With their growing bases of young and engaged digital teens, Snapchat and Instagram attract businesses that focus on this demographic. And both are making it easier for small businesses to create great content and generate a return on the investment of time and resources.

YOUR INSTAGRAM PROFILE

Instagram is available as a mobile app and on a web browser. Earlier this year, Instagram rolled out Instagram Business Tools, a suite of tools that allows businesses to easily and quickly launch and manage campaigns on the platform. If you have a Facebook Page for your business, you can convert your page into an Instagram account, carrying over your profile information and making it quick and easy to begin a campaign on Instagram. Instagram’s new support of businesses on the platform is still

being developed, but here are some highlights. First, the ability to parlay your existing Facebook Page followers

into a new Instagram account makes it easier and faster to launch the new profile and gain traction on the platform. Secondly, the Business Tools include Insights, which make

it possible to track metrics and engagement for both Facebook and Instagram posts. Tis is useful for honing your content and adjusting your targets. Using Instagram as a business will allow you to communicate

with customers via text, phone, or email, too. You can also provide maps and directions to your location. Posting content on Instagram is simple, and although it’s

meant to be an “in-the-moment” platform, you can schedule posts using a tool such as Hootsuite, Later, or Crowdfire, making it easy to keep a good flow going. Te most important thing is to be true to your business brand and offer images and videos that convey that brand.

Instagram offers the ability to promote posts, similar to Boosts

or Sponsored Posts on Facebook. You can use hashtags to find trending content, track and share related content, and drive sharing of your own posts. For example, a search of the hashtag #iceskating produced 1,379,217 posts, while #iceskatingrink produced 14,538 posts. Adding a locale is a good way to focus on your target audience.

YOUR SNAPCHAT PROFILE

Snapchat is a mobile app, so you will only be able to use it on a smart phone, and it’s available for iOS and Android models. Tere are a variety of features in the app, including the geofilters that identify the location with a special graphic as well as the ability to draw on your Snaps and to add a variety of graphic elements such as stickers, emojis, and lenses. And of course there’s a chat function. Download the app and create a profile for your business. Easy!

Now for the hard part. Since the app is designed as a messaging platform, you’ll be starting from a very lonely place. You’ll need to post interesting and fun content fairly regularly in order to gain followers and have viewers for your Snaps, which disappear quickly (you can download them and save them). Tis is when you’ll need a plan to promote your new profile

on Snapchat with your customers and community. (See tips on page 18.) You might also consider rolling out your new Snapchat profile with an On-Demand Geofilter that highlights your business or an event. On-Demand Geofilters can include brand logos and are easy to set up and schedule. As with Instagram or any social media platform, be sure your

posts on Snapchat are true to your business and brand, reflecting the values and passion that make your organization unique.

Post images and videos that convey your brand.

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ISI EDGE WINTER 2016