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How to See Popular Posts on Instagram

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Instagram How to See Popular Posts on Your Account

Instagram is one of the most popular social media channels for marketing strategies. Of course, the largest and most widely used is Facebook which owns Instagram al9ng with Messenger, WhatsApp, and WeChat. Instagram is of course, highly visual as all posts must have an image or video attached. The channel also offers a variety of video formats of various lengths to increase engagement with followers.

Instagram is a desirable channel for a brand or business looking to connect with social media users under the age of 45. The platform is a top channel used by those who have abandoned Facebook for a simpler way to connect with businesses and friends. More than half of Instagram users follow a brand on Facebook.

Posts should consider posting lifestyle photos, celebrations, events, promotions, and other imagery that connects with a follower on a personal level. Videos are especially engaging. Products are best shown in photos and videos that demonstrate how they are used in everyday life.

I mention SEMRUsh in the video, here’s a link to a FREE 7-day trial http://ow.ly/NC7v30nUeeH

Instagram for Local Social Media

Instagram works well for local social media too. Adding a location to an image increases reach for the post and works well for local social.

But how can you tell which of your posts are most popular and what type of content is working for your business? It’s challenging enough to determine who is following you back on Instagram. Hint- although you can scroll through your list of followers for that information, it’s time-consuming and not practical for an account with a large following. Third-party apps are a better solution.

To get an idea about what posts are working for you, including stories, you’ll need to convert to an Instagram business account. With a business account, you will see data and analytics not available to personal Instagram accounts. Even if you are using Instagram for personal branding, consider converting to an Instagram business can bring a boost to your social media strategy.

How to Convert to an Instagram Business Account

Converting to an Instagram business account is easy. You’ll need to connect it a Facebook business page in the process. Go to your Instagram profile then tap the hamburger menu in the upper right corner of the Instagram app. At the bottom of the next screen, choose to Account. From here you can begin the process of converting to an Instagram business account. If you already have a business account, then you can convert back to a personal account from this screen. During the conversion process, which takes just a few minutes, you will connect to your Facebook business page.

Once you convert to a business account, you will be able to see your most popular posts. Some of this data on each post including who viewed a video. Once changed over, when you go into your new Instagram analytics, then you will see what days of the week and times of day are most popular for your followers. Instagram will also show you posts that are popular with your users right in your feed (but only you can see this as an account admin.)

With Instagram insights, you’ll see per post what hashtags bring viewers to your content. You’ll also be able to share popular Instagram posts to your connected Facebook page when you are on the app. Stories are very useful and help an account get more reach. Try posting to stories and experiment with hashtags to find a set that works well and brings more reach.

I use SEMrush, to manage my SEO campaigns as well as track my social media engagement. have Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest connected to it for stats and competitor analytics. But the free insights work well too.

DISCLAIMER: This video is SPONSORED! Thanks to you guys for supporting me and thank you to Briogeo for sponsoring today’s video! Some of the above links are AFFILIATE LINKS meaning I make a small amount of $$ off your purchase

Which Images to Optimize for Social Media Sharing

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Best Images to Optimize Images for Social Media Sharing

Next month I am speaking at Affiliate Summit 2016 in Las Vegas, which is a semi-annual marketing conference. My session is called, “How to Optimize Images for Social Media Sharing.” Optimizing images for for social media is very important for your social media strategy as well as your search engine optimization (SEO) plan. Even if you do not have a formal SEO plan, it is still a good idea to at least be mindful of you image file sizes so you do not inadvertently slow down the load speed of you web page(s). Load speed is a Google ranking factor.

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There are three “homes” for social media images. They are:

  • Social post images
  • Social profile images
  • Website images

Each one needs to be optimized. All three are important to your marketing plan.

Posts with photos, links, check-ins, and videos we save on social media newsfeeds and streams are the images most people think of these images when talking optimization. We have to be careful because each social site has a particular range of sizes that are optimal. The ideal image sizes can be found in my social media post image size guide.

Most social sites have both a profile (small) photo and a larger banner image at the top of the social account. Here is a link to my metrony.com Facebook account. Facebook calls the large banner image, a “cover photo.” metrony YouTube does not have a profile images. Pintalk Pinterest does not have the banner image.

Social profile and banners are another set of images that are also important for optimizing. Many do not consider this when they think of optimization, but your profile photos deliver a critical first impression of you. Social profile photos users a lot about what your business. Be sure that the profile photo and other page elements (like a follow button) do not block anything important on the cover photo.

Remember that old saying? You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Well, it is true, sort of. The great part of being online is we can change up content and images as often as we like. When we get a better headshot, we can change our profile photos too. If your social profile photos do not tell users what you do, sell, or stand for, the consider replacing them and get some professional photography or graphic artist help if needed!

Your website is also part of the optimizing for social media plan. Although you have little control over what your readers share online as user-generated content, you can at least encourage them to share good quality images from your website. Include an image in portrait (taller than it is wide) and landscape (wider than it is tall) layout on each page. This gives the user the ability to share an image appropriate for the layout of the social site.

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Blogging to Promote Your Business Online

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Blogging to Promote Your Business Online

Recently I wrote about the top ten ways to promote your online business. The top ten online marketing methods include social media, video, blogging, guest blogging, content marketing, public speaking, SEO, PPC, social advertising, and email marketing. Blogging to promote your business on your own website is one of the fastest and easiest things you can do. When done well blogging gives readers interesting and useful content. With careful research and planning, it can help your search engine optimization campaigns, and it helps to establish you as an expert in your field.

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I am assuming you already have a website setup. If you do not I recommended a low cost web hosting plan which will run you about $5 per month. For easy maintenance, use a prewritten content management system. I use WordPress for all of my blogs.

To begin blogging identify a topic you understand well, break it down into bits and begin writing as if you are teaching a class or talking to a friend. For example, a good friend of mine is a very skilled recreational photographer, so he writes about it, but breaks it down into sections like camera lenses, lighting, backgrounds, etc… I return to his website for tips on what lenses to buy or tips on lighting design.

Blogging makes your business or ecommerce website a resource rather than just a store. Your blog become a source of information. It is okay to link to products for sale, as long as it is not the focus of the blog post. My friend the photographer has tons of great photography and video tips, but he also sells some online courses too!

Blog as often as you can. The more you can write, the faster your website will be built out. If you are writing for SEO efforts, then try to add at least two blog posts a week. After writing a blog post, do not assume readers will just flock to your website to read it. Be sure to promote your new blog post on social media, in an email blast, or with a press release.

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