Fast-forward two years later… and here we are. Snapchat stock has been plummeting, due to some posts by the ultimate influencers Rihanna and Kylie Jenner, and Instagram stories are blowing up with 400 million daily active users. They’ve even introduced new emoji reactions to the stories, similar to their parent company, Facebook. Internet influencers have been flocking from Snapchat to Instagram to reach their audience, simply because viewership is so much higher on the photo-sharing app rather than on the…other…photo-sharing app. In fact, many influencers have taken to posting the same stories taken and edited on Instagram to their public Snapchats. Many think that Instagram just has a better platform. But is that true?
Now, more than ever, having a personal brand on social media is crucial for several reasons. Future employers look for a strong personal brand in their future employees, and people use their personal brands to become an influencer in their fields of interest. Of course, you already have your own personal brand outside of social media, but what social media does is create a visual element that acts as a public portfolio for people to follow. However, building your personal brand isn’t just hopping on social media and posting whatever. Precise thinking and strategic planning go into creating your personal brand. Here are five tips to consider when building your brand on social media:
As someone who thinks about social media a lot, I’ve noticed that a lot of people around Boston, and every city, go to certain places just to take a picture. The other day, on a trip to New York’s Chelsea Market, I saw a girl buy a donut to take a picture… and then proceed not to eat it. I’ve even seen people take pictures with their friend’s pizza, despite their gluten allergies, for the extra likes. I love a beautiful piece of food or scenery as much as the next person, but what does it mean for your feed if you don’t actually eat the food, or if you leave the place you are in right after you take a picture?
I had to do a little digging into this fad to see what is (and isn’t) reality for these influencers. After all, did that girl really eat the whole pizza — or did she just nibble a piece and then dump it? I noticed that there are Instagrammable spots in major cities that are actually set up just to take a picture in. The Egg House in New York, for example, is a series of rooms that are themed around eggs, and exists just for that perfect shot. There is nothing to do other than look at oversized eggs that make for an interesting post.
So when did this start? And… do people do this that often? It’s almost like Instagram is causing people to go engage with a real-life activity and place, but this activity is limited to just one quick social post. It’s a weird dynamic, and something I think we are all guilty of. I can catch myself thinking to myself in the morning, “this outfit would look great in a post” or turning to my friend and saying “we should take a picture; the lighting is perfect.” Instagram is all about making quality content, and because of that, authenticity often suffers.
Danielle Heath, Metter Media account manager and face of @bostonbehavior, says that “If someone is leaving reviews about food or giving their opinion on it, but doesn’t try it, I would consider that inauthentic.” The line for authenticity is hard to find, but Danielle makes a good point that “Over-the-top food makes people want to go just for the pictures,” which makes me wonder if some things are just designed for a picture and it’s not the fault of influencers, but of the establishments themselves.
While places like The Egg House may be extreme versions of this potential trend, there are places around Boston that have become extremely popular Instagram destinations. The Lawn on D, for instance, is a hotspot of iPhones snapping photos from every angle, flash or no flash. This spot is not only photogenic, but a destination for the photo itself (scroll through your resident single friend’s Tinder feed to see it yourself). Grab a swing and smile, or try not to look at the camera for the perfect candid, and you have the perfect picture without even trying because the background is perfect already. It’s almost like it was meant to be photographed for Instagram.
To see just how real this fad was, I posted on Instagram asking people to submit stories about going places to take a Insta pic and then leaving. The answers varied, but the overwhelming answer was that people do this the most with food. From Veggie Galaxy to Tatte, people are going out to eat just to take a picture. Some others had criticisms like, “If you’ve gone somewhere, enjoy being there in person,” and I can’t agree more. A barista at Tatte responded saying that people often come in just to photograph a latte instead of drink it, which is just a tad bit too much (and expensive!). “Do it for the Insta” is a great caption, but I had a response that described “let’s have a walk on the beach” as code for “let’s have a photoshoot.”
Photo: @aliaaisan on Instagram
The appeal of going out into the real world for the perfect post is undeniable. In that moment, maybe we should all take a minute and take advantage of the city in the most authentic way—and the most Instagrammable, of course. My favorite way to do this is to go places that look fantastic, that I have wanted to go to already. My most successful attempt at this was this past winter, when I went to L.A. Burdick during a blizzard to take a picture of my hot chocolate. Hot chocolate was the perfect way to warm up in the freezing cold, and my Instagram feed got a little bit prettier on a very dry posting day. Instagram is the greatest place to look great, and we can enjoy some new experiences while we’re at it.
Metter Media LLC is a Boston-based social media management company that implements community-based, localized social engagement strategies small businesses and corporations alike. Need help with your social media? Email Lauren today.
This week’s social report mostly focuses on the past, present, and future of Facebook and Instagram across stories, music, and emoji reactions! Plus, LinkedIn manages to sneak its way in just to show off its hot new feature no one will care about.Continue reading
Working in the social media business, there’s a lot of talk about the do’s and don’ts of posting. But it’s easy, sometimes, to forget how much is truly at stake when letting others access social accounts and directly represent the brand. But with the New York Daily News (NYDN) social media staff going rogue on Twitter after being fired, it jolts things back into perspective. They’re not the only social team that has led to some company scandals. Here are some of the craziest corporate social media mishaps.
Out with the old and in with the new. It seems that this week, all of our favorite social media channels from Youtube to Snapchat are rethinking some of their old features and trying to implement some new ones. Keep reading to find out what stays and what goes in this week’s social report:
Whether you’re seeking travel tips, restaurant recommendations, fashion inspo, or your next healthy recipe — there are countless Instagram “influencer” accounts with thousands of followers that are managed by self-proclaimed experts in their fields. But how much of it is real? Do these influencers *actually* love these places/things or are they just being paid to share about them? The only way to find out: try it for yourself!
When planning a recent trip to Europe, I found myself — in true social media manager form — following a variety of city-specific influencers to find the most Instagrammable places & restaurants possible. After realizing what I had done, I made it a mission to seek out some of those spots, get my own Instagram-worthy shots — and find out if they were the real deal.
In this week’s social report we’re celebrating World Emoji Day, a day where we can share our love for the little yellow faces that help us express ourselves better than we ever have before (seriously, how did we share gossip with our friends without the steaming tea emoji?) The world truly embraced this day of emojis with the new iOS update featuring redheaded emojis (can we get a “finally!”), Twitter overflowing with love for the underappreciated aerial tram emoji, and Instagram adding emoji reacts to stories, a la Facebook. In addition to Emoji Day, the internet also celebrated Malala Yousafzai’s 21st birthday and her creation of an Instagram account! And while YouTube began to embrace the Twitter trend of hashtags, Twitter purged 70 million accounts. We’ve got the full roundup for you below:
It’s Friday the 13th, and your social media luck may just be running out! Twitter is deleting locked accounts and causing you to lose followers… Facebook is plotting to take over your feed with yet more advertising… and Instagram is introducing interrogation torture with it’s new question sticker. The positive is that Friday the 13th is just one day, and your luck will change, just as the magical world of social media is ever-changing! However, our “goal” is to lift your spirits and not bring you down. And speaking of goals, don’t miss our tribute to the FIFA World Cup in our kick (we mean pick) of the week! That’s enough small talk – here’s what went down this week in the world of social media:
This week’s social media report will update you on Instagram story updates, fake news, and more: a new question feature on Instagram stories, finally knowing if you are caught up on your Instagram feed and a Facebook bug that might unblock all those terrible people you blocked in the first place?? Keep reading to find out our pick of the week and all the interesting updates in the forever-changing social media world! Now, let’s talk about our top 5 social media stories:
