For many of us, it’s nearly impossible to imagine a world without Instagram. When the app debuted in 2010, it was a fun, simple platform for people to edit their pictures (remember those filters and frames?!) and share them with friends and family. Since then, it has evolved into a multi-billion dollar platform that has come to define an entire generation.

Instagram is no longer just a place for amateur photographers to share their pictures, but an essential business tool for brands. Earlier this year, Instagram launched the newest addition to its shoppable posts: an in-app checkout feature. The new feature allows companies to transform their feeds into a virtual storefront. When customers tap on a product tag in a post, they can view a product description page where they can purchase the item — all without ever leaving the app.

The Psychology Behind Instagram’s Shopping Feature

A consumer’s Instagram feed has become a way for them to virtually window-shop, perusing the product-filled feeds of both brands and influencers. If a particular item catches a user’s eye, there are a few different ways they could engage with the brand: like the post, follow the account, or maybe click through to a link in the account’s bio. 

But until now, there was no easy way to directly, immediately purchase a product. There was no guarantee that users would put in the extra time and effort needed to get more information about a product and actually go through with buying it.

By adding Instagram shopping tags directly to a post, brands can now take advantage of a customer’s desire for a product in the moment. Taking out extra steps in the buying process means instant gratification for the customer and an easy sale for the brand.

Native shopping on Instagram is a win-win-win scenario for customers, brands, and even Instagram itself. From the brand side of things, in-app shopping helps retail companies provide a more seamless customer experience. Removing friction from the buying process leads to happier customers, and happy customers spend more and buy more often.

As for Instagram, keep in mind that social media platforms are greedy and don’t want users to leave the app. Features that keep users consuming content longer and engaging more frequently are good for Instagram. And that’s not even to mention that adding ecommerce functionality to the platform opens up a whole new revenue stream for Instagram.

How Revolve is Killing the Instagram Shopping Game

When asked about Instagram’s business strategy moving forward, head of Instagram Adam Mosseri said features like native in-app checkout will help “connect the dots thoughtfully” between shoppers, sellers, and influencers. 

One company that does this seamlessly is clothing brand Revolve. The Los Angeles-based e-commerce brand is a staple among Instagram “it girls” worldwide and has amassed a following of over 3.3 million that continues to grow. 

Revolve uses the power of their influencer ambassadors and a data-driven business model to tap into their target audience of Millennial women. 

Instagram launched its “Checkout with Instagram” feature in March 2019 as a closed beta test with around 20 partner brands, including Revolve. As an internet-born brand, it was only natural for Revolve to be on the vanguard of the new Instagram shopping feature.

Ryan Pabelona, Director of Performance Marketing at Revolve, shared his enthusiasm for the frictionless shopping experience, which helps the company “better serve our millennially minded audience by providing a new, fast and easy purchase method on a platform where they are already engaging with our content and discovering our products.”

Using Instagram Shopping to Transform Content into Revenue

Here at Cercone Brown Company, we are excited to see how this Instagram shopping feature can help brands sell better and smarter by meeting shoppers where they’re already at. Social media content can now impact ROI more directly than ever for ecommerce brands, transforming content into major dollar signs.

As a next step, we’d love to see Instagram extend the feature to influencer posts as well. For now, influencers aren’t able to use shoppable tags for the products they’re promoting, and instead can only tag the brand’s Instagram account. Enabling brands to combine the power of influencer marketing with easy in-app shopping could make Instagram an even more valuable tool for ecommerce marketers. 

Ready to up your Instagram game? Talk to CBC’s social media marketing experts to learn how your brand can use the platform to sell better and smarter.

Three days of festivities. Two minutes of racing. One epic experience.

For the second year in a row, CBC brought together media and brands for the experience of a lifetime in Louisville during its most iconic weekend: the Kentucky Derby.

With “the most exciting two minutes in sports” as the backdrop, CBC Derby House puts the spotlight on the brands that make both Louisville and the Kentucky Derby so unique. From making bets in the Vineyard Vines club and sipping Angry Orchard Rosé Cider at Churchill Downs to touring Woodford Reserve Distillery and designing custom Derby jewelry at Kendra Scott, media and brands came together for an authentic Louisville experience at CBC Derby House.

Day One: Dawn at the Downs

Leading up to Derby weekend, our VIP guests were granted an inside look at Churchill Downs in the early morning. While the horses were training and getting pampered in preparation for the big race, our group of media and influencers did some pampering of their own at the Kendra Scott Color Bar to design custom jewelry. We decided on an accessory-of-choice and then picked out the metals, jewels, and more to customize our perfect derby day accessories.

Next, we were treated to an exclusive taste of the new Woodford Reserve Baccarat Edition bourbon (for $1,500 per crystal bottle, it goes down smooooooth!). We toured the distillery, all while sipping on the best mint juleps we’ve ever had. Our tour ended with more tastings, and Woodford showed us how to pair different bourbons with various foods to bring out those flavor notes. We’ll cheers to that!

Day Two: Oaks Day

On day two, media got a front row seat to Kentucky Oaks. Kentucky Oaks is a 144-year-old race tradition that’s all about the fillies (aka female horses). The event takes place one day before the derby, and fans arrive dressed in pink.  While the fillies are strutting their stuff on the race tracks, money is raised for women’s health. This year, Churchill Downs partnered with the Breast Health Program at Norton Cancer Institute.

Day Three: Derby Day!

Day three was spent sipping drinks, placing bets, and sporting our most fabulous Vineyard Vines outfits. We may have lost some money, but gained these incredible memories. At least we had each other (and mint juleps).

Thanks for the good times, Kentucky, and we’ll see you next year! In the meantime, check out our Instagram story highlights and #CBCDerbyHouse to relive all the derby magic.

There’s no denying that the world of social media is massive. From 2017-2018, a new social media user was ‘born’ every 10 seconds, and as of January 2019, there are over 3.3 billion active social media users. That makes for a lot of chatter—and a lot of chaos if you’re not listening carefully.

To make sense of all this content clutter, it is essential for brands to not only look at the rising number of social users, but listen to the voice behind each user. Fail to listen to what your customers are saying online and you might be missing major consumer insights that will not only strengthen your brand’s product or service, but also your brand’s digital presence. Thankfully, there is a method to harness the power of these digital conversations in order to use them to your brand’s advantage: it’s called social listening.

Social listening is the process of monitoring online conversations for brand mentions, competitors, and keywords, then strategically putting these findings into action to increase brand awareness, affinity, and even expand your customer base. It sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? So how do we at CBC practice social listening? How do we help our clients take the conversations around their brand and turn them into meaningful insights?

1. We listen to better inform how we interact with our client’s community

It’s important to manage a social community by responding to messages and acting as the front line of our clients’ customer service teams on their social channels – but we don’t stop there.  That would be just one piece of the pie.

Social listening is about extending this monitoring to what people are saying about the brand outside of its social channels. It could be consumers considering to purchase a brand’s products, people sharing advice in an online forum, people reacting to an article they read on a brand, the list goes on. And most importantly, these are most likely conversations where they haven’t tagged a brand directly but are talking about the brand. So how do we use these insights? These people have likes, dislikes, values, and identities that make them undeniably unique. And they will tune out a brand—or worse, lose respect for them—if a brand doesn’t relate to their interests.

By paying careful attention to how a brand is being perceived, we are able to derive valuable consumer insights and make smart decisions for our social media content strategies.

2. We listen to identify influential community members who can impact purchasing decisions

In 2018, Convince and Convert’s annual Chatter Matter Report found that 83% of Americans are more likely to make a purchase after a friend recommendation. So that means what customers are saying about your brand is more powerful than ever!

As influencer marketing takes shape to be the digital version of word-of-mouth marketing, social listening is a great way to identify brand advocates and give them the spotlight they deserve. 74% of people trust social networks to make a purchase decision so leveraging those brand advocates to talk about your brand on social media is crucial.

At CBC, we use social listening to inform and measure effective influencer marketing strategies. As the digital space continues to change at lightning speed, it’s a great way to keep up with who is talking about your brand and the influence and impact they have on the conversations surrounding the brand.

3. We listen to keep a pulse on competitors and stay one step ahead

It’s no secret that social media is a competitive space. And because of all this clutter, it has become harder and harder to take up a piece of mindshare in a potential new customer’s head. Thankfully, with social listening, it’s possible to keep a finger on the pulse of what our clients’ competitors are doing to make sure maintaining a share of voice.

With social listening software, we’re able to measure what percentage of the conversation our clients are owning and which areas of opportunity are there for the taking. We can also compare how our social strategies stack up to our competitors and identify areas for improvement – whether that’s tweaking product messaging, expanding or modifying a client’s presence on a social channel, or taking on a new approach to content all together.

 4. We listen to understand trending topics in the industry

Though it’s imperative to have a close relationship with a client’s online community, it is just one component of an entire industry conversation that should be followed just as closely. Sprout Social, a social media tool we use at CBC, said it best in a recent blog. “Social listening helps you pick up on industry trends before they even become trends. By getting a sense of where your market is headed you can create products, content and general messaging that will become a key talking point as trends develop.”

At CBC, we know that staying ahead of an industry trend is a key component of cultivating more meaningful conversations within a client’s tribe, but the real value to us is in sharing these insights with our clients to help better inform their business strategies. Bringing these insights to the table and having constructive conversations around them is how we truly become an extension of the brands we work with.

There’s an old adage that says we have one mouth and two ears because it is more important to listen than to speak. Wouldn’t you agree this translates to today’s digital age? The powerful insights social listening provides are only limited by how much you are willing to listen to what the data—and your customers—are saying.

Are you interested in adding social listening to your brand toolbox? Contact us here for more information.

In a time where social movements are making daily headlines, brands are starting to emerge from their silence to take a stance on social issues. And their loyal consumers are loving them for it.

Many well-known brands have chosen to use the momentum of current social and political issues to empower their consumers. It is clear that the era of sitting quietly is now over with about two-thirds of consumers saying that they want companies to take a stance on social issues.

By vocalizing their opinion on hot-button topics, brands are not only engaging in buzz-worthy conversations, but are gaining respect from customers—all while risking losing everything in the process. This risky business is becoming a major trend for 2019. Let’s take a look at the brands that are taking a social stance and changing the way consumers think before they buy.

Taking A Stance On Racial Injustice? Just Do It.

Nike garnered a lot of media attention after they released an ad featuring the controversial football player, Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick became a topic in recent news after he took a public stance against racial injustice and police brutality in the U.S. The NFL subsequently dropped Kaepernick, sparking public outrage.

Instead of following in the NFL’s footsteps, Nike decided to take a chance on Kaepernick by launching a new campaign with him as the focus. In doing so, Nike took a political stance that aligned with many of their consumers, earning the brand respect and making them the first sportswear company to speak up on the issue of race in America. The campaign was an immediate success; Nike’s stock prices skyrocketed, and their direct digital sales channel rose 36% that quarter.

Save the Environment and Don’t Buy This Jacket

Patagonia has a long history of speaking out about environmental issues. On Black Friday in 2011, Patagonia placed an ad in The New York Times telling people not to buy their products. The ad was a public critique on American consumerism, encouraging people to buy less to reduce environmental damage. Here was a brand asking consumers not to shop, on the biggest shopping day of the year no less! And as most of us know from our younger years, telling someone not to do something just makes them want to do it more. In the long run, the campaign ended up strengthening the community of customers who support the brand’s values and even increased sales.

Since then, Patagonia has vocalized their stances on a variety of environmental topics ranging from genetically modified food to political candidates running for office. The clothing company has made it apparent that they are using their resources and power to make real change, and consumers are eager to be a part of the movement.

In a World Filled With Negativity, Just Remember: Life Is Good

CBC’s own client, Life Is Good, built their brand around the power of positivity and optimism. In their newest marketing campaign, labeled #SomethingGood, they plan to tackle today’s epidemic of mental health issues, specifically anxiety and depression.

The campaign directly addresses the negative conversations that are increasingly common in our society as a result of the news cycle, social media, and unrealistic expectations. Life Is Good challenges its consumers to share something positive and focus on the happy things in life. By taking a stance on an issue that affects millions of people, the clothing company is showing their audience that they care about them.

Nike, Patagonia, and Life is Good have not only rocked the marketing world, but also inspired us at CBC to encourage our clients to be vocal about their values. This is a sure way you’ll build stronger brand loyalty with consumers that have those same values. At CBC, we aim to create campaigns that spark a quality conversations and engage communities, while also boosting awareness and sales.

The takeaway? Your brand needs to have a voice to stand out and maintain relevance in today’s social climate, and we’d love to help you make noise in your industry.

Are you interested in building a social good campaign for your brand? Need help getting started or tackling big ideas? Contact us to learn more about how we can help.