Hardwood Floors August/September 2018

including who has followed you or liked your photos, comments by users on your photos, comments in which you’re mentioned, and posts in which you’ve been tagged. Profile: Edit your profile, create and promote posts, and click on the gear icon to see more options for inviting friends, following people, account settings, changing your business and account settings, changing your privacy and settings, and more. Also, at any time from the home page (house icon), you can tap the camera icon (top le ) to take a picture or video. In the upper right corner of the screen is a paper airplane icon that allows you to direct message (DM) other Instagram users by sending a message, photo, video, or any other image. You can enhance DMs, posts, and photos using these Instagram apps and features: Type: color background with no photo Live: streaming video Normal: regular photo Boomerang: creates a GIF Focus: photo that focuses in on the subject, blurs the background Superzoom: zooming action with sound effects Rewind: video in reverse Hands-free: video without holding the button Stop motion: a long series of photos that turn into a GIF You can add lters; tag people; add a location (geotag); and share to Facebook, Twi er, or Tumblr. And if there are certain followers or people (or competitors) you don’t want to see your Instagram o ers two places for advertisers – the news feed and the story. (We’ll cover Instagram story advertising in the next installment of this article series.) Following are options for advertising in the news feed. • Photo ads feature images and can incorporate call-to-action buttons including: apply now, book now, call now, contact us, get directions, learn more, and download. • Video ads can be up to 60 seconds long and are supported by call-to-action buttons including: apply story, block them in “Story Controls.” ADVERTISING ON INSTAGRAM

now, book now, call now, contact us, and download. • Carousel ads consist of a series of images or videos that users can swipe through to see a longer story. Companies or brands can highlight multiple products or services, tell a multipart story, show a multistep process, or dive deeper into a product or service with up to 10 images or videos. Carousels are supported by call-to-action buttons including: apply now, book now, contact us, call now, or download. Creating ads on Instagram requires that the account is linked to a Facebook Business Page; this will allow you to use Facebook Ad Manager. Facebook Ad Manager is a tool that helps users customize audiences, create ads, set budgets, and monitor performance of ads and campaigns for both Facebook and Instagram. An existing Facebook (business) page can be connected to Instagram by doing the following: • Enter a name for your business, select the primary page, and enter your name and work email address. • (Optional) Learn how to add people to Facebook Business Manager, a free tool for helping marketing teams or vendors securely manage multiple accounts or apps. Ad Manager also gives marketers access to insights like visitor demographics (e.g., age, gender, education, job title), customized reports based on key performance metrics (e.g., click-through rate or cost per conversion), and an assets library you create (e.g., images, photos, logos). DO YOU NEED INSTAGRAM? A search of the best or top social media platforms for business usually includes the following: Facebook, Twi er, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and Yelp. Each has its strengths, weaknesses, and personality. Facebook is older and more personal. LinkedIn is more professional. Instagram targets a younger audience and is more “trendy.” To nd out if Instagram is right for your company, start an account and experiment with it. Watch for Part 3 of this Instagram series where we’ll explore Instagram Stories – what they are, how to use them, and what advertising options are available for businesses. Katrina Olson is a marketing consultant, trainer, writer, and principal of Katrina Olson Marketing + Training. Reach her at Katrina@KatrinaOlson.com. • Go to business.facebook.com. • Click “Create Account.”

the magazine of the national wood flooring association

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