Finally, we no longer need to use third-party tools to post to Instagram from a desktop! Facebook has released its own solution, the Creator Studio…and it’s free!

Facebook’s Creator Studio function is rolling out now. Many people have access to Creator Studio now, but not everyone. If you are one of the latter, be patient and wait until access is granted.

Previously, posting to Instagram from a mobile hasn’t always been convenient nor easy. Uploading images or video which weren’t held on your mobile has been problematic at times, as too with large files, let alone attempting to schedule Instagram posts. It was all getting rather time consuming and many Instagram users were utilising third-parties to schedule posts for them.

Instagram hasn’t enabled scheduling posts from Instagram.com however the new Creator Studio, which lives on your Facebook dashboard, will. You can now schedule both Instagram and IGTV videos, and regular Facebook posts there.

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Still catching up with Facebook changes? It’s time to rethink everything!

You will read everywhere about Facebook algorithms and how they are continually changing at a rapid speed.  To help make sense of why these changes have evolved, let’s briefly run through the past five years on Facebook.

Then, rethink everything you once knew. Take a big breath.

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In the ever-changing world of social media, things change. Usage of hashtags does too!

For the uninitiated, #hashtags are predominantly used on Instagram to enhance the exposure of your post. How many should you use, which hashtags, where to put them and recommendations on whether they are hidden or public? Read on.

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What do you say online when there is no new news? Let’s talk about ‘business as usual’ social media activity.

Outside of the flurry of activity over a campaign period, there is ‘business as usual’. You’ll need to ensure you have a robust social media plan for those times too, which may form the majority of your year.

Here are 5 top tips  for ‘business as usual’ activity on social media.

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Brand Management is a little like being a good parent.

You raise your child diligently with consideration and much excitement. Every day you send them off into the big wide world with matching shoes, a wiped nose and trust they will be the best they can be. You care about what is in their school report, that they are happy and healthy. Sometimes you need to pick them up off the footpath and dust them down. At times you’ll need to apologise on their behalf if something gets broken. They mean the world to you.

That’s how you should manage your brand. How it looks, behaves, talks and the conversations others have about your brand, is vital to your ‘brand health’.

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In an ideal world, we’d have a large, genuinely engaged audience on social media, 24/7. We’d laugh, we’d cry, we’d move mountains.

In reality, you won’t.

In reality, those that DO follow or like your page may never get to see ANY of your newsfeed. Although it’s rather complex, Facebook’s AI will show content those ‘those likely to respond’ and they get their algorithms through a number of methods. Although they are extremely complex, they may include: how often did that follower previously engage with the posts, share them, comment on them, click on a link, visit the page voluntarily, even hover a finger over them?

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Just when you thought you had it sorted, Facebook is poised to make further changes.

We’ve seen Instagram (also owned by Facebook) recently trial hiding the number of likes that a post receives. Instagram users still see a list of who has reacted to a post, but the total number of people who have reacted is no longer showing.  The owner of the account who posted the content still gets to see the full analytics, however. This was rolled out to six countries since Facebook’s announcement in May – and New Zealand was one of those.

It looks like, according to some reports, that Facebook has the same code ‘hidden’ in the wings, ready to roll out the same inhibiting factor on the Facebook channel itself …. at some point, maybe.

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Storytelling is a very powerful way to give your products and services meaning.  Take your audience on a journey so they can connect with you. 

Storytelling provides content for your website (whether it be on your ‘about us’ page or in a blog) and on social media, and helps to build your brand.

Marketing, whether it be through social media or otherwise, is about brand awareness…the brand of YOU. Yes you sell products and services and they may well feature in your storytelling, but allowing your brand to have a distinct personality that underpins your products and services, is very important.

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