!

Here’s 14 Reasons and Statistics to Love YouTube A Little More:

  1. When it comes to online videos, YouTube is the online leader. How popular is YouTube? It’s actually the 3rd most visited website in the world. It’s the 2nd when it comes to search.
  2. Every single day, people watch almost 5 billion videos. More than half of YouTube views come from mobile devices. That’s a lot of love and views.
  3. YouTube makes it easier than ever to connect and engage customers. Videos are more dynamic than traditional marketing. Video allows your viewers to see your business as the authority.
  4. Videos that are uploaded to YouTube can be cross promoted on other social networks. They can be shared on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn.
  5. Integrating YouTube into your marketing plan gives you the opportunity to provide an effective way connect with people interested in your products and services.
  6. Viewers can also comment on your video, leave feedback and ask questions. Providing responses quickly, humanizes your brand and takes it to the next level. This is also great for other viewers to see.
  7. The number of hours people spent watching videos on mobile is up 100% y/y. YouTube on mobile alone, reaches more 18-34 and 18-49 year olds than any cable network in the U.S
  8. Having a video on YouTube gives you better search engine optimization. Videos are searchable and show up in Google search results.
  9. Viewers can subscribe to your channel after watching your videos. If someone subscribes to your channel after watching your video that sends a HUGE signal that you have an amazing video.
  10. Videos can be liked too! It’s always a good thing we you get a thumbs up!
  11. Your videos can be embedded into your website or blog posts.
  12. They provide analytics for your channel. An overview and real time stats with average watch time, average length of video played, demographics and so much more.
  13. Video Storytelling is becoming increasingly common for one simple reason; they work. Good stories compel people to change and customers love to hear a good story.
  14. The social network was created by three former PayPal employees on February 14, 2005.

Happy 11th Birthday online video leader!

And that’s a wrap! Your videos can increase engagement, position your business as the authority and so much more. Businesses can have a company overview, client testimonials, product overviews and behind the scenes videos.

When considering a video developer for your business, consider Queen Bee Media. Why? We’ve been creating digital media for over 20 years. Watch some of our latest client videos below.

Instagram Adds New Feature – Account Switching

Instagram Adds New Feature – Account Switching

10 Awesome WordPress User Statistics

The WordPress User Statistics are in. Guess what? You’re not alone! There are over 60 million websites using the WordPress platform, and the numbers continue to grow. With statistics like that, you know you can’t go wrong with a WordPress website.

Our post will show you 10 awesome WordPress user statistics. We explain the top 10  most popular reasons why people use it for their business (big or small) or personal blog.

According to Hosting Tribunal

  • WordPress powers 39.6% of the internet in 2021, a growth of nearly 5% from 35% in 2020, and a 4% rise from the year before.

  • If you count only the CMS-built sites, then 64.1% of them are WordPress – 4% growth from 2020.

  • Over 400 million people visit WordPress sites each month.

  • In 2016, nearly 118 billion words were published on WordPress

  • But WordPress is not only for blogging – nearly 28% of all e-commerce goes through WooCommerce

  • 281 new WooCommerce shops appear on average every day

  • 661 WordPress sites also pop up daily

  • WordPress.org offers over 50,000 plugins and over 4,100 GPL-licensed themes

  • In 2018, the non-English WordPress downloads were more than the English ones

  • WordPress has been around since 2003

WordPress is, by far, the most popular content management system in the world and one of the most popular blogging platforms. These WordPress statistics prove that its popularity is driven not only by its relatively low costs and simplicity but also by factors like the wide choice of plugins and themes, availability of language packs, security, and SEO-friendliness. With such a powerful platform behind it – including over 60% market share for CMSs alone – you may be wondering how to get started with this tool?

The quickest way to do so would be through our website development service (powered by Queen Bee Media!), which offers everything from domain registration to web hosting all wrapped up into an easy-to-use interface.

If you want more information on what we offer contact us today by scheduling a free consultation or fill out our free estimate form.

 

10 Awesome WordPress Statistics

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What is a Commercial Real Estate Video Tour?

What is a Commercial Real Estate Video Tour?

What is a Commercial Real Estate Video Tour?

A Commercial Real Estate Video Tour is a simulation of a commercial real estate property, composed of a sequence of videos or still images. Our Real Estate Video Tours have background music and a professional voice over. Our Video Tours are the perfect solution for marketing your commercial real estate listing. It’s the next best thing to being there.

Mobile video traffic is continually growing – and with this growth comes increased share-ability. Consider that by 2017, online video will represent 69% of all global mobile traffic, according to the Cisco Visual Networking Index. (Source)

Engaging your consumer in their already mobile-context makes your video accessible & shareable.

5 Reasons Why Your Commercial Real Estate Business Should Focus On Video Marketing:

  1. Video Tour enhances the Commercial Real Estate property listing and are easily affordable. Our Real Estate Video Tours start at just $699.
  2. Consumers prefer to view a video rather than read text. When animated graphics or moving images are combined with the human voice, our brains retain it much longer than text. We use a professional voiceover.
  3. Our Real Estate Video Tours can be uploaded to your social media channels, like YouTube, Facebook, and Vimeo. They can also be shared within email marketing and listed on your website.
  4. Did you know that listings that have a Real Estate Video Tour allows for better Search Engine Optimization.
  5. Real Estate Video Tours help to generate qualified leads for your property, which reduces the vacant time of your property. Our Video Tours not only tell the story of the property but also the surrounding neighborhood and city.

In today’s marketplace, if you want to increase your Commercial Real Estate company’s sales and attract more clients, you need to use video. Capture your visitor’s attention with a powerful Commercial Real Estate Video that leaves a lasting impression.

Learn more about how Queen Bee Media can help your business today. We would love to hear from you. Contact us today for more information.

 

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