Every Video Counts: Are You Building a Brand or Just Filling Space?

The pressure to produce video content is real. Whether you're diving into TikTok, YouTube, or Reels, you're faced with a crucial choice: Will your next video enhance or erode your brand?

Why You're Here: Purpose Over Pressure

Before you even think about hitting "Publish," ask yourself: "What's the purpose of this video?" Your content should align with your brand's mission and values, not just fill space.

The Impact of Different Video Types: It's Not Just About Format

• Reels, Shorts, & TikToks: With shorter viewership time, every second counts. Be purposeful in your messaging to prime viewers for deeper engagement. Otherwise, those views are fleeting and won't contribute to meaningful brand-building.

• Long-Form YouTube (On Demand): Here's where you can go in-depth. Leverage SEO to align your content with the queries and intent of viewers who are actively searching. This isn't just about views; it's about meeting a need and establishing your brand as a go-to resource.

By understanding the nuances of different video types, you can better strategize how each piece of content serves your brand's larger mission. Make every frame count. 🎥

Your Tactical Takeaways

• Plan, Don't Panic: A well-thought-out content schedule is a helpful sidekick.

• Quality, Not Quantity: A few great videos beat a flood of forgettable ones.

• Consistency Without Compromise: Stick to a posting schedule, but never at the expense of quality.

So, what are you building? A towering brand or a forgettable facade? Each video is a chance to build something lasting. Make it count.

Instagram's Extended Reel Runtimes and the Future of Your Content Strategy

Back to the Future: The Revival of Long-Form Content

Remember when Instagram retired its long-form "IGTV" feature? Well, it's making a comeback, but this time under the Reels banner. Instagram is internally testing 3-minute and 10-minute Reels, and this move is more than just a nod to TikTok's success. It's a fascinating glimpse into the cyclical nature of content trends.

The Trend Cycle: Short to Long and Back Again

In the digital age, trends are cyclical. We started with short videos, moved to long-form, and then circled back to short-form content like Stories and TikTok. Now, we're seeing a resurgence of mid-length content. Understanding these cycles can give you a competitive edge. You'll know when to pivot your strategy and how to keep your audience engaged.

Why This Matters for Local Business Owners, Entrepreneurs, and Marketers

• Adaptability: Being aware of these trends allows you to adapt your content strategy. For Realtors, for instance, longer Reels could mean more time to showcase property tours or client testimonials.

• User Engagement: If you've built a following around short-form content, don't abandon it. Instead, integrate longer videos into your existing strategy to keep your audience engaged.

Takeaways and Recommendations

• Stay Informed: Keep an eye on platform updates and be ready to adapt.

• Test and Measure: Don't dive headfirst into ONLY longer content. Test it out, measure its effectiveness, and then decide if it's worth fully integrating.

• Balance is Key: A mix of short, mid, and long-form content can help you reach a broader audience and keep your content fresh.

In a nutshell, the return/reemergence of longer Reels is a golden opportunity to diversify your content and engage your audience in new ways. So, my advice:  embrace the cycle, and use it to get more out of your Instagram marketing efforts.

Choosing the Right Instagram Account: Personal, Business, or Creator?

Navigating Instagram begins with a pivotal choice between personal and professional accounts.

1. PERSONAL ACCOUNTS: Though favored within Facebook’s algorithm, it’s a different story on Instagram. These accounts are primarily beneficial for maintaining privacy. However, they lack the business-oriented features you might find useful for growth.

2. PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTS: These are your go-to for business perks like insights, advertising, enhanced messaging, and contact buttons. Before you dive in, remember there are two further options to consider:

• BUSINESS ACCOUNTS: Opt for these if you're looking for improved integration with third-party publishing tools. They provide an environment that eases content creation and scheduling.

• CREATOR ACCOUNTS: An ideal match for those seeking a touch of creative freedom, these accounts provide additional music options and allow you to align with categories reflective of your profession, such as "Real Estate Agent" or "Entrepreneur.” Be mindful, however, certain categories could come with music usage restrictions.

So, based on your objectives with Instagram, ask yourself: Which account will serve you best, and why?

Unraveling the Social Media Maze: A Definitive Guide to Content Strategy

As the world becomes more-and-more immersed in social media, an intriguing trend emerges: the volume of content being generated is growing at a rate far outstripping the number of new users.

The feeds are effectively “choking” with content, making it tougher and tougher for your posts to cut through the noise.

So, what do you do? Do you drown your audience in more content or do you get strategic in your approach? Obviously, the latter is your better option.

If you’re in-market to level-up your content strategy, click HERE to watch a concise, 26-min video that’ll walk you through every detail.

Vanity VS. Value: Prioritizing Genuine Engagement over Follower Counts

Would you prefer a massive following of random accounts from faraway places or a more modest audience consisting of locals, past clients, and contacts from your database?

If you're marketing your local business on social media, I'm guessing you'd choose the latter option.

So here's some advice: Stop fretting over vanity metrics like follower count, views, and likes. Yes, I know these measurements do matter algorithmically, but you should think about the bigger picture.

Unless you're trying to become a celebrity, why obsess about ‘em? Instead, focus on what truly matters: reaching and engaging with potential clients who are local to your area.

Last year, for instance, Mark Zuckerberg revealed that AI suggested content already accounted for 15% of what users were seeing in their Facebook and Instagram feeds and would more than double by the end of 2023.

(Sidebar:  AI-suggested content is algorithmically generated recommendations tailored to each user's interests and preferences on social media platforms.)

Frankly, that means fewer-and-fewer of your followers will see your posts as their feeds become more-and-more saturated with AI suggested content.

On the other hand, by creating content that’s tailored to the needs and interests of your target audience, you effectively train the algorithms to prioritize and display your content to the individuals for whom it’s genuinely relevant:  i.e., local, prospective customers!

Here’s how to optimize your posts to, quote-unquote, “train the algorithm” to show your posts to locals:

1. Publish content that caters precisely to the interests of locals, thereby arm-twisting the algorithm to identify and display it to the right audience.

2. Utilize hyperlocal hashtags to attract the attention and interaction of local users who follow or engage with such hashtags.

3. Always tag your location in and around your area when posting content. This signals the algorithm that your content is relevant within that specific geographic area.

4. Consider promoting/boosting your posts within a 15-mile radius of your marketplace for maximum visibility among potential customers in your immediate vicinity.

How to Flatten the “Watch-Time Curve” and Level Up Your Video Performance on Social Media

The success of your next video on social media (or lack thereof) is hinged on a crucial factor: the video's "watch-time curve."

This curve, which is represented by a line chart 📉, reveals the duration viewers spend watching a video and highlights the points where viewership declines. The flatter the curve, the better, as it indicates that the video successfully retains viewers' attention.

Platforms like YouTube and Instagram offer metrics such as average duration watched and average percentage watched, thereby helping creators understand what does (or doesn’t) resonate with viewers. If the viewership rate surpasses 100% in these metrics, it signifies that viewers are re-watching the video – a positive sign.

The more of your video viewers watch, the higher the chances that platforms will distribute and recommend your content to a broader audience. The underlying reason is pretty simple: as viewers spend more time watching your video, it becomes more valuable to the platforms due to its contribution in retaining users for longer durations.

To elevate your video game, focus on:

• Opening hook: Grab attention, set the tone, and establish clear expectations to entice viewers to watch through till the end.

• Optimize runtime: Analyze average watch time and create videos that match in length to encourage "watch completions."

• Enhance audio/Visual: Enhance the viewer experience with relevant graphics, sounds, and subtitles; ensure an audio quality and video resolution of reasonable quality.

• Prevent “scroll holes”: Minimize pauses, gaps, tangents, and irrelevant points that may cause viewers to lose interest and click away.

The saying, "Success isn’t a straight line; it's a journey filled with twists and curves" may hold true for life's endeavors, but when it comes to videos, the opposite applies: hold the line!

The 3 “Endgames” of Social Media Marketing: Setting objectives, expectations, and measuring performance

Are you tired of putting effort into your social media marketing without knowing whether it's actually working? Lots of businesses and creators struggle with this challenge, wondering if a lack of engagement or leads means their efforts are totally in vain. But don't assume that a lack of direct messages from potential clients, for instance, indicates failure.

There are numerous ways to measure the success of your social media marketing beyond just lead generation. By focusing on the key areas below – the three “endgames” of social media – you’ll gain a better understanding of how your efforts are impacting your reputation, your community, and your bottom line.

1. CREDIBILITY - It's like "brand back-up." Your social presence can make-or-break the impression prospective customers have of you. Leads, referrals, and prospects are going to look you up and form a view of who you are, what you do, and how you do it. Don't let your social media unsell you.


2. COMMUNITY - It's likely your followers consist of past clients, friends/family, etc.—i.e., your database. Understanding that half to two-thirds of sales come from repeat or referral business, nurturing this audience becomes vital. So leverage social to foster meaningful conversations & deeper connections.


3. CUSTOMERS - Share valuable and relevant content on social media to attract prospective customers. Posting content that's tailored to the needs and interests of buyers and sellers can prompt them to engage with you and potentially inquire about your services. Remember: you get what your content attracts.

How to Optimize Your Social Media Content for Meta's AI-based Recommendations

Meta has shared new insights into its evolving use of AI-based content recommendations, with more than 20% of the content displayed in people's Facebook feeds and 40% on Instagram recommended by its AI system.

The company is moving away from relying solely on social graphs to populate user feeds, as TikTok's algorithm focuses on individual posts rather than connections.

As AI-based content recommendations continue to increase, businesses and creators may (and probably will) experience a proportionate decrease in their ability to reach followers.

Here’s how to take Advantage of the shift:

1. Define your niche and create content that aligns with it to increase your chances of being recommended by Meta's AI system to the right audience. Otherwise, there's a risk that your content will get discovered by an unintended audience, leading to engagement that may not translate into meaningful results for your business.
   
   For instance, let's say you're a real estate agent who specializes in luxury homes. Instead of creating content that showcases your personal life or hobbies, which may not be related to your niche, it's algorithmically better to create luxury-focused content. This way, your content attracts the right audience – i.e., people who are interested in buying or selling luxury homes (in your local area) — and thereby increase the chances of being recommended by Meta's AI system to that specific audience.
   
   I'm not suggesting that you should never post personal content. I'm simply emphasizing the importance of being mindful of the algorithm's recommendations when deciding what content to share.

2. Stay on top of trends and relevant news within your industry or niche, and use them as opportunities to create content that aligns with the current conversation. This can help you 'trend-jack' popular topics and increase the visibility of your content to a wider audience.
   
   For instance, if there's a trending news article about mortgage rates increasing, you could create a green-screen Reel with the article displayed in the background, discussing how the rate increase might affect the local market.
   
   Or, for example, if there’s a popular influencer in your niche discussing the impact of rising mortgage rates, you could create a Remix video with their content and provide your own unique insights to engage both your and the influencer's audience.

3. Use metrics like views and time spent on each video to identify which types of content are resonating with your audience, and adjust your content strategy accordingly.
   
   The longer users spend on your content, the more the algorithms will see it as valuable and distribute it to a wider audience. The reverse is also true.
   
   For example, if you notice that videos showcasing the inside of luxurious homes receive more views and longer watch times than videos about the surrounding neighborhoods, you can adjust your content strategy to include more of the former and less of the latter. This will increase the likelihood of your content being recommended by Meta's AI system and reaching a larger audience.
   
   Additionally, be sure to make appearances in your videos to strengthen the connection between you and your audience. By showcasing yourself in the luxurious home videos, for instance, viewers will associate you with the high-end real estate market and increase the likelihood of them choosing you as their agent in the future.

As Meta's AI system continues to evolve, it's essential to stay up-to-date with the latest insights and trends to make the most of its recommendations. By following these tips, you can create content that resonates with your target audience and increases your chances of reaching a wider audience, ultimately driving meaningful results for your business. So, stay mindful of the algorithm's recommendations, keep up with the latest industry news, and use metrics to refine your content strategy to stay ahead of the game.

AI-Suggested Content and the Rise of “Anti-Social Networks” - Why LinkedIn is a Worthwhile Alternative!

… And then there was LinkedIn??

Top social media platforms are upping the ante with AI-suggested content, prioritizing it over posts from users' connections or friends. By the end of the year, Mark Zuckerberg stated that 30% of the content on Meta feeds, including Facebook and Instagram, will be AI-suggested content. Consequently, as a creator/business, your capacity to reach your followers organically will be diminished by almost one-third.

And if your posts aren’t being seen with the same frequency and regularity as before, then the risk of being, quote-unquote, “forgotten by your followers,” who may include past/current clients, leads, sphere-of-influence contacts, and so on, escalates.

TikTok, for instance, is more of an “anti-social network” as users are primarily exposed to content produced by strangers, rather than a platform for seeing and interacting with posts from people within your personal and professional networks. Now other social sites are moving in the same direction.

LinkedIn’s algorithm, however, (still) places more emphasis on prioritizing/distributing content that fosters engagement within your community (i.e., your connections) and relevance within specific industries or interests. So, if you’re aiming to strengthen your existing connections and establish your brand within your area, LinkedIn is worth a look.

The Science Behind Instagram's Algorithm: How to Beat the Feed and Get Noticed

As Instagram continues to explode in popularity, the sheer volume of content being shared on the platform is making it more and more difficult for creators and businesses to reach their desired audience. That said, there are ways to cut through the noise… 

On average, an Instagram user spends around 6-7 minutes per session on the app. Since Instagram's algorithm is continuously updating, the posts that appear in a user's feed can change frequently — very frequently! In fact, even a minor delay in opening the app can significantly impact the content displayed in your feed.  For instance, if you planned to open your app at 10:00 AM but got distracted and opened it a minute later, the content in your feed would likely differ from what it would've been had you opened it at the intended time.

What’s more, according to a recent study by Sport Social, around 64% of marketers pre-schedule their social media posts, with most opting to post at the hour, quarter-hour, or half-hour marks. This means that there’s often a higher volume of content competing for feed position during these times.

So… To stand out from the crowd, consider posting at less conventional times, like 10:07, for example. Additionally, many post-scheduling apps limit posting times to 5-minute intervals, making the "in-between" times somewhat of an open road for your content to get noticed.

Posting during peak times on Instagram is like trying to drive through a city during rush hour traffic - you're stuck in a gridlock with everyone else.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, while it's important to post during non-peak times to avoid competing with other posts, it's equally crucial to post when the bulk of your followers are active. Instagram's algorithm tests new posts by showing them to a small sample audience, and the initial performance of your posts determines whether they'll be distributed to a larger audience. Since your followers are the most likely to interact with your content, posting during their active hours will give your posts the best chance to perform well and reach a wider audience.

If you're not sure when your followers are most active, check out this blog post on how to find those insights:  https://www.jasonpantana.com/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-instagram-posting-when-and-how-to-reach-your-followers

My advice:  experiment with different times to see what works best for your content and audience. Happy posting!

What Is Meta Verified in the US and How Will It Affect Facebook and Instagram Users?

Meta Verified, the new verification process for Facebook and Instagram, has officially launched in the US. This follows Twitter's subscription service, where users can effectively purchase a blue check verification for a monthly fee.

Although anyone can now obtain the blue check on Twitter, for instance, the company is reportedly generating about 2.4 million in revenue per month from the service. Meta's verification process will work in a similar fashion, with users paying separately for the blue check on each respective platform.

However, there are concerns that Meta might prioritize the posts of their subscribers over everyday users, as Twitter has announced its intentions for doing so. So far… Meta has said that they will not do this, at least not initially—but only time will tell. The verification program is not available for all Meta products, only for Facebook and Instagram. Additionally, it gives verified users a more direct line of communication with the platform in the event they are dealing with impersonators or other account-related issues. (That’s the perk that’s the most appealing, IMO.)

Overall, the new Meta verification process aims to increase security on the platform and prevent fake accounts and other forms of online fraud. While it remains to be seen how the service will be received by users, it is clear that Meta is following in the footsteps of other social media platforms by introducing a paid verification service.

Video Production Hacks: 3 Quick and Easy Ways to Create More Content with Less Effort

Social media platforms like Instagram and others constantly demand new content, especially in the form of video. But creating a large volume of video content can be overwhelming and lead to burnout. If you want to keep up and avoid getting left behind, you need to level up your video process and find ways to create more content with less effort. That being said, here are three quick-and-easy ideas to help you do just that.

1. BATCHING: Filming one video at a time is inefficient. My advice:  record in bulk! -- it’ll help you stay in the flow of content creation, ultimately leading to higher-quality videos. Some creators prep scripts and read the teleprompter whereas others simply tap record and riff to various topics. It all gets cleaned up in post-production. So whatever’s your MO, get in the zone and let the process guide you.

2. CHOPPING: Don’t let your long-form videos go to waste. Repurpose podcast and/or webinar content, for instance, into bite-sized, vertical clips and post ‘em as Reels, TikToks, and Youtube Shorts. Use the “chops” to drive top-of-funnel viewership to your full episodes. Lots of creators hire freelance editors to (low-cost) slice-and-dice all-the-day long. You’ve probably got A LOT more content than you think!

3. SAMPLING: Coming up with new ideas for content can be draining. But it’s like Picasso said:  “Good artists borrow…” That being said -- consider making use of green-screen background effects in your vertical videos (i.e., Reels, TikToks, and YouTube Shorts) to “REACT” to relevant news articles or even remix/duet other creators’ videos. Take existing content and add your own unique spin! (Obviously, go about this collaboratively—as intended by the platforms—not unethically.)

To get the biggest return from your social media and content marketing efforts, it’s important to streamline your video creation process—that is, to make more videos in less time without sacrificing quality. Batching allows you to get into a flow state and produce higher-quality videos by recording multiple videos at once. Chopping enables you to repurpose your long-form content into bite-sized clips, which can drive traffic to your full episodes. Reacting lets you take existing content and add your own unique spin to it, creating something new and engaging.

A Cautionary Tale: How You Can Avoid Losing Your Most Important Social Media Accounts (YouTube, Google Business, etc.)

Heads-up real estate agent friends! It's important to use your most reliable/permanent email address when setting up logins for any of your online profiles:  e.g. Google Business, YouTube, et al… Ideally an email that’s attached to your own domain:  e.g. username @ yourdomain . com.

If you use an email address that you might lose access to, you could get locked out of your profiles and pages or those accounts could be altogether deleted. Like if you switched brokerages, for instance, and had been using your company-provided email address.

All the hard work you've put into building your profiles - your posts, your followers, your reviews - could disappear in an instant.

To avoid this scenario, make sure to use a permanent email address as your primary login. This is an email address that you own and control, and that you're unlikely to lose access to in the future.

But what if it's already too late? Don't worry - there are steps you can take to regain access to your profiles:

• Contact the support team for the platform in question.

• Provide proof that you own the profiles in question.

• Work with the support team to establish a new login using a permanent email address.

• Update your login information for any other profiles to avoid this problem in the future.

Your online presence is crucial to your success in real estate, so it's important to protect it by using a reliable email address for your logins. And if you've already encountered this issue, don't panic - just take action to regain control of your profiles.

The Rise of AI-Generated Content on Social Media: What It Means for Content Creators

BIG NEWS → Major social networks are turning to AI-generated content to keep users engaged. LinkedIn, for example, is beginning to use AI-powered “conversation starters” to provoke discussion among its users, while Snap has launched its own chatbot, and Meta is working on AI personas. LinkedIn calls its new feature, “AI-powered conversation starters.”

This move could herald the start of a wider revolution for the web, with companies increasingly using generative AI to create endless spools of content. As social media sites have all the user data they need to train these systems, the potential for AI-generated content is vast.

This could be the start of semiautomated social networks. Up until now, social platforms have relied on user-generated content to fill the feeds.

As a content creator, how do you feel about this new development? Are you ready for a new era of AI-generated content on social media possibly undercutting your efforts to reach YOUR prospective customers on major platforms?

Target Your Instagram Audience Like a Pro with Meta's Latest Ad Innovation

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has launched a new feature that’ll prove quite handy for advertisers like you. Now you can target your ads and promotions to specific users who follow your Instagram account(s). While you’ve been able to target Facebook followers directly, targeting Instagram followers wasn’t possible. Previously, Meta Ads could only target users who had interacted or engaged with your Instagram account. That was too broad of an audience, consisting of anyone who might’ve stumbled across your profile whether they were one of your followers or not.

The obvious and immediate benefit here is the ability to target exclusive content and special offers directly to followers. Additionally, you’re now able to create Lookalike Audiences and/or Special Ad Audiences based on your Instagram followers, thereby enabling you to reach new prospective customers on the basis of your existing followers. This is sort of a game-changer for marketers in the business of building brands!

As a business owner, this new feature is significant as it allows you to create personalized ad campaigns that’ll better resonate with your followers, thus cultivating a deeper connection with your audience.

Here's a simple guide to creating a custom audience for your Meta Ads campaign that targets your Instagram followers:

1. Log in to your Meta Business Manager (business.facebook.com).

2. Go to the "Audiences" section.

3. Click the "Create Audience" button and select "Custom Audience."

4. Select “Instagram Account” as your source.

5. From the Events drop-down menu, select “Accounts Center accounts who started following this professional account.”

6. Name your custom audience and click "Create Audience."

7. Your custom audience is now ready to be used in your Meta Ad campaign.

By following these steps, you can create a custom audience based on your Instagram followers and use it to target your ads and promotions to this specific group of users. This can help you create more personalized and effective ad campaigns that resonate with your followers and potentially lead to increased sales. What’s more, you can use this custom audience to create Lookalike and/or Special Ad Audiences based on your existing followers.

The Ultimate Guide to Instagram Posting: When and How to Reach Your Followers

If you’re looking to improve the performance of your content on Instagram, then timing your posts is a critical factor to consider.

Put simply, Instagram's algorithm analyzes the performance of your respective posts to determine which ones to show to more people. It’ll start with showing your post to a small(ish) group of users to see how they react to the content:  hearts, comments, saves, shares, swipes, time-spent, etc. Then, based on that test, it’ll conduct larger tests and so on. Thus, the opening minutes and hour(s) of a given post are of extreme importance because, within that time-period, Instagram’s algorithm will effectively render judgment as to how far it will go to distribute your post through its feeds.

And since your followers are likely more inclined to engage with your content (i.e., hearts, comments, and so on), it’s important to post when they’re active on the platform.

Here’s how to determine when your followers are most active on Instagram and how to use that information to increase the reach and engagement of your posts.

Step 1: Access your Professional Dashboard

To begin, you'll need to access the Professional Dashboard on your Instagram profile. To do this, you need to have a Creator or Business profile. If you have a personal profile, you'll need to switch to a Creator or Business profile. If you're currently using a Personal Profile on Instagram or aren't sure which type of profile you have, here are the steps to switch to a Professional Profile:

1. Go to your profile and tap on the three horizontal lines in the top right corner.

2. Tap on "Settings" at the bottom of the menu.

3. Tap on "Account."

4. Tap on "Switch to Professional Account."

5. Choose your account type (Creator or Business) and select a category that best describes your account. For instance, you may choose "Real Estate Agent," but keep in mind that different categories may come with varying access to features like licensed music and sounds. For example, "Entrepreneur" may have more access than "Real Estate Agent."

Once you've done that, tap on your profile picture and then tap on the three lines in the top right corner. Select “Professional Dashboard” from the menu.

Step 2: Select Your Timeframe

Once you're in the Professional Dashboard, tap on the “Select All” button or just tap anywhere on the bar chart to view your audience insights. Next, select your desired timeframe from the drop-down menu, and then tap on “Total Followers.”

Step 3: View Your Audience Insights

Now scroll to the bottom of the screen to view your followers’ most active times on the platform. You'll see a graph that shows the days of the week and the hours of the day when your followers are most active on the platform. Take note that all times are published in the Pacific Standard time zone.

As you review the graph 📊 of your followers' peak active times, observe the rise and fall of the curve. To maximize engagement, aim to post when the curve is on the rapid upward slope, so you can ride the wave of interaction and engagement for as long as possible.

Furthermore, to improve your chances of ranking at the top of the feed during user session times, consider posting your content at "off times," such as 10:07 AM instead of 10:00 AM. According to a report by SimilarWeb, the average visit duration on Instagram in the United States is around 6.75 minutes. With users spending only a few minutes at a time on the platform, posting at an unconventional time could mean less competition in the feed and potentially increase your reach and engagement. This is because most posts are scheduled on the hour or half-hour marks, making "off times" a strategic option for gaining visibility.

Timing your posts on Instagram is a simple and effective way to increase your reach and engagement on the platform and to improve the performance of your Instagram content and grow your presence on the platform.

Get the Most Out of Your Posts: How to Streamline Your Social Media and Content Marketing Efforts

Making Content: a high-effort, high-reward activity!

As a content creator, you know the drill: researching topics, recording videos, crafting captions, and distributing across platforms is a demanding and time-consuming process. But despite the effort, the benefits of a strong online presence are undeniable. The fact is, social media is a one-of-a-kind medium that offers unparalleled access to consumers in a way no other marketing channel can complete.

However, with so many platforms to choose from and so much competition, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. That’s why I’ve assembled a list of six tips to help you streamline your content strategy and get more “play out of your posts.”

1. Crosspost: Utilize the power of multiple platforms by distributing your content natively across top social media networks.

2. SEO-Afterlife: Ensure your content has a longer lifespan by blogging any posts you consider valuable and optimizing them for search engines.

3. Replicate: Keep your content in front of your followers by re-posting relevant content from time-to-time.

4. Repurpose: Use parts of past posts to inspire new content and make the most out of your efforts.

5. Consolidate: Identify your top-performing content and double down on it to maximize your reach.

6. Promote: Give your organic content a boost by promoting it to targeted audiences through paid media.

Don't let the constant need to produce content cloud your purpose and impact. Take the time to evaluate and streamline your strategy so that each post serves a clear and meaningful goal. With the right approach, you'll not only save time and energy, but also see a greater return on your content investment.

How to Sell on Social without Sounding Salesy: Dog-Whistle Calls-to-Action (CTAs)

If you're looking to reach your target audience and make an impact on social media, it's important to understand the challenges that come with the crowded and cluttered feeds. Here's what you need to know:

• Most of your followers won't see your next post:  Studies show that on average, only around 10% of your followers will see your next post. Yikes! Just doing the math here… this means that 90% of your audience won't see whatever important message or call-to-action is conveyed in your post.

• Straight-up calls-to-action are a no-no: Dropping a straightforward call-to-action like "Call me at 555-5555 to sell your house today" will result in your followers unfollowing you. 

My advice… Use "dog-whistle" calls-to-action instead! Like how a dog-whistle is only heard by dogs, this type of call-to-action is subtle and only heard by those for whom it’s intended. Everyone else won't even notice it. (No, I’m not trying to compare your target audience to dogs—it’s just a metaphor.) It's a way to share an offer with your target audience without turning everyone else off.

Here's what you need to do to implement "dog-whistle" calls-to-action:

1. Identify the pain points of your prospective clients: Catalog the challenges and frustrations that your target audience is facing. E.g. an on-market seller who’s frustrated their home isn’t selling quickly or a first-time buyer who isn’t sure whether an agent can help them or not.

2. Address these pain points in your content: Continuously call ‘em out in your videos, captions, blogs, and so on to reach your target audience. Remember… most of your followers won’t see any given post… so you need to find a way to embed your CTAs into practically EVERY post.

3. Make it subtle: Like I said before, don’t make it overly obvious—like, “Call me today to sell your home… blah, blah, blah.” Doing that over and again is gonna drive your audience away.

Perhaps try something like this in your next video:

“I was at a listing appointment last week with a seller whose home had been on market and sat with no offers. Here are the immediate three observations I made that explain why a home doesn’t sell quickly.”

A video like that is actually about the 3 reasons aforementioned, which appeals to a far broader audience. However, if your home’s for sale but not selling, you’ll hear that dog-whistle loud and clear.

The Power of Retargeting: How to Make the Most of Your Social Media Content

In today's digital-first marketing environment, it's more important than ever to make sure your content is seen by as many of the “right people” as possible. One way to go about this is by retargeting your content to your leads and sphere-of-influence contacts—i.e., your database.

Major social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn enable advertisers like you to upload your database as a CSV file, which is essentially a spreadsheet of all your contacts' information, including their first name, last name, phone number, and email address.

Once you upload your CSV file, the ad platform will scan your database and compare it to its own database to find matches. This allows you to target your ads to the people who matter most to your business:  your database! 

The content that you publish to social media sites like Facebook and Instagram is ideal for retargeting your database because it's already effective at organically nurturing your followers and building your brand. By using that same content in the form of ads, for instance, you can take advantage of the hard work you've already put in and reach a wider audience at scale.

What’s more, retargeting your content on social media platforms makes sense because approximately only 10% of your followers see any given post. And if your followers don’t actually see what you’re posting, then that content isn’t doing anything in terms of building your brand and creating consideration for your services. Hence, utilize your posts as ads.

End of day—so long as your content delivers value and showcases your skills and expertise—then it helps to position you as your database’s know-you, like-you, trust-you “agent-of-choice.”

With these step-by-step instructions, you can start retargeting your database on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok.

How to retarget your database with Facebook/Instagram (Meta) ads:

1. Go to Facebook Ads Manager and select the "Audiences" tab.

2. Click the "Create Audience" button and select "Custom Audience."

3. Select "Customer List" as the type of audience you want to create.

4. Click the "Choose File" button to upload your CSV file containing your customer information.

5. Once the file is uploaded, match the columns in the file with the corresponding fields in Facebook.

6. Give your custom audience a name and click "Create Audience."

7. Use this audience as a target for your ad campaign.

How to retarget your database with LinkedIn ads:

1. Go to LinkedIn Campaign Manager and select the "Audiences" tab.

2. Click the "Create Audience" button and select "Custom Audience."

3. Select "List" as the type of audience you want to create.

4. Click the "Upload List" button to upload your CSV file containing your customer information.

5. Once the file is uploaded, match the columns in the file with the corresponding fields in LinkedIn.

6. Give your custom audience a name and click "Create Audience."

7. Use this audience as a target for your ad campaign.

How to retarget your database with TikTok ads:

1. Go to TikTok Ads Manager and select the "Audience" tab.

2. Click the "Create Audience" button and select "Custom Audience."

3. Select "Upload Data" as the type of audience you want to create.

4. Click the "Choose File" button to upload your CSV file containing your customer information.

5. Once the file is uploaded, match the columns in the file with the corresponding fields in TikTok.

6. Give your custom audience a name and click "Create Audience."

7. Use this audience as a target for your ad campaign.

Overall, retargeting your content to your leads and contacts is a powerful way to ensure that your content is seen by as many people as possible and to position yourself as a trusted authority in your local market. Utilizing the ad platforms on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok can help you reach your target audience more effectively and to build trust with your followers over time.

New Instagram Features: Group Profiles, Candid Stories, and Notes

As a business owner, it's important to stay up-to-date on the latest and emerging social media features in order to connect with both current and future customers. That said, look no further! Here's a rundown of the latest and emerging Instagram features in 2023 you need to know about:

• Group Profiles: A feature that allows users to create and join profiles to share posts and stories with a specific group of friends. This new feature seems akin to Facebook Groups.

• Candid Stories: A feature that allows users to capture and share what they’re up-to in real-time. This looks like an attempt from Instagram to compete with BeReal. It’ll function much like TikTok’s NOW feed, whereby Candid Stories will only be visible to “friends”—which is an unclear term—who’ve also posted a Candid Story that day. Facebook intends on testing the same functionality.

• Notes: A short messaging feature that allows users to share thoughts and updates with friends in the platform’s Inbox section. Like Stories, Notes last for 24 hours. Additionally, they can only be seen by followers whom you also follow or your designated Close Friends and are limited to 60 characters. Note replies present as DMs.

Now that you're up-to-date on the latest Instagram features, it's time to start thinking about how you can utilize them to benefit your marketing efforts.