Instagram Your Brand: Five Tested Marketing tips

There are now 400 million active users of Instagram, making it one of the most used social media sites on a daily basis. Launched in 2010, Instagram has become more than a photo gallery for personal use. In fact, a lot of companies are now making their brands "instagrammable."

How companies can maximize Instagram depends on the product or service that they offer. It is, of course, impossible for a company dealing with corporate services like banks or airlines to come up with a concept similar to beauty brands. However, this doesn’t mean banks, airlines, and other service-oriented companies cannot come up with creative visuals that they can post on their Instagram account.

Here are other five tips on how companies can use Instagram:

- Have a grid concept or a specific theme. Many people are becoming conscious of how their Instagram accounts look like to achieve having an account that people will also call #feedgoals. Some people decide on a particular theme for their posts, example, white borders or a regular font or filter to use for the photos. Others are getting into grids. Having a theme or key elements in the posts – such as white only background or greenery on all posts – will make an account easier on the eyes, thus attracting more followers.

 Image source: Marketingcloud.com 

- Share a story and be consistent. Service-oriented companies like hotels, banks, airlines, and the like can use Instagram to share their company’s mission, vision, and even customer feedbacks, not only through compelling visuals but brief but straightforward captions. It’s best if these stories are posted as a series or on a regular schedule for consistency.

- Hold a promo or contest exclusive to Instagram. This is one of the fail-safe steps on how to gain more followers on Instagram. It also is a good way to establish a hashtag or geotag for the brand, which customers may use even after the promo. According to BrandWatch.com, posts that have hashtags get at least 12.6 percent engagement, and those with location receive 79 percent engagement. This will be helpful especially for physical shops or restaurants.

Image source: Miva.com

- Utilize the video. So, what if Snapchat’s all the rage lately? Instagram has its own video option that brands can use to make interesting content. The embed option makes it easier for companies to use their Instagram videos on their website or blog too.

Cross-post using other accounts. Instagram have its own unique features, but it’s best used with other sites, too. Linking Instagram to Facebook makes promotion easier. With hashtags, which are also recognized on Facebook, brands can leverage their contests or social media buzz once it’s cross-posted on Facebook. Plus, this can lead to additional followers too.
Read more business-related tips and articles on this Steven Rindner blog.

The Keys To Employee Loyalty

A company that has been in the industry for decades most likely has stable and satisfied personnel. Unfortunately, many businesses today seem to struggle with getting an employee to stay. Here are some tips that will help encourage employees to remain in their current workplace: 

Image source: Businessnewsdaily.com

 

Open up opportunities to grow.

Allow employees to undergo training within or outside the office. Give a chance to those who are struggling but have the potential to become great employees. Whether it is a simple self-image course or offering to pay part of the tuition for graduate studies related to their job, let employees go the extra mile in improving their confidence and skills. 

Set good leaders in place.

Leaders that demand a lot without listening to an employee’s feedback could be the reason a lot of people in the office are leaving. When workers no longer feel valued in their current workplace, that’s when they start to seek other employment opportunities. Instead of the stereotypical manager breathing down an employee’s neck, perhaps it’s time to take a chance on choosing leaders that inspire and motivate. 

Offer chances for promotion

Let employees feel that there is a level playing field in the office. When they realize that those who are evaluating them are impartial, that’s when they will unleash their best side. Once they’ve given up on reaping the rewards in their current company, that’s when dissatisfaction creeps in. To prevent this, affirm employees that they too can succeed in their current company. 

Image source: Linkedin.com

 

Employee loyalty can be difficult to earn. Once it is in place, it will be hard to challenge. Successful companies know how to invest and reward in their employees. It’s time for many others to follow suit in harnessing great talent.

Corporate development executive Steven Rindner has many years of experience in business development and growth strategy across a number of industries including media, technology, real estate services, and healthcare. He is currently working for Belgium-based Besins Healthcare International. For more business articles, subscribe to this blog.

A Perfect Fit: Breaking In Running Shoes

On race day, it is never a good idea to run in brand new shoes or on worn out ones. Running shoes with 300 to 400 miles on them lose their cushioning ability and other internal factors that the feet need. Brand new shoes, however, are not flexible enough to be used in a marathon. Also, the shoes might have structural differences from the runner's previous pair. The feet need to adjust to those structural differences. Wearing a pair of brand new shoes on the marathon day can result in blisters and ankle soreness. Simply put, brand new shoes require a bit of breaking in.

Image source: livestrong.com

New shoes should be purchased at least three weeks before the marathon. The breaking in process starts with walking in them for a few days. It can be worn when walking around the house and town, shopping, or while working, if it is allowed. After getting the feel and fit of the shoes, the next step would be to use them gradually in running. For example, if a runner runs five times a week, then she can start using the new shoes once or twice then gradually increase those times until the she feels comfortable using them in every run.

Image source: verwell.com

Steven Rindner is a successful business executive who has expertise in diverse fields such as healthcare businesses, real estate, and media. Aside from his passion in business development, he is a running enthusiast as well. For more articles on leadership and marathons, follow this Twitter account.

Simulation, Virtual Reality, And The Future Of Real Estate

Image source: theglobeandmail.ca

Technology is continuously changing different industries, and real estate is no exception. With the growth of virtual and augmented reality, real estate companies and professionals are keeping up with the demands of their gadget-heavy consumers. Here’s how the real estate business is moving toward a tech-friendly market. 

Virtual staging

 

Real estate professionals always say that an empty house is harder to sell than furnished ones. But thanks to technology and augmented reality, selling homes will be easier. A photographer shoots an empty home, and a “virtual stager” puts on images of furniture to dress the bare space. When clients come through and touch the furniture, they realize that it’s not really there, but it’s just a mere illustration of how a space will look like when it’s packed.

Virtual staging uses LED and LCD projectors to give off an illusion of furniture. It does not just save space, but money as well. A sofa used for staging purposes may cost up to $300 to $400, but virtual staging costs only about $99 per room.

VR tours

 

Some real estate companies use the Matterport camera, which can scan a house in 3-D in minutes and converts the scanned image into a virtual reality experience. Clients can view a property with special, gamer-like binoculars for the home walk-throughs.

Image source: opticsgamer.com

These simulations and virtual reality technologies are convenient and affordable, which is a plus for real estate companies. There is still room for improvement in these technologies, but VR-real estate tours are expected to develop in about two to three years. 

Steven Rindner is a business executive who has extensive background in growth strategy in media, health care, and real estate. Visit this blog to read similar articles.

Improving Profit by Utilizing Customer Feedback

An underutilized tool in business development is customer feedback. For the most part, entrepreneurs see this to be a "soft" option; a set of information that cannot be justly quantified or relied upon. The term does suggest this. There is absolutely no way to delineate biases from customer feedback. Nevertheless, used correctly, feedback from one’s clients can be used to augment existing data and address certain issues.

Image source: flikr.com

There is a time and place for everything. Customer feedback can give clues to areas that would otherwise go unnoticed. How does this product or service make you feel? What emotion does this product or service provoke? These are factors that mere scientific data cannot record. This becomes of especial importance in industries that promote personal interaction. An example would be health care. Technically speaking, health is a matter of numbers. Did the medicine work? If so, how fast did it take? What were the side effects, if there are any? These are all quantifiable data. However, hospitalization goes beyond this. Now, government and health agencies are tracking bedside manners as well. This has more than a cosmetic reason: studies have found that patients improve faster when they are happier, less stressed, and feel that they are well taken care of. Numbers – substantial and irrefutable evidence – are affected by an intangible, feedback.

Image source: forbes.com

This has a direct effect on profit. People are more likely to repeat pleasurable experiences. This is how one gains repeat customers. When the feedback is good, entrepreneurs may use this to continue practices that work. Similarly, customer feedback can be used to pinpoint areas that need improvement or should be disregarded.  

Industries such as pharmaceuticals, media, and real estate have sought the expertise of Steven Rindner, a business and growth analyst. Learn more by following this Google+ account.