What The Trend?! What Is ClubHouse? (Episode 1)

Clubhouse is an exclusive app meant for using your voice to instead of your face. The user is able to create sound bites to post into chat rooms. These soundbites could be informative, inspirational, or humorous; the main point is to chat with others. Users can enter different chat rooms (think back to the AOL days) and can discuss different topics by posting them to said rooms. This new style of social media has grabbed the attention of some very big names like Elon Musk, Drake, and even Rhianna. As of now, the app has over 8 million downloads and is valued at over 1 Billion dollars. While the number of downloads is impressive, not all of those people have access to the app. Clubhouse is invite-only at the moment, which builds the hype of this app.

Born in the chaos of the pandemic, the Clubhouse founders Paul Davidson and Rohan Seth developed a platform that allowed a closer peri-social connection than its predecessors. The founder’s main goal was to have a better way to network in a time were social connection was strained. This productivity mindset that started this app can be seen in most of the topics talked about, such as Bitcoin and investment pitching. Considering they started in Silicon Valley, it is no surprise that their number one feature has to do with productivity.

Like any new empire, it has its blind spots. One feature that has not been set up yet is User Safety.  As of now, they do not have any protocols in place to handle misconduct, harassment, or hate-speech. Since the app is founded on the idea of speaking and sharing information, the lack of regulation regarding what is said in these chat rooms can be concerning. While these regulations have not arrived with the initial launch, it can be assumed that this will come later when the platform is open to the public.

While it might be fun, this app is meant for networking at its core. This can be very useful for adverting and business. Clubhouse’s being audio-based interface will allow for a resurgence of radio-espue advertising, similarly to a podcast ad. This will give business and ad-agencys another outlet to promote on. Clubhouse is on its way to becoming one of the most successful apps on the market and will give not only business, but the “average joe” another way to become closer to people via the internet.

 

4 Tips On Mastering Instagram Algorithm

Let’s dive deep into the Instagram algorithm.

Since the 2016 change of the chronological Instagram feed, many might have noticed a decrease in post engagement. Every year it seemed as fewer people were reaching posts, leaving businesses and brands frustrated and confused. For years, rumors had gone around that only 7% of users followers were able to view posts promptly. Leading Instagram to finally break their silence via Twitter on January 22, 2019, stating

“We’ve noticed an uptick in posts about Instagram limiting the reach of your photos to  7% of your followers, and would love to clear this up. What shows up first in your feed is

determined by what posts and accounts you engage with the most, as well as other contributing factors such as the timeliness of posts, how often you use Instagram, how

many people you follow…”

So how can YOUR brand step up to the top and master the algorithm? It’s pretty simple. Let us break down some tips your business can implement immediately.

Tip 1. High-Quality Content

 

High-quality content is probably one of the most important factors in beating the algorithm. You should want your followers to enjoy what you’re producing. If you haven’t noticed, the explore page is filled with the highest quality of photos. You can improve your content by doing the following:

  • Think outside the box. Make your content different.
  • Shoot with a high-quality camera
  • Enhance your photos with easy editing software or apps. For example, Lightroom CC, VSCO, or Photoshop.

Tip 2. Be Consistent

Consistency is key! Post often, but don’t overdo it. Aim to post about 4-5 times a week on your main feed and about 2-3 times daily on your story. Instagram favors users who are on the app more often. Additionally, creating video content for your channels, be consistent with your props and outfits.

Tip 3. Captions – Keep it Simple!

 

Make your captions short, sweet, and to the point! No one is going to want to read 3 large paragraphs. Ask questions! That allows more engagement with your followers.

Tip 4. Respond to Comments in the first hour of posting

The first hour following an Instagram post is crucial when beating the algorithm. It shows Instagram a higher engagement, which means your picture will get ranked higher and displayed at the top of the feed to more of your followers. Also, Keen recommends making sure your replies are at least 4-5 words long or else Instagram won’t count it as engagement.

5 NEW Social Media Features that Brands and Marketers Should Know

SNAPCHAT ANALYTICS

With its base of 173 million daily users, Snapchat has become an effective tool for businesses. Brands can promote themselves through ads, Snapchat Stories, geofilters and sponsored lenses. 

Recently, Snapchat has implemented analytics tools for verified accounts and influencers.

Influencers can access detailed stats that break down audience demographics and engagement.

The new “Insights” page provides information about:

  • Total story views
  • Time spent viewing stories
  • Daily reach and engagement metrics
  • Audience demographics
  • Audience interests

This is a handy tool that allows brands to understand their audiences. Brands can tailor their content more effectively, seeing precisely what works and what doesn’t.

SNAP MAPS

Snapchat’s Snap Maps feature isn’t entirely brand new – it debuted on the app last year – but it’s finally available on the web as of February 2018.

Snap Maps allows users to broadcast their locations on an interactive map, accompanied with photos and videos.

Snap Maps has been utilized during Hurricane Harvey, the Pyeongchang Olympics, and even high school gun control protests.

Brands can take advantage of Snap Maps’ real time, visual appeal by posting during concentrated events like conventions, marathons and festivals. Brands can encourage audiences to participate and share their own content.

SNAP STORE

On February 1, Snapchat set up an in-app merchandise store named Snap Store. Users can buy products through the Snap Store.

The initial launch solely featured Snapchat merch, like a Dancing Hot Dog Plushie or a Dog Lens t-shirt.

However, Snapchat recently partnered with Nike during NBA All-Star Weekend. Nike released its new Air Jordan “Tinker” shoe on the Snap Store.

Users who attended the All-Star after party scanned a Snapcode, which linked them to the Snap Store. The sneakers sold out after 23 minutes.

The Snap Store represents a large amount of potential.

Snapchat can access billing/shipping information to gather more data on its users, and use that to improve targeted advertising. Snapchat has taken a step forward in the e-commerce industry, allowing them to tap into its young, active user base.

The Nike promotion was a clear success, and in the future, other brands may have opportunities to promote products on the Snap Store. This is definitely a feature to keep an eye on.

FACEBOOK LISTS

Facebook is still the king of social media sites. Facebook serves as a hub for news, content and ads. 95.8 percent of social media marketers state that Facebook produces the best return on investment than any other platform.

Facebook’s new features is called Lists. Users can create and share lists – Top 10 lists, to-do lists, and so on.

Users can decorate Lists with color backgrounds and add emojis.

Facebook’s Lists is another tool that brands can use to spice up their content. What are some lists that you think would appeal to your followers?

INSTAGRAM RESHARING

Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr all have options to retweet, reshare or reblog other users’ posts.

Instagram lacks that option. Users instead go through the awkward process of screenshotting other posts or using third-party apps.

To rectify this issue, Instagram has been testing a reshare feature.

This feature allows Instagram users to share public posts to their Stories, with the original poster’s username credited. The original poster is notified about the resharing.

Users can turn off this feature if they want to prevent their posts from being reshared.

While this has yet to fully debut, Instagram resharing is definitely a useful one. Instagram users will be able to do something they never were able to do before.

Instagram resharing would allow brands and influencers to expand the reach of their posts and ads. Hopefully, it’ll be roll out soon.

Instagram Live VS Facebook Live – Which one is better for my business?

This week, Instagram released Instagram Live to its freshly new stories bar which makes us geek out! It appears that so many similar features are being created on each social platform. As a business owner, you may find yourself confused and overwhelmed. Where do you spend the most time? How do you use this feature? Should I use Facebook Live or Instagram Live? Within this article, we’d like to review exactly how you use the new feature, the ramifications for your social strategy, and which platform will work best. But, first, let us show you how Instagram Live works.

HOW DO YOU USE INSTAGRAM LIVE?

Step 1:

Click on the little camera to access Instagram LIVE.

Step 2:

Once you’re in stories, and scroll to the “Live” tab next to “Normal”.

Step 3:

Press the “Start Live Video” button.

Yes, that’s my dog. Yes, I know, she’s adorable. Thanks.

Step 4:

Make sure you have either a superb WiFi or 4G connection before you begin broadcasting.

Step 5:

Start broadcasting.

Your followers will be notified that you are live. I apologize for the awkward dog tongue. I promise, my pup is classy.

Step 6:

This is what your live broadcast looks from the perspective of your followers.

Step 7:

Once you’ve ended your broadcast, the following screen will appear. For those professionals in charge of data and analytics, this is where you can manually write down the number of people who followed your broadcast.

INSTAGRAM LIVE OR FACEBOOK LIVE? WHICH ONE IS BETTER FOR MY BUSINESS?

Hands down, Facebook Live is the best streaming tool between these two platforms for your business. Why, you ask? With Facebook Live, your broadcast turns into regular video post on your page after the broadcast is complete and your fans can continue to engage with the video after your session, meaning more views and more impressions (eyeballs). Additionally, your business has access to these analytics within Facebook Insights which means you can understand the ROI for your campaign efforts.

Unlike Facebook, Instagram Live is only in the moment and immediately disappears after you end your session. This means that your Instagram Live video will not to continue to generate additional views or impressions after your session. If your fans are not online during your event, they will miss your video and you will not be able to reach them with your messaging. In addition, your views and impressions are not tracked within Instagram’s new analytic tool.

However, if you do decide to leverage Instagram Live, you will need to manually write down the number of viewers after your livestream has ended.

WHAT ABOUT TWITTER’S PERISCOPE?

Well, that is a great question! Even though Periscope came before Instagram Live and Facebook Live, I wanted to keep Periscope out of this conversation. Mainly because Periscope is not built into the Twitter platform. There are many variables that would have to be added to a situation in which you would need to adequately compare all three platforms. We will need to save this conversation for a later date. Until now, we hope you found this information helpful and you can apply some of our knowledge to your business.

 

Instagram Stories & Snapchat Stories

In August of this year, Instagram began competing directly with Snapchat stories. Keen has read several articles comparing the two, but they seem to focus a lot on their features or instructions on how to use them. At Keen, we’d rather embrace their difference instead of pitting them against each other. We’re interested in two things (a) How should you apply “stories” to your platform strategy and (b) How much of your audience will each reach?

INSTAGRAM STORIES

Before we begin, we need to first review some updates that occurred earlier this year. In June, Instagram initiated an algorithm which determined which photos are shown within a user’s newsfeed. Before this change, photos were viewed in chronological order, but now your photos are shown in terms of performance; top performing post are now only shown within your fan’s newsfeed.

For businesses, this should have greatly impacted your strategy since each photo no longer reached fans like they did prior to the update. Businesses needed to depend more on Instagram ads than organic reach for your weekly content. However, Instagram Stories rejuvenates hope! Now, your business has the opportunity to once again reach 100% of all of your fan-base within a 24-hour window. In reality, there’s no limit the number of stories you can create, so you can technically reach your fans longer than 24-Hours if you create a steady stream of stories.

A great organic strategy for your business is to begin creating content for “stories” and pull them into your profile so they can view the rest of your Instagram content. A great way to do this is by providing a call-to-action in your last snap to “check out the remainder of the story on our profile.” I’d like to caveat that this should not replace your paid strategy. Keen highly recommends leveraging Instagram Ads to target more relevant audiences and continue to grow your fan-base.

Instagram Story Example

Instagram Stories

SNAPCHAT STORIES

Obviously, Snapchat’s platform creates a unique and more personable way to communicate with your followers. Snapchat reaches 41% of all 18-34-year-olds in the United States on any given day and they just released some awesome targeting features (Snapchat Targeting – Click Here). Unlike Instagram, you don’t have a profile that displays your contents, so besides “snap stories”, all of your communication is one-on-one with your followers. You can leverage the same strategy with Snapchat Stories and reach 100% of your followers, and drive them to click the “chat” button with you to learn more.

The one-on-one communication on Snapchat really allows you to get creative with the platform and make it more of VIP outlet for your business. For an example, you can reward the first 10 people who “chat” with you with exclusive content or a percentage off their next purchase.

SnapChat Story Example

Snapchat Stories & Instagram Stories

We hope this gives you some quick ideas on how to leverage both Snapchat and Instagram Stories. So, there you have it. We encourage you to embrace the differences in platforms and the opportunity to leverage these new features, instead of wasting your time arguing on which platform is better.

Introducing Peaches & Keen

Hello! Welcome to Keen Social’s blog, Peaches & Keen. This is where you’ll be able to discover trending news, point-of-view recommendations, interviews, best practices, tips-and-tricks and industry insights to power your brand and business using social media.

Keen Social is a data-driven, full-service social media agency located in the peaceful town of Long Beach, California. Keen was created with the vision of bringing social media marketing to small and medium business owners, to be an extension to other larger agencies and a partner to brands.

Our vision is to recognize as an intelligent social agency through our holistic understanding of social media and keen use of data. By conquering these two and vital ingredients, we aim to transcend your business into pop-culture and make it something worth talking about! We want to help you create emotional connections with your customers using keen insights and intelligent data.

Keen's Founder, Esteven Gamez.

Keen’s Founder, Esteven Gamez.

Keen Social was created by Esteven Gamez who has over 8 years of experience in social media and digital marketing. He began his career in 2009 with an internship at a boutique advertising agency in Los Angeles when they had just begun leveraging social media as a marketing tool. Since then, he’s worked at several large advertising agencies and a marketing research firm. Esteven is a passionate storyteller and technology enthusiast. He loves being at the forefront of an ever-changing landscape. He loves to create branded stories leveraging data and analytics to fuel creative content and advertising strategies. He believes it’s important to have a holistic understanding of social media in order to craft the most intelligent strategies and that’s why he founded Keen Social. He has an extensive background in automotive, hospitality, tourism and events and entertainment industries.

So, we welcome you to come along and evolve with us. We’ll be posting in our blog often, and we are committed to helping you achieve your business or brand’s goals. So, let’s get started!