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Author: christie

How to use Instagram Reels for business

christie Social media tips and tricks

Over the past couple weeks I have met a lot of business owners who are still very nervous about getting on video or doing short form videos and reels for their businesses.

Is that you?

Many do not understand the value in it and also don’t understand how to do it at all or where to start. THAT’S OK! I’ve got you!

So first, a couple of quick stats that are important.

Why should businesses be on Instagram Reels?

  • 9 out of 10 users watch Instagram videos weekly, according to HootSuite.
  • 86% of consumers say they’d purchase, try, or recommend a product when Instagram content is rated as “shareworthy,” a survey by HootSuite shows.
  • According to a recent survey on marketing trends in 2022, short-form video has the highest return on investment of any social media marketing strategy.

What returns have my clients seen on Reels?

  • One client’s Reel I shot, produced, and posted caught the attention of several local news stations who covered it – then they sent the story to the network, which shared it with their affiliates across the country. Since they ship, their products sold out that seeason.
  • Another client doubled their program sales and quadrupled their web traffic because of one single Reel that hit 5 million views.
  • Finally, another client closed sales to their high-ticket program.

That being said, SHORT-FORM VIDEO is king right now and I’ve seen it for myself.

So, how do businesses and small businesses get on Reels if they don’t know how?

Here’s how to get started as a business on Reels:

  1. Scroll through reels and scroll and scroll and scroll and see how people are adapting trends to their businesses and how people are delivering value on reels. Pay particular attention to business Reels and product Reels and find your competitors online and look to see what they are doing.
  2. Save the reels you like and could picture yourself adapting your business to for inspiration. The most important part about social is being genuine. So look at the reels and get a feel for what you are comfortable with. You do not have to dance. You do not have to lip-synch. There are 1 million ways to deliver value on a reel without doing any of that so look for those so you can get ideas. I like to save reels for inspo in a Google doc, I copy the link and I put it in my document and I refer back to it when I need inspiration. Do not copy but instead use it as a jumping point for your own unique ideas.
  3. Save songs to your music library as you get to know them and like them. You can use them later when you begin to shoot and edit your reels. Ps. You can tell they are trending if they have a little arrow pointing up in the bottom left-hand corner of the reel and that would mean that you should use them sooner rather than later because the algorithm will like that.
  4. Go look at what your competition is posting. Again do not copy but this is good information to know if they are on reels then that means you need to be too.

Reels can be super easy to create, especially if you create a system to add it into your day or once a week.

Do you want my free social media planning guide along with content ideas for your business? Hit the link here to grab it!

PS. Read how you can now SCHEDULE Reels once you’ve put them together on Metricool! How exciting is that?!

Psss. Apply to work with me here.

How to schedule Reels (because NOW YOU CAN!!!)

christie Social media tips and tricks

Scheduling Reels is HERE!!!!! How many social media managers, content creators, and businesses are jumping up and down with glee right now – it’s hard to tell.

But Metricool has announced they have, indeed, pulled off the miracle we have all been waiting for and have given users the ability to schedule Reels instead of posting them manually.

This is a very big deal because up until now, there was no way to schedule reels, even though you could schedule posts, videos, and stories from multiple other schedulers.

I recently became a Metricool user and love the scheduler and the analytics reports, especially for my clients. I’m able to schedule multiple clients’ content from one place, and now Reels.

Here’s what you need to know:

  • You have to schedule it from desktop. There is a Metricool app, but that will, as of this writing, just send you a reminder to post your Reel. The desktop does the whole shabang.
  • The Reel has to have the music and the captions already on it, so it’s perfect for scheduling it if, say, you are repurposing it from another platform like TikTok.
  • I used it and it’s super-smooth, it published on time and in the way I want it. Metricool is also very affordable.

So have at it! This is so exciting, isn’t it?!

Psssst. Need content ideas? Here’s my whole content creation starter pack which is full of ideas for your business!

How to get TV coverage for your business without hiring a PR team

christie Social media resources you can use, Social media tips and tricks

Did you know that some stations have more than 12 hours of news coverage to fill? THEY NEED YOUR STORIES!

Over the span of my 20+ year career as a journalist, I was on the receiving end of thousands of news releases. I was the one who sent the crews to stories and events, I was the one who wrote stories about the events, and I was the one who set up the segment ideas.

I know for a fact that stations NEED YOUR IDEAS, businesses, bloggers, influencers, and entrepreneurs!

They also need your information on file if and when they need an expert on whatever topic you can talk about!

So: MAKE SURE YOU’RE FORMING RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE TV STATIONS IN YOUR MARKETS!

Why aren’t more businesses doing this?

  1. Many people think news coverage is unattainable. They think they need a PR person or they don’t think there’s anything special to cover. WRONG!
  2. They’re doing it wrong! There are more people to reach out to than just the generic email on the station website. It’s important you’re reaching out to the right people! PLUS – did you know you could still get news coverage for your business or event AFTER the event is over – even if they didn’t cover it in person that day? Yep! Some coverage is better than no coverage, right???
  3. They don’t know where to start. So, first, think up ideas you can pitch to stations. Are you brand new? Are you a legacy business? Are you pairing up with other businesses for a charity event? Do you have something super unique and visual? Is something that’s going on nationally affecting your business locally? (Stations always want to do local spins on national stories!) Is there something you’re an expert on that’s timely that you can pitch as an idea? (Do you love DIY and you want to show how to do something timely like an Easter centerpiece or cook a holiday meal or create unique gifts or inexpensive prom fashion?) Think outside the box – it doesn’t even have to be ABOUT your business to be about your business!

Here are examples of stories I’ve covered or gotten coverage on for my clients:

-A restaurant owner I worked with dressed up as the Grinch and gave out gifts (and toilet paper – during the pandemic, lol). Not only did he became the most popular thing in the little city we live in – (he even got asked to do weddings!) and yes, we got TV stations to cover it – and it even went national. The social media for it did amazing! And people came to his store to see him and they bought from him.
-A local brewery paired up with a kiwi farm to create an award-winning kiwi beer. It just so happened that the kiwi farm was struggling that year because of some deep freezes, so covering this was a win-win! Great news and social content, and publicity for the farm and the brewery!
-A local business paired up with a local celebrity to offer dinners for needy families at Thanksgiving. Great news & social content!

There are morning show reporters looking for fun locations to go live from, there are home-grown segments. In part two – I’ll share how you can find some more ideas for how to pitch yourself to TV stations!

If you want a preview, click here to watch this video!

How to autopost Instagram to Facebook (And why you shouldn’t)

christie Social media tips and tricks
You know that simple, easy button you can push that allows you to also send your Instagram content to Facebook? This is a very simple tool to use to post directly from Instagram to Facebook but PLOT TWIST! And I say this with love… don’t do it.

If your Instagram is feeding directly to Facebook, go unlink it right now. Ok? Here’s why:

1. It looks like you shoved a piece of IG content to FB and that’s it and don’t care. I know, it’s so much easier to let one flow to the other, but the truth is, they’re different platforms and need to be treated as individual platforms with each post optimized for the platforms.

2. People don’t use those hashtags on Facebook. I know they want us to but no one really does and it looks clunky. Not a great user experience.

3. All the wording goes so FB too, and there’s no such thing as “link in bio” on Facebook. You want to actually provide the link in there anyway if that’s your call to action.

4. Because of all those reasons your post just may not perform as well. So you’re ruining a perfectly good post.

Do this instead:
👉 Customize each post to the platform
👉 Schedule it through an outside scheduler or the FREE Creator Studio that exists in Facebook already so you can treat each post differently but you can still kind of streamline the process.

For reels, download them to your phone and reupload them in the reels section of your FB page – that’s the only place you can really do hashtags where it doesn’t matter. The format is so similar to IG people probably expect it. If you have any questions and this doesn’t make sense, let me know! I’ll send out a video tutorial!

Saying all of this with love because I want to help you grow your business and your amazing presence on social!

Instagram’s new feed changes are live to EVERYONE’S excitement!

christie The latest in social media

Instagram announced it’s making changes to its feed and you can see posts in chronological order again! You will have a “favorites” feed, which will allow you to favorite up to 50 accounts, and a “following” feed, which will be in chronological order as users have been requesting, for … well, forever.

Instagram made the announcement today and if you don’t see it in your home feed yet, you will soon. Here’s a look at what it will look like when you get it and where it will be located:

You can watch the full Instagram update announcement here. Here’s the description everyone has been waiting for. Are you ready for it?

“See the latest posts from accounts that you follow, in the order they were posted.” YAAASSSSSS! This is instead of all the algorithmic gobbeldy gook that we have been toying with for the past however many years. Although that will still exist in the home feed, you will have more control over seeing the content you want from the people you want to see it from in your Following and Favorites feeds.

Also, the “favorites” feed will be kept private, according to Verge. I’ll keep you updated on how this affects your business and your business’ content over time! Make sure you’re on my email list and following me on IG, (PUT ME IN YOUR FAVORITES!) TikTok, and FB.

I’m a business owner and I hate social media. What now?

christie Social media tips and tricks

“I hate TikTok and it’s dumb” is a general feeling that some people have and one that a business owner recently expressed in a group I’m in because she’s struggling with finding success there. And that’s OK! You don’t have to love all platforms. You don’t even have to BE on all platforms — just pick the ones you like and identify with the most and go ALL IN.

BUT one thing is definitely true — if you HATE a platform and you feel no connection to the platform whatsoever and your business is on it and the content is not performing well, look no further for the reason why. It’s because you hate it. You just won’t do well on it as a business if you hate it.

Social media is a funny thing. People can literally feel your vibe through your content. And they’ll either connect with a vibe or they won’t. If you’re putting out desperate vibes, nope. If you’re putting out “I hate it here but I’m doing it anyway” vibes, then nope again.

So, if you’re wondering about whether or not your business should be on a platform, do this before you write it off:

  • Try it out for a while, get to know the platform as a user
  • Search the platform for your niche and businesses like yours
  • Look for businesses like yours that are finding success and take notes – because that could be you! Content, hashtags, personality, comments…
  • Try to navigate and understand the platform and interact on it
  • Find online groups related to the platform to connect with other businesses on it (there’s a ton – I’m in a bunch!)
  • Find someone who loves it and will do it FOR YOU … and do it WELL.

Do that before writing it off. OK?

Ps. If you’re a business not performing well on TikTok, want a TikTok audit? I recently did an audit for a business who went from 40 followers to more than 1600 in 6 days using my tips. Let’s talk, book a call here.

Instagram announces new update to Live feature

christie The latest in social media

Instagram announced some new updates to their Live function today that I think are super cool especially for the introverts out there, so I wanted to share them as soon as I heard!

If you’re not yet going live on Instagram as a business, it’s not only an amazing way to get in front of your customers and clients but you can repurpose that information in the form of shorter videos, quotes, & tips (i.e. MORE CONTENT) AND get real-time feedback from your people on what they want to know from you.

Here’s my favorite thing I heard today – ready? You can go live on Instagram “privately” now first to check all your settings, your lighting, your sound – but more importantly, TO PRACTICE! So if you aren’t sure about lives and you need some time to feel more comfortable, this is the perfect way to start doing that. If it’s not available to you yet, it will be, these things take a minute to roll out. (I will send out a quick tutorial next, it’s pretty cool!)

We are always hearing from experts about the best way to do this or that on every platform, but it’s good to hear straight from the horse’s mouth what they’re prioritizing. When they come out to talk about a specific tool, that’s a good indicator that it will be a feature they’ll be pushing users to do more of and therefore a good indicator that the ones who do it will get a little extra love from the algorithm. So make sure you’re following these accounts to hear it first from them. Go follow the Creators account on Instagram and watch the replay of this live for other cool updates like a “moderator” feature and tips to make your lives the best they can be!

Tools to use to create amazing social media posts: What’s in my camera bag?

christie Social media tips and tricks, Uncategorized

Questions people always ask me or in the online groups I’m in:

  1. What do I use to create social media posts?
  2. What camera do I use?
  3. I don’t have a huge budget, what other equipment do I need?

So I’m going to tell you what’s in my camera bag when I cover social media for an event or even just a short shoot, and no, it’s not complicated or expensive! I’m also going to give you some other tips & tricks to covering an event for social media so stay till the end.

  1. Phone. Yes, my phone. I have had clients ask me where’s my fancy camera. And yes, I do have one but I don’t use it that often and I only use it for specific things. Why do I use my phone? Because the platforms mostly require it. I recommend you ALWAYS go live from the event on each platform, Facebook, Instagram, and if you’re on it, TikTok too, and that requires a phone (or a camera with an internet connection, but that’s expensive, phone is fine.) Also, you need to shoot vertical video for Reels & TikToks (and stories), and those platforms work best if you edit your video within the platform (you can edit it elsewhere and upload it to the platforms too, but I find it easier to shoot on my phone and have the video already there to make TikToks and Reels.) If you’re wondering if other people also use their phones, we got TV coverage from a local TV station for one of my clients and they left their fancy camera outside and shot inside the business with their phones…. which is also what I did when I worked in TV, so yes, it’s very common. Make sure it’s fully charged!
  2. A microphone. There are tons of little mics for $7-$40 (I have both), I use a Purple Panda lav mic with an iphone connector to do interviews with people at events because events are usually super loud with music and crowds, so a mic in this situation is helpful. You don’t need it to just get video, but it’s helpful for interviews. It even comes with a cute, fuzzy little wind screen to block out the wind and other noise. If you’re going live for yourself, Air Pods or earbuds with a mic will work too!
  3. A tripod. I have this ring light and tripod, and most times I just bring the tripod (and leave the light at home.) But both are good to have. You can use the tripod to hold the camera steady for a live stream if there’s not closeups you need to get, and you can use it for interviews.
  4. A handheld phone holder helps keep shots steady also when you’re roaming around an event. I have a phone holder/table tripod one kind of like this from 5 Below ($5) but I really want this one called a Gimbal that I used to use when I was in TV (but it’s not necessary, it’s a fun toy.)
  5. Backup external batteries. Your phone being on the whole time WILL ABSOLUTELY drain the battery so always bring one or two backup portable batteries. I have one regular and one solar powered, which can continue to power the phone in the sun. (Don’t forget the phone cord!)
  6. If you want to know which non-phone camera I have, it’s the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III. I added a Rode external mic to it so it picks up better audio. Make sure to charge that battery before you leave and that your memory card is in the camera before you leave! (I’ve made that mistake.) Also make sure you have a backup and that your memory card has enough memory on it (or save stuff off it beforehand – I’ve also made that mistake!)
  7. OTHER THINGS: Sunscreen, hair ties, and WATER! It is BRUTAL in Florida so these are must-haves for me. This past weekend I went from presentable to Frankenstein in the heat and forgot my sunscreen so I got a nice little burn on my arms. But think about the environment you will be shooting in and always make sure you’re prepared ahead of time for the weather or if it’s indoors, a mask and/or sweater/sweatshirt, and in either one, you’ll be on your feet a lot so wear comfy shoes. (I’ve also made that mistake).

In my next post, I’ll talk about what content to get at your event and how to prepare for it on social in ways that will actually get some traction organically!

***This post contains contains Amazon affiliate links, but I support you wherever you purchase from! You don’t have to use my links.

How to get started on TikTok and Reels as a business

christie Social media tips and tricks, Uncategorized

I wish I could say businesses could ignore video and just do pictures and statuses on Facebook like the good ol’ days, but things are evolving and they’re changing quickly. In fact, even the changes are changing quickly as the platforms try to copy each other!

Recently, I wrote about how Instagram announced it’s no longer going to be a photo-sharing platform, and as the platforms move even further toward video, it’s becoming clear that it’s time to be on video as a business if you’re trying to reach audiences for your organic social media. It’s time to come out of the shadows.

Yes I know it’s uncomfortable but don’t worry, as a person who usually produces behind the scenes, I’m doing it too.

I’m doing a 30 day video series on TikTok and Reels on how to get your face on those platforms successfully, so it’s a great time to hop on if you’re not! It’s also great even if you’re on it because I’m going to be sharing my tools and tricks that I use to produce content on those platforms. You can follow me on TikTok here and on Instagram here.

Before we get started on how to get started, I want to share why you should consider being on these platforms:

  1. I got one of my clients on Reels for the first time this spring and one of the reels I created went viral, getting nearly 5 million views. That’s great, right?! But what’s greater? Doubling their sales and quadrupling their web traffic. So when people say you can’t make money off organic social media and that organic social media is dead, I can tell you for a fact that it is not!
  2. Because Instagram is pushing Reels so hard, Reels is the best way to grow your Instagram account right now.
  3. Because Reels is similar to TikTok, you can be on both without that much extra effort. However, if you want to pick one platform and do it well, PICK ONE. That’s fine too! To me, it’s more about becoming comfortable on video as a business, how to produce the videos simply and meaningfully, and how to leverage these platforms to make more money.

So let’s not even talk about how to do it well yet, we’ll get there over the next 30 days. Let’s talk about how to feel comfortable there in the first place.

Here are the things you need to do to get started:

  1. Obviously, first you want to get on the platforms, which means downloading the apps and signing up and creating an account. You may already be on there as a consumer. Bonus! A “Creator” account on Instagram give more access to more of the trending sounds and music. A business account with the sub-category “entrepreneur” also gets the same features. Business accounts have limited music & sound access. On TikTok, a regular account gives access to all sounds/music.
  2. Try to have your business name the same across all platforms.
  3. Scroll scroll scroll. Before you get started creating content, get to know the platforms. Press all the buttons! On Instagram, find the Reels tab and start scrolling through and taking note of what creators are doing, short videos, music, talking, what they’ve done to make you watch, what sounds and music keeps popping up over and over again, what’s popular. Save sounds that you like and open up notepad (or whereever you jot down your ideas) and start saving links to Reels you like so you can use them as inspiration later. On TikTok, do the same thing. I like to look through the Discover page to see the hashtags, sounds, and trends that are on there, and I look through the For You Page, which is content that will eventually be curated to show you the stuff you like (algorithms!) Once you start following people, there’s a “following” page where you can see the content only from the people you’re following.
  4. Go look to see if businesses you consider competitors are on there. Look at what they’re doing! See if it’s getting views or likes. See if you can do better! But don’t get caught up in the comparison game. Use it only as a data point! Otherwise, you’ll get overwhelmed and paralyzed and not create content. I’ve been there, don’t do that! Creating is the only way to grow.
  5. If your competitors are on there, that’s your sign to get on there! If they’re not on there, that’s your sign to get on before they do!
  6. Once you feel comfortable, start creating. IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE PERFECT. DO IT ANYWAY. If you don’t want to do it yourself, hire someone – outsource it so you can focus on your business. By now, since you’ve been scrolling, you’ll know you can have a successful 7 second video! It doesn’t take much!
  7. Build in “research” time every day. I say build it in because if you don’t cut yourself off, you’ll find yourself caught in the vortex and scrolling till 4 a.m. Don’t do that! You have a business to run. (ha)

Yes, a lot of this information is super basic, but we are starting at the very beginning and you’d be surprised how many businesses ask me where to get started. So if you’re further ahead, stay tuned, there’s more for you too! I still VERY MUCH do steps 3-7 on a daily basis.

RELATED:

Big news: Instagram says it’s “no longer a photo-sharing app”

christie Social media tips and tricks, The latest in social media, Uncategorized

“We’re no longer a photo-sharing app,” the head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri says.

This is a big deal! So I’m going to break it down for you real quick.

If you’re on Instagram as a business, and you’re not doing videos, it’s no longer an option to ignore it if you want engagement.

In fact, if you’re on any of the platforms, video is going to win in most cases.

For months now, I’ve been talking about how businesses need to get on Reels if they’re on Instagram and this latest announcement from Instagram confirms it.

Instagram has been putting an emphasis on Reels for performance as TikTok’s popularity rises so businesses that have been adapting to Reels have been seeing more engagement from it.

So, here’s what this latest announcement means.

“No longer a photo-sharing app” doesn’t mean you CAN’T share photos on Instagram. It just means that the Instagram algorithm may not show it to as many people as it would show videos to people. So, it works in your favor to put up more videos.

Instagram is competing in a major way with TikTok, so they are putting an emphasis on video for entertainment, helping creators, shopping, and messaging.

Watch here:

Or you can listen to the full announcement here.

Do I personally love this switch? No, actually.

I love Instagram and I have always loved it for the beautiful artistry of photo creation. I love photos! I loved the uniqueness of Instagram being a “photo-sharing platform” because video was already in other places.

So I am sad to see that it is not embracing this and instead chasing after TikTok, to be honest, but… I equally love TikTok in its own uniqueness and I personally get sucked into the TikTok vortex and the brilliance and entertainment of its videos, so I can see how Instagram would be wanting a slice of that.

That being said, I have written about creating TikToks and repurposing them as Reels at length to streamline the workflow (I do still believe in that!) But if you are a business and are only on Instagram right now (and not yet on TikTok) I will be starting a series on how to quickly do Reels for your business – so stay tuned! I have put up a few tutorials on Instagram already so make sure you’re following me there at @christieomedia.

Obviously in social, everything changes ALL.THE.TIME and I’m here to help you stay on top of that.

In fact, TikTok broke this week for a few days (views were all over the place if you noticed that, videos wouldn’t upload, etc. But it’s fixed now.)

Hit me up at christie@christieo.com if you need help! I consult, I coach, I do quick workshops and give thorough audits of your social platforms if you need them, and I also do social media FOR you in some cases.

Talk soon!