Instagram is the fastest growing social media platform of 2018—now reaching 1 billion monthly active users, up from 800 million in September 2017. This year continued to see a growing number of brands actively adding Instagram to their social media marketing mix.

Research has shown that successful brands are using popular Instagram hashtags to better connect with target audiences. The benefits for businesses and marketers are that hashtags are also searchable and can be tracked to measure a social media campaign’s ROI.
 
What are Hashtags?
Hashtags are basically words or phrases, that follow the symbol “#”. These #hashtaged words or phrases work to categorize and link posts to content with the same hashtag/s. Using popular and trending Instagram hashtags can be a powerful way to increase exposure and draw attention to branded posts, but don't over do it, use three to five as a general guide.
 
Popular Instagram hashtags for 2018:

1. #Love
2. #Instagood
3. #Photooftheday
4. #Fashion
5. #Beautiful
6. #Happy
7. #Like4like
8. #Picoftheday
9. #Art
10. #Photography

 
How to use Hashtags?
The best way to use hashtags is to find popular ones and use them in your branded post. Businesses should also create a hashtag that reflects their brand or campaign message. An example could be using the business name, product offered, product tagline, or the name of a current campaign, along with a popular/trending hashtag.

Benefits of using Hashtags?
Using hashtags consistently on Instagram boosts brand exposure and target audience awareness to your business. An added benefit of using hashtags is that you will be able to track and analyze campaign results across varying demographics/regions.
 
So, now that you know some of the popular hashtags on Instagram for 2018 and how to add them to your marketing mix—make smart use of them in 2019.

Scopic builds businesses socially through creative communication solutions, contact us to find out more.

With Facebook now driving the increasing popularity of Instagram, it's fast becoming one of the leading social media platforms—current global community of 800 million. For this reason, a growing number of businesses are actively adding Instagram to their social media marketing mix.
 
To maximize the power and exposure of Instagram, these businesses need to utilize the use of Instagram hashtags.

Hashtags are basically words or phrases, that follow the symbol “#”. These #hashtaged words or phrases work to cluster and link your posts to topics with the same hashtag. The benefits for businesses and marketers is that hashtags are searchable and can be tracked. Using the most popular and trending Instagram hashtags can be a powerful way to increase exposure and draw attention to your posts, but don't over do it, use three to five as a guide.
 
Here are Instagram’s 10 most popular hashtags of 2017:

1. #love
2. #fashion
3. #photooftheday
4. #photography
5. #art
6. #beautiful
7. #travel
8. #happy
9. #nature
10. #picoftheday

 
Read Instagram's full report here: Instagram’s 2017 Year in Review

Branded Hashtag Idea: Create a hashtag that reflects your brand or campaign message. An easy example could be your business name, product tagline, or the name of a current campaign. Use it consistently on Instagram posts to drive exposure and awareness. An added benefit of using a consistently branded hashtag is that you will be able to track and analyze results.

More Ideas: Hootsuite's - The Complete Instagram Hashtag Guide for Business

Scopic connects businesses and audiences through creative communications, contact us to find out more.

With 1.94 billion monthly active users as of March 31, 2017 Facebook continues to strip away advertising dollars from traditional platforms like television, print and radio.

Boost your Facebook marketing spend for free with these 5 simple tips!

1. Timing is everything 
Research the best times and days to post for your specific target audience and global region. For many businesses, this may be Monday to Friday between traditional trading hours of 9am - 5pm. However, if your audience is working at this time they may not be connected, so this is where researching and A/B testing the social media habits of your target audience will be truly beneficial. 

2. Use more than just words
As mobile device usage grows and speeds continue to take off in 2017 people are wanting more than just words in their feed. Research shows images and videos perform much better than just words on a screen. Remember, if you do use images and videos make sure they add value to the message and are always of a high quality.

3. Provide value for your audience
Take the time to create quality Facebook content that provides value to your specific audience. We are all time poor, so remember, content such as product advice or tips will provide value for your customers. Your target audience will keep coming back to you and potentially share it with “friends” if they discover something interesting, informative, useful and engaging.

4. Take creative risks
Playing it too safe could leave your business coming off as uninteresting, so your Facebook content needs be creative and intriguing. As social media platforms continue to evolve and grow, businesses need to look and think outside the box. If a creatively risky post generates positive engagement and increased exposure, do it again!

5. Make use of an influencer
An influencer will allow your business to communicate in a manner that is more relevant and targeted to a specific audience or demographic. Influencers also have already built an existing relationship through quality content creation that is — liked and shared — this will allow your brand/business to quickly connect with a wider audience.

Scopic works with your business to create effective social media strategies designed to increase your exposure, contact us to find out more.

This shift away from traditional “celebrity endorsement” can boost product exposure and drive sales far more effectively and efficiently than traditional marketing.
 
Influencer marketing has three key benefits:
 
1. Relevance
Influencers communicate in a manner that is more relevant and targeted to a specific audience or demographic.
 
2. Authenticity
Influencers have pre-established credibility with an audience and more importantly across their social media platform.
 
3. Exposure
Influencers directly engage with a targeted audience and have already built an existing relationship through quality content creation that is — shared, liked, followed… 

Scopic helps businesses better understand and engage with their target audience, contact us to find out more.

Simple backgrounds, basic colors, powerful images and the positive use of negative space will continue to dominate web design in 2017. 

So, consider implementing these three minimalist web design basics to make sure you are creating a positive user experience for your visitors.
 
Focus on simplicity
An effective website is structured on a minimalist approach to visual communications. Minimalist websites are built around the concept that less is always more, and always better. This means that minimalist website design purely focuses on the necessary and essential elements required to effectively communicate. This way any clutter or distracting visuals that may increase complexity are cut. How minimal you go, will depend on the purpose of your website, your target audience, and of course your business. 

Maximise negative/white space
Minimalist websites maximize negative (or white space, but it does not have to be white). Negative space is the space on your website where there is no element placed. Using a white background on a minimalist website increases the negative space and pulls visitor attention to the dominant content. Creating space around images, clearly separating paragraphs and isolating important content guarantee visual communications are easily absorbed by visitors. Sparingly utilizing negative space will reduce unwanted interference and improve the overall user experience.

Minimize color palate
Color plays a powerful role in the visual communications of your website and is a central element of your brand's visual identity. While it is not the only element, it is most definitely one of the first things absorbed and possibly one of the most remembered by visitors in relation to your brand. Minimal use of colors (no more than two or three core colors that are associated with your brand) will add clarity, improve navigation, increase accessibility and reinforce your brand's visual identity. Taking the time to carefully consider your website color palate will also reinforce your brand experience for visitors.

Finally, remember you only have one or two seconds to entice your visitors and have them engage with your website. Creating a clean, crisp, minimal website will allow you to communicate more efficiently and effectively --- it is that simple.

Scopic works with businesses to create an enhanced user experience for website visitors, contact us to find out more.

A recent Nielsen report assessed the importance of optimizing your business marketing mix.

The report notes that every brand has unique dynamics, however, there are some controlling fundamentals that apply to them all:

• Brands need to take digital seriously, as digital’s return on investment (ROI) is twice as efficient as TV
• Brands need to better balance the media spend across all branded products, as a balanced media spend benefits sales across the entire brand portfolio
• Brands need to better understand consumer flighting patterns, as maximizing flighting patterns is an essential way to optimize a media spend
• Brands need to support new products for up to two years following launch, as extended product support will build positive consumer behavior
• Brands need to better understand the importance of interconnected media, as a well planned and connected media flow will drive sales.

 
​Access report here: Five Steps To Optimizing Marketing Mix Strategies
 
Scopic helps businesses better understand and engage with their target audience, contact us to find out more.

Basically, Snapchat offers users multiple communication tools: snaps, chats and stories.​​

Today, users can use the platform to share time-limited photos (or snaps) and videos. Fast growing in popularity with users and marketers are Snapchat Stories (linked short videos or snaps) launched in 2013. Stories are viewable for 24 hours, vanishing after 1 to 10 seconds (depending on your settings and if screenshots are taken). In 2015 Snapchat launched Lenses which saw user numbers boom. The lenses feature allows users to add real-time special effects and sounds via creative filters to both photos and video. Users can personalize these selfie snaps and then share them with friends or upload them to other social media platforms.

​To further increase the platform's diversity and revenue streams Snapchat launched Geofilters in 2016. Geofilters are location-based graphic overlays that users add over their snaps. Users have the option of creating personal or business (sponsored) filters. Geofilter pricing (starts at approx. ¥500) is based on location, geofence size (the geographical size the geofilter will be active in - from approx. 20,000 square feet up to 5,000,000 square feet) and length of time the filter is viewable.

​Checkout these Geofilter tips: www.snapchat.com/geofilters/tips

​Snapchat's users watch over 10 billion videos per day - more than a 350% increase in the last year. Due to the attention, reach and interactive experience the platform offers, big brands in the United States are starting to embrace Snapchat Ads as a communication tool to connect with targeted audiences. Over the coming years, advertising will continue to grow on Snapchat as the platform's audience starts to age up (fastest growing Snapchat user being over the age of 25). With a growing global base of over 100 million active users, marketers and brands are starting to take Snapchat fun - seriously! 

Snapchat's active user numbers are predicted to double over the coming years to 85.5 million by 2020 in just the United States, it may be time for Japanese brands to consider getting their geofilters on and start storytelling.  

Need help identifying social media platforms to increase customer engagement?

Scopic works with Japanese businesses to identify the best social media platforms to increase global customer engagement, contact us to find out more.

Do you communicate your services/products in a consistent way? If you don’t then you are potentially limiting future growth opportunities with your customers, clients, partners and employees. Having consistent branded communications is a real positive for both small and large businesses.
 
Positives of brand consistency:

• Projects professionalism
• Promotes customer loyalty
• Limits audience confusion
• Provides creative simplicity
• Builds on internal culture.

 
Here are 5 questions you need to answer before you can truly improve your brand consistency across your business.
 
1. Do you understand your target audience?
Understanding your target audience is an essential element in creating a successful brand. The words, colors, images and media platforms you use must be inline with your target audience in order to create engagement.
 
A few questions you need to know:

• What is the demographic breakdown of the target audience?
• What motivates the target audience?
• What are your target audience's expectations?
• What media platforms do your target audience use?
• What benefits are you offering to the target audience over your competitors?

 
Knowing who your business is speaking to will help you target your branded communications.
 
2. Do you keep things simple?
Your branded communications need to be simple and uncomplicated. When you try to do too much with your brand, things get confusing and inevitably consistency is easily lost.
 
A business should consider these brand-building basics:

• Use only two or three colors and one or two fonts
• Use recognizable and memorable shapes or design elements
• Use clear messages of professionalism, innovation and trust
• Use social media platforms that are easily accessible to your target audience.

 
3. Do you have a style guide?
An easy way to maintain brand consistency is to create a style guide with clear communication guidelines and specifications.
 
A style guide should include these essential basics:

• Brand message
• Brand colors
• Logo usage
• Copy – length, voice, tone
• Images and graphic style
• Media platform usage

 
If you don’t have a style guide then now is the time to create one to ensure a consistent look, feel and audience experience.
 
4. Do you audit your brand?
Having a clear communications style guide in place allows you to objectively audit your branded communications.
 
A brand audit should cover these initial basics:

• Business cards and stationary
• Brochures and flyers
• Email format and signatures
• Website and banners
• Social media profiles and posts

 
Of course, additional elements like advertising guidelines, product packaging, employee uniforms and even office design all play an important role in ensuring brand consistency.
 
5. Do you actively monitor and analyze your brand?
As your business grows, your target audience reach/diversity may also grow. For this reason, it is important to actively monitor and analyze your branded communications regularly in order to make sure your brand consistency is maintained. Scheduling an annual brand audit workshop allows varying departments to play an active role in the evolution of your brand.
 
A brand audit workshops should consider the following questions:

• Are brand communications inline with style guide?
• Are brand communications inline with customer expectations?
• Are brand communications inline with market changes?
• Are brand communications inline with industry trends?

 
Monitoring and analyzing branded communications will help position your brand for long-term future growth opportunities.
 
Scopic looks, listens and works with you to build a brand that attracts and engages your target audience, contact us to find out more.

Effective businesses use words, shapes, colors and technology to connect and engage with their target audience. Before even choosing the best communications mix for your corporate identity, it is important to firstly consider 5 key points.
 
1. Knowing your audience
Knowing and understanding your prospective partners and clients is an essential element in creating a successful corporate identity. Defining who you are speaking to will help you target your communications more effectively.  Take the time to carefully consider the professionalism of your marketing materials, the look of your company website and the consistency of the content on your social media platforms. Better understanding your audience will allow you to better target your corporate communications.
 
2. Keeping things simple
Your corporate identity needs to be simple and uncomplicated. When you try to do too much, things get confusing and inevitably communications get lost in translation. By keeping things simple you are keeping your communications strong, clear and understandable. Simple promises of professionalism, innovation and trust should be visually present across your corporate identity. Creatively simple corporate identities cut through and engage.
 
3. Knowing your colors
Color is a central element of your corporate identity. While it is not the only element in your corporate identity, it is definitely one of the first things seen and possibly one of the most remembered by prospective partners and clients. Research into the impact of color in marketing, conveniently titled Impact of color on marketing found that colors really do influence the moods and feelings (positively or negatively) of consumers. Be sure that whatever color mix you do choose for your business it can work online as well as in traditional print marketing. What looks great on a computer screen in RGB may not look so great on paper in CMYK.
 
4. Keeping communications consistent
The words, sentences, shapes, colors and images used across your corporate communications must be consistent. Keeping your corporate identity consistent will ensure your prospective partners and clients develop a strong connection and relationship with your business. However, please also remember, a corporate identity should evolve with the growth of a business and changes in the marketplace. So, it is important to monitor and evaluate your corporate identity in relation to your audience and the marketplace.
 
5. Knowing your style
The best way to know and maintain your corporate identity is to create a style guide with exact specifications and guidelines. To clearly communicate in a consistent way with partners and clients you should use the same tone of voice, fonts, colors, formats, images and media platforms. Also, using quality graphic designers, media planners and printers on a consistent basis, you will be able to maintain the strength of your corporate identity.
 
​Scopic works with you to create a strong and consistent corporate identity across your business, contact us to find out more.

It is no secret, in a fast-changing world, creating a strong brand is much more than simply the colors and shape of your logo. A strong brand is about taking the time to invest in researching, planning, execution and regular analysis.
 
Here are five basic brand-building tips to help you strengthen your brand and make your business stand out in a noisy global marketplace.
 
1. Understand Your Business
Before you can even start building your brand you must research the following questions and plan on where your brand is best positioned in a competitive market.
 
What is your business?  
What product/s or service/s do you offer?
Who are your competitors? 
What is your brand promise?   
What is your niche?  
 
The better you understand your business, the better you will be able to create a strong brand.
 
2. Know Your Audience
No business exists without customers, so you really need to firstly know your audience before you go about building your brand.
 
What is the demographic breakdown of your audience? 
What product/s or service/s do they want?
What are their consumer habits?
What motivates your audience?
What social media do they use?   
 
Playing it too safe with a particular demographic group could leave your brand looking boring, so it is important to keep your branded communications and marketing professional, creative and engaging at all times.
 
3. Consistency is Crucial
A strong brand is created through consistency and strong brand consistency allows your target audience to recognize your brand in a saturated marketplace.
 
Consistent messaging across branded communications
Consistent quality across visual communications
Consistent tone across written communications

Keeping your brand consistent will ensure your target audience develops familiarity with your business, and with familiarity comes brand trust and loyalty. Having clear brand guidelines will provide consistency for your business across various media such as web-based, television, radio, print, social media and related marketing activities.
 
4. Embrace Social Media
If your target audience is using social media, then your brand needs to be socially active. There are plenty of social media platforms to choose from, so take the time to research and plan which platform your target audience is engaging with on a regular basis.
 
Unless your business is a major global brand, you are probably safe starting with just a few from the more common platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn or YouTube.
 
5. Monitor Your Brand
As your brand grows, your target audience reach may shift and change. You will need to monitor and analyze your communications and marketing campaigns regularly to keep on top of your competition.
 
Did you have increased search engine traffic and website visits?
Did your target audience engage with your branded campaign on social media?
How many new sales/sales leads or product/service enquires were generated?
How many social media users clicked over from your campaign to visit your website?
 
Only by researching, planning, monitoring and analyzing branded communications and marketing activities can you strengthen your brand for future growth opportunities.

Scopic works with you to create strong branded communications and marketing solutions for your business, contact us to find out more.
 
Download below our sample brand project brief template: 

Nielsen a global leader in consumer measurement and information offers a snap shot on how a creative strategy can resonate with different consumer groups in different ways. 

"For years, Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s creative strategy has included incorporating sex appeal into a number of their ad campaigns. While their sexual advertising, presumably targeting male audiences, catches viewers’ attention in high-profile events such as the Super Bowl, analysis via TV Brand Effect identified the polarizing effects that these ads have on women that could impact the brand’s overall equity in the long run."

FINDING #1
Carl’s Jr. ads featuring sex appeal creative are no more memorable than their ads without sex appeal for both men and women. 

FINDING #2
Both men and women were more likely to connect the sexual ads to the Carl’s Jr. brand than their non-sexual ads. 

Download the full report here: Nielsen Case Study - Using Sex to Sell

Watch Carl's Jr. | Tex Mex Bacon Thickburger commercial here: Tex meets Mex - Borderball

Scopic helps you connect with your target audience via creative communications, contact us to find out more.

In 2015 mobile Internet usage continued to skyrocket and 2016 looks no different.
 
According to a white paper by commScore Digital Future in Focus over the past 4 years “smartphone usage is up 394 percent, and tablet usage is up a whopping 1,721 percent as these platforms now combine to account for 60 percent of digital media time spent.”
 
Read the report: 2015 U.S. Digital Future in Focus

Mobile-only Internet usage is becoming the norm, so 2016 is a your time to go mobile.  
 
Here are 5 simple rules to consider before creating your mobile website.
 
1. Quick and easy
A mobile website must be quick and easy to navigate. Mobile site users want to find information hassle free, so make things easy to find with clear buttons, icons and headings that guide and inform users. The less pinches, swipes and taps the better.
 
2. Short and simple
Users on mobile devices looking for products or services don't want to waste time, and really don't want to scroll, scroll, scroll through long paragraphs. Keep paragraph length to 2-4 lines. Use short, simple, targeted sentences that engage and help users find what they want. Sentence length should range from 10 – 30 words.
 
3. Minimize input info
Mobile users are working on a small canvas, so limit the amount of information you require them to tap in. Using drop downs instead of input fields will make things much easier. Also, make sure the input font size is readable at least 14 px.
 
4. Stay on message
Make sure your brand and communications (logo, colors, copy and style) are consistent across your desktop and mobile platforms. Brand consistency will ensure users develop familiarity with your business, and with familiarity comes brand trust and loyalty.
 
5. Time to test
Once your mobile website is live test it on mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets of all shapes and sizes. Also, make sure you test it across various operating systems like Windows, iOS and Android. Finally, check your page speed with Google PageSpeed Insights.
 
Scopic helps you build your global audience through creative communications, contact us to find out more.

A recent Nielsen study examined the impact of collaboration in the concept development stage of a new product. The results of the study showed, involving more collaborators leads to a larger pool of ideas, which creates more opportunities to identify a single idea that consumers truly love.
 
Here are five benefits of creating a collaborative environment.
 
1. Encourages creativity
Brainstorming as part of a collaborative team encourages creative ideas to bloom. Sharing varying viewpoints creates more effective solutions to developmental problems.
 
2. Builds trust
Collaborating in a team environment builds trust and confidence among team members. This trust and confidence will promote an open and supportive workplace where fresh ideas are rewarded. 
 
3. Increases knowledge
Working with other employees or outsourced specialists develops the skills and knowledge of all the team. Your employees will benefit from being part of a bigger team with a range diverse skill sets.  
 
4. Supports risk-taking
Teams tend to take more risks, as they have a support network to fall back on. Teamwork allows employees the freedom to think outside the box and take more healthy risks in the development stage.
 
5. Promotes ownership
Collaborative projects encourage team members to feel proud of the ideas and solutions shared. Working in a team allows employees to feel more connected to the company.
 
Read the report: How Collaboration Drives Innovation Success
 
Scopic works collaboratively with you to create smarter solutions, contact us to find out more.

1. Know your audience
Knowing your target audience is an essential element in creating content marketing that connects. Clearly defining who you are speaking to will help you target your content so it is seen, liked and shared.
 
2. Understand your audience’s habits
Understanding when/how to schedule content and using the right platform/s will help your business gain exposure. Using Google Analytics, Google Trends and other online tools will help you understand your audience’s social media habits.
 
3. Create your content calendar
Create a content calendar to manage/monitor your content marketing plan. This essential planning tool will keep your content focused, fresh and visible in the right place at the right time.
 
4. Maximize your message
Research shows images and videos perform much better than just words on a screen. It may take time to capture or search for the perfect image/video, but your audience will like/share you for it.
 
5. Set your targets
Setting and being able to measure/analyze the success of your content marketing is a fundamental element. Overtime your targets will influence the content you create - results drive decisions!

Scopic connects businesses and audiences through creative communications, contact us to find out more.