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Alright Reader, did you get social media whiplash last week like I did?!

If you're like me, I was a bit shell-shocked after TikTok went down, then came back up, then Instagram launched a whole lot of new changes. It was a lot for a 24 hour span.

But let's not lose any sleep over it. Social media will continue to evolve and change...and what last week should teach us is that we can't rely on social media alone when it comes to marketing our small businesses. There is no guarantee it may not just vanish one day.

So how do you insulate yourself from this? Read on!

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⭐Missed the IG changes? Here's a recap:

1. You can now post reels up to 3 minutes long (up from 90 seconds)
2. The profile area changed a bit - you name is now higher up.
3. The "grid" changed aspect rations - instead of squares, now they are portrait size (1080 x 1350 pixels or 4:5 aspect ratio).
4. Highlights (the circles under your profile but above your grid) will be moving to the bottom tab in the near future.
5. Instagram also previewed a new video editor app called "Edits" due out in March.

Small actions can make a big impact.

Here are a few ideas from the field to get you started:

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Content Ideas to Try This Month

A few ideas to try to boost that social media engagement:

✅Get Personal!

Introduce yourself, highlight a staff member, share some behind-the-scenes fun. These glimpses into who the humans are at your business (not just your business itself) always get great engagement!

​Click to see an example >​

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✅ Solicit some User Generated Content (UGC)

2025 is all about raw and unfiltered content. The days of overly polished, cookie-cutter content are over. Consumers want real, unvarnished interactions and stories that feel genuine and relatable. This month, encourage that loyal customer, that familiar face in your business to give you a shout-out...OR...share a post from a user who tagged or featured your business this month.

​Click to see an example >

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✅ Take a Stance

More and more these days, taking a stance can be a good thing. Get political if you want (younger demographics actually prefer to know a company's political stance these days), but I like to use this in a bit of a tongue-and-cheek way. Take a hard stance on your favorite XYZ (ice cream, brand you carry, product line, amazing piece of art you made, service you offer, etc.) and tell us why!

​Here's my example of a hard stance on the Oxford comma >​

Your Action List

Two quick and easy ways to move your marketing forward this week:

✅ Try My Go-To Chat GPT Prompt

AI is pretty terrible at adding 10,000 emojis to it's output, but if you look beyond them you will find an amazing tool for ideation.

Here is one of my favorite prompts to help me brainstorm hooks for my reels, posts, and captions:

I am a [describe your business - be specific here!]. My ideal customer is [ideal customer - again, be specific!]. I am looking for strong hooks to add to my social media posts that will capture attention and keep people watching my video. Please generate 25 hook ideas for my niche.

How to use the results: This list is a great jumping off point. If you like a few, continue asking Chat GPT to refine them (i.e. “I like hook #4. Please generate 10 more like this”). This is a great way to build up a bank of go-to hooks that you can add to your reels or captions when you need a quick idea.

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✅ Actually Look at Your Social Media Analytics

Crazy, I know. But hear me out. Even looking at a few key pieces of content can help you see a bigger picture. If you're short on time, all I ask is that you look at the top 3 pieces of content you shared that performed the best in the last 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days.

What do those posts have in common? What were you talking about? What format were they (reels, posts, carousels, etc.)?

Use this to inform a new post this month. Use the same formula!

How to insulate yourself from the volatility of social media.

Social media has been on a bit of a roller coaster the last few weeks and while it is a really powerful tool in your marketing arsenal, the hard truth is that you don't own your audience.

Sure, they follow you. But what happens if an entire platform goes away (like TikTok for a hot minute)? You just lost all connection with your audience and potential customers.

The solution?

Start capturing them in a different way. Start building your email list!

This is a really simple way to move someone that next step up your sales funnel. It isn't a big step for them, but it is a HUGE win for YOU - now you have a way to connect and communicate outside of social media. You have a way to offer more...more value, more insight, more relationship building.

You don't have to overthink this. If you start with a simple spreadsheet of contacts, awesome. There are a lot of services that also offer help with list building and email marketing: Mailchimp, Constant Contact, Flodesk. But the platform I like the best is Kit.

What I love about Kit is that they offer one of the largest subscriber limits (10,000) AND let you send unlimited emails to them…all for free. It’s the unlimited email part that is the real kicker and why I would recommend Kit to anyone looking to kick-start an email marketing strategy.

In addition to the 10,000 subscribers and unlimited emails, your free account with Kit also lets you create unlimited sign-up forms and landing pages to place on your website, link to socials, and promote anywhere and everywhere. You can also set up one visual automation sequence (like a welcome email sequence any time you get a new sign-up).

Want to start your free trial?

Your back-to-basics marketing primer

Are you using a Business Account on IG and FB?

Social media is a hot topic this week, so let's make sure you have your accounts set up to work for your BUSINESS - not your personal use.

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​Instagram:

Instagram has three account types:

1. Personal Account: Basic features for personal use. No access to Instagram Insights (analytics). No access to Instagram Shopping.
2. Business Account: Access to Instagram Insights for analytics. Ability to run ads and promote posts. Access to Instagram Shopping. Additional contact options on your profile.
3. Creator Account: Access to Instagram Insights for analytics. Detailed follower growth data. Additional message filtering options. Best suited for influencers and content creators.

As a business, you want to make sure you are either a "business" or "creator" account on Instagram to get the most mileage from your social media marketing.

Not sure how to set up a business or creator account? We have a step-by-step guide on how to do it!

Facebook:

Facebook only has two types of accounts: Personal Pages and Business Pages.

A Facebook business page is a public social media profile designed to promote your brand or business. It gives you insight to analytics, run ads, and connect with customers more easily (they can simply "Like" or "Follow" your page rather than do a "Friend Request" like a personal account requires). **To access a Business page, you MUST have a personal account set up. Don't worry, none of your personal information or posts will cross-over, you just need it to access your business page.

Need help setting up a Facebook business page? Check out our step-by-step guide:

NEW! "The Chirp"

This week I am excited to introduce "The Chirp" - small but mighty marketing tutorials.

Follow me on Instagram and get new tips every Monday and Thursday!

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