Entertainment Archives

The Power of Meme Marketing: Tapping into Viral Content for Brand Awareness

May 30, 2024

In the modern digital landscape, capturing your audience’s attention can be quite a challenge. Given the number of brands vying for the same eyeballs, one has to get creative and understand what resonates with their target audience. One of the power tools at your disposal is meme marketing. This form of social media marketing uses viral memes to boost brand awareness and engagement.

What is Meme Marketing?

Memes can be images, videos, or text pieces, often paired with a witty caption. Their power as a marketing tool is their shareability. If a meme resonates with a viewer, they are eager to share it, dramatically improving its reach and impressions.

The Appeal of Memes

One of the biggest appeals of memes is their relatability. Such relatability can create a connection between the viewer and the content, making viewers more likely to engage with the meme.

Memes also utilize humor. Laughter is a universal language. A well-crafted meme can provoke a chuckle and make the content more memorable and enjoyable. This way, the meme can enhance your brand’s value and recognition.

Memes carry cultural relevance. They easily tap into current events, trends, and pop culture. Utilizing memes signifies the brand’s alignment with modern culture, making it more appealing towards the younger audience.

The highly shareable nature of memes allow virality. Your branded meme can spread around the online community quickly. Hence, when a meme starts circulating after you post it, others see it and begin adapting and sharing it. As a result, your brand gets free advertising and and word-of-mouth, which are forms of viral marketing.

Strategies for Effective Meme Marketing

1. Know Your Audience: To create memes that resonate, you need to understand your target audience’s interests, sense of humor, and the type of content they consume. This knowledge and customer-centric approach will guide your meme creation process.

2. Stay Updated: The world of memes is fast-paced. What’s funny today might be outdated tomorrow. Keeping up with the latest trends and cultural moments is crucial for maintaining relevance.

3. Balance Branding and Humor: While it’s important to integrate your brand into memes, avoid being overly promotional. The primary appeal of memes is their humor and relatability. Subtlety is key.

4. Engage with User-Generated Content: Encourage your audience to create and share their own memes related to your brand. User-generated content not only increases engagement but also provides authentic and diverse perspectives on your brand.

5. Leverage Meme Templates: Popular meme templates can provide a familiar framework that audiences recognize and appreciate. Adding your brand’s twist to these templates can make your content both relatable and distinctive.

Success Stories in Meme Marketing

Several brands have successfully pulled off meme marketing as a way to boost their online visibility and engagement. Here are some examples:

1. Golden Girls: One of Bright Age’s clients, Golden Girls, saw a significant boost in engagement when our marketing team participated in the recent “If We Won the Lottery…” trend. We shared a fun, lighthearted post on their official Instagram page, which captivated the audience and sparked lively interaction.

2. Duolingo: The popular language-learning app is known to have a witty and often bold social media presence, primarily using video memes to engage with their audience and stay relevant in online conversations. This strategy has garnered them over 15 million total followers across platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and X, with one of their most famous videos amassing over 60 million views.

3. Barbie: The $1.5 billion box office film achieved remarkable marketing success through an innovative use of memes. The marketing team launched an interactive selfie generator on their official website. This unique feature allowed the film’s fans to create personalized Barbie-style images and captions. This was a creative element that sparked a lot of excitement and anticipation for the film.

4. Genuine Fred: Recently gaining traction, the home decor brand has cleverly capitalized on the #roommatetrend on TikTok to showcase their unique and whimsical products, which they later turned into a signature series. This subtle and humorous approach effectively engages viewers, who often don’t realize it’s an ad at first, making the campaign all the more impactful.

What to Consider Before Meme Marketing

Though Meme marketing can be highly effective such as other forms of marketing, it isn’t easy and comes with a slew of potential drawbacks. Memes can be unpredictable, and what may work for one company may not work for you at the next. In addition, Meme marketing that goes wrong is vulnerable to backlash, particularly if the content is perceived as insensitive or out of touch.

How Can a Social Media Agency Help?

It takes time, learning, and effort to stay current with the most popular memes while creating the most engaging content, thus meme marketing is where a social media agency may be a valuable ally for several reasons:

1. Expertise: Agencies employ teams of experts who are already familiar with social media creation and the most recent online trends. They have trained professionals who can readily craft content that resonates with your target audience.

2. Consistency: In terms of engagement, it is critical to ensure that the brand maintains social media consistency. Agencies can assist in steadily delivering relevant and engaging content with a schedule designed just for you.

3. Analytics: Marketing is about trial and error. Understanding what works and what doesn’t is key to defining your strategy. Agencies can provide insights and analytics to help measure the success of your meme marketing campaigns.

4. Crisis Management: In the fast-paced world of social media, things can go wrong quickly. Agencies are equipped to handle any backlash or negative feedback, ensuring that your brand’s reputation remains intact through online reputation management.

Conclusion

Meme marketing has displayed a surge in popularity; it is a cost-effective way to market to a broader online demographic. However, it being a highly responsive discipline, success with meme marketing requires both training and flexibility. Utilize meme culture to brighten up your online content and increase your brand’s digital engagement.

If you are unfamiliar with effective meme use, a social media agency like Bright Age may be an excellent option to help your brand navigate the dynamic landscape of meme culture, ensuring that your content remains relevant, fresh, and impactful.

Content Creation for Social Media Entertainment

August 24, 2023

Social media has changed the way in which we consume entertainment in the past decade. Whether it be through Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, or even Threads, consumers approach social media content creation in an entirely new way. Additionally, algorithms are at the forefront of controlling what we see and don’t see on search and explore pages, so understanding and implementing new strategies is important to gain traction and stay relevant as a brand.

There are a variety of ways in which brands can stay on top of the algorithm and cater towards the new and ever-changing entertainment sphere. Here are some ways to create more engaging social content that will speak to your customers!

social media content creation - computers

Finding your voice

As a brand, it is important to understand how you want to appear and who you want to market yourself as to consumers. There are millions of brands and other companies out there with similar products and ideas, so it is necessary to grab the attention of customers and win them over with your personality. With that in mind, you can craft media posts that give a glimpse into what your brand stands for and create a persona you want people to perceive you as.

social media content creation - audience

2. Stay Up to Date

Trends eb and flow and social media is always moving onto the newest and latest topics. Taking notice of popular sounds on TikTok and trending hashtags is a great way to stay on the forefront of the algorithm and have customers feel like you understand their interest and humor.

Demographics are just as important as trends. Watching and creating up-to-date demographic reports on your customers is vital to create content that connects with them. If your target audience is primarily Gen Z, using trending TikTok sounds is an easy implementation strategy to market toward that generation.

Lastly, staying up to date on competitors is critical. Competitors are the most helpful way in seeing if their marketing strategy is appealing to their audience. If it is, then implementing some of those strategies can aid in shaping your social content.

3. Videos, videos, and more videos

Screen time is at an all time high in 2023. Although screen time is up, people have adapted a short attention span with the millions of social media posts constantly circulating around them. This means that creating content that is engaging for consumers to stop and look at is necessary. Videos in the format of TikToks and Instagram Reels are the most engaging form of content that keeps consumers from scrolling. People enjoy using social media to relax and watching a video is far less energy than reading up on a long caption. With this in mind, utilizing relaxing audios over videos can keep consumers watching for more than a few seconds!

4. Be a human, not a robot

People just want to feel understood and that a brand gets them. Being relatable is the most important factor in social media content creation. It is easy to see through a facade. No one is at their best 100% of the time. Some ways to humanize your content are showing what goes on behind the scenes or what a typical work day can look like. A great example for a makeup brand could be a video of what your everyday two step makeup routine is because realistically no one has time to do full-glam everyday!

social media content creation - world around

5. Utilize the world around us

The last way in which to create content for social media entertainment is through utilizing the world around us. There are so many national holidays and different events going on throughout the world, allowing brands to tap into a new market and gain access to a new audience. For example, with the Women’s World Cup going on, you could create content geared towards the world of soccer and focus on popular players.

Social media content creation is an important topic for brands to understand in this day and age. The way in which we engage is social media entertainment has shifted and to flourish within this shift, staying on top of the trends, algorithm, and the newest marketing strategies is how one can succeed. There is no telling where social media will go in the future, but for now, we must recognize the culture we live in and utilize the tools at hand!

Keeping Audiences Engaged in the Off-Season: Strategies for the Entertainment Industry

July 12, 2023

There are many great ways to promote a show before and during the season, but how do we keep audiences engaged after the season finale? The entertainment industry is incredible at captivating and engaging its audiences with exciting content, in all different forms. When a show is in the off-season, and there is less content flowing, it is crucial to find ways to maintain audience engagement. This can be through promoting other shows within the franchise, behind the scenes content, memes, fan-generated content or creating challenges. There are effective strategies to explore which the industry can employ to keep its audiences captivated and eagerly awaiting the next big thing.

Promoting Other Shows in the Franchise:

To start, one powerful strategy to keep up engagement during the off-season is to promote other shows within the franchise. Cross-promotion aids in maintaining enthusiasm of fans and stirring up some conversation. Sharing other shows that don’t risk competition can expand audiences’ interest in the broader franchise. For example, in the off-season of The Bachelor, its socials will be posting about the spin-off show Bachelor in Paradise, to get fans excited about the new season. This approach not only maintains audience engagement but also gets them excited about other shows within the franchise.

Bachelor social media promoting similar show

Behind-the-Scenes Content:

Sharing behind-the-scenes content is an effective strategy. Audiences love getting an inside look at their favorite shows and movies, and behind-the-scenes content fulfills this desire. Entertainment companies can share exclusive photos, videos, and interviews with cast and crew members to offer a glimpse into the creative process and the hard work that happens behind the scenes. By doing so, shows foster a deeper connection with their audience, retaining their excitement for upcoming projects.

Memes and Trending Topics:

Utilizing memes and trending topics can be a fun and effective way to keep audiences engaged. Memes quickly became a fresh and fun style of content to post, now the entertainment industry can tap into their viral nature to generate buzz and foster discussions among fans. By sharing and creating content that relates to their shows or movies, companies can ride the wave of trending topics and memes, increasing visibility and extending the reach of the content beyond dedicated fans.

Abbott Elementary meme on social media page

Fan-Generated Content and Influencer Collaborations:

Appreciating fan-generated content is a powerful strategy for retaining audience involvement. Entertainment companies can encourage fans to create and share their thoughts, or creative interpretations of their favorite characters and storylines. By showcasing and amplifying fan content through social media, companies strengthen the sense of community and fan involvement. Collaborating with popular content creators in the industry further enhances this engagement, creating exciting collaborations that generate buzz and allow the audience to eagerly anticipate future releases.

Engaging Contests and Challenges:

Organizing giveaways and challenges is another way to boost audience engagement during the off-season. Hosting interactive contests such as trivia quizzes, hashtag challenges, or fan art competitions are all fun ways to keep up the anticipation. By offering prizes and recognizing participants, companies create a sense of excitement and community among fans. These ideas not only continue audience engagement, but also generate user-generated content that can be shared, further extending the reach and impact of the show.

The off-season presents a distinct challenge for the entertainment industry to keep audiences engaged and excited. However, through strategic approaches like promoting other shows in the franchise, posting behind-the-scenes content, memes, fan-generated content, or creating engaging contests and challenges, entertainment companies can maintain a vibrant and enthusiastic audience even when the show is not on air. These strategies foster the sense of community, anticipation and enjoyment, ensuring that audiences eagerly await the next chapter of their favorite shows.

How to Keep the Entertainment Industry Engaging on Social Media

December 22, 2020

Social media has become an outlet for news, business branding, and above all, entertainment. Social media itself has the ability to entertain us for hours. Whether it be scrolling through Tik Tok videos or looking at pictures of friends on Instagram. Due to work schedules, cost of travel, or unforeseen circumstances, many companies have turned to the internet to keep their business alive. Social media for entertainment can include live streaming, interactive entertainment, and virtual events.

Live Streaming

The most common and practical way to keep audience engagement high is through live streaming on social media. For example, a yoga studio can livestream a class to Instagram, Youtube, and even Twitter. Social media for entertainment has given us a new way to keep up with events that may be compromised in certain situations. Entertainment industries that relied on in person experiences, such as concerts, festivals, and events, didn’t have to just cancel their events for the year. These businesses were able to take advantage of social media and use it to stream their events. Even after the pandemic is over, live streaming may become a cost effective way to get content out to consumers in the comfort of their own home. Using social media to market and stream these events can be used to grow a following on a different platform. For example, a notification of an event on Facebook that is being streamed on Youtube can draw in more subscribers to that account. Concert live streams are one of the most popular adaptations of the entertainment industry to social media. Using social media for entertainment, the concert is able to be advertised as well as performed on different platforms. This virtual interaction keeps your audience entertained and engaged while at home. Being online also makes the experience customized to the viewer. Some examples of this would be an interactive poll of the views cast to choose the last song the performer sings or the ability to send messages to the performer which are cast behind them as they are performing.

Social media can be used for more than just concerts. Live events such as Comic-con or even a graduation ceremony were able to be put online. The use of social media for entertainment does not only make the viewer feel like they are there, but also makes them feel like they are a part of it. It keeps them connected to annual events or occasional happenings that they would be attending if they were able to. We are so lucky to be in a time where technology can keep us connected even when we are miles apart.

Other Programs

Programs that are not considered social media are creating more ways to engage audiences through a device. Zoom, a communication program that is used for school, office meetings, family gatherings and even weddings, has special additions like a virtual background to keep people interested. Television shows are still operating but with less or no audience. This includes talk shows, such as Jimmy Kimmel and The Ellen DeGeneres Show, are continuing to do a live broadcast with an audience watching from home. Sports have limited seating or fill the stands with cardboard cutouts to fill the stadium. Simple engagements such as adding a virtual background or filling a stadium with cardboard cutouts, are ways to keep audiences engaged when they are not able to be there.

Rather than just streaming a specific event, OTT (over-the-top media service) Television subscriptions can connect you to all kinds of shows that you may be interested in. This platform service bypasses the need for cable or satellite connection and gives its subscribers a number of shows to watch via the internet. This will connect the younger generation, who is always on the internet, to shows that are normally strictly broadcasted through a cable or satellite broadcast. OTT can be accessed on smart tvs, phones, or laptops. By using OTT, you have a connection to shows that may not be able to be livestreamed such as news channels, reality tv, and many more.

Social media for entertainment is a great tool to use to keep the industry fresh in the minds of the people. Engaging an audience through live streams and online interactions can keep them excited and entertained even if they are not there. If you are having trouble boosting your entertainment engagement through social media, contact Bright Age for social media consulting.

The Engagement Between Social Media and Sports

December 14, 2020

Due to what is happening in the world, many in-person activities have been suspended. Some activities, such as going to the store, museums, and going to school have all been able to be moved online. Although it is not the same, people have still been able to get the experiences of seeing art or learning a lesson via their computers. However, one essential part of American lifestyle has been compromised: sports. Being in an arena for a sports game is just not able to happen. Although people understand the severity of the situation, they still miss seeing their favorite sports teams play live. Not having sports in general has caused a disruption in the amount of ads usually spent on sports games. Due to the increased use of social media for entertainment, popular platforms such as Twitter and Youtube have been used to stream these games so that fans are still connected.

While the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB are up and running, a great percentage of their ads are not running. AdWeek says, “…only $100 million has been spent on sports advertising as of August 2020. But by this time last year, advertisers had already spent $1 billion.” Although their ad spending is way down, page views have been extremely high. It seems as though people have been turning toward the internet to get their sports updates instead of watching television. According to AdWeek, sports fans are the types of people advertisers should be targeting. Sports fans seem to also look at finance, technology, and automobiles, specifically luxury cars. Using this information, those that advertise in those 3 sections should pay more attention to sports fans. Since sports are not dishing out ads for their events, they are an open target for advertising markets.

Although fans are not able to be there in the stands, they have found a new way to connect with their favorite sports. Twitter has become the place to go for sports updates, sports conversations and even sports clips. Maybe it is because of the pandemic, but AdAge says that, “70 percent of the general population say they would engage with sports that they never would have followed before COVID-19. This number jumps to 83 percent of people on Twitter, giving brands even more of a reason to connect to the sports conversation where it’s happening.” The number of fans have jumped an incredible amount possibly due to the convenience of just having to open an app on their phone or because of all this spare time they have due to the pandemic. Because there are more fans joining the fanbase, and different fans for that matter, brands have some pressure to learn how to connect everyone together. People have found a new sports home on Twitter. Almost 75% of surveyed Twitter users admit that being on Twitter has been able to be that social connection that they have been missing watching sports online. Using Twitter during games keeps fans connected as well as informed.

With Twitter heading the campaign for connection online for sports fans, brands have to understand that they need a new game plan for connecting their new fanbase and old fanbase. Using social media for entertainment is an opportunity for brands to show their support of sports fans during this crazy time and join the fans in their new technological movement of the sports community. Branding and advertising is not always the easiest thing. Bright Age Digital Creative Agency can not only assist your company in marketing your brand, but can pave the way for your brand to be an essential part of the online entertainment and sports community.

How Social Media is Thriving in the Entertainment Industry

April 20, 2020

The entertainment industry has become one of the most enticing, creative, and marketable industries in the world. Because of social media, this has evolved drastically in the past decade. Whether it is a movie trailer, an event, a concert date release, or what the celebrities and influencers are up to, social media is what links the audience to entertainment in an appealing and engaging way. In order to fit every need of the community, companies have the option to incorporate a social media agency into their business plan. Bright Age is a social media agency that truly cares about the content integrated into your brand.

TV Shows

As we all know, TV shows can be one of the most entertaining things to discuss via social media. Even if you have not seen the latest episode of the most talked about TV show, you can view your social media feed to find the latest news. A seamless example of this would be ABC’s iconic show, The Bachelor. A social media agency is responsible for engaging with the show’s audience, making your company much easier to manage.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9iRsCPgVyh/

Movies

Like TV shows, movies illustrate how a social media agency links the audience with the entertainment. One of Bright Age’s clients is Galaxy Theatres, which has grown progressively and has truly felt the buzz of social media through the years. The digital marketing specialists post content such as trailers, movie updates, and fan photos on the Galaxy Theatres social media pages, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, while engaging with their audience as much as possible. This is one of the many reasons digital marketing is so crucial in the entertainment industry.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8hIFdblCIN/

Events

Whether it is an important business conference, a gala, or an imperative political event, it is expected for most events to be publicized on social media. Another client Bright Age works with, EMCORE Corporation, recently attended the Optical Networking Conference, or OFC. Being able to work with a social media agency gives your company the opportunity to be remote, while still being reassured that all of your social media needs are being taken care of. Twitter is a great tool that social media agencies often use to make announcements about events, while also communicating with the audience that couldn’t attend the event, or that simply want more information about the event.

Will we be seeing you THIS week? EMCORE will be exhibiting at both @ofcconference in San Diego and @SATELLITEDC 2020 in Washington D.C.! Visit our events page to learn more. → https://t.co/JAPF4pFw0k #OFC2020 #SATShow pic.twitter.com/raHFRxRlgk

— EMCORE Corporation (@emcorecorp) March 9, 2020

Concerts

Music is such a significant part of the entertainment industry. Whether it’s a post about this year’s Coachella lineup, or one of your friend’s bands is performing at your local park, social media is great for revealing when and where you are going next to dance and sing your heart out. A great tool that social media agencies use when engaging with the community about a concert is 24-hour Instagram stories. For the people who could not attend the concert for various reasons, this is an excellent way for them to get a glimpse of the concert via social media. Another way Instagram is a great network for posting about concerts is the ability to, based on their approval, repost fan photos. This creates engaging content that makes audience excited to join the party next time.

Sports

Let’s face it, not all of us have the time to sit down to watch our favorite sports team on TV every time they play. However, there is no need to worry if you miss a game, because you can always check social media for the latest news on what’s happening. A social media agency marketing for a sports establishment gathers information about what is currently happening and develops stimulating content for sports fans everywhere to enjoy. For the entertainment industry, social media has only made it more manageable for you to get the latest news on-the-go, making it practical for our busy lives.

Celebrities and Influencers

Celebrities and social media go hand in hand. The reasoning behind following celebrities on social media platforms is endless, but we continue to look to celebrity social media posts for entertainment. Also, we may not have time to continuously keep up with the Kardashians each week their reality show premieres, but we can count on social media to update us on whatever we missed. Instagram is one of, if not the destination for all things influential. With that said, influencers have become tremendously significant in the digital world. Many companies work with influencers for brand deals and promotions, which have dramatically progressed in the past few years due to social media growth. Influencer marketing is basically its own industry, with how immensely it has financially supported individuals. A study showed that the top three industries working with Instagram influencers include 91% of luxury brands, 84% of sports clothing and 83% of beauty brands. Also, 89% of individuals indicated that Instagram was the most important social media channel for influencer marketing. With this said, the influencer market is expected to reach $8 billion this year.

The entertainment industry has stretched its foundation tremendously, from the first film in 1888, which was about 2.11 seconds long, to countless hours of gut-wrenching, action packed, influential, award winning magic that we see in theaters today. Much of this has to do with technology that is evolving faster than we ever thought possible. Social media is truly thriving in the entertainment industry, which is why your brand should use a social media agency like Bright Age.

The Impact of Social Media on the Entertainment Industry

November 18, 2019

Social media has offered the entertainment industry a new and improved outlet of sharing and marketing their creations. They are able to spread the word of an exciting creation, such as a new movie debuting, across the world faster than by word-of-mouth or other traditional methods. Whether it is a TV show, music, or a new movie premiering, social media allows companies to send their call to action out and receive fast responses to their content.

Social media networks are seen as another form of entertainment to the public which means the industry needs to be able to keep up with their audience’s short attention span. In order to help keep up with the demand of their audience, companies can hire a digital marketing agency, like Bright Age, to help them manage each social media platform. Sharing trailer releases, live engaging, advertising events, and interacting with fans is all within an agency’s capabilities in order to gain the buzz the company wants for its product or service.

Trailer Releases

One client of Bright Age that has seen the impact of social media on the entertainment industry is Galaxy Theatres. Bright Age has helped build their social media presence with their audience in many ways, such as posting new trailer releases for the movies coming soon to their theatres. They share these types of posts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to reach their target audiences. For instance, they recently shared the latest trailer for the new Star Wars movie The Rise of Skywalker that is coming out this December. Why post about the movie so far in advance? This is a strategy to create buzz. The audience starts thinking about wanting to see the movie and many people will preorder tickets as soon as they are available.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B354tC5BQsW/

Live Engagement

Live engagement is another great way to excite your audience with the material you are producing. One example is live streaming on Instagram, which allows you to have the cast of a show or movie answer fans’ questions. Another way to live engage is through Twitter, by tweeting to your audience in real-time as the episode of the show is airing to drive your engagement up. By having these live engagements, it brings a new way of entertaining your target audience along with forming a larger community, such as when Bright Age interacts with fans for Walt Disney Television on Twitter during the different shows’ live broadcasts. This task can be daunting with the volume of comments and people that can enter the conversation at once, but with the help of a professional digital marketing agency, this can be more manageable.

Fan Interactions and Events

Just like live engaging in an episode, consistent engagement with your audience afterward is just as important. A study showed that 88% of consumers use Facebook and Twitter in exchange for the traditional entertainment experience. This means that if a company like Galaxy Theatres wants to stay on the radar with their customers, they need to make sure they are consistently engaging with their audience through social media. By doing this, Galaxy Theatres is able to accomplish its goal of attracting people into their theatres.

With the goal of customers coming in to watch the movie allows the cycle of interaction to happen between Galaxy Theatres and their audience. 72% of people post about the movie they watched after they have seen the film and 20% post before seeing the movie. Through the sharing of this 92 % of people, Galaxy Theatres’ community is able to grow and reach more people. With the help of Bright Age, they post on their social media platforms using images, such as the poster of the new Star Wars movie The Rise of Skywalker, to let people know how to buy their tickets. Another way to entice their audience to buy tickets was by sharing a short video post of John Boyega and Oscar Isaac, two actors in the movie, talking about Star Wars and how people can get their tickets now.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B356a2pBYhW/

https://www.instagram.com/p/B35tXr2B_6w/

Guidance From A Digital Marketing Agency

With all the new ways social media impacts the entertainment industry, hiring a digital marketing agency, like Bright Age will help guide your company to reach its goals. They are able to help figure out the best way to advertise your product, along with keeping in touch with your audience to make sure your customers feel appreciated, and keeping them in the loop of what is going on with events along with interactions as it happens in real-time.

Types of Content and How to Implement them Into Your Social Media Strategy

August 22, 2019

With the increasing trend of social media, visual content marketing is one of the most popular digital marketing strategies. A developed visual brand identity is necessary when creating brand trust and recognition. Let’s look at how you can maximize the potential of these platforms for your marketing campaigns.

65% of the population describes themselves as visual learners. With vision being our most dominant sense, brands should position their marketing strategy around visual content to create a positive user experience. This will generate more views per post and increase conversion rates. Visual content is easier to digest, which helps get your message to users faster. You should incorporate videos, images, and gifs into your social postings to drive engagement.

Videos

Posting video gives users more insight to who you are as a brand and builds trust. Video content tends to generate more engagement with users because they are forced to stop scrolling and pay an extra second of attention to the post. This allows you more time to grab the user’s attention. Keep your video short and simple, as videos that are under a minute long with subtitles tend to perform better. Partnering with a social media agency that specializes in content creation will help you produce high quality videos that will capture your audience’s attention.

Tasty, a food network company, uses videos on their social platforms to showcase tutorials of easy food recipes that can be made at home. Their recipes are simple, and their videos are usually under a minute. This model works for Tasty and results in high engagement from people sharing their posts with friends.

Gifs

Gifs can help you explain difficult ideas while adding visual variety to your feed. They are eye-catching and easy to consume because they are short in length. In addition, gifs are effective at communicating a message quickly. You can express your brand’s personality while developing a brand identity if used correctly. Post gifs to tell a story, explain a process or introduce a product.

Glossier, a skincare and makeup company, uses this strategy when promoting products. Gifs help them answer common questions like what the texture, color and size of the product is, how it should be used, etc. By using gifs, Glossier is able to educate users on their products in a quick way.

Images

Images are a strategic way to capture users’ attention and encourage them to engage. In fact, posts that use images are ten times more likely to get engagement. You should share images that resonate with your target audience. Make sure to change the style of images you use from time to time to avoid boredom and repetition. By posting the same image on multiple platforms, you build a consistent brand identity.

Merkrete is a company that offers tile and stone installation. Their social media uses mostly photos and picture collages. They use this format to show before and after pictures of their projects and the work that they do. This allows potential customers to browse their past work to decide if they want to hire the company.

Because creating content can be difficult and tedious to do on your own, you may want to partner with a social media agency. Bright Age Digital Creative Agency has a background in content creation and social media marketing. Our services can help you save time and increase your audience engagement.

How to Engage Followers with Instagram Stories

July 18, 2019

Is your company taking advantage of Instagram stories? Launched in 2016, stories have quickly become an important feature in the app. 500 million people use stories each day yet they are extremely under-used by businesses despite their ability to help companies gain insight about followers. How can your business benefit from posting engaging Instagram stories?

Benefits of Using Instagram Stories

Although having an Instagram account allows you to connect with users, it lacks a sense of authenticity. Posting stories gives your brand a face and personality. There are many ways to reach your audience using engaging Instagram stories. You can educate people about your company, give them a behind-the-scenes look at a project you are working on, host contests, advertise an upcoming event and much more. Using this feature helps people learn more about your brand and it’s a quick and effective way to connect. You can also hire a content creation company that has experience in social media marketing to take your stories to the next level.

Let’s take a look at some of the new features Instagram stories include that will help you effectively engage with your audience!

How to Spice Up Your Stories

The “question” sticker is a great way to interact and learn more about your followers. When using this feature, you are able to ask a question and have people respond with their answer. You can share answers to your story and respond for everyone to see. Not only does this boost interaction, but it also allows you to engage with viewers on a deeper level. You will get a better understanding of your audience and what they want while adding a relatable aspect to your account.

The countdown timer is a marketing strategy that companies should use to their advantage. This can be used for an upcoming event, product release, contest, etc. that helps build anticipation and urgency. This approach has been known to increase conversion rates and sales by getting people excited about what you are doing. There is also a way for viewers to turn on notifications to be reminded when your timer will end.

How to Increase Sales Through Stories

Just like Instagram’s feature to make shoppable posts, you can now make your stories shoppable as well. When viewers tap on the product sticker in your story, they will be brought to a landing page where they can see more information about the product. This allows viewers to be further exposed to your company and shop your products.

Creating a close friends list is another feature that should be utilized more. This allows you to compile a list of people you can send exclusive stories to separate from your other followers. Businesses can use this feature to compile a list of loyal followers or past customers and send them exclusive offers, sneak peaks at new products, or any “insider” information. You can also make changes to this list at any time. This is a great way to build a relationship with your followers.

Using these techniques will help you be up to date on all of the latest features that users enjoy while engaging with your audience on a deeper level. Make sure to save your stories to a highlight folder on your profile and strategically organize them in a way that will benefit you and your audience. Some possible arrangements are having one that is made up of all the questions you have answered, one that showcases specific products or events and one with all your past contests or promos.

Choose Us

Since Instagram offers many features that might be overwhelming for you to learn, it’s in your best interest to work with a content creation company that has a pristine track record. Bright Age Digital Creative Agency has a strong background in Instagram and offers a full range of services. Our team can create unique Instagram stories while effectively engaging with your audience.

The Importance of Engaging Copy and Why Caption Interaction Works

June 6, 2019

To draw a viewer in, the caption of a post must immediately grab his or her attention or spark their curiosity to know more. As social media users scroll through their social media feeds they are seeing hundreds of posts a day, which is why it is important to be one of the few posts that will remain in their thoughts even after they exit the social media site or app. Using a social media agency in Los Angeles can give your media the extra buzz it may need to get the results you want. Read on to understand the necessity of attention-grabbing captions and ways in which you can captivate your audience one caption at a time.

Why Do Captions Matter?

The common saying, “A photo is worth a thousand words” only goes so far until one is on Instagram or Facebook viewing photo after photo and quickly forgetting what they had just seen. Do you remember the ten posts you scrolled through yesterday morning? Possibly, but what you likely remember more is the caption that made you laugh out loud or caused you to linger on the site or profile ten minutes longer than you had originally planned. From a unique caption, one can learn more about the background of the photo, what is being advertised, and the next steps a viewer can take in order to learn more about the post or product. Engaging social media copy creates a relationship with your followers and gives them a deeper insight into who they are following, rather than a merely surface level relationship.

Engaging Copy

Nowadays, the average attention span is approximately eight seconds. Eight seconds gives one just enough time to view the details of a photo and read a quick caption. Unless the caption invokes an emotion or appeals to the eye, one will continue scrolling or will finish reading the caption with less interest and focus than they originally began with. Two of the main reasons people open Instagram are to find inspiration and entertainment. Therefore, captions that are witty or inspiring, contain statistics, stories, or puns are the most distinguished versus other bland captions.

Before writing a caption, you must decide who you are writing to and what response you are trying to evoke. If you want an emotional appeal, try writing the story behind the photo or insert a thought-provoking quote. If you want a more rational appeal, try writing an interesting statistic or including logic and reasoning in your caption. However, be careful to use sarcasm or irony when using a rational or emotional appeal, as it otherwise can come off as condescending or give the wrong impression.

Style

To be memorable, one must create his or her own style. This seems easy until someone realizes the word ‘original’ has lost its value because almost everything is inspired by something else. Because of this, use whatever rouses your imagination to create your own style that is unique to you! Use of repetition, alliteration, and assonance can be vital when writing engaging social media copy. “Caption Interaction” will stick with you because it’s catchy and the words work well together. Word choice is crucial to a powerful caption. Words and phrases like: “exclusive”, “now”, “new”, “why”, “how to”, “one day only”, “this is why”, and “you won’t be able to resist” are likely to trigger the reader into wanting to know more. Everyone loves to feel a part of something exclusive or be the first to have the newest item or participate in the latest trend. Because of this, whether you incorporate a song everyone has been singing recently or the recent food fad everyone is hyped about, common interests work well for catchy and relatable captions. However, if trying to sell a product, make sure you speak in a manner that is still consistent with your brand.

Contests/Giveaways

In order to create a relationship with your online community while also advertising your product, contests and giveaways are the ultimate promotion. Humans often need extrinsic incentives to complete a task. Hosting contests and giveaways appeal to the competitive nature of people. Plus, stating that there is a prize helps reach those who may not be able to afford a service or good while also appealing to the ambitious members of your demographic. Further, telling your followers to tag three of their friends and follow the other accounts you are holding the competition on with as the rules for the competition increases brand awareness and serve as free advertisement. Now viewers’ friends will come across your page and perhaps tag even more of their friends, thus increasing the scale of the competition.

No matter what social media platform you are on, captions could arguably be the most critical aspect of a post because it’s the first source of information viewers read when they come across a picture. By writing an intriguing caption, your audience is more likely to engage with your page. Additionally, working with a social media agency in Los Angeles can help tell your story through your social media posts. While the photo you post may be exceptional, putting in the effort to create the caption may be what it takes to finally win over your audience.