Growing a following on Instagram (or anywhere!) can sometimes feel exhausting. After a lot of work, I finally hit 500 Instagram followers. It may not seem like a lot, but this has been my goal for a few years, so it’s satisfying to finally achieve it. Since joining Instagram in December 2012, I made a few mistakes and learned a few lessons along the way that I’d like to share. Here are my 3 Instagram tips to help you grow:
It’s interesting to see Valentine’s Day posts on social media from brands considering it’s a Hallmark holiday. I’ll highlight the posts I like and ignore the embarrassing ones I stumbled upon. Let’s just say that making a pun about the word “sweet” isn’t going to make the cut. Perhaps you’ll get some ideas for next year!
My favourite Valentine’s Day posts fit into 3 categories: roundups, greeting card templates and community. Roundups are easy to create while greeting card templates require more design resources. In 2018, I wrote about brands creating templates for Instagram Stories, so it’s cool to see this trend continue on a larger scale. Community posts are always a smart choice too!
[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_n4QlBMbQY’]
When all you want to do is watch a music video, pesky ads can spoil the fun. Fast food chain A&W recognizes your pain and created an ad that communicates the key message in the first 5 seconds. After that, there’s not much to see—viewers simply watch an A&W spokesman eat a burger outside in the middle of the street.
I have never purchased anything at A&W and I can’t say this ad tempted me, but as as a marketer, I found the ad clever. They know you have a short attention span so they cut to the chase while trying to appear cool and modern. This won’t be the last smart spot I discover via pre-roll, but it is the first that encouraged me to skip it and I commend A&W for their creativity.
If you’re craving a burger now, find an A&W near you.
Photo Source: Prizeo
On YouTube, Justine Ezarik seems larger than life. She’s bubbly, animated and enthusiastic. On paper, Justine seems brilliant. She managed to earn a living by broadcasting her daily life and amass a social media following so big that brands couldn’t help but take notice. Her work has paid off and now she has a book called I, Justine: An Analog Memoir.
“I have been lucky enough to earn a living doing exactly what I love,” she writes in her introduction. “I hope that, whatever it is that you love, you never let anyone make you feel weird about it. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there, to write or sing or draw or play video games or dance like a crazy person in an Apple Store. Do what makes you happy. It’s always worked for me. And who knows? You might even build a career out of it.”
Photo Source: Toronto Grand Prix Tourist
Yonge and Dundas Square is a popular destination in downtown Toronto and therefore a prime location for companies that want to raise brand awareness among a large audience of pedestrians. No matter how often I shop at the Toronto Eaton Centre, I seem to miss some of the most exciting experiential marketing stunts. To compensate, I rely on YouTube and industry publications to get my fix and find out what’s happening.
Thanks to YouTube pre-roll, I discovered two cool campaigns that were executed recently by Koodo and Keurig. The alliteration of these brand names is unintentional, but noted.