by Deanna Rivera | Jan 27, 2025 | Content Creation, Social Media, Strategy
Photos of last year’s brutal ice storm just resurfaced in my phone and Facebook memories, and they have me thinking about something I talk to every client about: social media content ideas are better when they’re personal.
Social media managers, like UplinkSpyder, know that the secret to grabbing attention online lies in the right image or video. It’s the #1 factor in getting people to stop scrolling and engage.
So, which of these graphics would catch your eye? Each one delivers the same message, but one will captivate most people far more than the others.
I created the first image to look polished and professional—it can definitely make an impact. However, because it’s so polished, many people will skim right past it. Or, they may comprehend it but never engage.
The middle image, a personal photo, feels a bit more authentic but still comes across as relatively generic. It has a stock image vibe—slightly more interesting, but not by much.
Then there’s my son, Levi. This photo will catch more attention than the first two and is likely to generate significantly more comments, shares, and likes. It would be even better without the words…because the post itself is what you want them to read and the authentic interesting image can get them to do just that.
When crafting social media content ideas, images and videos are everything. Modern phones make it easy to capture high-quality visuals with minimal effort, and posts that feel less polished or overly commercialized often see far better engagement.
I challenge you to make things easier for yourself (or your social media manager) this year by committing to capturing more photos and videos. Don’t aim for perfection—just focus on being authentic.
Are you a landscaper? Snap photos of the beautiful landscapes you create or even just plants that inspire you.
An esthetician? Film a quick video answering a common question or share a short clip of someone enjoying a relaxing facial.
Running a restaurant? Take so many mouthwatering photos of your dishes that people can practically taste them through their screens.
You get the idea—show your world and let your audience connect with it!
Happy Content Creating!
Deanna
by Deanna Rivera | Jan 13, 2025 | Marketing, Strategy
I love how every day seems to have its own national celebration. While some might initially seem a bit quirky (National Squirrel Appreciation Day, anyone?), each one offers a unique opportunity. Whether you’re brainstorming social media content, looking for ways to show appreciation to clients or employees, or planning events and promotions for your business, these national days, weeks, and months can inspire creativity, help you stand out, and provide unique opportunities for how to market your business.
Today, we’re excited to celebrate National Gluten-Free Day by spotlighting one of our incredible clients: Jazzy Ladies Café & Coffeehouse. Did you know this gem is entirely gluten-free? Most people don’t—because you’d never guess it! The food is phenomenal. I had the pleasure of dining there on New Year’s Eve, and every dish was a masterpiece—especially the dessert.
Celebrate how far gluten-free cuisine has come while supporting a local business that’s truly raising the bar. I HIGHLY recommend the Mochi Pancakes, Chicken & Waffles, or Benedict Latkes. Yum!
by Deanna Rivera | Mar 18, 2022 | Website Design
Pretty much every business on the planet needs to have some sort of presence online. 85 percent of consumers conduct online research before making a purchase. Here are some great website design ideas and trends to keep an eye on so you can ensure that your website looks and functions great no matter where someone views them or what device they’re using.
Website Design Ideas
Website design trends vary year-to-year as people grow more used to new innovations in digital design, but there are some foundational elements of any good website that remain consistent. For instance, white space is a big deal on websites—and it’s important not just because it looks nice; more blank space means more room for your content to breathe.
Another trending idea right now is flat design, which means websites have fewer (or no) gradients or shadows and generally use flat colors. It may sound boring, but flat design has been adopted by most major tech companies as well as smaller startups trying to get noticed.
Website Trend #1 – Live Videos
If you’re looking for an engaging way to showcase your products or services—and a way to differentiate yourself from competitors—consider adding live videos to your website. Streams like Periscope allow users to broadcast videos directly through their social media platforms, making it an ideal solution for reaching large audiences. And if you don’t want all of your videos streamed live, you can always pre-record them and post them on YouTube.
Website Trend #2 – Pop-Ups
Pop-ups should be used if they serve a specific purpose other than just monetization, which is always (ALWAYS) a secondary priority. Try not to make users go through more than they need to in order to consume your content. Remember: It’s not about you; it’s about them. If you do decide to use pop-ups, don’t make them too big or intrusive. And remember that there are many ways to monetize without having ads covering every inch of your website.
Website Trend #3 – Original Photography
When someone visits your website, they should immediately feel like they know who you are. They should feel like they know what kind of company you run, what you sell, and why they should buy from you specifically. Original photography or imagery is an excellent way to convey personality through imagery while also giving people something interesting to look at while they read through your story.
Website Feature #1 – Easy Navigation
Your website’s navigation should be intuitive. You don’t want to confuse your users by making them jump through hoops just to get where they need to go. Try to find a balance between simple and interesting. The best way to determine whether or not your website is navigable is to test it with people who aren’t familiar with how websites work. Let them navigate around on their own without any help from you and see if they have any problems getting around.
Website Feature #2 – Form Validation and Auto-Email
As soon as a visitor fills out a form on your website, they expect it to accept or deny their entry. This is vital because visitors will move on to another website if they believe your form isn’t working correctly. Make sure you include validation on every form that accepts input from visitors.
It’s also a good idea to ensure that an automatic email goes to the customer in case they miss the validation. That email can offer an alternative way to contact you, an incentive, a tip. It’s an opportunity to reinforce your brand and encourage loyalty.
Website Feature #3 – Responsive Screen Size
Many websites today are still not responsive to multiple screen sizes and this is so important! A website should change to fit the device it is being viewed on. When we build a website, we view it on multiple devices to ensure that every user can navigate the site easily and receives the same, impactful presentation.
You’re On Your Way To A Great Website Design
There’s a lot more to consider, but luckily, we can do the considering for you! If you want more website design ideas, or an expert to help build you a fantastic website, give us a call.
by Deanna Rivera | Sep 22, 2021 | Cybersecuirty, Email Marketing
The new software update for Apple mobile devices recently rolled out, and we are paying close attention. The iOS 15 software update places its primary focus on data tracking and email privacy settings within Apple Mail.
The biggest thing we are concerned about is that Apple will now allow Apple Mail users to block the sender’s ability to track who has opened or clicked on something in an email when opened in Apple Mail.
Why Does This Matter?
For many years, we have been able to track who is opening, and who is clicking on emails we send for our clients. This is one way to gauge the most effective day and time to send an email, the most effective subject lines, and overall how well liked and useful an email is. For instance, a recent email we sent for a client was opened by over 50% of her audience but had very few clicks on the link inside. We can identify a problem and help her solve it by giving readers a more compelling reason to click through to read her blog.
Another way we can use this information is to make the most of every email. Knowing whether an email was opened or not enables us to send a follow-up email to people who have not opened it, which results in more opens overall for each message, which allows each effort to garner the most attention possible.
How Many People Will This Affect?
On average, 65% of the emails we send are opened on a desktop, while 35% are opened on a mobile device (this varies by client). Roughly 15% of users are using Apple Mail. For now, we can still get data from those who open emails on a desktop or Android device. Email services such as Outlook, Yahoo!, and Gmail have not rolled out new email privacy protection — yet.
With the recent drop of the new iOS 15, these new protections are not the default settings. Users will need to opt-in in order to hide their data. While not everyone will do so, it’s a fair guess that email campaigns will see a decrease in open & click rates.
It also makes repurposing for those who did not open more difficult…because we won’t be able to tell if those using Apple Mail on a mobile device have opened or not.
What Does This Mean?
While “opens and clicks” play a vital role in measuring email performance, it’s important to remember why email marketing is so great – this does not change because of Apple Mail privacy! There is no other marketing vehicle that allows you to get your message in front of every customer and prospect for pennies on the dollar compared to all other marketing tools. Even if your open and click rates decline, email marketing remains a very effective tool – an effective way to stay top of mind and to cultivate advocates for your business.
Have questions about this? We’re happy to answer.
by Deanna Rivera | May 12, 2021 | Branding, Internet Marketing
Is your business doing enough on the digital landscape to keep current customers happy and new customers interested? Here is a checklist of what EVERY business should make sure they are doing when establishing their online presence.
☑ Have a fantastic, informative, and easy-to-use website that grows over time and is always up to date. This is easier said than done, we know, but we’re here to help.
☑ Make sure your information is correct and accurate in all “directories” and especially Google, Bing, and Apple Maps. For your industry, there will be other key directories to pay attention to.
☑ Pay attention to reviews and collect more over time. There are tools (we have) that can help you do this but at the very least, ask friends and family and clients you know well to review you online. Key review sites are Google, Facebook, and Yelp but there will be other industry-specific sites also.
☑ Be active (at least one post/week) on at least TWO social networks. The easiest is Facebook and Instagram because you can connect them to publish content once to two channels. But if you can do video, even amateur video regularly, then YouTube (the second largest search engine) is a must.
☑ Make sure everything above matches. The address and hours and information are the same everywhere. Good photos and consistent branding/images. Does your logo need a refresh? Design = Trust.
☑ Make it VERY EASY for customers to contact you. Phone, text, chat, forms, email, instant messaging. Someone in your organization can be put in charge of checking all the ways people get in touch with you and responding as quickly as possible. Technology has added a layer of “respond NOW” to our society. You can outsource some of this but do so very very carefully.
☑ Always be collecting. Even if you don’t do email marketing at the moment, still collect emails and text messages every chance you get. There are always strategies for this that can work wonders for your business. But at the very minimum, collect this information.
☑ Consider investing in digital ads. These can help with branding/awareness, building a network of followers, and sales. There are many ways to advertise online so you want expert help for this, but digital ads can take your dollar much further than other channels.
This may seem overwhelming but once set up, it’s not hard to maintain. Of course, we’re here to help and consultations/guidance is always free.
