We were already hearing rumors that Instagram was working on the redesign of a new design for Android, but we did not expect the renovation was going to be so radical. The popular photographs App with over 400 million users, announced a new design for both the application icon, and everything inside it. The new Instagram logo redesign corresponds to the third time that the App changes it appearance. The first two designs were made by Kevin Systrom (Instagram co-founder) and the last one by Ian Spalter (chief designer).
The redesign also extends towards the three applications owned by the social network: Boomerang (facilitates recording short videos), Layout (used to create photo collages) and Hyperlapse (creates fast motion videos).
As reported by the social network in its announcement, the new design improves how the App looks and feels, but without changing the navigation style that characterizes it. In addition, the App aims to put more focus on photos and videos.
Ian Spalter said that this redesign is a reflection of the different ways in which users of Instagram, Layoutt, Boomerang and Hyperlapse use the services. “We ask employees to describe Instagram logo of in less than 5 seconds. Almost all obviated the rainbow, lens and viewfinder”, said design specialist.
What is curious is that in the middle of the vintage revolution that society lives, Instagram has decided to eliminate the retro air that characterizes the App since its launch in 2009.
Several social networks impact
Instagram users level of satisfaction has always been high, since the platform is dynamic and filters have been improving. What happened, then, that the App become object of criticism?
Social networks are sensitive, perhaps this is the reason why Instagram users does not applaud the new logo. Instead of this they express their rejection in other social networks like Twitter and Facebook.
Users in social networks, especially on Twitter, were quick to express their opinion:
What do you think about Instagram logo redesign? Consult us about our Monthly Plan on Social Networks!
The question brands frequently make is: How to succeed in Instagram? This has become the social network of the moment and companies are trying to position themselves there. The reasons for this growing interest are varied:
-Everybody is talking about this Social network and brands seek to get some profit from it. -Usage numbers are growing, which means there is a lot of ground to explore and to attract consumers. -Results are being felt and engagement figures are higher than those of other social networks. -Instagram is a showcase for audiovisual content: Brands communicate through pictures and videos and this content is the most interest today to consumers.
HubSpot has made a ranking of the 16 best brands that are on Instagram and from this selection it’s easy to draw a few lessons:
Photos must be of quality
It is no longer enough to meet the minimum requirements to highlight in the social network, now brands have to share quality pictures. One example is National Geographic. Both the magazine and Instagram have always taken great care quality and professionalism of the pictures. But not always professional teams are required to obtain high-quality images, you can get incredible results knowing how to use mobile devices.
Avoid talking about “yours”
One of the temptations in wich brands may fall is to publish photographs of their products or services. That’s considered spam. You have to create conversations and generate genuine interest from users. It should reflect the philosophy of the brand. Companies that succeed in Instagram manage their images communicate what interests them, what they like and what they want to share.
Brands must have a personality
Each brand must have their own values, characteristics and interests and also that personality has to be consistent. It is not worth to change based on fashions and trends. The images have to be shared like a cover letter that help consumers understand the philosophy of the brand. All this is important because the photos identify the target to which it is intended to reach.
Brands involve others
It is not enough to post pictures and wait for “like”. Successful brands achieve that users are part of the message and become issuers.
How prepared is your brand to succeed in Instagram?
Consumers are exposed to about 200 visual advertising messages a day, which has reduced the response to such stimuli. On the other hand, the other senses have a wider influence, both consciously and subconsciously, as we are less accustomed to marketing activities that target them. That is why we believe it is very convenient for brands to focus on multisensory marketing strategy, that is, directed to the 5 senses
Advertising thought that the most important thing of an ad is pleasing to the eye, but the truth is that when it comes to convincing consumers isn´t just go to one of the senses. A report released by Shullman Research Center emphasizes that if we have five sense is for some reason, so the most effective strategy is the one that consider all of them: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.
While the view is the most important for 74% of consumers sense, the other senses are also important. This statement is noted in the case of luxury brands, as consumers are least prioritize the sense of sight in marketing campaigns. For these sight and hearing lose relatively importance in favor of touch, taste, and smell.
Addressing men and women also changes the importance of each of the senses.While 85% of women placed in sight as the first or second most important in making a purchasing decision sense, only 79% of men think so. More data are similar in the case of hearing, touch and smell, but also differ in taste (21% of men placed him as the first or second most important sense, while only 17% of women agree the same).
Especially in food and beverage brands is a good idea to bet to multisensory experiences, marketing tactics that go beyond extolling “flavor” or “appearance,” allowing consumers to interact with the products of various shapes and using every way (for example, touching the ingredients with closed eyes, smell before tasting them, making music with them, etc).
Brands that make an impact on consumers by appealing to unusual ways are increasing. Examples of the above are the smell of fresh bread at the supermarket or the smell of wood in luxury cars (although there is no wood inside).
Is your brand sufficiently directed to the 5 senses of consumers?
The functional purpose of branding is to identify a differential promise about the values of a brand, and communicate it to consumers in a coherent and consistently way. Political parties have failed to transmit that brand promise, resulting in the total loss of public confidence. This is why politics must learn from branding.
Like any brand that has reached its final cycle of life, political parties need a regeneration if they want to survive. These parties are articulated today as a group of members who share the strictest sense of belonging and the denial of anyone who does not share the same opinion. A totally opposite approach to having citizens at the center of their strategies.
But building a political brand is something that takes time and a careful strategy. Unlike other brands that seek the continued confidence of the public, political brands seem to be focused only on getting confidence every four years, when polls become the best indicator of sales and trust.
In the absence of a clear promise, supporting only their messages by generalist ideologies, political parties are engaged in the speeches of fear and in the discrediting of the contrary. But what would happen in the outside world if Pepsi simply told us how bad the ingredients of Coca-Cola are for our organism? It is clear that negative messages do not get adepts to your lines.
Politicians should learn that they should not only communicate to the voters, but especially to those who do not vote, just like any brand that tries to enter the home of new consumers. Even if we move from parties to politicians or brands to branded products, it is necessary to build an emotional connection between the product and the customer. And that is something that does not conform only during a political campaign.
Fortunately, the population is not stupid and picks out those brands with which it feels identified, who have been concerned to build a positive dialogue. Completely neglected by our political brands. It is time for political parties to take good note of what good management of their brand means and what it can do for them.
Marketing of contents have become a very important strategic tool for business in the last few years. It is efficient and it accomplishes to seduce consumers making them loyal to the brand. Moreover it awakes positive expectations, but not every company that is using marketing of contents reaches success as they expected.
Contents aren´t magic, they are not able to charm the consumer and seduce it instantly. It is a process that needs to be elaborated correctly as well as planned so as to obtain the expected results in the right time. It requires hard work and effort. To begin with, for contents to be effective the first thing to do is set the correct objective followed by a strategy. But the most important thing is to beware of not making typical mistakes.
Some of the basic mistakes in a marketing strategy of contents are the following:
1- Target is wrong defined.
It is extremely important to detect correctly the target of your business and especially the target of what are you about to communicate. Furthermore, you must be precautious defining it because each one has their preferences, environment, friends, favoritism, etc. These elements are the key to success, if you notice them by the time you define your target you will reach the correct one for sure.
2- Wrong use of communicational channels.
As said before, first of all you must detect your target and analyze it. After that segmentation you will be able to know witch communicational channels use to reach the leading objective. In other words: see where the target is, its main values, desires and preferences. It is essential to know how to manipulate those channels inasmuch as each one has its particular way of reaching consumers.
3- Contents do not have clear objectives.
The content is what helps the company to stay close to the consumer. Every content strategy must have a well-planned objective, if not it will fail. This should be related to the target so as to the channel selected. Precision and clarity are extremely important at the time of setting what they want to communicate in order to strengthen the relationship between the transmitter and the receiver, making it more dynamic and effective.
These contents need to have coherence and cohesion above all the communicational strategy. Setting a route, or a waybill, it’s an easy way to follow a line and avoid mistakes that will confuse the target. Being loyal to it will help to achieve better results.
4- Being repetitive.
Contents need to be innovative; it requires being in constant alert of new opportunities and not staying with the obvious things. Variety within the parameters of the strategy will help to accomplish this.
5- Using spam.
Sending promotions in a constant way as a unique form of communication it is not useful as a main strategy. On the other hand, searching for the company’s differential and the added value that the product or service offers it’s a great starting point. You must think as a mass media that is the key to attract your target: with well develop and highly narrated announcements.
Twitter has become one of the favorite tools to companies business by the way it reaches consumers. It´s quick, direct and it works in a perfect way that helps to establish long lasting real time relations by keeping the brand as a part of the daily news. Companies start to be a part of the conversation and the communications turns more personal with the consumers.
But Twitter, as every communicational tool, requires some basic elements at the time users create a digital strategy to reach success when relating with consumers. In other words: everything that can occur on Twitter matters, and not everything brands do is acceptable. Hubspot and SocialBro made a guide of what does and what does not make a brand succeed on Twitter.
Twitter as a perfect tool to build a brand
Social media has become an essential element to build a powerful brand. Twitter is vital for it but it needs to have a good role play. It is important to follow Twitter´s basic rules. According to Hubspot´s information, to acquire engagement within the relationship with consumers first of all it is needed to establish an equal bond with followers. In other words, the audience should be seen as a friend rather than the massive group of people it actually is. By having this on mind the communication turns more personal to each consumer; as an audience you prefer to feel there is a relationship with the brand you follow instead of reading institutional messages that were obviously thought for the mass. Of course, this also helps to embrace the personality of the company by reflecting it in every message they send, and as they publish messages that connect with the audience.
Twitter as a lead generator.
This social media tool does not only works to create powerful bonds within consumers and brands, it´s also useful to conclude several things brands are looking forward to concrete in short term conditions; such as generating leads. To achieve this, tweets must be short and concise: the reader should clearly notice what you are offering. Moreover it must be presented in an attractive way. The best technique to achieve this is by including only one link, by not using hash tags and by not mentioning other users.
Twitter has its own label
It is extremely important not to forget that Twitter has its own label which provides a specific format that needs to be strictly followed. Direct messages are useful when a personal communication is required if not it is considered spam communication. On behalf, something that must be kept on mind is to take care and keep followers. You ought to convince them that your account is worth to follow. Most of companies twitter accounts loose a 15% of new followers after the 3rd week they get to know the brand because, the information that was posted wasn´t relevant.
How content is published helps to achieve better results.
Images are much more attractive than texts. Tweets that include images achieve a 34% of re-tweets rather than the ones which not. Furthermore, not every image will work, it needs a previous analysis and selection of what image it will be posted, why and when. First of all, as it is recommended on Hubspot´s guide: make sure you have the right to publish that image, check quality and definition, and be aware that there is a relation with the content.
Images are not the only way to create an attractive post. Playing with URLs it is also a good strategy to have on mind. According to SocialBro´s data base, corporate messages on Twitter that include an URL in the middle achieve in a 26% a superior number of re-tweets, than the ones that includes it at the beginning or at the end.
And, of course, hash tags are definitely an element that helps to motivate the company´s presence in conversations. Terms of use are based on common sense, although brands don´t always have this on mind. Hash tags must be used on appropriate situations. If a hash tag wants to be used to start a conversation it must be creative and clearly linked to the brand, so as to followers link it on their minds. And the most important part is not to use hash tags that have been used by others, especially by the competence.
To conclude, a tweet with numerous hash tags does not reach the objective. The ones with only one hash tag obtain a 69% more of probabilities to be re-tweeted.
We were already hearing rumors that Instagram was working on the redesign of a new design for Android, but we did not expect the renovation was going to be so radical. The popular photographs App with over 400 million users, announced a new design for both the application icon, and everything inside it. The new Instagram logo redesign corresponds to the third time that the App changes it appearance. The first two designs were made by Kevin Systrom (Instagram co-founder) and the last one by Ian Spalter (chief designer).
