How to Take Better Social Media Photos for Your Business
- by Alyson Shane
One of the easiest ways to grow your business and communicate value to your customers is to use social media to showcase who you are and develop an easily recognizable brand.
Once upon a time businesses had to rely almost exclusively on professional photographers to showcase their products, services, and brand values, but in the era of smartphones it's easier than ever to capture beautiful, professional-looking photos for your Instagram and other social media feeds quickly and easily.
Just follow these tips to create high-quality, share-worthy photos to help your business grow and thrive online:
Take Different Approaches to Your Visual Content
As a business owner, youâre constantly on-the-go meeting clients and developing ideas, so use this as an opportunity to capture the beauty of these everyday activities by taking photos of otherwise ânormalâ events.
When leading a workshop, take a crisp photo of the whiteboard. If you have a client meeting, be âthatâ person and snap a pretty picture of some latte art next to your notebooks. Take photos of your workspace, or the places your business is operating.
Running a business is a form of art, so represent even the most unglamorous occasions with beauty and watch the Likes, comments, and engagement roll in.
Use Videos and Animated Content
It's important to try to break up your content and keep it fresh and engaging - nobody wants to look at the same sorts of photos on their social feeds, no matter how nice they may be. Capturing yourself in your daily grind helps viewers build a relationship with the individual behind the brand, and provides a genuine insight of your daily life.
An easy way to create visual content that keeps your audience engaged is to shoot videos and create gifs using tools like Boomerang to spice up your day-to-day visual content.
Videos and Boomerangs can be especially useful if you're promoting a business that has a lot of physical activity involved, or where you do a lot of setting up and tearing down. Invest in a tripod for your phone and use an app like Hyperlapse to record a fast and fun video to share with your audience.
Spend some time playing around with different videos and Boomerangs and experiment with different angles, video lengths, using time-lapses to showcase your daily operations, and more!
Be Mindful of Your Lighting
Lighting is everything when it comes to creating engaging and interesting photos, so it's important to take elements like lighting and brightness into consideration when taking photos.
As helpful as lighting kits can be, they are a considerable investment that your business probably doesn't need unless you have a photographer on staff (in which case you probably don't need this article.) Instead, spend some time playing around with your workspace and the areas you frequent in order to understand the best places and times of day to take eye-catching photos.
And don't worry: if you struggle to take bright photos, you can always edit them with apps like VSCOcam, Snapseed, and within Instagram itself to play around with the brightness and exposure to help make your photos really stand out. Just practice and see what works!
Focus on Composition
So what's the real key to taking beautiful and interesting photographs?
The answer: intriguing dimensions.
Most people tend to take photos with the important element smack-dab in the middle of the image, but having this classic composition posted repeatedly on visual apps like Instagram can cause your followers to lose interest pretty quickly.
Instead, try the ârule of thirdsâ: divide your image space into thirds, or rather, a tic-tac-toe grid. Capture photos with the important elements lying along one of these lines. Having the main subjects of any photo off-center, aligned with this grid, adds intrigue and depth to your photo feed.
Along with the rule of thirds, maintain your brand throughout your feed by including items that have your brand colors throughout the photos. Whether that be a pen, notebook, shirt, or other obscure item, recognizable color trends throughout your photos helps viewers to distinguish what sets your feed apart from others.
Do you have any other stellar tips on taking great photos for your social media feed? Tell us in the comments or get in touch with your questions.
Forget Fake Engagement: Why We Don't Use Instagram Bots
Let's face it: driving organic engagement on Instagram is time-consuming. Which is why many marketers and agencies have turned to using Instagram Bots - or "botting" - to generate engagement.
While this may seem like a great way to cut costs and drive users to your page, using Instagram bots to create fake engagement is not only inauthentic, but it can drive away your customers and damage your brand's reputation.
What exactly is botting, and why is it bad? Keep reading to find out why we're 100% against this sketchy marketing practice:
What is Botting?
Botting is the process of allowing third-party automation software to access your Instagram account and use algorithms to determine accounts that you should be following and engaging with. Basically, botting is pay-to-play engagement, where you pay an automation service to grow your Instagram audience for you.
Marketers can program bots to target specific areas, users who use specific hashtags, and more, in order to create a level of fake engagement which is intended to drive traffic to your Instagram profile.
Sounds great, right?
Except it's not.
At Starling Social, we believe that all engagement should be as organic as possible, which is why we've never used Instagram Bots (or "gone botting") to generate engagement for our clients.
Sure, it would free up more of our billable time, but we wouldn't be delivering the best possible experience to our clients if we relied on bots to handle our engagement for us.
What's Wrong With Bots?
Below are just a few of the reasons that we believe Instagram bots are bad for business:
Current AI doesn't understand context
Have you ever posted a photo with a sad caption, only to receive a weird, upbeat comment like "keep posting great content 
"? Then you've encountered an Instagram bot.
Not only are these interactions awkward for the person posting the update, but they also clearly demonstrate that there isn't a real human being looking at your content, because why else would someone day "this is awesome!" on a photo of someone and their Grandma in the hospital, for example?
Experiences like these can get even creepier: on the Hootsuite blog, one employee recalls experimenting with an Instagram automation tool and discovered that the bot had left the comment "my pics > your pics" on a selfie of a boy who was clearly in middle school. Yikes!
Bots don't always follow the right people
Curating an Instagram news feed which is populated by content that matters to your brand - updates from customers and people in your industry, for example - is just as important as generating strong content on your own profile because it allows a level of engagement that is customized to your growth and engagement goals.
Bots, on the other hand, tend to follow hundreds or even thousands of users who may fit within specific criteria, such as living in your city or using a specific hashtag, but that doesn't mean they're actually part of your brand's target audience.
The only way to ensure that your Instagram account is engaging with real people who care about your brand is by ensuring real people are doing it for you.
You're going to annoy the h*ck out of your target audience
Bots are annoying. There, we said it.
There's nothing worse than posting something to your Instagram and receiving a slew of comments that look like this:
- Super cool!
- Lol I'm so jealous!
- Great page!
You get the point.
As a user, you know that Instagram bots exist, and so when you see the same, non-specific comments appearing over and over again, you already know that whichever account is commenting isn't doing so authentically.
Even worse: as a business, your goal is to entice and excite your customers, not annoy them and make them turn off from your message. As with all things online: authenticity is key, and if your customers catch a whiff of inauthenticity from your Instagram profile, they're less likely to engage with you and give you that highly sought-after "Follow".
You may have your account suspended
Botting goes against Instagram's terms of service, which means that you could have your brand's account suspended!
This is bad for a company managing its own digital marketing, but for a marketing agency to engage in an activity which not only abuses customer trust, but puts their client's accounts at risk just isn't worth it.
One last thing about marketing automation
If this post has you feeling stressed out: don't worry, not all marketing automation tools are created equal. There's a big difference between marketing automation tools like Buffer, Hootsuite, MeetEdgar, and MailChimp (some of our faves), and Instagram bots:
Marketing automation tools help manage processes which allow time for real engagement; Instagram bots pretend to create engagement where there isn't any, and can cause real damage to your brand's online reputation.
So why take the risk? Spend the extra time building a real, engaged audience of Instagram followers and feel confident that the users following your brand legitimately care about what you have to say.
Still confused about Instagram bots, and how real, hands-on engagement can help your brand succeed on Instagram? Give us a shout, we're happy to tell you all you need to know.
How to Create Eye-Catching Newsletter Content
- by Alyson Shane
For many people, their inbox is their home-base in the sea of information that is the internet.
Gaining access into this sacred space as an outsider is not an easy endeavor, but is of the utmost importance when developing meaningful relationships with potential and existing clients.
Email newsletters allow businesses to attract new readers, sell products, and share important information on a continuing basis. Weâve developed some tips to help you create eye-catching content and engage leads with a well-designed newsletter.
Choose a Focus
Carefully curated content that has been developed to share specific information helps create a well-rounded brand, and why subscribers should be reading the content that youâre sending their way.
Before you write your newsletter, sit down and choose the content you want to share, such as:
- Blog posts
- Photos
- Updates
- Helpful tips or how-toâs
- Infographics
- Events and important dates
Make It Personal
Genuine content will keep the right readers engaged, and helps you to build a reputable brand online.
When developing an email newsletter, lose the âsalesâ gimmicks, and focus on cultivating meaningful relationships with your readers.
You appreciate your subscribers, so communicate with them like theyâre friends, and demonstrate the value that they provide you and your business.
Overly persuasive content will only turn-off readers. Write content that is friendly and approachable, and provide incentives for your dedicated clients or prospects.
Stay Organized
Organization is the difference between a messy newsletter, and a branded, clear message. Decide on your topics beforehand, so that you can cultivate a brief and concise message that is helpful to your recipients.
Humans are visual creatures, so creating similarly sized blocks of content that are easy on the eyes will help readers quickly scan and digest the information that you are sharing. Clarity reigns true in the world of newsletters, so having a well-developed, yet brief, message will keep readers engaged throughout your email.
Likely, youâre sending out email newsletters with the intention of increasing traffic to your businessâs blog or website. A clear CTA (call to action) should be included towards the end of each newsletter, using buttons or incentives to get readers clicking back to the page youâre trying to market.
Create Catchy Headlines
For a reader to access your content, they must open your email in the first place. Headlines should convey your message briefly, but in an intriguing manner.
Building a trusting relationship with readers without coming off as âspammyâ can be a tough task, but as always, being genuine and providing incentives will help you gain access into their inbox.
Strive for Consistency
Many readers look forward to receiving newsletters from brands and businesses they trust, especially when they know exactly when that newsletter is going to hit their inbox.
If you promise to send out weekly newsletters, do everything in your power to ensure those newsletters are going out on a weekly basis.
Email newsletters can be amazing marketing tools to build meaningful relationships with subscribers, while growing your awesome business.
Need some help in creating engaging newsletter campaigns? Get in touch to see how we can help you share your story with brilliant content.
5 Steps to Creating a Blogging Business Plan
- by Alyson Shane
Whether youâre entering the world of blogging as a casual hobby, or are dedicated to sharing your products or services as a full-time, developing a blogging business plan can help you stay organized and generate interesting and engaging content with ease.
Taking the time to develop the main ideas and concepts you want to share will help you design a relatable blog, and brand, that will keep readers coming back for more. By following these 5 steps, you can nail down the specifics of your blogging business plan, and create engaging content generated towards your target audience.
1. Develop an Executive Summary
An executive summary is the page that youâll keep revisiting, to draw inspiration on why you started your blog and the intended goals you had in mind. An effective executive summary briefly explains the intention of your blog, and the messages you want to share. An executive summary should briefly and clearly explain to readers the important facets of your blog, including:
- A summary of the content youâll be sharing on your blogging platform
- The inspiration behind your blog
- The goals and milestones you hope to achieve through your writing
Keep the executive summary genuine, honest, and brief. This helps you, and your readers, to recognize your mission, while clearly explaining the intentions you have for your blog. Take the time to consider and develop a clear idea of why you love your blog and the content that you choose to share.
2. Define Your Target Market
Crafting blog content is one thing. Creating blog content that maintains the attention of your target market is another. Defining the target market of your blog ahead of time helps you stay on-brand, while helping you cultivate content that continuously engages your readers. By having a well-defined idea of your audience, brainstorming blog content becomes all the more fun, with less stress involved. While youâre brainstorming who exactly your ideal content consumer is, consider the following questions:
- What is their age?
- What is their gender?
- What are their hobbies?
- What is their income status?
- Do they spend time on social media?
- What sort of other blogs do they read?
Once you have a general idea of your target market, you can develop ideas for your blog and how to best reach the intended audience.
3. Analyze the Competition
Blogging isnât always about âwinningâ, but having a healthy understanding that there are countless other blogs like yours is crucial to success. Take some time to research blogs with similar content, brands, and themes. Doing this allows you to draw on their approach to blogging, and plug in your strengths where you can. Make lists of their marketing tactics to get a better understanding of the steps you can take to make your blog stand out in your intended market.
- Are they creating podcasts?
- Do they have a strong social media presence?
- Do they have a well-developed brand?
- Are they utilizing multiple platforms to share their content?
- Do they make YouTube videos?
4. Monetize Your Blog
Developing a blog with creative content is hard work, and can take up a large chunk of your valuable time. Luckily, bloggers have endless opportunities to create financial gain from their passionate blog development.
If youâre a freelancer whoâs blogging to spread your services, or are simply blogging to create a community with similar interests, developing a monetization plan will help you generate passive income when youâre ready to take that route.
Sell Your Products or Services
Selling your products or services helps generate passive income to give you more time to perfect your content. If youâre a writer, create an e-book outlining how to navigate submissions online.
If youâre a web designer, consider developing a WordPress theme. Focus on what youâre good at, and package it up to sell.
Advertising
Advertising on your blog is an easy to develop, and requires little maintenance over time. Find an ad network that aligns with the advertisements you want to share, and connect with similar brands online.
To cultivate a reasonable income, youâll need a larger audience, so creating engaging content beforehand is key to ad success.
5. Start Marketing
The final step in launching a successful blogging platform is generating traffic towards your awesome content. Dedicate a scheduled chunk of your time daily towards growing your brand online.
Social Media Marketing
Marketing your blog via social media platforms is a free and accessible method of promotion. If you have personal experience using certain social media platforms, find one or two sites that you love and share your amazing content, frequently.
By sharing genuine content that focuses on your brand, youâll be able to cultivate meaningful connections with your target audience.
Nurture Relationships
Posting genuine content will yield genuine results, meaning that your readership will consist mainly of individuals honestly care about the information you are sharing. Reply to all comments on your blog or social media, or send out an amazing and helpful newsletter.
Youâll be blown away by how a couple minutes of your day spend connecting with your audience can benefit everyone involved.
Advertisements
Once your blog is up and running, with a range of well-developed content, you can consider investing in paid advertisements. Purchase Facebook or Instagram ads, or reach out to similar blogs that offer advertising space to reach readers within your niche.
Cultivate a blogging business plan before the launch of your blog that showcases your uniqueness and shares your passions with readers who appreciate it.
Do you have any extra tips or tricks on developing a helpful blogging business plan? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. If you want help putting together
Hello World, It's Starling Social
- by Alyson Shane
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Transitioning from being a freelancer to business owner can be a challenge, especially when youâve relied on your name recognition and personal brand to help you succeed.
That being said, itâs also important to realize when changes need to be made, and when the time has come to shift focus and start looking at larger and more long-term goals and objectives.
With that in mind, hereâs a personal message from me, Alyson Shane, the owner of Starling Social. Below is a little information about why weâve rebranded, what you can expect from us, and our formal âhello!â to you as we launch:
Realizing that it was time for a rebrand
Iâve been freelancing since 2014, and while using my own name was great at the outset, as my business began to grow I realized that I had a perception problem:
When I met with a prospective client as a freelancer, one of their first questions was inevitably âhow many clients do you have?â which was their way of assessing whether I, as an individual, could balance their needs with those of my existing clients.
When it was just me that question made sense, but as my business began to grow and I started bringing on contractors to manage parts of my day-to-day workload, I realized that I needed to re-frame the conversation from the outset so that our clients knew exactly what to expect.
Why a starling?
Starlings arenât the most well-known bird, but I chose one for our name for several reasons:
- Starlings are social birds. Wikipedia describes them as âgregariousâ which felt fitting.
- A flock of starlings is called a âmurmuration.â As a writer and content marketer, this play on words was incredibly appealing.
- Starlings are mimics. These birds have âdiverse and complex vocalizations, and have been known to embed sounds from their surroundingsâ (also from Wikipedia).
Considering that weâre in the content marketing business, a logo which emphasized our ability to be diverse, adaptable, and to be able to integrate our clientâs messaging and values into our workflow was perfect.
Additionally, the alliteration of âStarling Socialâ was just too good to pass up. I worked with brilliant designer Rachael Hosein to come up with the branding, which Iâm over the moon about.
What is my role?
As the owner and founder, Iâll be the face and main point of contact here at Starling Social.
When we work with you to develop a social media campaign, when weâre presenting at a conference, or when weâre staying connected with our local community by attending a Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce event, Iâll be the one youâll be speaking to and working with.
Behind the scenes, the rebrand will allow me to delegate more of my workflow to my team, allowing me to spend more time working with our existing clients to come up with new content strategies and hone our processes, on-board new clients, and focus on growing the business.
That being said, Iâll still be very involved with day-to-day operations such as scheduling, tone, messaging, and approving any copywriting which goes out, so as a client you can expect to receive the same attention to detail that youâve come to expect from me as a freelancer.
What you can expect from us
You need a content marketing agency who are as passionate about growing your business as you are, who live to help businesses like yours craft your story and spread your message.
If you know me personally or we've worked together before, then youâre already familiar with how passionate I am about these things. Now you can depend on a team of driven, talented people who care just as much as I do about helping your brand succeed online.
With that in mind, weâd like to say hello. Weâre Starling Social, and weâre here to Make Your Brand Sing.
