Coming Soon: More Ads On Instagram, And A 'Buy' Feature On Pinterest

Pinterest will soon allow users to buy products they find directly through the app. The company says users have been asking for that feature for a while.

Pinterest

Both social apps have the announcements in posts to their respective blogs. Instagram says its new ad strategy will bring "new formats, increased relevance, and broader [ad] availability." Pinterest is more direct; the title of its post is "Coming soon: Buyable Pins!" Here's a breakdown.

Instagram

Instagram says it's going to experiment with several new methods of "direct response" in ads on the app. In its post, the company says that soon "people will be able to learn about a product or service and then take action directly from an ad to sign up on a website, buy a product, or download an app." Instagram says it will start testing those features in the coming days.

The company also announces that it will begin using demographic data from Facebook to better target Instagram users. (Facebook bought Instagram in 2012.) "Working with Facebook, we will enable advertisers to reach people on Instagram based on demographics and interests, as well as information businesses have about their own customers," Instagram's post says. "We will also improve the feedback mechanisms within Instagram to give people greater control and improve the relevance of the ads they see." Ad Age also reports that Instagram will "add the ability to target its ads based on what accounts people follow on Instagram."

Instagram also plans to open up it its Ads API, as well as Facebook's ad buying interfaces, to select "marketing partners" in the next few months.

Pinterest

Pinterest will introduce "buyable Pins" in the coming weeks. "When you spot a Pin with a blue price, you'll know you can buy it right from the app," the company says. The buyable pins will also have a price filter, options to choose different colors of products, and the availability to purchase items through Apple Pay or a credit card.

In a post to its business blog, Pinterest says it won't take a cut from sales, and businesses will handle their own shipping and customer service "the way you always have." Pinterest says the buyable pins will be available on Apple products first, then Android in future releases.

Differing Responses

So far, Pinterest's announcement has been getting a more positive response than Instagram's. Pinterest says its users have actually been begging for a "buy" button for some time. Business Insider says the move sets the company up to become "one of the largest e-commerce platforms." It points out a survey of Pinterest users that found almost a third bought something in a store after seeing it on Pinterest.

Instagram is a different story. Ad Age says the app is about to get "More Facebook-y," which might not be a compliment. And eMarketer's Debra Aho Williamson told the New York Times, "It's not necessarily going to be the beautiful imagery that fans are used to."
http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2015/06/02/411569265/coming-soon-more-ads-on-instagram-and-a-buy-feature-on-pinterest

How To Chose Amazing Images And Create Stunning Visual Content

It’s often said that to achieve success in content marketing, brands should “act like a publisher.” But how do publishers act? What should brands specifically be emulating? For our second installment of our “Ask an Editor” series, I sat down with Vicky Wasik, Visual Editor at Serious Eats, to learn how to create a beautiful and compelling content hub.

Wasik is a Brooklyn-based photographer specializing in food, events, portraits, and travel photography. Her photographs have been featured in print and online by publications including Conde Nast Traveler, The Huffington Post, Edible Brooklyn, Edible Manhattan, New Orleans Magazine, The Village Voice, and The New York Times. She also has worked with brands such as Whole Foods, Oreo, Walmart, Plated, Chivas Regal, and Barilla.

What websites do you look to for design inspiration?

Vicky Wasik: Lucky Peach uses some really interesting graphics and illustrations for their features (this Chinese dumpling guide is one of my favorites). I think Bloomberg has some really strong photography that blurs the line between editorial and photojournalism: this Iceland feature is so cool. The images are huge and beautiful, and it feels like you’re scrolling through a magazine rather than down a webpage.

image: http://cdn.business2community.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/2e82a53c6f9e74ed281ad92980ec654c-900x515.jpg

Illustration by Monica Ramos for Lucky Peach

What are some tips for choosing an authentic image?

If an image looks too staged, fake, or uninteresting, skip it. For example, if I’m looking for a photo of a chili pepper, I’ll look for something with personality and texture, even a little imperfection. This shot…

…with the warm wood and nice depth of field is way more appealing to me than this one on a plain white background.

What are your guidelines for selecting images?

I always make sure the image is consistent with whatever content it is supporting. My job is to select the primary image for each post that will be used across our social media platforms, on our homepage, and at the top of the post, so it should be relevant to the story and compel someone to click on the link.

For example, maybe I have a story about making peach pie, and the best image from the story is a beautiful shot of flour being sifted onto a surface. Even though it’s a really strong shot, out of context it doesn’t really tell you what the story is about, so I’ll probably choose something that at the very least shows a pie crust, maybe even some peaches. The flour-dusting image can be used later in the post.

Photo: Vicky Wasik for Serious Eats

What is the most overlooked aspect of image selection?

Context. It’s so important to make sure the image you select makes sense in the context of the article it supports or represents. For example, one of the first stories I edited for Serious Eats had to do with absinthe. I knew I had a great image from an old shoot I did at a bar of the absinthe being poured out of one of those fancy drip dispensers over a burning sugar cube, which, it turns out, was specifically called out in the article as being the wrong way to do it. So even though it was a great photo, it was the wrong choice for this article.

Photo: Vicky Wasik for Serious Eats

How do you maintain a consistent visual identity across platforms and social channels?

At Serious Eats, we pull images from our posts and use them with quotes or leads that will compel someone on Facebook or Twitter to click on the link. Pinterest is also huge for us in terms of sharing recipes and cooking tips/techniques. Something we’re starting to do more of is using collages like this one with text overlay to draw in more readers from Pinterest. On Instagram, we alternate between using more candid behind-the-scenes shots and actual recipe “beauty” shots. We see social media as a way to show off our personality, not just duplicate already published material.

Our tagline is “The Destination for Delicious” so every image we use needs to echo that statement. We recently published this guide on Where to Eat Chinese Food in NYC and decided to use illustrations as the main design component of the page. We didn’t want to go too far from our food photos, but we still wanted to add a little bit of whimsy.

What are some of the biggest mistakes you see brands and publications making when it comes to their visual identity or image selection?

The new trend is to use photographs that are bigger and better, which is great, but often the images are blown up too much and look super pixelated if they don’t have a high enough resolution. It’s important to check that the size of your image is appropriate for the size of the space on your website.

Do you have any tips for thinking outside-the-box with image selection (for example, something to represent a business instead of a computer)?

Whenever I’m stuck trying to figure out an image and I don’t want to go the obvious route, I’ll either re-read the text or talk to the writer or editor about the article to get a better sense of it. Sometimes just having a quick conversation can highlight an aspect of the story that you didn’t see before or that might not be obvious, but can inspire you to look for a different type of image. I’m also a big fan of using the “related image” section of a stock site and spending some time going down that wormhole.

Key Takeaways for Brands:

• Make sure your images make sense in the context of your content.
• Try not to use staged or uninteresting stock photos. Instead, look for photos with personality and texture.
• Think outside the box when it comes to visuals – consider illustrations and graphics as well as photographs.
• Be strategic with your visual identity across platforms. What you post on Pinterest might be different than what you post on Instagram.

http://www.business2community.com/expert-interviews/chose-amazing-images-create-stunning-visual-content-01218864

11 of the creepiest Pinterest fails ever

You’ll never sleep again (Picture: Pinterest Fail)

Sadly we can’t all be Martha Stewart.

The hilarious blog Pinterest Fail chronicles the darker side of DIY. Novices around the world have been attempting to recreate the many baking and craft ideas they see on social bookmarking site Pinterest – with often-catastrophic results.

From demonic bunnies to evil beavers, these DIY disasters are definitely more ‘arghhhhh’ than ‘ahhhhhh!’

Here’s our pick of the downright creepiest Pinterest fails, ever. Be warned: you may have trouble sleeping tonight.

1. Please stop staring at us

(Picture: Pinterest Fail)

2. I’m sorry, you didn’t deserve this

(Picture: Pinterest Fail)

3. Straight out of a childhood nightmare

(Picture: Pinterest Fail)

4. It’s all in the eyes…

(Picture: Pinterest Fail)

5. We don’t even want to know

(Picture: Pinterest Fail)

6. That’s what you get for not flossing

(Picture: Pinterest Fail)

7. Donnie Darko-themed birthday cake, anyone?

(Picture: Pinterest Fail)

8. They’re coming for you…

(Picture: Pinterest Fail)

9. Rise of the planet of the apes

(Picture: Pinterest Fail)

10. A batch of mutant frogs

(Picture: Pinterest Fail)

11. Watch out, evil zombie rabbits are on the loose

(Picture: Pinterest Fail)

http://metro.co.uk/2015/03/29/11-of-the-creepiest-pinterest-fails-ever-5125326/?ito=facebook

What kids Really Think of Social Media ?

SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERIMENT

The Power of Social Media : Great Fun!!

Tips and Tricks To Gain More Instagram Followers 2015

26 Tips for Using Instagram for Business

Are you wondering how to use images and short video to enhance your customers’ experience?

Have you considered creating a brand profile on Instagram to make your brand visible to a new market?

Getting started on Instagram is fairly straightforward.

Simply sign up for an account (e.g., use the same name as your Twitter handle), add a profile photo (e.g., brand logo) and a link to your website, connect your account to Facebook and let your followers know they can follow you there.

It’s what to do next that presents a difficulty for many brands.

What follows are 26 tips and brand examples, an A-Z guide, for capitalizing on a business presence on Instagram.

#1: Acquaint Yourself With How to Use Instagram for Business

Businesses have been flocking to Instagram in droves. In response, Instagram started the Instagram for Business blog, which offers tips, brand spotlights, API examples and news from Instagram HQ.

Instagram's blog will help keep you in the know.

Check it out and add it to your reader to keep up to date on some of the coolest ways to use the Instagram platform for business.

#2: Balance Fun Images With Pictures From Your Business

Rachel Sprung writes, “Take advantage of the increased real estate you have with the Instagram web page to tell a story with the images. Have a healthy balance of fun images and business pictures.”

Anthropologie has struck a good balance with their images. Their followers like fun images as well as business ones. A puppy picture received 7,640 likes and a picture of their personal shoppers posing at a company luncheon event received 3,457.

One of the ten most engaging posts mentioning #Anthropologie.

Track the engagement on your images to find out what your followers like best!

#3: Cultivate a Following

Tim Sae Koo offers 3 helpful tips for getting more followers on Instagram:

• Connect your Facebook account
• Use relevant, popular hashtags
• Engage by following others and liking their photos

Cross-post selected images to your Facebook page with a hashtag that aligns with your campaign or brand image to help people who don’t know you’re on Instagram to find you there.

#4: Debut Videos

Instagram’s recent Video on Instagram has given Twitter’s Vine a serious competitor to contend with. Most notably 15-second, filter-enabled, editable video functionality compared to Vine’s 6.5 seconds.

Jordan Crook charts the differences between Instagram and Vine in the image below:

Jordan Crook charts Instagram vs. Vine.

Honda debuted an Instagram video by making a joke out of the choice. Fun idea!

#5: Embed Instagram Video in Your Blog or Website

Last month, Instagram released a new embed feature for its desktop web browser version. Mike Gingerich provides helpful instructions, in addition to examples for when and how to use Instagram videos.

Since you never know who will see your shares on a social networking platform,embed your Instagram video in your blog or website to extend the reach of your content.

#6: Follow Your Followers Back

The people you follow on social networking platforms make all the difference in the world. Curiously, many brands on Instagram (some with very large followings) don’t follow back.

To create strategic relationships on Instagram, find the brands and people you enjoy and can learn from in your followers and follow them back. We’ll talk more about this in #23.

#7: Generate a Flexible Posting Plan

Carley Keenan offers the following advice on the frequency of sharing on Instagram:

“You don’t need to post on Instagram every day. The ‘feed speed’ on Instagram is still mostly laid back. If you start posting a lot, you might saturate your followers’ feeds, and you don’t want to force yourself into the noise too often. Decide what you have ready to post and create a schedule to help you remember what to post when and to track what is working once you get going.”

#8: Harness the Power of Apps

Kay Tan put together a list of 20 apps that will enhance your photo-sharing experiences. There are apps that let users print images, search tags and keywords, subscribe to Instagram profiles via email, download all Instagram photos in a single archive folder, plus many more.

Use these apps to make Instagram a significant part of your social media marketing strategy.

#9: Inspire Potential Customers

Anna Colibri suggests you post photos that are relevant to your brand and potential customers.

Whole Foods Market posts representative photos to promote healthy, wholesome food products, store events, sustainability and their active community of customers and employees.

Whole Foods Market's photos are relevant to their brand.

Attract your target market with images that share a compelling and inspiring story.

#10: Juxtapose Use of Filter Types and No-Filter Images

Instagram provides a number of filters to change the look and feel of your photos.

A study conducted by Simply Measured earlier this year found 59 percent of the world’s top brands are now active on Instagram.

Their findings also shed light on choices around filtered photos: “Lo-fi is the filter of choice for 14 percent of brands’ filtered photos, followed by Valencia with 12 percent,Rise with 12 percent, Amaro with 11 percent, Hudson with 9 percent, Sierra with 9 percent, X-Pro II with 8 percent and Hefe with 7 percent.”

Simply Measured Favorite Filters: The Most Engaging and the Most Used.

Marketo also suggests that filters are more than a question of aesthetics, they can say a lot about you!

Shake things up a little every now and then, and try out a new filter or go the no-filter route.

#11: Kickstart Instagram Efforts With a Change in Perspective

Russ Meyer recommends that for brands to be successful on Instagram, they need to get past their inherent interest in selling and instead:

• Share a distinctive view of the world
• Cultivate a unique visual sense
• Capture things that are interesting to the brand and to the core target customer
• Train your eye to focus on what makes a great, provocative, engaging image

Entrust your Instagram presence to someone in the organization who understands how to align images with the interests of your target customer.

#12: Leverage Photo Contests on Instagram With Facebook

Businesses can host photo contests on Instagram using hashtags to organize submissions and an RSS feed to follow along with new photos as they’re added.

Samsung Camera used the hashtag #LiveInTheMoment to successfully promote their Instagram photo contest on their Facebook page.

Over 17,000 fans saw the status update and 336 commented on it.

Use Facebook status updates to encourage your fans to enter your Instagram photo contest.

#13: Market Your Brand Using Trends

Remember when Twitter’s #followfriday seemed somewhat avant-garde? Instagrammers can use a number of trending hashtags to join in a bigger part of the visual community storytelling.

Charles Mazzini takes us through the days of the week beginning with #ManCrushMonday and ending with #SelfieSunday.

#WayBackWednesday viewed on Statigram.

Find a trending hashtag that’s relevant to your marketing strategy andparticipate with images from your brand.

#14: Network on Instagram

Kim Garst writes, “Instagram connects people through photos” and suggests 3 essential ways to create a network:

• Engage—like others’ photos and leave comments
• Follow your already established followers from other social media platforms
• Include your hashtags—if your brand uses specific hashtags on Twitter or Google+, use them on Instagram as well

Over 17,000 fans saw the status update and 336 commented on it.

Use Facebook status updates to encourage your fans to enter your Instagram photo contest.

#13: Market Your Brand Using Trends

Remember when Twitter’s #followfriday seemed somewhat avant-garde? Instagrammers can use a number of trending hashtags to join in a bigger part of the visual community storytelling.

Charles Mazzini takes us through the days of the week beginning with #ManCrushMonday and ending with #SelfieSunday.

#WayBackWednesday viewed on Statigram.

Find a trending hashtag that’s relevant to your marketing strategy andparticipate with images from your brand.

#14: Network on Instagram

Kim Garst writes, “Instagram connects people through photos” and suggests 3 essential ways to create a network:

• Engage—like others’ photos and leave comments
• Follow your already established followers from other social media platforms
• Include your hashtags—if your brand uses specific hashtags on Twitter or Google+, use them on Instagram as well

#15: Optimize Your Profile

Instagram profiles—like their counterparts on Twitter, Facebook and other social networking platforms—need to include brand information in specific ways (e.g., maximum number of characters, specific image sizes, attention to branding).

Brandon Gaille has a helpful list of what to include in your profile and Gerry Moranprovides an easy-to-digest graphic illustrating where everything shows.

Gerry Moran shows how to build the perfect Instagram profile.

Complete your profile with all of the information customers might need to find you and do business with you.

#16: Promote Your Business on Both Facebook and Instagram

Great things can happen when a platform is purchased by an entity such as Facebook. Instagram and Facebook as a duo offer brands a unique opportunity for promotion.

James Borow explains, “Brands create Instagram videos, share them to their Facebook pages and then boost them into paid media that hits the Facebook news feed, in the same way that they boost text or photo posts. This enables brands to reach Facebook’s 818 million monthly active mobile users, which dwarfs Instagram’s 130 million. It’s profiting from Instagram without having to advertise on Instagram… For now it’s all about capturing and sharing the world’s moments—and paying to distribute them on the world’s largest social network.”

Capitalize on Facebook’s integration of Instagram to reach a wider audience.

#17: Quantify and Qualify

Want to know how your brand is doing on Instagram? There are image analytics tools such as BlitzMetrics and Curalate that will provide detailed insights.

Tim Peterson writes, “Curalate is able to track an Instagram post’s likes and comments so that a brand can see how that popularity translates into added followers, but also capitalize on the popularity. Denim brand 7 For All Mankind used the platform to identify that an image was resonating on Instagram. It then pushed that out as a Facebook ad, resulting in the brand’s most engaged ad on that platform to date….”

Use image analytics to identify images and video that resonate with your fans and followers.

#18: Reward Followers

Collins Paris describes how American Express “offers its followers backstage entries to events such as fashion shows, concerts and even the U.S. Open.”

He recommends that retail brands reward their followers with discount codes and promos.

Follow American Express for insta-access to exclusive experiences, news and rewards through our lens.

Deliver perks to your followers so they will make viewing your feed content a priority.

#19: Showcase Photos of Employees

Showing your employees at work not only gives a behind-the-scenes view of your company, it’s also a way to celebrate staff and show them how much they’re valued. A great example is Beaucoup Bakery, which shares pictures of their staff with the hashtag #beaucrew.

A member of #beaucrew at Beaucoup Bakery.

Acknowledge staff members’ skill sets, successes and milestones on Instagram.

#20: Treat Followers to a Visual Experience

Sharpie shows followers how their product can be used to “start something” creative. The majority of their photos in their feed show drawings in a myriad of colors.

Grab a Sharpie and start something.

Find a creative way to showcase the use of your company’s products and services.

#21: Use Industry-Related Hashtags

If you’re at an event or location that’s designated by a hashtag (something like #smmw13), Jenn Herman recommends you add it to your photos so that event coordinators and other attendees can find them.

10 most engaging photos mentioning #smmw13.

Track the relevance of your Instagram hashtags with Nitrogram, the Instagram analytics and engagement platform that provides key metrics on hashtags including contributors, content, engagement and context.

#22: Video Important Brand Moments

Tom Edwards suggests that “Brands can share unique branded experiences, highlight brand advocates, co-create content with audiences, preview products, highlight a specific cause, extend the brand’s persona via video, preview upcoming events by adding visual context, share important news, drive promotional awareness, leverage Instagram video for promotion and create videos that show fan appreciation.”

Capture your company’s important moments in 15-second videos and share them with your followers so they feel included.

#23: Widen Your Exposure to Other Brands

As we covered in #6, it’s good practice to follow other brands on Instagram.Statigram is a great tool for finding brands and hashtags that relate to your brand. Simply enter the brand name or hashtag into the search box and click Search.

In this example, I wanted to see if Target had a profile on Instagram. They do!

Search for businesses and industry-related keywords on Statigram.

Use this tool to find, follow and research your competitors on Instagram.

#24: eXpose Something New

ABC World News often shares a photo about a broadcast they’ll be doing later in the day.

ABC News shared hours earlier that Robin Roberts would be interviewing Venus Williams.

Use Instagram to give your followers a first look at or sneak preview of an event, a product or news feature.

#25: Yuck it Up

Donna Amos writes, “While running a business requires dedication, sweat and sometimes tears, it should never be all work and no play. Instagram is perfect for displaying fun times in the office or when you’re out and about having lunch or dinner with coworkers. Sharing these types of images with followers speaks volumes. It not only suggests that you don’t take life too seriously while on the job, but instead you must be happy and successful in your career.”

All work and no play will make your brand a dull company on Instagram. Integrate images that show your human side to create stronger connections with your followers.

#26: Zap Between Instagrammers’ Images and Edit for a Longer Film

Lexususa had a cutting-edge vision with their #LexusInstafilm using 212 instagrammers’ images to edit together a 3:44 Instagram video to showcase the 2014 Lexus IS.

@Lexususa a brand who knows how to zap it to their audience.

As one instagrammer says in the video, the Lexusinstafilm is a great example of what Instagram is, “A community that comes together.”

Transform crowdsourced images into a unique video message that features and highlights the creativity of your loyal followers.

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/instagram-for-business-tips/