National Social Media Day Q&A with Smarty Social

Let’s talk Instagram Reels, influencers, and the differences between paid and organic content.

As experts in social media who understand the impact it’s had on marketing (for more than a decade now!), we could not let National Social Media Day pass by without celebrating the Smarty way…by focusing on our FOLLOWERS!! Last week, we asked you to send us your questions on anything and everything about social media marketing. 

We were impressed by the range of strategic questions and picked a handful for our team to answer that we felt were most valuable to dig into! 

On National Social Media Day, spend some time reading a few articles about all the exciting changes happening in the world of social, and take a spin through the Q&A below for a few tips and tricks. Don’t worry – if your question wasn’t covered, contact us for a NO-CHARGE 30-minute consultation where we can cover specific social strategies for YOUR business.

Thank you to everyone who submitted a question! To learn more from our Smarty Social experts, visit this previous post on our favorite best practices we carried into 2021.

Q: What are the benefits of Instagram Reels? 

A: Reels are all about working the algorithm while it favors this type of content, leveraging the type of content people are loving on TikTok, and getting your content/message seen by a larger audience with greater virality.

– Jami, CEO

A: Reels can be a GREAT tool for growing your reach on Instagram! They allow you to display your product in a creative way, driving more engagement. Reels don’t have to be elaborate, so start adding them to your strategy (and monitor reach and engagement)!

– Michelle, Account Director 

Q: When running a branded campaign, shouldn’t I always work with the influencers who have the most followers?

A: No! It’s tempting to want to work with the influencer with the most followers, but there are a few factors even more important than their following:

• Is their engagement authentic, and do they have a genuine connection to your brand? 
• How much sponsored content do they do, and does their content fit your brand?
• Does their audience fit who you are trying to reach?

The influencer’s overall aesthetic, voice, and style should fit your brand. The most impactful influencer campaigns come from connecting the right influencer with the right brand at the right moment — regardless of their follower count!

– Sara, Account Director, Influencer Management 

Q: How much should a business invest in organic content? 

A: It’s no secret that the average number of people seeing organic posts without paid amplification is low, but brands/businesses with a purposeful and consistent organic content strategy can strengthen their brand reputation, create trust with fans/customers, and generate more opportunity for reach (over time).

To gain efficiencies, we recommend you repurpose some of your existing paid and marketing assets for organic posts, as well as other curated content that has already been created. This helps ease the heavy lifting that comes with producing unique organic content on a regular basis. To do this, we recommend reviewing your paid assets to select pieces that could fit into your organic strategy (with appropriate modifications). Then look for content that your fans/followers are posting and tagging you in on, and ask for permission to share on your channels. Start with a few pieces to test, then see what works organically. Organic content performance should always be measured by engagements or engagement rate to see if it’s resonating and being saved or shared. It’s a wise use of resources to repurpose content when it makes strategic sense. After all, not everyone has an unlimited content creation budget! 

– Stephanie, VP Strategy & Client Service

Q: What is the difference between sponsored posts and boosted posts? 

A:  Boosted posts and sponsored posts fall under the same umbrella — they’re both just different types of Facebook ads! 

Boosted or Promoted posts are organically published Facebook (or Instagram) posts that have been amplified with paid media. Sponsored posts (better known as Facebook ads or dark ads) are created in Ads Manager and considered “dark ads” since they don’t appear publicly on a brand’s Facebook or Instagram account. They are more sophisticated than boosted posts and can be customized based on campaign objective, ad placement, and have advanced targeting capabilities. 

Both appear with the “Sponsored” tag in users’ feeds, and both require a budget to be shown to a defined audience. They should both be used strategically based on your KPIs.

– Sarah, Media Director

Q: Should I create a monthly content calendar? 

A: Building a weekly/monthly social content calendar not only opens a realm of ideas when it comes time to planning creative, but it gives clients that collaborative front seat in the content process. Content calendars will help you plan ahead, stay on top of relevant moments, keep your brand or client on a consistent posting schedule (resulting in an engaged audience), and best of all — it will allow you to track what’s working, so you can optimize your content and build from there!

– Paige, Content Producer