Now more than ever, PR is important, perhaps the most valuable tool in building a sustainable brand. When properly harnessed with online media tools, brands do not just have a chance at having their stories told in the most real, most human, and action evoking forms ever, they have an extra go at amplifying these stories to reach their target audience online and beyond the internet. 

Businesses are heavily investing in digital marketing, advertising products, or services in a bid to generate instant purchases that lead to sales. While this is great, to a large extent sales advertising doesn’t really contribute much to the creation of a sustainable brand. 

What really makes a sustainable brand? 

A company’s ability to retain customer appeal for decades, even centuries. Think of what Nike has been able to do, Coca Cola, and local brands like Oando. How these giants have managed to hold down their share of the market for so long, while expanding their reach – that’s some strong element of brand sustainability.

That didn’t come from “Buy Nike Shoe” campaigns. Neither could it have stemmed from “Top Up Your Gas Here” ads. It’s something beyond that and here’s where you start thinking of Public Relations (PR).

PR communicates with the public in ways that build mutually beneficial, long-lasting relationships between them and your organization. That’s the main goal here, it is why PR is king.

There’s only so much that sales-tied advertising can achieve when it comes to brand sustainability. And unlike advertising, PR gives your brand some depth and personality. At a time like this when authenticity is the driver of brand loyalty,  PR gives you leverage, enabling you to communicate your brand’s story in ways your audience finds credible. Interestingly, digital media even make this a lot easier.

To create a sustainable brand, keep in mind that you need to connect with the audience at their core. Hardly will sales advertising do that. Organizations that stand the test of time take deliberate steps to build brand loyalty, which automatically puts them in the customers’ minds much longer than their average competitors.

So, to achieve this, where exactly do you start?

• Understand your audience

How do you achieve this? Take the time to understand your audience deeply, particularly what moves then to engage with brands. Digital marketing makes this easy, with a number of data research and analytic tools you can use. 

Meltwater is an example of that, letting you track key behavioral patterns that could help you understand your audience.

You can also explore surveys if you need some more specific responses from a cross-section of your market.

• Where can you reach them?

Very vital, find out where your audience spend their time, what they like to read, what information matters to them.

If you have established entrepreneurs as your core audience, you know they are frequent business magazine readers. Business shows and international TV’s are also not far from them. Social habits would include LinkedIn, and they most likely would spend their leisure time on similar social or networking platforms

However, while it is important to keep the audience in mind, location of reach, and other important knowledge of your audience, how does PR come into play in helping you build a sustainable brand? 

PR for Brand Sustainability

We can’t say it enough but PR has unique ways it helps consolidate your brand’s positioning while creating a long-lasting positive perception.

These four ideas can help you get started.

Create Thought Leadership

Starting from here, in every sense of it, show that you know your onions. Create content that displays your expertise, offering beyond-the-surface insights that not only resonate with your audience but help them in practical ways.

Think of an insurance company that invests in educating the public on how the industry works, what insurance does, and what they stand to gain. 

It’s nothing new that most people consider insurance a waste of resources, especially in this part of the world. So, a top-level, non-sales public education would do a lot to change people’s orientation, while also positioning the brand as the go-to insurance firm, for years to come.

Create Value, Communicate It

This is an age-long tip, sadly many businesses are not approaching it the right way.

We have seen companies approach this with very shallow depth, or going overly profit-driven in their approach. 

In its simplest form, create value – one that can earn you awareness, talkability, and loyalty within your market. For example, a bank actively involved in CSR projects, naturally, consumers get an impression of care and responsibility, attributes that are not taken for granted in this part of the world.

However while doing that, don’t forget the most important element: communicate whatever you’re doing. That’s the only way your value creation adds to your brand-building efforts.

Build Relationships

Create a community around your brand. Social media gives a huge opportunity for that. Don’t stop at that, engage with other brands and people within and outside your industry as well. Creating or participating in partnerships with other brands gives you access to a wider audience than what you immediately have, at the same time, you get some extra public thumbs-up for not functioning on your own. 

Put in mind that Illegitimate, unreliable companies don’t get into partnerships. Relationships are very important.

Spur Conversations

As a business, you have brand values that you consider vital to the image of your company. Why not talk about that more, using every communication channel available to you?

Let’s take gender inclusion as an example. If that’s something very important to your brand, and you talk about it often, you naturally find a place with the right groups, communities, and individuals who share that value. 

You stand for it. Talk about it. 

We just gave you all you need to build a sustainable brand. Start creating value, express your thought leadership, don’t operate solo, get talking about what you stand for, and see your brand come alive. 

Virtual event {VE} are similar to the normal or on-site events only here, attendees gather online and not at a physical space. Although this has been in existence for a while, its adoption was majorly a solution to constraint issues. We have seen examples of a live broadcast of a large conference to audiences around the globe who cannot for geographic or time reasons be present at the live location or religious houses having online gathering as an option for those who cannot make it to physical service. In these cases, the live event was the main and the virtual was supporting. However, the reverse beckons as our only resort in these times and for as long as it may be required.

Indeed, virtual events may not replace on-site events after the pandemic, but it should become an addition to the portfolio and accepted by many. VE’s allow us to humanize digital and we have had certain variations structured or unstructured online or via social media. Some examples of virtual events include;

Online Conferencing: a situation where a conference is planned, executed and attended online. This usually takes the same format as the physical conference with keynote, speeches, panel and breakout sessions as well as an opportunity for attendees to network. The online conference relies on technology for every element from invitations, registrations, hosting, feedback and networking {usually requires an app}.

Webinar: Many of us are familiar with this, it’s one of the most effective and common virtual events. It is usually reserved for training, education and sometimes conferencing. Webinars have been recorded to have a 100% or over attendance rate because attendees can return to the content and view series after the live broadcast is over. May have engaged with or in a webinar before, brace up, there’s more to come.

Online Talk Shows or Concerts: We have seen this trend particularly during the lock-down period in various countries. There has been a rise in Instagram live sessions co-hosted by two parties, online talk shows with chat rooms, online concerts hosted by celebrity artists such as DJs, Musicians, Comedians with a full set live performance for viewers to engage with.

While virtual events are fast becoming the new norm, corporate organizations, marketing & PR professionals globally and locally must begin to rethink the organization of these events. These are the days where press conferences, town hall meetings might have to be done strictly virtually. Think about what you want to achieve with your event and determine which structure will best help you achieve your results virtually. It needs to be structured around your audience and the experience you want to create for them.

In summary, the bedrock of virtual events is the technology and there are several tech tools for hosting virtual events and tracking the results successfully. Some of these we have interacted with in the past and much other software you will find in your research. Tech solutions need to be designed with the local consumer at the center, human-centered design and culture is a huge factor here.

The opportunity exists for technology firms in Nigeria to build solutions that are locally adaptable and in consideration of the realities that persist in the country such as the internet penetration & strengths, purchasing power, attention span and interests from the African consumer and the likes.

You should begin to own your voice on social media from the first word. 

“If you communicate you can get by,  but

if you communicate skillfully, you can work miracles”

– Jim Rohn

As a brand, if getting by is your goal then it is fine to continue without having a social media voice but if not, you need to find and own your brand’s tone.

Why is owning my social media voice important to a business?

For businesses, it has since become important not just to have a presence online but more importantly to have a voice and be able to own that voice. Is it safe to conclude that you must know why it is important that your business is on social media?

If you don’t know, it’s not too late to hop on this train so I suggest you read our other post on why your business should be on social media.

Here is an outline of a few steps to take in ensuring that you own your voice on social media. 

• Determine Your Tone. 

If you say the same joke as a comedian, will laugh the same way they’d laugh at the comedians’ jokes? Well, maybe not! 

Cos you don’t sound like a comedian. 

Safe to say, you don’t have the tone of voice!

You have to decide what kind of voice you want to project on social media and stay true to it. There are hundreds of options to choose from, ranging from happy, sarcastic, adventurous, bold, cool, creative, eccentric, friendly, fun, vintage, urban, etc, you can choose any adjective you want.

• Write the way you talk

It suddenly feels lighter when you do not have to send an email or write a formal letter right? That’s because it is easier to say it than to write it.

However, this should not be the case, you should write like you talk not like a robot or like you are writing an email. 

For instance, after a conversation with someone would you say “best regards”?, That will sound awkward right? So you’d rather say “see you” or “talk later”. The same applies to social media, avoid talking in a mechanical tone like an automated response.

People already have to inconveniently interact with machines, what you don’t want to do is add your social media platform as one of their ever-growing sources of discomfort.

• Think like the reader

Don’t just try to wear the shoes of the reader walk in them. Genuinely ask yourself, if you were a part of the audience you are talking to would you be interested in the industry jargon, would you like your own tone of voice?

If that answer is no then your audience is probably not interested too. What is the point of talking if nobody is interested in listening?

If your brand would want to come across as a ‘we-like-to-groove’, apart from the ‘hardcore’ values like ‘excellence’, ‘promptness’, ‘value-adding’, fun is part of who they are.

So it will not come as a surprise when you visit their social media pages and you feel it is fun.

Take the week! Audit your brand tone on social media!

So much data can be gotten from social media as we have recently seen and marketers and key decision-makers in businesses now depend on social media for business exposure, traffic, and market insights.

Businesses have been propelled toward being involved in social media and your business should be there too if it’s not yet there. You should be attracted to any channels or arenas that large swaths of your consumers gravitate to.

Social media has changed the way we live our lives. From the way we get our news to the way we interact with brands and products or even socialize. Social media is everywhere. It’s unavoidable, it’s powerful, and it’s no wonder 8% of all companies  are now marketing on social media.

Consider these 3 reasons and make up your mind to take your business to the next level using social media.

– You have the largest market ever!

Remember when we said there are about 3.2 billion people on social media, well, Facebook alone has about 2.3 billion of that number subscribed on their network. Do you know what this means for your business? I think you should do the math if only 1% of those people were to buy from you.

Facebook was the first-ever social network to surpass the one billion active user mark, reaching this milestone in the third quarter of 2012 and it remains the most actively used.

You shouldn’t just be thinking Facebook alone, there are other platforms that can provide the visibility and drive traffic and sales for your business.

– Generate Leads and Make sales

No matter what you sell, social media can help you sell it and fast!

Social Media Examiner’s annual global survey of social media use by small businesses reported, 90% “increased exposure” as the top benefit of using social tools and lead generation at (65%).

Each time an individual interacts with your brand on social media, overall awareness of your brand is increased. If a customer likes your Facebook page or one of your posts, friends and followers of that person will see that engagement, followers of your brand may see that engagement and overall awareness of your brand increases.

These are leads, potential customers that can further be converted into customers and brand evangelists. This conversion largely depends on your sales funnel.

-73% of consumers are likely to buy from a brand that responds to them on social media

 According to a research by Hubspot, brands who are on social media and take the time to care and respond to questions and comments by consumers on social media will reap the benefits.

When people search for your brand, they want to connect and communicate with you. Are you communicating with them?

Imagine chatting with your Bank A on Facebook and no one responds. What comes to your mind?

Yeah, we know, you are not happy and you might lash out at them. Then someone comments a suggestion to try Bank B. You give it a try and they respond promptly and courteously, addressing your inquiries and solving your problems. Do you go back to Bank A, I bet not, and you even dissuade others from banking with them.

Likes, comments, reshares, retweets, are all magnets that attract people to you on social media.

Really, we can go on and on about the effect of social media for your business but at this point, we want you to pause and ask yourself what you will do with this information.

Do you think there is more value social media can add to your business? Do you want to join the other businesses on social media who are already reaping its enormous benefits to grow your business? If no, then it is fine (we’d advise that you say yes) but if yes stick around to read our other blog post on how to harness social media for business.

According to Mr Okafor, who spoke at the Pre-fair press briefing held in Lagos recently said the commerce sector is now more technology-driven than ever and the business-enabling platform is set to use the fair to bridge the gap to aid access to required skills and partnerships for SMEs in the country, Africa and the rest of the world.

Chief Executive Officer, Connect Nigeria, Emeka Okafor, explained that amongst other things lacking, access to funding poses a threat to the growth of the SMEs sector as well as operators’ unfamiliarity of socio and technology know-how to grow businesses in today’s tech-driven world.

The fair, which held recently at the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), Lagos, featured dedicated masterclasses facilitated by pioneers in various industries, with hundreds of businesses exhibiting their products and services. Mentorship opportunities by leaders in various sectors of the economy was also made available that was taken advantage of by small business owners.The 2019 edition of Connect Nigeria’s Business Fair themed GROW GLOBAL, had in attendance, key players in the economic, social and technology sectors and keynote speeches were delivered, as well as an interactive panel session. Some of the key speakers were Co-Founder, So Fresh limited, Mrs Abimbola Balogun; Chief Executive Officer, Farm crowd limited, Mr Onyeka Akumah; Co-Founder, Platform NG, Mrs Uju Obuekwe; Managing Director, SB Telecoms, Mr Afolabi Abiodun, and General Manager, Win-Win Kitchen Limited, Mrs Florence Opawoye among others.

Despite government responsibility in this regard, Connect Nigeria has decided to grab the bull by the horns and chart the course for businesses to excel in Nigeria. We are in awe of the good work that Connect Nigeria does to grow our economy and we are hopeful for other innovations they will unveil later in the year.

According to Temi Ibekwe, founder and Lead Strategist of Phyllion and Partners, “in 2017 when we began despite harsh conditions against existing businesses and more so against new ones, we set out to distinguish ourselves from the hoard of agencies out there and we have managed to carve a reputation especially in the tech space. Despite remarkable growth in such a short space, we are still working to achieve our mission, we will keep innovating and delivering exceptional consultancy service to all of our clients and potential clients”.

Phyllion and Partners has under its belt a number of accounts including and not limited to Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Edgebase Technologies, Connect Nigeria, Amo Farms Sieberer Hatchery Ltd. and newcomer Tech Innovation Park – The Nest. “Phyllion’s ability to always rise up to the occasion and deliver exceptional service is one of the many reasons we have remained signed to them.” Managing Director Edgebase Technologies, Joel Egbai.

Dr Ayoola Oduntan GMD Amo farms Sieberer Hatchery Limited in respect to one of their projects said, “The Noiler movement is getting the attention it deserves thanks to the Phyllion team, they bring professionalism to play which makes the project a success each time letting the world know of the impact we are trying to achieve with The Noiler Initiative”.

According to the Head Design at Phyllion, the agency set out to reduce stereotypes within the industry regarding communications consulting playing a key role in business growth and as described by the agency’s slogan, “redefining innovative communications for effective business marketing”. “We are growing, we are breaking barriers and each teammate understands their contribution to the overall goal” he added.

As a result of our commitment to human development, Phyllion launched the maiden edition of its graduate development platform – The Coach. The Coach is a platform that bridges existing labor gaps, to create employability and mentorship opportunities for people seeking to become intrapreneurs within an organization and entrepreneurs within an industry.

More information can be found at the Phyllion website www.phyllion.com and on social media @phyllionimc and @the_coach1.0.

You send out an email with supposedly exciting information about an event or a sale.

You’ve made sure to answer all the relevant questions, but you still get replies from recipients, asking about the very thing you answered in the email.

Why don’t people just read the email??!

Before you give up and cringe, truth is: “People just don’t read anymore!” Let’s make sure you’re doing all you can to make it easy for them.

After all, you want people to read and take action, rather than ignore and delete. And when it comes to reading online, it’s a lot different from reading a book, magazine, or newspaper.

Use the following tips to make your emails very easy to read and acted upon, fast.

First of all: “What action do you want the reader to take?”

Many atimes, the reason people ignore emails is because there’s just too much information in them.

Think about how often you check your email while in line at a supermarket, or in between busy meetings – Those are not a lot of time to dig into tons of information, isn’t it?

By asking the question, “What action do you want the reader to take?,” you focus yourself, so you only include information that supports the reader taking that action.

When something sneaks in that doesn’t help with your goal, you know to exclude it from your email. Always remember, less is more.

Keep your content concise and scannable, at a glance.

Now that your email content is focused and driving toward one particular goal, you still need to present it in a way that’s easy for the reader to consume, in the shortest possible time.

People typically see the email before they read it. And if the content of the email looks intimidating to them… they DELETE, or at best, IGNORE it, straight off.

Keep the content of your email concise, and put the most important information on top. Make your email text scannable, by using short sentences and break up large blocks of text into short paragraphs. Also, be sure to use bullet points when listing items.

How long should your emails be, though?

A good rule of thumb: picture, paragraph, and a call to action.

• Relate your image to the topic of your email: Choose an image that shows what the reader may expect, feel or experience, if they take the action you want them to take.
• Use a headline to grab the reader’s attention: Headline text should be larger than body copy, to pull your readers into your email. Ideally, use 22-point font for your email headlines.
• Be sure your call to action stands out: Use a button or lots of white space, around your link, or email’s call to action.

Use a mobile-responsive email template.

If it’s not easy for your reader to see your email, especially on a mobile device, then something’s not right.

A responsive email template responds to any device that it’s being read on. Whether it’s on a mobile phone, tablet or desktop computer, you can be sure your email looks great and is easy to read.

We suggest exploring Constant Contact for a full section of mobile-responsive templates, so you don’t have to worry about your emails looking great — on any device.

Summary:

• Keep your email focused on one goal
• Use a picture that supports your content
• Make your text scannable at a glance
• Use short sentences in your emails
• Break up paragraphs
• Use bullet points
• Make sure your call to action stands out

Try out these tips to see what impact it has on your overall results. And maybe, just maybe, you can spend a little less time wondering why people won’t just read your email.

^{To your Success,}

^{Phyllion and Partners Limited}

Need help strategizing how to reach your specific target audience, and speak to them, in the way they really want to hear from you? See what we do best HERE.

Sounds good, doesn’t it?

Your readers would savour hungrily into your content. And wait impatiently until the next time you hit send.

But, could an email ever be that good?

Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to pique your customers and prospective customers’ interest in your products, and get them to shop with you.

If you run an e-commerce business, affording customers the opportunity to shop with you every other month, then you will really need to reach people via email. Email marketing has definitely helped businesses gain more traction and increase sales. But here is how to stop mindlessly sending emails to prospective customers.

Below are 4 ingredients of crave-worthy emails for your business:

1. Start With an Enticing Sign-Up Experience

In these busy days, customers want to be lured into doing anything – from following your brand on social media, to doing business with you, referring your brand to other customers… including, reading your emails!

And that’s why the process of getting customers to subscribe to your email newsletter should not be some tedious assessment forms or clumsy sign up process.

Tell a story with your sign-up process, and make it a truly worthy and remarkable experience.

• Make your email newsletter sign-up forms visible on every page of your website – not just the homepage.
• Be sure to use the the Join My Mailing List Facebook app so anyone who visits your business’ Facebook Page, can join your mailing list easily; but the sign-up info has to be truly exciting, for anyone on your Facebook page to take the bait.
• Offer incentives to your audience: For an e-commerce business for example, offer small incentives to entice people to sign up for your email newsletters. A cupcake store in Lagos Nigeria has their email sign-up invitation as “Get on board of our Friends Treat mailing list” and when customers sign up, they’re entered into a monthly raffle to win a dozen cupcakes. How Nice!

2. Only Send Valuable Information

Warning: Only send valuable information to your customers, about your brand. Do NOT market to them.

• While growing your list of subscribers, be sure to make every email count. Your emails should include information on upcoming flash sales, business events interesting and valuable to your customers, and creative solutions your brand is sure to provide your prospective customers.
• Never – in the history of email marketing – should your brand send out mindless marketing campaigns. Want to know the end result of that?

“@prospective customer just unsubscribed”

– That is the end result of all mindless email marketing campaigns. And you probably have unsubscribed from one, or a couple of them in the past, yourself.

• The idea is never to put together a newsletter that feels like there’s no reason for sending it in the first place.
• While sending out your email campaigns, be sure to feel like you’re informing your customers of something truly exciting Like a breaking news!
• The clue is to never make your customers think for a split second, that you’re sending them junk, or something they already know.

And how do you do this, exactly?

• Ensure your emails aren’t always promotional. Our advice for stand-out marketing is to simply understand your customers in-depth, and know what interests them.
• And a simple-smart way to get this information, is to seldom check them out on social media, and observe the things they like, or love!
• In all, try to solve a problem, or offer some inspiration – in ALL your email campaigns. It works!

3. Be Timely with Your Campaigns

Yes, be very timely. Timing is a huge part of email marketing strategy. When deciding what to send, a cupcake outlet in Lagos Nigeria, thinks about what holidays are coming up, and how their cupcake bar can fit into their customers’ plans.

Also, a Taxi service in Abuja Nigeria has the approach of sending customers codes for free rides, to major events happening in the city. And what that does is that, the organizers of the upcoming events usually re-post on social media, the free-ride campaigns by the Taxi service, to their events. How strategic!

• So, the next time you are planning an email campaign, be sure to put your nose to the ground, and speak the tone of that season.
• The best way to do this is to plan ahead – Think and research a lot, at the beginning of every new month, what your game plan is going to be, regarding email marketing.
• What events are upcoming? what flash sales have you got up your sleeves? what breaking news would you like to share? But always remember, all offers, jingles and breaking news, should in some way, relate to your brand.
• Our advice is to write your game plan ahead of time – it saves you a lot of time when you have a pre-planned schedule on the contents you want to send out in emails for the month. And then, beyond planning, sticking to that game plan is the best you can do.

4. Keep Emails Short and Sweet

A recent Constant Contact survey found that emails with approximately 20 lines of text and three or fewer images resulted in the highest click-through rate.

• Using a mobile-responsive email template allows you to create short and focused messages that are fast to create and easy to read.
• You want to be sure your emails are clean, and that from the moment someone opens it, they’re able to see the purpose of the email without scrolling down, yet.
• Then, let the promise of an offer or a gift in the opening of the email, be the reason why they scroll down, and read the newsletter to the end.
• That way, they already are expecting something, and will be obliged to give your newsletter the rapt attention it deserves.
• Also, be sure to include contact information and buttons to your social media channels, in all your newsletters.

Make Your Readers Hungry For Your Next Email!

Using our guidelines and email ingredients above, your business can start creating emails your subscribers are excited to consume.

Don’t bite off more than you can chew, however — you may choose one of the four tips above for a start, where you think you can make the biggest improvement. Even small improvements can make a big difference and go a long way in building loyalty with new and existing customers.

Excited to learn about these email marketing strategies? Let us know in the comment box below.

And we’d be back with more helpful strategies, in our subsequent email marketing series. We have a whole lot more up our sleeves! See what we do best HERE.

Why INSTAGRAM?

The age-old saying ‘a picture tells a thousand words’ definitely bares truth, especially on Instagram. This incredibly simple photo and video sharing network, is rapidly gaining grounds in popularity and social media prestige.

For small businesses, utilizing Instagram provides cost-effective opportunities to resonate with your target audiences, reach new customers and grow your brand.

Not convinced? Then, check out the following Instagram statistics that are sure to blow your mind, and which, every small business owner should be aware of.

#1: Downloading of Instagram App Surpasses 1 Billion on Google Play Store Alone

Sure, there are other platforms for downloading mobile apps; but with the downloading of Instagram App exceeding 1 billion on Google Ply Store alone, then the hugely popular video and photo sharing platform, sure provides a massive wealth of opportunity for small businesses to reach out and engage with potential multi-million dollar customers.

#2: Instagram Has 500 Million Daily Users!

Yes! DAILY users – including those days called “Monday” where half the world’s population is busy, and hardly ever online… Instagram is still carting away a whole chunk of 500 million users, even on those days!

With 500 million users on the average daily, Instagram makes it super easy for small businesses to connect and engage with customers and prospective customers, every single day! Per nonasecond.

That’s right. Your customers are online, Already! Go, get them, connect with them; and be sure to do it Right.

#3: Half of Instagram Users Follow a Business

Yes, another Instagram statistics no business can afford to ignore. About 250 million Instagrammers follow a business!

#4: Instagram Stories Has 200 Million Plus Daily Active Users

When Instagram launched its Instagram Stories feature, it was lapped up by users, quickly reaching 200 million daily active users.

Using Instagram Stories certainly helps small businesses convey messages that are too lengthy to be confined to just one photo. Furthermore, the Stories feature allows you to add links to direct followers to your website, blogs or other social media handles.

#5: Instagram’s Influencer Marketing is a Billion Dollar Industry

Given the marketing opportunities Instagram provides, savvy advertisers and businesses are spending money on influencer marketing on Instagram.

In fact, so prolific are the marketing openings on Instagram that in 2017, the platform’s influencer market was put at $1.07 billion.

#6: Instagram Users Like More Than 4.2 Billion Posts Per Day!

An announcement by Instagram in 2017 showed that Instagram users like 4.2 billion posts daily. So, if you’re not posting on Instagram, your products and services simply won’t be among the billions likes every day.

And if you are posting, then it might be well the time, to start carting away millions of Instagram likes with one post, just if you’re posting “what works” – Highly personalized, interactive, helpful and interesting posts.

#7: Instagram Nurtures More Engagement Than Facebook

Yeah, right; you’re not mistaken – you heard that.

Social media is inherently interactive and for small businesses, enabling them to interact and engage with customers and clients like no other marketing outlet provides.

So, if you’re looking for optimum engagement with customers, then it might interest you to know that, Instagram has 58 times more engagement per follower than Facebook.

#8: Posting a Video at 9 P.M Gets More Interactions

Did you know?

If you’re active on Instagram and want to get more interactions for your business, you’ll be interested to learn that posting a video on the site at 9 p.m. gets 34% more interactions.

Over to you! Try it out.

#9: There are Millions of Google Searches Made for Instagram

Want to be found more easily on Google?

Statistics show that there are 16,600,000 Google searches for ‘Instagram’ per month, meaning simply signing up to Instagram could help your business get found online more easily.

Even more, is launching SEO and Google Analytics for your business online, such that your business appears on the first page of Google search results, when potential clients search for your kind of services on Instagram, using Google.

#10: More Than Half of Small Businesses Use Instagram as a Marketing Force

Yeah, right! Your competitors are flooding Instagram, far more than you ever thought.

According to the Clutch 2017 Small Business Social Media Survey, the research shows that 52% of small business owners use Instagram.

With this in mind, if you’re among the 48% of small businesses not utilizing the popular image sharing network, you could seriously be lagging behind your competitors in the marketing stakes.

And if you are among the 52% of businesses using Instagram as a marketing tool, then you might want to audit and upgrade just how you use the platform, in order to be on top of the game, and stand out ‘iconized’.

#11: Millions of Photos and Videos are Added to Instagram Daily

Did you know that 95 million photos and videos are uploaded each day onto Instagram?

Consequently, if you’re not adding your brand’s images and videos to Instagram regularly, you’re very likely to fall behind your more social media savvy competitors.

More so, the stats go a long way to show why it’s necessary to stay memorable, useful and engaging, with every of the photos and videos spelled out from your business’ social media accounts.

You can read THIS post to learn how you can keep your social media followers, glued to your content uploads.

#12: Many Instagram Users Have ‘Deep Pockets’

Yay! Finally, and perhaps most important of all.

The end goal / return on investment (ROI) from every social media marketing activity should be, to grow your customer base, expand your business, and make more money.

And it’s interesting to learn that, a study by the Pew Research Center shows that many Instagram users have fairly ‘deep pockets’ – 31% of adults using Instagram earn over $75,000 a year, 32% earn between $50,000 and $74,999 and 32% make between $30,000 and $49,000.

Given the affluence of many Instagrammers globally, it certainly makes sense for brands to market their products and services on this burgeoning social network.

What Now?

If your business hasn’t been engaging INSTAGRAM as a marketing tool, then you really should reconsider that decision.

And if your business is currently engaged, and you desire more traction, then you really should be talking to Phyllion, right now.

_{Credit: Statistics from this post are credited to the sources: Small Business Trends; Pew Research Center USA, Forbes, Instagram.}

She pushes away from her desk, refills her cup of coffee, and settles back in her chair, to check what’s happening on Facebook.

And what does her eyes jump to, as she scrolls through her newsfeed? Images!

As people scan through their social media accounts daily, they’re looking for images that draw them in to reading status updates.

We all know this instinctively because we do it ourselves.

But the image effect has been studied, too. According to KISSmetrics, images get 53 percent more likes, 104 percent more comments, and 84 percent more click-throughs on links, than text-based posts.

“That sounds good, but I can’t make images. I’m not a graphics designer.” – You say

But, here’s the good news: It doesn’t take special artistic talent to make engaging social media images. You don’t have to hire an expensive designer, and you don’t need to buy or learn to use Photoshop.

At a social media bootcamp hosted by Pamela Wilson – an all-time strategic marketer and graphics designer, Pamela shares, and we bring to you, a simple formula you can use to create a single all-purpose image that works across many social media platforms, for your brand.

This article will show you:

• Where to find a great social media image (and what to look for)
• How to add text so it’s readable and gets attention
• One crucial element each social media image should feature (or don’t bother creating them at all)
• What versatile shape works on most social media platforms

Let’s get started making images!

The Anatomy of an All-Purpose Social Media Image

Step 1: Finding the Right Image

• The ideal social media image should be interesting, quirky, and show emotion through an expression or the overall atmosphere.
• Avoid images that are overly posed with perfect looking models. People relate to real photos on social media, these days.

• Search for images that have at least one area that is less busy. This will be the perfect place to add text.

Great places for finding images are:

• Pixabay.com: Free images with no attribution needed (that means you can use them without running a photo credit).
• Compfight.com: Creative Commons licensed images that require photographer attribution.
• BigStockPhoto.com: Vast collection of reasonable priced stock photos.

Meanwhile, every social media platform has different picture size requirements, and they are constantly changing. Here’s a page that stays updated with the latest sizes.

Pamela recommends you aim for a shape that is called the squarish rectangle. It typically looks like this:

The squarish rectangle is a horizontal image that is almost a square, but not quite. This shape looks great for Facebook, Google+, Instagram and Twitter posts. Its proportions are 4:3, so it’s a little wider, than it is tall.

More so, the interesting thing is, you can adapt this all-purpose-shape to a vertical size that works on Pinterest, too.

Step 2: Add Text

You’re going to add text to your image, hopefully in the area of the image that’s least busy, so your text doesn’t compete with the background.

The easiest way to do this is to use one of the many free online image editors. Favourite picks?

• PicMonkey.com: free, with a few added premium features you can use for a monthly fee
• iPiccy.com: free, ad supported
• Pixlr.com/express: free, with a streamlined and easy-to-use interface

They all work the same way: Start by uploading an image. Modify it by cropping it smaller if needed. Then add effects, layering on type, shapes, and frames. Once you’re happy with your edits, then you can save the final product.

(Be sure to read Step 3 before you save!)

Pro-Tip: If however, you found a great image but it’s too busy, try using a translucent shape to create a text area.

Here’s how to add a translucent shape in PicMonkey:

With your image uploaded, go to Overlays > Geometric. Choose one of the shapes, then in the dialog box that appears, pull the Fade slider to the right, until it becomes as translucent as you’d like.

You can then add your text in this box field. Some of the image will show through, but your text will be clear, and easy to read.

Step 3: Drive Your Viewers Home

Before you save your final product, it’s important to add one last finishing touch that will make your image a great brand ambassador as it appears on social media sites around the world.

You want to be sure people who see your image can easily find your website.

Don’t make them guess — add a website address or a business name right on the image.

Yes, add a CAT: call to action!

Usually the bottom left or right corners are best for adding CATs. Make sure it’s readable, and if needed, create another translucent shape to put behind it.

Step 4 (OPTIONAL): Adapt for Pinterest

Pinterest pins stand out best when they’re vertical.

The easiest way to make your squarish rectangle more vertical, is to add a coloured box above and below the image.

Keep a copy of your original photo. Upload it to your favorite image editing platform. Then add coloured boxes above and below the image to make a vertical shape.

To decide what colour these boxes should be, look at the colours in your image and choose colour themes from there.

These coloured boxes are also a perfect place to put text.

Step 5 (NOT OPTIONAL): Get Started!

These all-purpose images are ideal for busy small business owners, because with one work session, you create an image you can use to promote your business on Facebook, Google+,  Instagram, Twitter, and even in email marketing.

These images look great at the top of blog posts, too — they’re fun to share, and become almost like ads for your post.

With a little extra effort, the same image will work for you on Pinterest, too.

Don’t wait another day!

Social media images are easy to create when you use this formula. See how much attention they get for your business, and you’ll find yourself making them all the time.

Up for the challenge? Use the comment box below, and let us know how your image-creation exercise went! Feel free to share this post