[techtalk] SOCIAL MEDIA - Thinking About Using Instagram?

Wed Sep 16 09:11:37 PDT 2020

Greetings and welcome to this week’s issue of Tech-Talk!
A peek at IG
[http://r20.rs6.net/on.jsp?ca=ed171bca-c9cd-4086-8424-7159df008b84&a=1100778316270&c=4f52e898-6edc-11ea-9474-d4ae529a85ae&ch=4f548978-6edc-11ea-9474-d4ae529a85ae]

[http://files.constantcontact.com/ee1208b4001/34916cb2-412f-43fa-8294-1f7ecb0e9a3d.png]

 This Week's Topic: SOCIAL MEDIA

1. ARTICLE & VIDEO ... Thinking About Using Instagram?
2. COMMUNICATING ... "What makes you ask that?"
3. LEADERSHIP ... How to double your success, year after year

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SOCIAL MEDIA - Thinking About Using Instagram?
Intermediate

[IG post]

You might already have a Facebook, Twitter and YouTube account, but what about Instagram? Do you need another social media platform? How is it different from the others? Which type of Instagram account should you choose? Who are the users?

Let's look at the basics of this free social networking platform so that you know if it's for you ... and if so, how to get started.

Instagram (often referred to as IG) emphasizes images more than any other social media platform -- that's their hook. These include photos, graphics and videos.

Instagram was launched in 2010 and purchased by Facebook in 2012. Currently this platform has over 1 Billion users worldwide.

Who Uses Instagram?

Currently, more than half of the Internet users between the ages of 18 and 29 have Instagram accounts and 70% of these are female.

In late 2018, Instagram edged out Snapchat to be the leading social media platform for teens, with 85% reporting that they use it at least once a month. On top of that, IG users are 58% more likely to comment, like or share a picture than on Facebook. This type of engagement is golden so it makes sense to include it in your Social Media Marketing (SMM) plans.

Like the other social media sites, you can follow others, like what you see, and post to your page. You can comment on posts and use the Direct Messaging (DM) feature to chat with other users in private.

However, there are two huge differences with Instagram vs Facebook or Twitter. IG is a mobile platform. Sure users can view Instagram as a web page on a computer, but they can only post from a smartphone. It's really designed to be a mobile platform.

Another difference... you can not add a hyperlink in your posts ... you know, to direct people to a web page. This can be a bit frustrating.

Three Types of Account

Example of a personal account:

[https://files.constantcontact.com/ee1208b4001/974af8fe-dec4-4ef1-b12d-32d3370bf598.png]

Like other platforms, you can choose from three different types of accounts.

1. Personal - a page you can use for yourself... to connect with friends, follow others and share content.

2. Creator - used for "influencers," public figures and content creators... a step up from the personal account, but not as function-rich as the business one.

As a start, this account allows you to create promotions and access analytics related to content, activity and audiences. There are more features.

3. Business - for organizations to promote their brand and products. With this account level you can gain access to business-specific analytics, pay to promote posts, etc...

In this article we're focusing on personal accounts to get you started.

First, Set Up Your Instagram Account

Let's walk through setting up your Instagram account and then go through an overview of how to use it. You can create an account from both a smart device or computer, but you can only post to it from your mobile device.

[Instagram]

From your smartphone:

1.  Download the Instagram app from the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play Store (Android).
2.  Then find the Instagram icon on your mobile device and follow the prompts to set up your account with an email address or a personal Facebook account (if you have one).
3.  Create a username. This will be displayed publicly and is what people see when they view your account.
4.  Set up your profile and display picture.
5.  Choose a privacy setting: Private (only people that follow you can see your posts and photos) or Public (anyone can view your posted content).

Or, from a computer:

1.  Go to Instagram.com.
2.  Click Sign up, enter your email address, create a username and password or click Log in with Facebook to sign up with your Facebook account.
3.  Follow the prompts to select a username, add our profile and choose privacy settings.

Instagram Layout and Lingo

Before you post for the first time, let's take a tour and get familiar with the Instagram (IG) platform and lingo.

Your Home Page Layout

[https://files.constantcontact.com/ee1208b4001/17ece2b4-3979-42da-9ddd-db0574e0b32f.png]

Across the Top

1.  Stories - The circular icons at the top are for Instagram Stories ...those of people you follow. Stories are like posts, however they disappear after 24 hours. Just tap to view them.
2.  Camera - In the top left is the camera icon to create an Instagram Story.
3.  Instagram Direct - In the upper right corner is an icon of a paper plane which goes to direct messages. There you can send personal (private) notes to one or more users, sharing posts or sending a message.

[https://files.constantcontact.com/ee1208b4001/70bb7ba0-e081-4748-80e3-706f751af196.png]

Icons at the Bottom

1. Home - Brings you back to the home page from other locations.

2. Explore/Search - This gives you access via the magnifying glass to see trending or recommended stories. You can search by topic, person or usernames.

3. Plus Symbol - Press this to initiate a post to your feed (see the process below).

4. Heart - Your notifications are shown here – for when someone follows you, likes a post, comments and so on.

5. Person - This leads to your profile. When others come to your page, this is what they would see.

The Stuff in the Middle

Your Feed - The content in your account is called your "feed." It is filled with recent posts of those you follow, as well as ads and suggested posts of things that Instagram thinks you might like.

NOTE: Instagram Stories are vertical photos or videos that disappear after 24 hours after posting. Instead of being part of the feed, they're displayed at the top of the home page.

·     Post - The content you add to your profile - image, video (up to one minute), text.

·     Tagging - This can be used in two ways. You can "tag" people who are in the post, or type "@" followed by their username in the comment section to refer to an IG user.

·     Hashtags - You can use hashtags in your message to add context or make the post discoverable by topic to others, like #vote2020 or #photooftheday

·     Like - To "like" someone's post, you tap on the heart underneath the person's post.

·     Comment - To post a comment on someone's post that you follow, tap on the speech bubble icon. Keep in mind that your comment will be public.

·     Follow - How you connect with others. You follow others and they follow you. NOTE: If your account is "private" you will need to approve requests (accept or deny). Public accounts do not need to be confirmed.

[https://files.constantcontact.com/ee1208b4001/eec54039-e9cc-4ba0-b19a-bb64e14f79db.png]

Create a Post

[https://files.constantcontact.com/ee1208b4001/03d43f50-293d-4166-95ce-57f2d97c68b9.png]

·     To begin a post, tap the Plus icon in the middle of the bottom toolbar (not the camera icon in the top left as that is for creating a Story).

·     Choose to take a new photo or video, or upload an existing picture (or pictures for a carousel post) from your photo gallery. The optimum image size is either 1080 x 1080 pixels (square) or 1080 x 1350 pixels (rectangle).

·     Click Next and you have the choice to use one of Instagram's many filters or edit the image. You can even trim your video right in the app and take seconds off the beginning or ending.

·     Add a comment to your picture, tag people, add a hashtag and/or mark the location.

[https://files.constantcontact.com/ee1208b4001/1ef57ab9-4125-4fb2-825d-b3e1e6908432.png]

·     Choose to Share it to Instagram users or other social networks.

·     Hit Share and your post will appear in your profile and your followers' feeds.

Post to Your Instagram Story

[https://files.constantcontact.com/ee1208b4001/a2e9f83b-30a5-4411-8cfd-f25661a4c067.png]

Stories are in a vertical format and are a series of images, video and/or graphics. Again, they are automatically deleted after 24 hours.

·     To post a new Story (instead of tapping the bottom middle Plus sign for a post), tap the camera icon in the top left of the screen (or swipe your screen to the right).

·     Tap the center button to take a picture, or tap and hold the button down to take a video.

·     Or, you can choose a photo or video from your gallery by swiping UP anywhere on the screen.

[https://files.constantcontact.com/ee1208b4001/9489b3a0-2c4f-4625-9518-89eb2eeeda5f.png]

·     This will open a whole new panel with a range of options with icons displayed at the top to draw, add a sticker or text to your image or video.

·     When you’re ready, click the Send To option to share your story.

More options include…

·     The 'Boomerang' feature which makes a short video that loops.

·     Include Music to add some personality.

·     The Live option, which lets you broadcast from your phone in real-time to your followers.

IGTV (Instagram TV)

IGTV is accessible from your Instagram account and a separate IGTV app. It allows you to post videos longer than one minute in a long form (vertical) the format that takes up your entire screen. (Although, you now can add horizontal formats as well.) IGTV is modeled after YouTube to focus on video interactions.

[https://files.constantcontact.com/ee1208b4001/41d9a61c-7e5a-4de3-b0a4-4021dd05cea3.png]

Communications: Listening
What makes you ask that?

If you've ever been asked a question (and who hasn't), the initial temptation is to answer it. And more times than not, that works just fine.

However, here's a clever technique that will give you greater insight and allow you to provide a more satisfying reply.

Great, what makes you ask that?
Interesting, what makes you ask that?
I'm not sure, what makes you ask that?

Yes, you want to first acknowledge that you heard the question ... with a noncommittal start as shown above ... something that sounds accepting of the inquiry and not challenging. Something that shows you're interested and ready to listen.

You don't want the "what makes you ask that" to sound belligerent, irritated or condescending. You need it to be respectful and professional ... maybe even curious.

TIP: Even after you've given an answer, you can follow it up with "By the way, what makes you ask that?" You can never go wrong and you'll always get a greater understanding.

[https://files.constantcontact.com/ee1208b4001/da1c6ee9-ba35-4af5-9c80-8e1b5781189e.png]

Leadership
Employee-focused vision for the organization

True Story: Searching for good Visions

I was walking the exhibitor floor at a city and county government IT conference and talking with various vendors. Because there was a presentation going on in the auditorium, the company sales reps had little to do.

So I took the opportunity to ask the various vendors my favorite question, "What is the vision of your company?"

I typically get a blank stare ... or a weak stab at it. Far more often than not they tell me a mission, a goal, a value … but very, very seldom do they come up with a true vision.

So when I asked this very question of a representative from Service Express, Inc. (SEI), he readily and enthusiastically replied, "to help our employees achieve their goals."

"No," I said, "the vision of the company."

"That IS the vision of the company," he replied.

This interplay repeated itself a few times because frankly, I didn't believe it.

However, it was certainly confirmed when the rep connected me with Ron Alvesteffer, CEO of this IT hardware maintenance services company. The rep gave me Ron's email and said he'd welcome a call.

I did. He did. It was an excellent conversation. Here's the vision they live by.

SEI Vision
"To work with our employees to help them achieve
their personal, professional and financial goals."

Is this nice? Sure! But more importantly, it brings results.

SEI Performance
Double-digit revenue growth, year after year, for well over a decade,
along with multiple national awards … all attributed to a vision that is EMPLOYEE focused.

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