Keeping Up With The Trends

Written by Brittany Prats

Edited by Allison Herrera

We get asked ALL THE TIME how we keep up with trends as well as we do. People always want to know how we keep up with trending “skits”, trending audio, trending jokes…all trends in general. It’s really not that hard, people! Just keep scrolling. 😉

It may sound basic, but that’s our number one tip. Listen, who said marketing had to be super hard? Here’s a hint, if you’re not on TikTok right now, that’s a problem. Maybe that sounds a little harsh; but to be honest, TikTok is the hot spot for trends at the moment.

You’ll probably notice that as you scroll, you’ll hear the same sound or see the same type of video over & over again. We’re sure you’re wondering why this is happening, & we’re gonna let you take a guess. Okay, we’ll give you three seconds.

IT’S. A. TREND.

When something is trending, trust us – it’s all you’ll see, & you need to take note of that. The hard part isn’t necessarily finding the trends, but it’s applying them in a strategic manner that makes sense to the brand.

In order to find the trend, just scroll through your favorite social media platform for an hour or two – maybe even watch the news. We guarantee you’re bound to find a few that you can play off of. Let’s get into the real problem at hand. How in the world do you make some random trend applicable to your company? Brainstorm, baby!

The ideas probably won’t always come to you naturally, & that’s okay! Just sit down & think about how you can make the most out of it. More importantly, look at other people’s accounts for inspiration. I guarantee, there is someone else in your field who is doing an AMAZING job at keeping up with trends, so find inspiration from that brand.

Now, you’re probably wondering how to actually know that something is trending. Say you see something & while YOU have seen it a million times, you aren’t sure that everyone else is seeing the same thing. An easy way to find out is by tapping on the sound & seeing how many videos have been made – if it’s a lot, then you have a winner!

Hey, we get it, being a trendsetter (or even just a trend follower) isn’t the easiest thing in the world – but that’s why you have Uptown Girl Media to help you get there!

Of course there are a few more secrets we have up our sleeve for trends – the Uptown Girls spend hours researching & scrolling to find trends, so you don’t have to. We’re always up to date on the hottest trends, & have the expert creative mind to apply them in a way that will suit your business best (& even get people talking). Give us a call, & let’s  get trendy!

Understanding Insights

Written by Brittany Prats

Edited by Allison Herrera

Have you ever looked at your Instagram Insights & thought, “Okay…now what?!”. Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. Insights are definitely not the easiest thing to get a grasp on, but once you do, your strategy & content development will flourish like never before.

Likes & comments mean SO MUCH more than just their face value. Trust us when we say you gotta dig a little deeper. 

 

 

Instagram Insights are an absolute crucial part of your marketing strategy – that is, if you analyze them in the correct ways. Just read between the lines a bit, but we’ll give you a head start by breaking it down for you.

Let’s start with  Likes. Everyone wants ‘em, but no one really knows why. Sure, it makes you feel good to get a like from that boy you think is cute, or that brand you love – but have you ever stopped to think what that actually means? If we’re being honest, that piece of engagement that everyone craves is pretty much the least valuable bit of information when it comes to analyzing your stats. In fact, while gaining a lot of likes helps you to gain visibility, that’s really all it does. I mean, yeah, you can tell that your followers enjoyed that type of content, but more than likely – you already knew that. We need to focus on the more unique engagements in order to truly up your social media game. 

 

 

Comments are similar to likes, as far as understanding insights goes. But, they do give you a bit more information about why your audience likes or dislikes your content. With comments, you’re able to receive genuine feedback. This can be super helpful when trying out a new strategy. Also, evaluating how many comments you’re getting can also help you to increase your visibility. If your comment section is blowing up, then you must be creating some type of buzz. This buzz brings new people into the conversation, thus helping you to get objective feedback, along with more exposure.

 

 

Shares are incredibly valuable when trying to increase your brand awareness. If you’re sitting there thinking, “I don’t really care about increasing brand awareness”, I hate to break it to you, but you need to. Growing brand awareness is the most vital aspect of any strategy. An increase of brand awareness equals an increase in loyalty, trustworthiness, & (most importantly) sales! Evaluating how many shares you got on one post will help you to see how many new profiles you’ve been exposed to. It’s basically like getting to post your content on other people’s profiles, meaning you’re exposing yourself to thousands of new people. Seems pretty cool to us.

 

 

An underrated (but equally as important) insight is, of course, saves! People either forget about them, or think they don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. However, saves are an extremely important part of engagement to take into account. This means someone values your content so much that they want to save it to look at it later. In our opinion, that’s way more of a confidence boost than a simple like. These people literally want to go back to your content after they’ve already looked at it once – how wild is that? They value you & what you have to say. This not only shows that people are noticing & respecting your brand, but it also shows that they don’t want to forget you.

 

 

Listen, we get it. Everyone is always going to be “like” obsessed…& THAT’S OKAY! We just want you to better understand what these engagement numbers actually mean. You need to grow, & in order for that to happen, you need to understand what your audience is trying to tell you.

Hey, it’s fine if you still don’t get it – this type of stuff takes time, but guess what? You just so happen to have some really cool & fun social media experts at your fingertips RIGHT NOW **cough, cough**.  If you’re picking up what we’re putting down, give us a call – we can give you even more insight on your content analysis than you could ever dream of.

How to Create 10x More Content With The 3 R’s of Repurposing

Written by Kele Johnson

Edited by Allison Herrera

@theStevenMellor is at it again with another extremely actionable post on how to create 10x more content in a shorter span of time. 👀

Let’s Get Straight to the Point 

  • No one is scrolling through all your posts
  • Only ~20% of your audience will see your content for the first time
  • Of that 20%,  only about 1-5% of your audience will interact with your content

Here lies your opportunity to succeed: what good is a GREAT post, if most people haven’t even seen it yet?

It’s all about repurposing. If you have 10 posts, you should have at least one month worth of content. 

Hear us out…there are 3 “R’s”  when it comes to repurposing: Recycle, Remix, Reuse + Repeat (ofc 😉). Let’s dive deeper!

Recycle

  • Once you find some posts to repurpose, it’s time to freshen them up.
  • Do this by experimenting with new hooks, or adding new information.
  • The goal in recycling is replicating past success. 

Remix

  • Change the post type completely.
  • The information will stay the same, but the presentation, layout, even colors/fonts should change.

Reuse 

  • Did you have an absolute fire post? Great. Repost it. Keep everything the same. 
  • Just a simple copy + paste & publish. BAM! Success. 

Repeat

  1. Review 3 month old content 
  2. Recycle it
  3. Remix it 
  4. Reuse it 
  5. Repeat (See – it’s just as simple as rinse, lather, repeat 💆🏻‍♀️🚿).

So now that you know the 3 R’s of repurposing, let’s see that old content look fresh & new! Check out Steven Mellor’s post here. If you have any questions, you can always contact the Uptown Girls – we’re always happy to help!

The Evolution of Branding

Written by Brittany Prats

Edited by Allison Herrera

You’ve heard us talk about it a million times, but today we’re coming at you from a different angle. We’ll give you a hint: this is what the younger generations care most about & it rhymes with landing…

Yep! You guessed it! We’re talking about branding (again). 

Listen, branding is literally the most important aspect of any campaign, company, or product. You can’t just jump straight into your marketing plan without your branding figured out to a tee. Regardless of what you may think, we’re actually not going to talk about how to figure out your branding. Nope. We know, you’re shocked. 

Today, we’re breaking down the evolution of branding & how it came to be what it is today.

As you might have guessed, advertising in the “Don Draper Days” was not about the brand. No one really cared about the company or what they stood for. They cared exclusively about the product, how well it worked/tasted, price, & even what it looked like. Now, obviously, in the beginning stages of advertising, the company still mattered – think Coca-Cola over Pepsi or Ford over Volks-Wagon. 

However, the actual branding of those companies and their values weren’t exactly a main selling point for consumers. Who a company was personality-wise & what a company supported, was almost unheard of.  With that being said, it is also important to note that this was before people were as open about their own personal views and beliefs. 

As time went on & as the idea of believing in something on your own grew, so did branding. It was quickly discovered that it wasn’t so much about the product anymore, it was about which brand consumers would rather support. This occurred when competition grew. If a million products can practically give you almost the same end result at nearly the same price, consumers started looking deeper into each business.

This has become evidently clear within the past ten years because of how ads are less focused on products & more focused on an ideal or personality trait. The product or service is still a part of the ad, but the branding behind it is a more crucial part of any promotion. What a company believes in, supports & stands for is their brand. The organizations they donate to, the movements they support, their values, their mission, & so much more are all a part of their branding.

As time goes on & competition continues growing, the evolution of branding continues developing. We’ve observed how younger generations will stop buying from a brand as a whole because they don’t support the same beliefs as them. Regardless of whether or not they absolutely loved the product before, these younger generations will drop a brand they don’t align with like it’s nothing. That’s why being upfront & honest with your branding, & truly finding out how you want to represent your company or business  is absolutely crucial in this new ad age. 

For example, Nike went from just selling a pair of shoes to be a better athlete, to selling an idea of being a better athlete who fights for social justice. We all know about Nike’s controversial ads with Colin Kaepernick…

…but those ads are the best example on how businesses’ branding has been evolving. Instead of focusing on the science behind their shoes, Nike is now focusing on who is wearing their shoes. Check out the examples below.

1990s

2020s

The second a company shoots an ad out supporting one of their beliefs, millions of people were dropping their brand, burning their products, & absolutely destroying them online. However, that is Nike’s brand. That’s what they believe in, & that’s how they want to represent themselves.

Marketing is no longer about a single product, it’s about those beliefs the company holds, something that consumers can relate to – & that’s branding. So although the “effect” of Nike’s ads have always been the same (buying shoes), the consumer’s end goal has shifted from simply buying shoes to resonating deeper with what they believe in & support. That’s the difference in advertising & branding from the Don Drapers to the Uptown Girls. Still need help figuring out who your brand is? Contact us today – we can help!

The Importance of a Hook

Written by Kele Johnson

Edited by Allison Herrera

When it comes to content as a digital marketer, a hook is everything. But why is something so simple as a hook important? A hook grabs the reader’s attention & (if done right) keeps them reading or watching & wanting more!

Need some inspiration for your next piece of content? You’re in luck. The folks at Copywriting Course share 8 easy tools you can use in building a hook. Here’s some information we found that  grabbed  our attention…👀

 

Use An Anecdote

  • Anecdotes work because it grabs the attention of the reader & leaves the reader wondering what happens next – “If this person went through A, how did they come out at B?” 
  • If you’re currently searching for a solution for a problem, you’d want to know how someone solved said problem right?
  • Use an anecdote by telling a relevant story that’ll connect with your readers.
  • Always make sure the anecdote is both personal & relatable. 

Example: “Just a few months ago I didn’t understand why interaction was low on my social media pages until I contacted Uptown Girl Media, & they helped me analyze my data & so much more!” 😉

 

Ask A Question

  • Ask about something your readers can relate to. Questions make your content more engaging, as the viewer is then mentally answering your question. 
  • If you ask the right kinds of questions, you can get inside the reader’s head by asking the same questions they were already thinking about.
  • Bonus: If you’re asking relevant questions, you’re implying you have the right answers. Who wouldn’t want to know more then? 😏

Example: “Do you want to start a social media page to advertise your business but don’t know where to start?”; “Want to learn more about how to grow your business with social media?” 

These kinds of questions even have us wanting to learn more! 💖😉

 

Use A Statistic

  • Use an impressive number that’s easy to understand, because numbers are eye-catching. 
  • They stand out visually, & can add definitive context. Numbers break up a sea of text & are sometimes easy to remember.
  • A great statistic can tell a great story without needing an in-depth explanation. Let the numbers do the work! Numbers don’t lie 😉

Example: 

  • 41% of small businesses depend on social media to drive revenue. 
  • Customers who engage with a business on social media spend up to 40% more money. 
  • 96% of small businesses use social media in their marketing strategy. 
  • 74% of consumers rely on social media in guiding their purchasing decisions. 

Like I said – numbers don’t lie, & aren’t you hooked now?! Social media is a game changer in marketing your brand. 👀📲

 

Use Interactive Tools

  • Invite readers to actively engage with content via polls, question boxes, & interactive story posts. 
  • Viewers love the opportunity to participate in content & share their opinions. 
  • Interactive posts are a great way of getting someone hooked, especially if it involves waiting for a response.

Example: Let us show you some interactive stories that ourselves here at  Uptown Girl Media may have gotten you hooked with. 💖

 

 

Cheers to creating the perfect hook! Hopefully some of these ideas help you hook your reader in & leave them wanting more. Check out more hook writing tools over at Copywriting Course. Still feeling stuck? Contact us today!

 

The Decline of IG Engagement

Written by Brittany Prats

Edited by Allison Herrera

Have you been feeling like you just can’t win with Instagram? One day your post gets 100 likes, & the next day it only gets ten likes. Trust us, babe…we’ve all been there. Instagram has been acting like that petty ex boyfriend who one day is super nice & then is a complete jerk the next. It’s heartbreaking, really.

 

 

But hey, what can you do? It’s just the algorithm, right? It’ll get back to normal eventually, right? WRONG! There’s a plethora of strategical tactics you can practice.

 

 

We know we’re your favorite social media experts 😜, so you can bet your bottom dollar we have a few solutions for making your Instagram experience a little more bearable. Let’s dive right in! 

 

Instagram Reels

 

 

No, no, no. You don’t have to dance on TikTok to gain likes & followers. Find some trending sounds, make it relate to your brand, & watch magic unfold, baby! Take it from us. Our reels perform fantastic on our feed, but that’s because we make them relevant & entertaining. As you’ve probably heard, Instagram is headed towards a more video focused platform. So, it only makes sense that IG’s algorithm favors reels more than other creative content.

 

Clean up your following

 

 

Let’s be honest – you probably bought a few followers back in the day. Well, while you thought it was harmless fun, it is actually seriously damaging your engagement. Ghost followers & spam accounts make your account look less trustworthy. In turn, Instagram’s AI flags your account by burying your content in terms of not allowing the algorithm to reveal your content to real people. Bought followers aren’t creating genuine connections on IG, so the algorithm puts a hard stop in that potential. Just go through your followers list & clean it up a bit – trust us, it’ll do wonders for your engagement.

 

Experiment with Carousels

 

         

 

Carousels have been around for a while on the ol’ gram, but they’ve never been prioritized quite like they are today. Instagram’s algorithm prefers carousels because they can show them to your followers multiple times without having to show them the exact same post – that is, until the viewer engages with the post itself. This also gives you the opportunity of showing off more products or giving a little more info. Play around a little & see if your engagement increases.

 

Post when your audience is actually active

 

We’ve said this a million times, but don’t post at 4:00 A.M. & expect fantastic engagement. You need to post when your specific brand’s audience is online most. That means no more following articles that say post at 6:00 P.M. on Thursdays as Bible. Every brand differs, which also includes a variety of audiences on each account. For example, an account targeting students will have a different “most active audience time” rather than an account aimed at attracting middle aged, working class men. Whether it’s lunchtime, right before bed, or first thing in the morning – every account differs. This is where data & statistics come into play – it’s why analyzing & taking notes of when your audience is posting, liking, & commenting is important.

 

Remember, there’s only one concept that’s worth considering when playing around with Instagram’s algorithm: it’s constantly changing (sometimes on a day-to-day basis). Instagram is constantly bringing in new updates & features, some we love & some we hate. We know what you’re thinking…how in the hell can you keep up. Well, that’s where we come in. Just give us a call at (504) 788-2UGM, we know all the tips & tricks to give you the results you’ve been looking for!

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