🚀 Insta Secrets & Sales Hacks You Can’t Miss

Ever feel like social media updates drop faster than your morning coffee brews? ☕ Don’t sweat it – we’ve got you covered! In this week’s roundup:

• The rise of audio tracks on Instagram (and why you need them).

• Why a digital assessment is your business’ secret weapon.

• How to cash in on Instagram and Facebook Shops.

• Instagram’s 10 newest features that’ll have your brand shining.

10 Instagram Features That’ll Make Your Business Shine Like a Newport Sunset

Looking to add a little magic to your Instagram strategy? You’re in luck! Instagram has been rolling out some brilliant updates designed to give your brand a serious boost. Let’s dive into the latest features:

1. Story Highlights Get Their Own Cozy Corner

Story Highlights have moved to their own heart-icon tab, decluttering your profile and giving your latest posts the spotlight. Your old gems? Just a tap away. It’s like tidying up your shop window while keeping the best behind-the-scenes moments handy.

🛠 Try it now: Rearrange your Highlights and see how your profile shines. Bonus: use Canva to design matching covers for an extra-polished look.

2. Hashtag Following Says Goodbye

Pour one out for hashtag followers – this feature is officially gone as of December 13, 2024. Now it’s all about direct connections with your audience, making every follow and like feel more personal.

🛠 What to do: Use trending hashtags in your captions to stay discoverable, even if followers can’t follow them anymore.

3. Test-Drive Instagram’s Reel Feast

Reels just leveled up! 🎉 With Instagram’s Trial Reels feature, you can test your Reel’s success with non-followers for a whole 72 hours before it officially drops to your followers.

Meta-verified users, this one’s for you. Clickable links in Reels are here to drive traffic to your website, shop, or event page directly from your content. It's engagement magic. ✨

🛠 Upgrade your Reels: Add clear calls to action like “Shop now” or “Learn more” in your Reel captions. Tools like Splice can help you craft engaging videos.

4. Nicknames and Stickers for DMs

Your chats just got a glow-up! Add playful nicknames for your VIP customers or collaborators, and jazz up convos with AI-powered stickers that scream personality.

🛠 Pro tip: Use nicknames to keep track of leads and partnerships (e.g., “Potential Sponsor” or “Big Spender”).

5. Profile Cards for Easy Sharing

New feature alert: profile cards make sharing your Insta profile as easy as pie. Think of it as your digital business card – but way cooler.

🛠 Spread the word: Share your profile card in your email signature or on business flyers. It’s a slick way to connect IRL and online.

6. Story Comments = More Engagement

Your followers can now drop comments on your Stories! This is your chance to get the convo flowing and build that audience relationship like a pro.

🛠 How to start: Ask a question or share a poll in your next Story. Then, keep an eye on those comments to engage back ASAP.

7. Expanded Carousels and Notes

Say hello to 20-slide carousels – perfect for showing off product lines or sharing event recaps. Bonus: add notes to your posts for an extra sprinkle of context.

🛠 Quick idea: Use carousel posts to share customer testimonials, with each slide featuring a happy client story or review.

8. A Sleek New Look

Instagram’s interface just got a mini makeover. It’s cleaner, smoother, and makes running your account feel like a breeze.

🛠 Take advantage: Use the refresh as an excuse to update your bio and profile pic. New look, new vibes!

9. Enhanced DM Features

Editing messages and pinning chats? Game-changer. Whether it’s fixing a typo or keeping important convos top of mind, you’re more organized than ever.

🛠 Action step: Pin ongoing orders or client inquiries so nothing slips through the cracks.

10. Promo Codes = Easy Sales

Instagram now lets you use promo codes directly in the app, making it seamless for customers to grab your latest deal.

🛠 Set it up: Use Instagram’s promo code feature during your next sale. Promote it in Reels and Stories with a countdown sticker to create urgency.

Instagram is rolling out the red carpet for local businesses with these features. Dive in, play around, and watch your engagement and charm soar.

Instagram Audio Trends! ✨

The holiday season is bringing fresh sounds that are on the rise, just waiting to hit the big leagues! 🎶 Get ahead of the curve by incorporating these up-and-coming audio trends to give your content a festive edge before everyone else catches on. 🎄

Popular, RIGHT! Ariana Grande

Remember Glinda’s iconic squeal in Wicked when Elphaba nails her “Popular” pop quiz? That enthusiasm is pure marketing gold – and yes, it’s trending on social media right now. So, what’s your brand’s “Popular” moment? What makes you stand out? Let’s turn that excitement into engagement. Here’s how different business sectors can use this sound to sing your praises! 😀 

🎨 Artists & Creatives: Show off a time-lapse of your latest project. Caption it with a cheeky “They were… creative? RIGHT!” moment. Bonus points if it’s a mural or craft that screams “unique.”

☕ Coffee Shops & Cafes: Feature your best-selling latte with a dramatic reveal. “They were… caffeinated? RIGHT!” Because, let’s be honest, we’re all chasing that cup of ambition.

🌿 Boutiques & Small Shops: Highlight a fan-favorite product that’s flying off the shelves. “They were… stylish? RIGHT!” Pair it with a slow-mo pan of your beautifully curated display.

🍝 Restaurants: Flaunt a plate of your most extra dish or dessert. “They were… delicious? RIGHT!” Watch the drool-worthy likes roll in.

Hannahmoore.fitness - original audio

It’s official: the evil laugh audio taking social media by storm is the villain arc your marketing needs this holiday season. Perfect for adding a sprinkle of sass or a full cauldron of mischief to your brand’s posts, this sound has big main character energy – and it’s here to help your content steal the show.

🎁 Retailers: Pair the audio with a video showing customers' reactions to an amazing holiday deal: “When they realize the gift wrapping is free too.”

🍴 Restaurants & Cafes: Highlight your winter menu with a wink: “When you release a hot cocoa flight and a boozy eggnog, and the crowd goes wild.”

🛠️ Contractors & Home Services: Show off a before-and-after transformation: “When they thought that ‘70s wallpaper couldn’t be removed... but you’ve got the tools.”

📸 Photographers: Tease a big reveal, like your holiday mini-session setup: “When your setup makes them feel like they’re on the cover of a Christmas card.”

💇 Salons & Spas: Perfect for some tongue-in-cheek humor: “When they ask for ‘just a trim,’ but you know their hair needs a glow-up.”

The sound is versatile, easy to use, and delivers a laugh – and isn’t that exactly what your social media strategy needs? Let your creativity (and a little villainy) shine this season. Happy plotting! 😈

Turn Likes into Sales: How Small Biz Owners Can Cash In on Facebook & Insta Shops!

Let’s cut to the chase – you’ve got amazing products, but getting them in front of more local customers can feel like trying to find parking in downtown Providence on a Saturday night. Frustrating, right?

Enter Facebook and Instagram Shops, the superhero your small business needs. With these built-in storefronts, your customers can browse, tap, and buy – all without leaving the app.

What’s the Deal with Facebook & Instagram Shops?

Think of them as your digital storefronts embedded right inside the apps your customers already scroll endlessly. No clunky redirects, no abandoned carts – just seamless shopping.

For Rhode Island small biz owners, that means:
✅ Local reach: Hit your target audience in Pawtucket, Providence, or Westerly.
✅ Convenience: Customers browse, tap, and buy all in one place.

Why This Works Like Magic

1️⃣ Seamless Shopping = More Sales
When customers don’t have to leave Instagram to check out your cozy New England sweaters, they’re way more likely to buy.

2️⃣ Hyperlocal Targeting
You can zoom in on Rhode Island neighborhoods and target nearby communities. Think ads for Cranston or Reels for Newport – because small state, big opportunities!

3️⃣ Boosted Visibility
Meta loves shopping content and will boost your products in people’s feeds. Translation: 📈 More eyes, more clicks, more sales.

Want to Get Started?

Check out the resource below for six-step instructions to set up and thrive with Facebook and Instagram Shops.

Tip: Sprinkle tags, hashtags, and keywords.

Why: Your bio is your Instagram handshake – make it count! Add tags for other accounts and relevant hashtags/keywords to help the algorithm find your content and connect your projects.

Tip: Hide tagged photos that don’t fit your aesthetic.

Why: Your tagged photos section doesn’t have to be a random photo dump. Clean it up by hiding irrelevant photos! Tap the person icon under your bio, select the photo, and hit "Remove me from post" or "Hide from my profile" for an instant profile makeover.

Tip: Add line breaks in your bio for clarity.

Why: No one wants to squint at a block of text. Use line breaks for easier reading and a more polished look. Tap the "123" button on your keyboard to access the Return key, and create neat sections for an organized bio.

Tool of the Week: Digital Assessments

A digital assessment is critical for your small businesses to optimize your online presence and stay competitive in a fast-changing digital landscape. It helps you identify things that are not working, improve the user experience, and stay aligned with your business goals. By taking a look at performance across websites, social media, SEO, email marketing, and paid ads, a digital assessment ensures that your resources are focused on what works best, reducing wasted time. It also strengthens your messaging, enhances visibility, provides insights for better decision-making, and helps your business adapt to trends and address security vulnerabilities.

Check out Dennise Kowalczyk's blog on digital assessment here

Resource of the Week: