Category: BoostApps

9 Holiday-Themed Social Media Ideas for Your Small Business

The holiday season is often a festive, yet very busy time of the year –especially when you’re a small business owner. For many small business owners, the holiday season means an increase in sales, and many overtime hours worked – leaving them without much time to think about social media marketing.

To help make it easier for small business owners, we’ve put together 9 social media content ideas to help your small business make the most of the holiday season. 

1. Create a gift guide

It’s not too late to create a gift guide! Many people are still trying to get in their last-minute gift shopping for Christmas. Even if you aren’t able to get the order shipped in time, many people are looking for gift ideas that can help support small businesses.

Here’s some gift guide inspiration from @foundationsdesign:

2. Host a giveaway

Giveaways are a great way to create buzz, boost engagement and gain new followers. Giveaways hosted on Instagram don’t need to offer a big prize or have complicated entry rules. Just be sure any giveaways hosted on Instagram align with their Community Guidelines. Check out our guide here for more insights on how to run a successful Instagram giveaway.

3. Partner with another small business

Another idea to create super engaging content – and maybe even a fun way to launch a contest or giveaway – is to partner with another small business. Find a small business with a similar customer base and create a gift bundle idea to promote on both of your Instagram accounts. This makes it easy for customers to support two small businesses at once!

Australian-based skincare brand @yumiskin.co is hosting a collaborative giveaway in time for the new year:

4. Digital advent calendar

With Christmas quickly coming up, a great idea for some last-minute holiday content is to create an advent-themed calendar to post on social media each day. You can give out discount codes, small prizes or announce new products each day. Your customers will look forward to seeing what ‘prize’ they get to open next.

5. Holiday themed video

A great idea to help some of your holiday content stand out is to create a holiday-themed video to post on Christmas. And we know you don’t have a lot of time right now, so don’t worry about trying to film custom holiday video content! With Boosted, you can find tons of different seasonally themed video templates to help you create custom marketing videos in 3 minutes or less.

Here’s an example of the holiday content you can customize for your brand using Boosted:

6. Instagram Stories Polls

If you haven’t seen the “This or That” game yet on Instagram you are missing out! It’s a fun game you can easily post on your Instagram Stories to create engagement, while offering your followers a fun activity. Simply post a quiz or poll with a series of photos or videos and ask your customers which ones they prefer. A few ideas include putting up a few classic Christmas movies, holiday treats, and asking your followers to vote on which one they prefer. Not sure where to start with Instagram Story Polls? Check out our blog Instagram Polls: The Complete Guide for Small Businesses.

7. Share a VIP discount code

This time of the year, customers are often doing a lot of holiday shopping and definitely appreciate any savings they can get. Reward your Instagram followers with a surprise discount code that is only available for a day or two to help drive last-minute holiday sales.

UK-based home designer @_heather_orr shared a Christmas discount code with her audience this holiday season:

8. Countdown to New Years

After a particularly rough 2020, people are really looking forward to the New Year and hopefully a fresh start and a slow return to normal life again. If you’re looking to post some inspirational content leading up to the New Year, host a countdown to 2021 and post a series of motivational quotes each day to help share some positivity with your followers. Pro tip: If you are looking to give your Instagram a makeover in 2021, we’ve got some great and easy tips for you here.

9. Share your 2021 goals

Last but not least, who doesn’t love setting some new goals for a new year? We love the idea of small businesses getting more personal on social media and sharing your New Years’ goals with your customers. Not only can this help motivate you to achieve your goals even sooner, it also helps your customers get to know you better. Need some goal-setting inspiration? Check out 10 Ways to Set (and Achieve) Goals for Your Small Business in 2021 for inspiration.  

We hope your small business can use these social media content ideas to make the most of Instagram during the rest of the holiday season. If you’re looking for some more social media ideas, you’ll definitely want to check out our 21 Ideas to Revamp Your Social Media for 2021 blog post. Happy Holidays!

Subscribe to our social media tips and get a FREE Instagram checklist for your business.

By subscribing, I agree to the Lightricks Privacy Policy.

10 Ways to Set (and Achieve) Goals for Your Small Business in 2021

By: Cori Widen, Product Marketing Lead at Boosted by Lightricks

As 2020 is (finally!) coming to an end, you might be ready to start planning for a better 2021. To help your small business start the year on a good note, now’s the time to start thinking about your business goals for 2021. There’s a lot of advice out there when it comes to setting goals for your business, but not all of that advice is super relevant for small businesses.

Keep reading for ten unique, practical and slightly unconventional ideas to help you set and achieve all of your goals for your small business in 2021.

1. Create a vision board 

Before you say no to creating a vision board, it’s important to know there are many ways to go about creating one. Not into crafting? Don’t worry, you don’t need to start cutting things out of magazines to create a vision board. A vision board can be as simple as saving a few images that make you feel inspired! One of our favorite ways to make a quick vision board is on social media. As you come across photos, videos and quotes that inspire you, save them to a collection on Instagram or by creating a quick board on Pinterest called ‘2021 Small Business Goals.’

2. Make goals for work & personal life

If you made a vision board, you might have realized that some of the things that you saved are more related to your personal life than your work life. It’s just as important to set personal goals for yourself in 2021 as it is to set goals for your small business. Setting and achieving goals in your personal life is a super important way to help you achieve business goals as well. 

3. Set small goals

Have you ever had a task to do that was such a big one that you felt overwhelmed and procrastinated doing it until it was too late? Sometimes, it’s good to dream big and set big goals for your small business – but not always. If you do have a few big goals you’ve already set for 2021, try breaking them out into smaller, more achievable goals. This way you won’t get overwhelmed and you’ll be continually excited as you cross off tasks and goals from your to-do list!

4. Set loose deadlines

While a hard deadline might be motivating to some people to hurry up and complete a project, it’s actually better to set a loose deadline when it comes to goals for your small business. Just like setting small goals, a loose deadline is less overwhelming and provides you with more flexibility in terms of when you achieve that goal. 

5. Write your goals down 

This piece of classic advice is a good tip for a reason! Writing down your small business’ goals for 2021 can help you remember your goals more easily. Also, you can easily hang up your goals in your office space so that you can see it every day and stay motivated. Besides, who doesn’t love crossing things off their to-do list?

6. Don’t be *too* specific

Okay, so this tip is a little unconventional. Most articles about setting goals will recommend setting ‘SMART’ goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound). But when it comes to setting goals for a small business, it’s better not to get too specific. Not only will it take you much longer to set your goals, but it can also make setting business goals more overcomplicated and overwhelming than it needs to be. Instead of spending a ton of time getting super specific about every detail you want to achieve, sometimes it’s better to just get started on achieving your 2021 goals. 

7. Talk about your goals 

When it comes to setting goals for yourself and your business, there’s a common piece of advice to tell your friends and family about your goals to help hold you accountable. We like this piece of advice for an additional reason as well – the more you talk about your goals, the more tangible they will feel and the more they will be on your mind. (And when your goals are on your mind often, you’ll be more likely to achieve them faster!) 

8. Celebrate small achievements 

Treat yo’ self! 2020 has been a rough year for small businesses and you deserve to celebrate all of your successes – both big and small. Also, celebrating the big and small achievements can help you stay motivated and help you achieve even more of your 2021 small business goals.  

9. Track your progress

Besides not setting ANY goals for your small business in 2021, the worst mistake you could make when it comes to setting goals is to not keep track of your progress. Keeping track of your goals and the progress you’ve made doesn’t need to be complicated. Take some time each month to reflect on the goals you’ve set for your small business and see what type of progress you’ve made towards achieving your 2021 business goals. If you haven’t made much progress yet, see if you need to make any adjustments to help you better achieve your goals. 

10. Change your goals

If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that life can be pretty unexpected and it might just not be possible to achieve some of your goals. Instead of just forgetting a goal that isn’t achievable at the moment, why not take some time to change your goals? It’s always admirable to set goals for your small business and it’s okay if those goals have to change every once in a while. 

We hope that these practical and unique tips help you learn how to set (and achieve!) goals for your small business in

Good luck and have a Happy New Year!

Cori Widen is the Product Marketing Lead at Boosted by Lightricks. She has been leading product marketing campaigns and doing qualitative market research in the tech industry for 10 years.

Subscribe to our social media tips and get a FREE Instagram checklist for your business.

By subscribing, I agree to the Lightricks Privacy Policy.

TikTok Business and Marketing Trends for 2021

TikTok has only been around since late 2016, but has already become an incredibly popular social media platform! In fact, it quickly turned into one of the most used social media platforms in the world. TikTok now boasts over 800 million monthly active users, making it already roughly a quarter as popular as Facebook. Just as Facebook has become an incredible marketing tool, TikTok too has become a great tool that businesses can use for marketing. If your company is not using TikTok for marketing, then you should strongly consider doing so. 

Here are the top 5 TikTok business and marketing trends that you should be aware of:

1. Memes 

Memes are very frequently used on TikTok and they are extremely popular amongst millennials and Gen Zs, who make up a large percentage of TikTok’s user base. Memes are oftentimes quite humorous and they also have great viral capabilities. Companies who can use memes effectively can boost their engagement and potentially even achieve viral status on their marketing campaigns. 

2. Influencers 

TikTok, like other social media platforms, has its fair share of influencers who have large followings. Influencer marketing can be extremely effective when it is done correctly. In 2021, as TikTok’s popularity continues to rise, more and more brands will start to use TikTok influencers for marketing purposes. TikTok influencers can help promote goods and services to their followers. The larger the following, the more power the TikTok influencer has to influence TikTokers to use your product. Some TikTok accounts have tens of millions of followers – just imagine how much influence a person with such an account can have! If you would like to use influencers for your brand’s marketing efforts, you will have to find an influencer with enough followers who is relevant to your niche and who you can afford to work with.  Check out the TikTok influencer guide here.

3. User-Generated Content (UGC)

Just like with Facebook, user-generated content (UGC) is becoming increasingly important – and marketers are taking notice. User-generated content is content that is generated by customers and users and which is used by brands for marketing purposes. User-generated content is great for marketers because it is free and, because it’s created by regular people, customers tend to trust it more. In fact, user-generated content converts five times more than brand-sponsored posts. As more and more companies start to realize this, there will be an increased use of user-generated content by marketing professionals around the world. User-generated content is a TikTok marketing trend that companies simply cannot afford to ignore. 

4. Branded Hashtag Challenges 

A branded hashtag challenge is when a company creates a hashtag and asks followers to submit videos that are related to that hashtag and that feature the hashtag. There are many reasons why branded hashtag challenges are effective as a TikTok marketing strategy. The first is because they have the potential to attract a lot of attention and go viral. For example, Elf Cosmetics was able to get over 3 million user-generated videos and over 4 billion views for its #eyeslipsface branded hashtag challenge. This challenge encouraged people to submit their own videos for a song called “Eyes, Lips, Face” that went along with the challenge. This branded hashtag challenge was to date, the most successful branded hashtag campaign of all time on TikTok. Check out some other brands that are absolutely killing it on TikTok for some more inspiration!

In addition to having viral potential, branded hashtag challenges are an excellent TikTok marketing strategy because they create fun experiences for followers. They also engage followers in a highly effective way. One further reason why these campaigns can be so effective is because they can help draw people to your brand who may not have even heard of your brand. They can come for the hashtag challenge and end up following your company because they discover that they like your brand after checking out the hashtag challenge.

TikTok hashtags are important, get started with your hashtag strategy here.

5. Duets 

Duets are another highly successful and unique TikTok marketing approach. Duets involves a brand creating a video and then letting TikTok users duet that video with a side-by-side video, with the two videos played simultaneously in a split-screen. This is another great way for brands to engage their followers and create exciting, new experiences for them. Another reason why duets will be a strong marketing trend on TikTok in 2021 is because it gives brands an opportunity to showcase their products in a way that feels organic and fun to follow. Duets allow followers to participate in something with the brand instead of just get shown ads. This participation can help followers to forge much stronger connections with the brand, which can in turn increase customer loyalty. 

Conclusion 

TikTok’s rise in the past four years has been nothing short of sensational. It has now become a key social media platform that cannot be ignored. If your brand is not already using TikTok to connect with your followers, then you should strongly consider creating a TikTok account and getting started today! After all, there’s a good chance that your competitors have already done so. 

Once you get started on TikTok, start taking advantage of some of the key trends that are mentioned in this article right away. The more of these trends that you can take advantage of, the better your brand will fare. Although TikTok is a new platform, it is relatively easy to use, so don’t feel overwhelmed by it. Just get started and have fun with it! 

Subscribe to our social media tips and get a FREE Instagram checklist for your business.

By subscribing, I agree to the Lightricks Privacy Policy.

Facebook Marketing Trends For 2021

Despite the rise of other social media platforms like TikTok and Snapchat, Facebook still remains an incredibly important marketing channel, boasting over 2.7 billion monthly active users! As such, many businesses will continue to use Facebook as their prime marketing platform for the foreseeable future. However, while Facebook is an excellent place to market goods and services, Facebook marketing strategies and trends tend to change over time so it is important to stay on top of the latest Facebook marketing updates. In this article, we will break down some of the top Facebook marketing trends for 2021. 

Here are the top Facebook marketing trends to be aware of for 2021:

1. Video 

When Facebook first came out, it was primarily an image and text sharing platform. However, recently, video content has been gaining a lot of momentum on the site. In fact, video content now makes up roughly 17 percent of all content on Facebook. In Q3, 2020, the amount of video content on the platform rose 2.6% from the previous year. Facebook users are demonstrating an increasing demand and preference for video content. Because of this, many companies are now coming up with lots of different creative ways to use and post marketing videos to their audiences on Facebook. These videos can often be created from the comfort of your own home using video creation apps, like Boosted. This trend will most likely continue throughout 2021. Need help formatting your videos for Facebook? Check out this Facebook video guide here.

2. Augmented Reality (AR)

Augmented reality, also known as AR, is a technology that projects computer-generated, virtual augmentations to our reality in order to create unique and entertaining experiences. Augmented reality is different from virtual reality, which involves creating a completely virtual world. In the past year, and especially during the pandemic, many people have been using augmented reality filters in their pictures and video on Facebook, in addition to on many other social media platforms, like Instagram. More and more companies are starting to use their own AR filters to engage their audiences and enhance the experience customers have with their brands. Because users like AR filters so much, it is very likely that brands will use them more heavily in 2021 as it becomes more accessible to create these unique filters. 

3. Customer Journey Tracking 

In order for marketers to get the greatest possible ROI on their ad spend, they need to be able to fully understand the customer journey and to see which advertising strategies are working and which are not. To help understand this journey, Facebook released the Facebook Attribution Tool several years ago. This tool allows brands to get a complete understanding of their customer journeys. For example, using this Attribution Tool, brands can see if customers are coming more from mobile or desktop, messenger or audience network, Facebook or Instagram, etc. In 2021, the Facebook Attribution Tool is expected to become even more important for marketers as Facebook ad prices continue to rise and the need for high marketing ROI increases. To get a better understanding of Facebook ads as a tool for giving your engagement a boost, check out this guide here.

4. Newsfeed Ads  

For a number of years now, newsfeed ads have been both the most popular and the most effective types of ads on Facebook. This is largely because newsfeed ads appear directly in the user’s line of vision when they are scrolling through their newsfeed. It is almost impossible not to see them! Brands prefer newsfeed ads so much that roughly 58.2 percent of all ad spend on Facebook by businesses is newsfeed ads. Newsfeed ads also have an average click-through rate of 1.82%, which is higher than other forms of Facebook ads. Because of the high click-through rates and prominent display areas, newsfeed ads will most likely continue to dominate in 2021. New to Facebook ads? Get started now!

5. Personalization 

Personalization is another Facebook marketing trend that will continue to surge in 2021. The reason why personalization is so important for Facebook marketing is because customers simply don’t find generic marketing messaging very interesting. However, when marketing messaging is personalized to their preferences, interests, likes, users are much more interested in the messaging and more likely to engage. In fact, personalized messages are three times as likely to convert as generic messages. For this reason, marketers will continue to use personalization heavily in 2021 most likely. 

6. Facebook Stories 

Stories have become extremely popular on most social media platforms like Snapchat and Instagram. Now they are also becoming very popular on Facebook. Stories are just brief videos that allow brands to provide updates about their company whenever they want to. Facebook stories can be a type of video marketing – they’re great because they generally require very little production and editing and can be published very quickly. Because Stories are so easy to use, and because social media users love them, Facebook stories will most likely be more heavily used by marketers in 2021. 

7. User-Generated Content 

User-generated content is quickly becoming a key marketing method for many brands. This is because user-generated content allows brands to reduce their marketing costs by getting quality image and video content for free from their customers. One company that uses this strategy with extreme effectiveness is GoPro. GoPro regularly provides awards to its users for the best user-generated content. This content can be easily distributed on Facebook to increase engagement and interest in the company. User-generated content has become even more popular during these past months when companies are needing to pivot their marketing strategies for a more DIY approach. Check out here how to utilize user-generated content to give your Instagram profile a boost as well!

Conclusion 

2021 is coming and your business needs to get ready for the new year! In addition to following new social media content trends for 2021, you will need to jump on the new Facebook marketing campaign tools available. Being aware of these key changes will allow you to take full advantage of Facebook for your marketing needs. If you are already capitalising on some of these Facebook marketing trends, then you are ahead of the game, congrats! However, if you are not currently using any of these Facebook marketing trends, then you should strongly consider starting to use some of them. You can start with just one, or you can use a number of different Facebook marketing techniques. Needless to say, however, the sooner you start using them, the sooner you can start benefiting from them.

Subscribe to our social media tips and get a FREE Instagram checklist for your business.

By subscribing, I agree to the Lightricks Privacy Policy.

Instagram Business Categories: The Complete Guide

What are Instagram Business Categories? 

An Instagram business category is the category that a business can list itself as in their Instagram bio. There are over 1,500 different Instagram categories that a business can choose from: everything from fast-food restaurants to architectural designer has a category on Instagram. You cannot choose a business category for a personal account, so if you want to select a business category, you will have to create or convert to a business account.

Why Are Instagram Business Categories Important? 

Instagram business categories are important because they help people to find your business. They do this by telling Instagram’s search algorithm to display your business when people search for businesses in your niche and area. For example, if you have an Italian restaurant in Pasadena, then your business category should say Italian restaurant and your location should be marked as Pasadena, California as well. 

It is important to be as specific as you can when you are choosing your Instagram business category. This is because the more specific you are, the easier it will be for your customers to find. For example, as an Italian restaurant, you should choose the category “Italian Restaurant,” as opposed to “Restaurant.” Need more convincing? Check out why you should switch to an Instagram business account here.

How to List an Instagram Category 

When you are setting up your business account on Instagram, you will be automatically asked to choose a business category. When you are prompted to answer this question, make sure that you choose the most accurate answer possible. After you finish the steps to complete your business account setup on Instagram, the business category will automatically be displayed beneath your business name in your Instagram bio. 

How to Change Your IG Business Category 

Many businesses end up changing their business category either because they found a different category that they thought was more appropriate for their business or because they changed their business model. If you find yourself in a similar situation and want to change your business category, then you can change it quite easily. All that you have to do to change your business category on Instagram is log in to your Instagram business account, click “Edit Profile,” scroll down to the business category section, and select a new business category. 

List of Most Popular Instagram Business Categories:

For the full list of all 1500 categories, click here. And below are the most popular categories:

  • Advertising/Marketing
  • Agriculture
  • Arts and Entertainment
  • Automotive, Aircraft and Boat
  • Beauty, Cosmetic and Personal Care
  • Commercial and Industrial
  • Education
  • Finance
  • Food and Beverage
  • Hotel and Lodging
  • Legal
  • Local Service
  • Media/News Company
  • Medical and Health
  • Non-Government Organization
  • Nonprofit Organization
  • Public and Government Services
  • Real Estate
  • Science, Technology and Engineering
  • Shopping and Retail
  • Sports and Recreation
  • Travel and Transportation
  • Armed Forces
  • Charity Organization
  • Community Service
  • Country Club / Clubhouse
  • Environmental Conservation Organization
  • Labor Union
  • Private Members Club
  • Religious Organization
  • Social Club
  • Sorority and Fraternity
  • Sports Club
  • Youth Organization
  • Art
  • Book and Magazine
  • Music
  • Show
  • TV and Movies
  • ATM
  • Campus Building
  • City Infrastructure
  • Landmark and Historical Places
  • Locality
  • Meeting Room
  • Outdoor Recreation
  • Public Toilet
  • Religious Place of Worship
  • Residence
  • Brand
  • Cause
  • Just for Fun
  • Public Figure
  • Model
  • Writer

Final Thoughts:

If you want your business to thrive and be successful on Instagram, then it is critical that you have a business category listed in your bio and that this category is chosen wisely. The more accurate and specific that your business category is, the better. Having a very specific business category can help you stand out from your competitors. So, choose wisely! 

Subscribe to our social media tips and get a FREE Instagram checklist for your business.

By subscribing, I agree to the Lightricks Privacy Policy.

Instagram Polls: The Complete Guide for Small Businesses

What is an Instagram Poll? 

An Instagram poll is a poll that you can post to your Instagram Story to allow your followers to vote on various topics. For example, a poll could be created to ask followers which product they like better, A or B. The great thing about Instagram polls is that they are completely customizable – you can use them to ask your followers their opinions on just about anything! 

What are the Benefits of Instagram Polls? 

Instagram polls allow you to view real-time data that is highly relevant for your business. It allows you to better understand your customers and to get feedback from them extremely quickly. You can then use the data from Instagram polls to make smarter business decisions. Everything from product design to marketing can benefit from Instagram polls. 

Another key benefit of Instagram polls is that many followers find them entertaining and enjoy participating in them. After all, who doesn’t like having their opinion heard? Polls are also highly shareable and if you create polls that are interesting enough to your followers, there is a good chance that they will share them!

Essentially, Instagram polls not only help you to get extremely valuable feedback from your customers, but they also help to generate attention for your brand and keep your followers and customers engaged. For all of these reasons, your business should be using Instagram polls regularly if you are not already doing so. 

How to Use Instagram Polls 

The first thing that you need to know about Instagram polls is that they are only available to use through Instagram Stories. So, you are going to have to create an Instagram Story if you would like to use Instagram polls. Don’t know how to create an Instagram Story? We got you covered with this Instagram Story ultimate guide. And while you’re at it, make sure to check out our complete guide for Instagram business categories.

Here is how to create an Instagram poll step-by-step:

Step 1. Create a Story Post 

For your Story post, you can use a photo, text or video for your background. However, if you are going to use a photo for your Story post, then you should try to make the image as relevant as possible for the poll. You do not want to use a random photo because that will confuse your audience. You should apply any filters, text, emojis, or doodles before you post the poll. But, make sure that you leave some room in the post for the poll. 

Step 2. Add a Poll to Your Story Post 

To do this, you click on the sticker icon at the top of the story screen. The sticker icon is the square with the face. Once you have clicked on the sticker icon, click on the poll sticker option. After you have clicked on the poll sticker option, you will be given a choice to add your question and a “Yes/No” poll box will appear. You will then be given the chance to type in your question. You can choose any question that you want to ask. Just make sure that it is appropriate for your audience and complies with all Instagram rules. If you don’t want the responses to be “Yes/No” you can tap on the boxes and write in any responses you want. So, for example, if you want your followers to choose between a red product and a blue product, then you can write “Red/Blue” in the answer boxes. 

Step 3. Position Your Poll 

Once the poll sticker is created, you will have to position it on your story post. You should pick a spot where it fits and looks good. You can move the poll to any area of the screen and you can pinch it to make it smaller or larger, just like you can do with any other sticker. You want to make sure that the poll sticker is large enough to read comfortably, but not so large that it blocks out the rest of your post. This is especially true if you are using a high-quality image that is relevant for your poll – you want your audience to be able to see the image too. So, make sure to choose a position for your poll and then move on to the next step. 

Step 4. Share Your Story and Poll 

After you have completed the first three steps, the next step is to share your Story with the poll! You do this by adding it to your Stories. Once you have posted your Story with the poll, viewers will be able to see the post and respond to the poll question. If your followers have never seen an Instagram poll before, then they may even be given a prompt that explains to them what it is when they click on it. Hopefully, once your Story and poll are live, a lot of your followers will share the poll and give their answers. If they do this, then you can get a lot of valuable data from your poll. 

Step 5. Enable Push Notifications 

Make sure that your push notifications are enabled for Instagram on your phone. This way, you will be able to get a notification when someone votes on your poll. Doing this will enable you to get real-time data on the polls. This is especially helpful if you need the data quickly. For example, if you are struggling to make a business decision that needs to be made ASAP and if you want to hear from your customers before you make the decision. 

Using the Poll Data 

Ideally, you will get all the data that you need from the poll within the first 24-48 hours. If you have never used an Instagram poll before, you might be surprised at how clear the results are. However, even though polls oftentimes show one answer being the clear winner, sometimes the results are more even. 

Instagram Story and poll data are extremely easy to use and understand. All that you have to do is look at the final results of the poll and see which answer won. Then you can take that feedback and use it to influence the business decision that you were trying to make. For example, if you set up an Instagram poll and asked customers if they preferred product A or product B, and if the results showed that they preferred product B, then you can focus a larger percentage of your marketing dollars promoting product B. 

Other Helpful Tips 

One great way to boost poll engagement is to create polls around topics that are trending. For example, if there is a big sports game coming up, you can create a poll around the sports game. People tend to get very excited and enthusiastic about hot trending topics, so you might be able to increase the amount of poll responses by making the polls about those topics.

Another thing that can increase poll engagement is if you use an emoji slider for your polls. In other words, if you let your poll participants respond to the poll with emojis, this can help to boost engagement. This is because many people like to use emojis on Instagram and would prefer to answer with an emoji as to a word. 

Conclusion 

Instagram polls are a win/win. You win by getting extremely valuable data from your followers and by creating higher levels of engagement. Your customers win by getting enjoyment from being able to give their opinions on things that interest them. Instagram polls are a great marketing tool and they can help you to get a much better understanding of the opinions of your followers and customers. If you have never tried using Instagram polls before, then you should give it a shot and see how you like the results. Many companies are very happy with the results that they get and continue using Instagram polls indefinitely. 

Subscribe to our social media tips and get a FREE Instagram checklist for your business.

By subscribing, I agree to the Lightricks Privacy Policy.

15 Creative Ways to Boost Small Business Sales on Black Friday & Cyber Monday

For many small businesses, the holiday season is the busiest time of the year. And with days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, small businesses need to be ready to promote their products effectively in order to reach their customers and drive sales. We’ve put together a list of 15 creative marketing strategies, social media tips and more to help your small business boost sales on Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2020. 

1. Host a VIP sale

Reward your loyal customers and drive repeat purchases by hosting an exclusive VIP sale or secret discount code exclusively for your VIP customers. Send out an email about the VIP deal to your past customers before Black Friday & Cyber Monday to give them a heads up.

2. Hold a countdown

Build excitement and make sure your customers are aware of any and all upcoming sales and discounts you’ll be offering for both Black Friday and Cyber Monday by posting a daily countdown on social media starting now! Using the Countdown Sticker for Instagram Stories will help build anticipation:

3. Release a limited-edition product

Part of the appeal of Black Friday and Cyber Monday to customers is the excitement of knowing they got a great deal. Release a limited-edition product that they can only get on Black Friday and Cyber Monday to boost sales for your small business and create a sense of urgency for your customers to act quickly to get the deal.

4. Write a blog article about best sellers

A great way to promote your products is by writing a round-up article about some of your best-selling products or services. Share a little more about why customers love it and be sure to include product photos and videos. Don’t forget to include lots (and we mean lots!) of links for easy shopping! You can then use the blog post for social media content, paid ads, an email newsletter and more.

5. Host a giveaway before Black Friday weekend

Giveaways are a great way to increase your followers and boost organic engagement on your social media channels. In order to build your social media following up before your Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, host a giveaway so you’ll have an even bigger audience to promote your deals to. For insights on how to host a successful Instagram giveaway, check out our guide here.

Here’s a Boosted template you can customize for your brand’s Black Friday giveaway:

6. Host a flash sale

Host a flash sale by offering a discount code to your followers on social media and your email list. But make the discount code only available for a few hours to encourage your customers to act quickly in order to get the deal before it’s gone!

7. Donate to a charity

This time of the year is all about being thankful for what you have and giving back if you can. Partner with a charity and donate a portion of your sales for a specific product or date to that charity. Customers will be extra happy to buy your products, knowing they will also be helping support a good cause.

8. Add video content to product pages:

Driving more sales on Black Friday and Cyber Monday isn’t just about marketing tactics and sales strategies. Did you know you can also increase sales conversions by optimizing your small business’ product pages? Social Media Today reported that 74% of consumers who watched an explainer video about a product subsequently bought it.

9. Offer free shipping

If you are able to offer free shipping, 2020 is the year to do it. Customers will need to do most of their holiday shopping online this year and free shipping is a great incentive to purchase more. If you can’t offer free shipping for every order, try offering free shipping once a customer hits a certain threshold – such as $100 in their cart.

10. Provide gifting options

With many people buying their holiday gifts online this year, gifting options will be extra important in 2020. For customers who are shipping gifts directly to their loved ones, they will appreciate options like gift messaging and gift wrapping to make the gifting experience personalized, even from a distance.

11. Create a squeeze page

A squeeze page is marketing jargon for a mini pop-up website to quickly capture emails. Before customers can access the sales you are promoting, drive them to a squeeze page to collect their emails in order to view a web page.

12. Boost video ads on Facebook

For small businesses with small paid advertising budgets, you will want to make sure you’re promoting high-quality content that will give you the best return for your ad dollars spent. With 88% of marketers stating video marketing resulted in positive ROI, you should definitely pay to boost video ads on Facebook and Instagram. Check out How to Create Your First Holiday Instagram Ad in 7 Simple Steps for more insights.

Luckily, with Boosted you don’t need to pay to create professional marketing videos. Check out the app for pre-made templates just for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, like this one:

13. Have a Cyber Monday sale on Tuesday

We aren’t suggesting to not host any sales on Cyber Monday – but have you ever wanted to buy something but got too busy or forgot to buy it while it was on sale? Customers are inundated with sales and discounts on Cyber Monday. Extend your Cyber Monday sale throughout the week to allow customers to take advantage of the Cyber Monday deals fora bit longer.

14. Create a gift-giving guide

With the holidays coming up, finding gifts for friends and family is on a lot of customer’s minds while they are shopping on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Make it easy for your customers to find gifts and support your small business by creating a gift-giving guide featuring all of your products or services.

15. Partner up with another small business

Make it easy for customers to shop small businesses by partnering up with another small business and offering a bundled product that pairs well. This will make it easier for customers to support two small businesses at once and allows your small business to build awareness with a whole new audience. 

There are so many ways to make your business stand out during the busiest (and most festive) time of year. And the good news is you can do it without breaking your budget. So, happy holidays, and even happier Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales! 

Subscribe to our social media tips and get a FREE Instagram checklist for your business.

By subscribing, I agree to the Lightricks Privacy Policy.

15 Thanksgiving Social Media Content Ideas for Small Businesses

There’s a lot to love about Thanksgiving! Besides all of the delicious food and time spent with friends and family, Thanksgiving also provides small business owners with tons of opportunities to post great content on social media. If you’re stuck trying to plan out your social media content for the Thanksgiving season, we’ve got you covered! We’ve rounded up 15 Thanksgiving-themed content ideas for small businesses to post on social media. 

1. Say thanks to your customers

Write a short thank you note to your customers and share it on social media. Thanksgiving is all about being thankful so don’t forget to let your customers know how thankful you are for their support, especially during these past few months.

2. Create a ‘thankful” discount code

Another way to say thank you to your customers is by giving them a discount! Drive people from your social media platforms to your website by sharing a Thanksgiving-themed discount code valid before and/or on Thanksgiving.

3. Poll: Favorite Thanksgiving food

Thanksgiving is all about being thankful – but of course, it’s also all about the food. Create an Instagram Story poll to ask your followers to vote on their favorite foods for Thanksgiving. Not only is this a fun quiz for your fans but it’s a great way to boost engagement rates.

4. Thankful quote

You’ll likely be busy enough on Thanksgiving day, so prepare a quick graphic or video with a nice quote about being thankful and schedule it to go live on Thanksgiving morning. This way you won’t forget to post on Thanksgiving and you’ll be providing sharable content that your customers might even repost! Check out The Oprah Magazine’s list of 50 Thanksgiving Quotes to Share With Your Family for some inspiration.

5. Create a video

Videos are a super engaging content format. Never created a video for social media before? It doesn’t need to be complicated! Try downloading Boosted, the video creation app with professional, ready-to-go templates.

Here’s a video that you can customize for your brand using Boosted:

6. Post a pun

Enjoy sharing funny social media content? You can post a Thanksgiving-themed pun or joke! Check out this Good Housekeeping article with 25 Corny But Hilarious Thanksgiving Jokes to Tell This Year.

7. Share a family recipe

Love cooking? Everyone is always looking for yummy, new Thanksgiving recipes to try out. Share one of your family’s favorite Thanksgiving recipes and you could even create a survey for your followers to share their favorite recipes with you!

8. Tips to get through the day

As amazing as it is to spend the day surrounded by family and delicious food, Thanksgiving can also be a little bit of a stressful day. Between cooking, cleaning and spending a little too much time with the in-laws… Thanksgiving can be a long day. Share a few tips with your customers on how to ‘survive’ the holiday.

9. Promote your upcoming holiday sales

While there’s a ton of fun content to post for Thanksgiving, don’t forget about using social media platforms to help your small business drive more sales during the holiday season! Leading up to the last week of November, be sure to promote any Thanksgiving, Black Friday or Small Business Saturday sales.

Check out this Boosted video template that you can use to promote your upcoming sales:

10. Host a Thanksgiving themed contest

Who doesn’t love a social media contest? Say thanks to your customers by hosting a Thanksgiving-themed social media giveaway contest. The prize doesn’t need to be big and contests are a great way to boost organic engagement on your social media platforms. Check out our guide here for full insights on how to run a successful Instagram giveaway.

11. Share what you are thankful for

Let your customers know what you are thankful for this year (besides them of course!). 2020 hasn’t been an easy year for small businesses, so it’s extra important to take note of things you are thankful for, like your health.

12. Raise money for a homeless shelter

Social media is not only a powerful tool for small businesses to make sales, it can also be an effective way to raise money for a good cause. Utilize your social media connections to raise money for a homeless shelter to help provide a Thanksgiving meal to those in need.

13. Share fall-themed product photos/videos

If you are a product-based business, a super easy form of content to create for Thanksgiving is fall-themed product photos or videos. Simply go outside, collect some fall leaves and snap a few photos of your product staged with all of the pretty fall decor.

14. Promote your small business with a video ad

Don’t forget about paid social media ad opportunities for Thanksgiving! We recommend creating a new, custom Thanksgiving-themed video to pay to promote on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Check out How to Create Your First Holiday Instagram Ad in 7 Simple Steps for insights on how to create your first ad.

15. Celebrate Small Business Saturday

Shortly after Thanksgiving comes Small Business Saturday – and it’s the perfect holiday for small businesses to celebrate! Don’t forget to create a post to share on November 28, 2020 to celebrate the occasion. Kick your content up a level by sharing a discount code with your social media followers.

We hope these Thanksgiving-themed content ideas will help you fill your social media calendar with tons of great content that your customers will love to engage with.

Subscribe to our social media tips and get a FREE Instagram checklist for your business.

By subscribing, I agree to the Lightricks Privacy Policy.

How to Create Your First Holiday Instagram Ad in 7 Simple Steps

Have you created an Instagram ad yet for the holiday season? If not, now’s the time to get started! Just because you’re a small business owner with a small advertising budget, doesn’t mean that you can’t create a successful ad campaign for the holiday season.

Advertising on Instagram – even with a small amount invested – can go a long way and offer great return on investment for small businesses this holiday season. With over 1 billion total active Instagram users each month and a potential advertising reach of 928 million users, small businesses definitely don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to reach new customers and drive sales this holiday season by testing out Instagram ads.

So, are you ready to create your first Instagram ad for the 2020 holiday season? It’s easy to do, and you don’t even need an Instagram account to create Instagram ads. Simply head to Facebook and log into your Ads Manager, then select Instagram as a placement. And to help you get the best ROI for your Instagram ad campaign, we’ve put together our top seven tips to successfully create your first holiday Instagram ad.

1. Create Engaging Visuals

The most engaging type of visuals for Instagram ads is definitely video content. Small businesses who invest in video content for Instagram ads will get the best ROI – 70% of marketers reported more conversions with marketing videos than any other type of content. Luckily, creating new, custom video content doesn’t need to be expensive or complicated – simply download Boosted, the video making app with ready-to-go templates, stock videos and more for professional marketing videos in just a few minutes.

Here’s an example of the type of holiday content you can create using Boosted:

2. Include Text Overlays

Did you know that 85% of videos on Facebook and Instagram are watched with the sound off? In order to ensure that your Instagram video ads are even more engaging, include text captions in your video content to make it easy for your customers to watch the ad and still absorb all of the info with or without the sound.

3. A/B Test The Content

Once you’ve created a few high-quality marketing videos to use for your Instagram ads this holiday season, be sure to test out more than one piece of content for your ads. To do a proper A/B test, only change one element of the ad at a time – for example, try the same copy with different videos. Learn more about creating A/B tests in Facebook Ads Manager here.

4. Create a Strong CTA

Having high-quality and engaging visuals aren’t enough to create a truly successful ad – possibly the most important thing to include in your Instagram ads this holiday season is a strong CTA. Make it clear exactly what you want the customer to do after watching your ad and how they can do it.

5. Target the Right Audiences

Another super important tip when creating your first Instagram ad is to consider exactly who would like to advertise to. Once you have an idea of your target audience, be sure to create a custom audience segment in Ads Manager to ensure Instagram will show your ads to the right people.

6. Avoid The Actual Holidays

In order to see the best ROI with your holiday-themed Instagram ads, you should avoid advertising on the actual holiday. Why? Many larger companies (with much larger ad spends!) will pay to promote their holiday sales on the actual holidays which means a much higher cost per view. Instead, try to increase your ad spend before and after the holidays to see a higher return.

7. Monitor the Analytics

Last but not least, do not make the mistake of creating an Instagram ad campaign and forgetting to check on it! Once you’ve created your Instagram ads, it’s important to log back in and monitor the ad analytics to see how your holiday Instagram ads are performing. If one of the ads isn’t performing well, consider pausing that ad and increasing the spend of an ad that is doing better. Learn more about monitoring Instagram ad analytics here.

We hope these 7 easy tips will help you successfully create your first Instagram ad of the holiday season! And even if you are only able to invest a small budget on Instagram ads this year, follow these tips to create Instagram ads with the best ROI for your small business and drive more sales this holiday season.

Subscribe to our social media tips and get a FREE Instagram checklist for your business.

By subscribing, I agree to the Lightricks Privacy Policy.