Despite the Confusion and Backlash, the Instagram Algorithm Change is Actually a Good Thing

Instagram recently rocked the social media world by announcing that they would no longer show posts in chronological order, and would adopt a newsfeed order similar to Facebook’s. Instead of showing posts in order, the new algorithm will rely on a variety of markers such as relevancy and number of post engagements. 

The intent of this new algorithm is to provide users with a more personalized feed, showing posts that the user is likely to find interesting first.

Instagram’s announcement of this change was met with immediate opposition. A petition even took off on Change.org request Instagram to continue using the chronological feed. The fear stemmed from concern that Instagram’s feed would become too similar to Facebook’s.

In January 2015, Facebook updated its algorithm to include less promotional content from business pages. As a result, Facebook users saw fewer promotional posts from business pages in their newsfeeds. This upset many business owners, as they felt their content was now going to be seen by fewer Facebook users, which had a negative impact on their business.

Although Instagram’s algorithm change seems similar to Facebook’s, there is one very important difference: Instagram does not separate business accounts from personal accounts. Instagram’s algorithm change does not mean that users will see fewer promotional posts from businesses, it only means that users will see content they are likely to consider interesting first in their feeds.

Since the new algorithm takes into account relevancy and popularity, Instagram analytics will become increasingly important with the algorithm change. Businesses should track analytics to determine the effectiveness of posted content and make necessary adjustments to increase interactions and the number of post engagements.

The algorithm change may actually be beneficial to businesses. If you post fabulous content, it will pop up at the top of your followers’ newsfeeds, even if you posted it several hours ago. So now is the time to make sure your businesses’ Instagram content is the best it can be.

Written by Samantha Weisner of Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Using Pinterest Analytics for a Stronger Marketing Campaign

Pinterest, the visually oriented social media site, is no longer just for planning weddings and finding healthy recipes. The social media site is estimated to have approximately 40 million active monthly users and is continuing to grow. A lot of people use the site for pleasure, but, if used strategically, it can be a great marketing tool for businesses.

Marketing your business on Pinterest may seem like a daunting task, but Pinterest analytics makes the process smooth and the results easy to comprehend. For business accounts, Pinterest offers analytics that provide insight into information about the business’ audience, the audience’s preferences, and referral traffic. Specifically, Pinterest analytics provide information on your audience, including specifics like gender and location. Additionally, the analytics also provide information about your audience’s interests, allowing you to tailor your posts to meet the interests of the audience. The analytics can also tell you what pins and boards of yours are most popular and what people save from your website. Additionally, analytics tracks how much traffic your website gets after you add the “Pin It” button to your site.

If your business involves selling products, Pinterest can be a great test-run for your items. If you pin images of your products, Pinterest analytics will tell you which of the pins are the most popular, essentially forecasting which of your products will be the most successful. On your analytics profile page, you can also see your 50 most repinned pins and your boards with the most repins. Pinterest also offers free marketing advice, providing tips on your analytics page based on your data from the analytics.

Pinterest is a growing social network and is extremely unique. Utilizing Pinterest’s sophisticated analytics tools can help you market your business by providing invaluable feedback about your audience and the things your audience is interested in. Looking at your Pinterest analytics and utilizing that information to alter your marketing strategy can make your business’s marketing campaign more successful. 

Written by Samantha Weisner of Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Twitter the Next Political Tool?

Twitter is taking the white house by storm. This week President, Barack Obama posted his first tweet from the official @POTUS Twitter account.  Although the president is not new to Twitter, having prior tweets sent through the official White House account, this is the first time he is tweeting solo.

He was welcomed to Twitter by not only a record breaking 1 million followers in five hours, but also playful jabs from Bill Clinton and FLOTUS, Michelle Obama.

Twitter is becoming a very popular platform in the political world where different politicians and prominent public figures use it to promote their campaigns as well as interact with voters. Michelle Obama uses the @FLOTUS account to promote her healthy lifestyle, #GimmeFive campaign. She also uses it to start conversations with the public about living healthy and family activities.

The 2016 presidential candidates have also taken to social media such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to announce their decisions to run and help promote themselves to voters. Such as Hillary Clinton, who announced her candidacy through Twitter. She is using this social media platform to interact with voters and show the public what her campaign is all about.

Politicians on social media have opened up questions regarding the role social media plays in politics and its influence on voters. Is it a good and effective tool to use?

The overall consensus is yes! Social media such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube allows for direct contact with voters. Politicians can speak directly with voters in what seems a more personal manner and the voters can respond directly. Social media is also free advertising. This can be especially important for local elections. Many politicians have taken to posting their commercials on YouTube, which is free and can be viewed by anyone with internet access.

Social media has allowed for like-minded voters to come together and have their voices heard. This can help political campaigns by tailoring messages to different demographics and groups. Also, this allows for easy access to the publics opinion, which is crucial to know during a political campaign.

Perhaps the most important reason why social media is used in politics is because it is hip and allows access to younger voters. Gaining the votes of the younger generations is very important to politicians and can change the tide of the election.

By reaching out to young voters by using the platforms they use most, politicians can find out the wants and the needs of the young voters. It will be interesting to see the role social media plays in the 2016 elections!

Written by Olivia Marrali from Rebecca Adele PR & Events