Join our journey through the creative life! Our journal is where we keep track of the challenges we’ve overcome, problems we’ve solved, advice we’ve offered, and what we’ve learned along the way.
A few weeks ago, Adam Mosseri – head of Instagram – announced the biggest Instagram change yet; “We’re no longer a photo-sharing app.” Adam explained that Instagram is not going to prioritize photos in the feed. Instead, they’re going to start focusing on creators, video, shopping and messaging. The most important two elements here are video and shopping. You can expect to see more updates around video but one of the most important updates he gave was on the algorithm. By the sounds of it, Instagram is reformulating to have a more organic reach. This means that, just like TikTok, you’ll see a lot more videos from people you don’t follow.
No one can deny the power of video. Consistently, statistics show that video consumption is only increasing. In 2019, Limelight – a content delivery network system – reported that internet users spend close to seven hours per week watching online videos. It’s clear then that videos do better on social media. Videos posted on any platform – whether it’s Facebook, Instagram or Twitter – generate up to 1200% more shares than texts and images combined. Marketing software company, HubSpot, completed a study that shows that 54% of consumers want to see more video content from the brands they follow – and that includes you. But what goes into the making of powerful video content? While some videos are simple enough that you just need some good light and your cell phone, branded or promotional videos require a lot more steps, both before and after actually shooting the content.
Whether you’re sharing photos of your puppy or creating IGTV videos on how South Africans pronounce certain words, you have little restrictions when it comes to your private social media. However, when it comes to your business, there is a certain way to do things. Especially when it comes to the digital world. After all, one small social slipup will be on the internet forever. So, here’s our code of dos and don’ts for businesses.
While we’ve been around for a little over six years now, we’ve only been using content marketing for a few years relative to the life of our company. We have however learnt a few ‘truths’ about content marketing we think all startups can benefit from.
We have a running joke in the studio that goes something like this. If someone introduces a new word or concept to the team, one of us will invariably cock our head to one side and with a face scrunched up in confusion, ask, “What’s that? Can I eat it?” Firstly, that phrase captures two important things about The Pencil Box we’d like you to know – (1) we’re an inquisitive bunch, and (2) being paid in food has crossed our minds a few times. Food, delicious food drives us.