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5 Ways to Stay Focused this Summer

5 ways to stay focused this summer rosewood deanna simone

Summertime is officially in full effect – complete with rising temperatures, family activities, exciting trips, pleasant weather, and BBQs with friends. I am sure that almost every business owner can agree – it’s incredibly challenging to maintain the same level of focus on your work during the warmer months.

Let’s be real here – how are you supposed to maintain productivity with so much other stuff going on? That’s where this article can help! By implementing a few simple changes to your routine, you will be shocked at how productive your summers will become! Check out our top 5 summer-specific tips to stay on task below.

  1. Take Breaks Often

Even if you only have 5 minutes to spare, always try to find ways to take a quick break to rejuvenate your mind and body. A few of my favourite tactics include:

  • Going for a walk around the block with my dog
  • Stepping outside and soaking in the sunlight for a few minutes
  • Powering through a quick yoga/pilates session to re-energize the muscles
  • Having a yummy and brain-boosting drink to cool off (my go-to favourites are fresh lemonade and fruit smoothies)
  • Taking a quick, 15-minute nap (if your physical location allows it)

Even just a few moments away from your desk can help put you back into the correct mindset to get things done.

  1. Keep Your Eyes on the Prize

If you have a special event or vacation coming up, remind yourself that keeping your work-life in order will make your time off even sweeter. If you set your priorities straight now and get your work under control before you go away, you will be able to enjoy it even more wholeheartedly. It is always less stressful to leave for a vacation when there isn’t any unfinished work or loose ends to worry about.

Our very own founder and CEO of Rosewood, Deanna Simone, reflects on her recent vacation to Europe – “I took my first vacation in almost 4 years since starting the business. I ensured that I had a team to cover the day-to-day operations and guarantee no fires started. It allowed me to rest and come back rejuvenated and with a renewed passion for my business!”

  1. Don’t Forget to Treat Yourself!

Plan to allow yourself to indulge in something you really love after you’ve completed tiresome tasks. For example, if you need to get through a long day (or week!) of client meetings and tedious paperwork, you may promise to treat yourself afterwards. This could be a trip to the movies, a bubble bath, a night out with friends, a massage, a new outfit, anything goes! Knowing you’ve earned your special treat will make your hard work that much more meaningful.

  1. Limit Time on Social Media

Try your absolute hardest to refrain from scanning the news feeds of your personal accounts until after you have finished your work for the day. When you’re trying to focus on work, seeing your friends vacation pictures won’t help you concentrate on what you need to accomplish.

A big portion of my own job as a social media coordinator, is to tend to the social media accounts of my clients. However, I am consistently working on fighting the urge to take a quick peek on what is happening on the news feeds of my personal accounts until my time is clear to do that.

  1. Find a Change of Scenery

Of course, it is understandable that getting away isn’t always an option. In those situations, consider moving your work somewhere outdoors for a change of scenery. For example, if I’m craving a breath of fresh air, I’ll take my laptop to a nice park, an outdoor cafe, or sometimes even the front porch or backyard will do. Just a simple and temporary change in your physical environment can do wonders for your mood and motivation.

Voila! By taking these 5 tips into consideration, you will quickly realize that summer doesn’t have to sabotage your business goals. You can enjoy what the season has to offer while staying focused on your career—all it takes is a little creativity and self-discipline.

Questions or Comments? Get in Touch!

Until Next Time,

Ananta

Content Coordinator

Rosewood Inc.

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Instagram Video Marketing for Beginners: Rosewood’s Top 4 Tips for Success

Happy Monday friends! Today’s topic is all about the ins and outs of video marketing on Instagram and how it can take your brand’s online presence to new heights! As you may or may not know – Rosewood loves Instagram, and we also just launched our new videography services for clients (check out our recent blog – LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION – WHY YOU NEED VIDEO MARKETING to learn more).

Let’s face it – Instagram has completely taken the social media world by storm and has forever changed the way businesses and clients interact with each other. Instagram is unique in that it thrives on an entirely distinctive visual approach to content dissemination. And in 2019, it is undoubtedly one of the most important platforms to include in your social marketing strategy.

And don’t worry if you’re an Instagram newbie, the application is known for being incredibly user-friendly, and with Rosewood to guide you through the learning process, you’ll be sharing top-quality videos faster than you think! Keep reading for our top 4 Instagram video marketing tips to help your business thrive.

#1. Understanding Instagram Culture

Instagram is the social media platform where brands show their audience who they are; it’s about shaping perceptions about a brand’s personality. And you only have 60 seconds to explain your product or message and grab the attention of your audience. Writing super long captions can backfire because the inherent appeal of the platform is its focus on visual aesthetics.

For example – Starbucks, a top brand on Instagram, clearly understands insta-culture. In curating their brand story, they’re definitely playing the role of your fun, artsy BFF. Virtually every video and photo are clearly branded in some way – whether it’s a shot of a paper cup elaborately embellished by a fan, or just a distinctive green straw poking through a mountain of whipped cream.

The main idea behind Instagram is sharing videos and images to build your own credibility on the platform. You can ask popular brands and/or influencers to give you shout-outs. Additionally, you can get your clients to create fun testimonial videos as a part of a give-away or contest.

#2. Create Compelling Videos That are Worth Watching

Instagram gives you the unique chance to tell great stories through captivating visual content. So, don’t be afraid to get super creative by showcasing your brand or services in a new light. You don’t need to completely rebrand yourself, but instead, try to show your brand’s versatility. And the best part is that since Instagram videos are bite-sized, people are much more likely to watch them.

Create simple how-to videos. Do a fun contest or give-away to thank your audience for their support. Offer behind-the-scenes glimpses. Give followers sneak peeks of upcoming products or services. Be relevant to their interests and stay up-to-date on current events. Show off your personal style.

#3. Take Advantage of Stories and IGTV Features

According to Instagram, around 70% of its users watch video content in the form of stories on a daily basis. And out of this number, there seems to be a marked preference (roughly 50%) towards those videos that make them laugh. Even more important than that is about one in four Gen Z and Millennials actively seek stories of products, services, and brands they are considering buying.

So, as you begin to chart out your upcoming plans for video marketing content on Instagram, keep an eye on these insights and try to make the most use out of them. These statistics represent clear trends on user preferences for the types of content users look for on the app, so they provide an ideal starting point to start developing video content that will help you reach the people you want.

And remember – there is always the new and flourishing IGTV option which is similar to YouTube in that you can post full length videos without time constraints. For example, you could provide a preview for your new how-to video on your feed and stories which will then direct followers to watch the full video on your IGTV channel if they wish – without being overly pushy. Brilliant!

#4. Don’t Dismiss the Importance of Instagram Analytics

Identifying where you stand among your competitors can have serious payoffs for optimizing your social media strategy.

Some beneficial analytics metrics to consider:

  • tracking post performance
  • monitoring Instagram trends
  • monitoring impressions and views
  • tracking comments and hashtag usage
  • measuring audience engagement
  • identifying influencers in your industry

Analytics can tell you what’s working and what needs to change. And over time, you can build a large scope of data to track and measure performance. It is incredibly valuable to know when and how your audience is engaging with your Instagram content, and how you can improve your performance moving forward.

Final Thoughts

There you have it folks! Rosewood’s top 4 tips for video marketing success on Instagram! And remember – our goal is to help you create and share visual content (videos and images) that help your brand build credibility and familiarity within your target market. These 4 strategies will ensure that you are not only interacting with your audience in a meaningful way, but that you are also taking full advantage of Instagram’s lucrative video marketing tools. And remember – as the popularity and importance of Instagram videos continue to grow and develop, the opportunities for businesses to reach their desired audiences will increase as well.

Of course, we are always happy to help! Rosewood offers both videography services and social media training. If you have any questions on how to get started, feel free to contact us directly.

Happy filming!

“Don’t deliver a product, deliver an experience” 

Questions? Get in Touch!

Until Next Time,

Ananta

Content Coordinator

Rosewood Inc.

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Top 5 Reasons to Start Using Instagram to Boost Your Business

instagram deanna simone rosewood va

Instagram is an excellent tool to increase awareness, reach new customers and clients, network with industry professionals, and build your brand. On Instagram, you are in complete control of exactly how you want your brand to be represented online. If your business is not already on Instagram, these 5 reasons outlined below will surely give you the push you need!  

1. More people are using Instagram than ever before 

According to Hootsuite, Instagram has over 1 billion active users, 500 million of which use the platform daily. And what’s more – 38 percent of these users check the site multiple times a day. And with engagement on Instagram being 10 times higher than on Facebook, you don’t want to miss out on all those potential eyeballs on your business! 

2. Use stories to make your business more relatable 

The best way to show your customers/clients that you are more than just a faceless company, is to take full advantage of the app’s live posts, IGTV, stories, and highlights features. You have full creative freedom to choose what you post on here – you can show a behind the scenes look on how products are made, bits and pieces of your employee’s personal lives, live Q&A sessions – the possibilities are endless! Remember that live posts and stories are an excellent (and cheap!) way to build rapport, trust and credibility with followers, as well as show that there’s a human side to your business. 

3. Use hashtags & geotags to increase visibility 

As a start-up or existing small business, you may be intimidated by the competition, but with the proper use of hashtags and geotags, you are in full control of making your brand stand out from the crowd. Hashtags are essentially keywords that summarize what your post is saying. Also, many people will be able to find your business by searching up key words that relate to your product/service. It also helps Instagram show your content to users with similar interests.  

Geotags on the other hand help your posts reach a local audience – making it easier to network with those near you. Make sure you are tagging your physical location (if you have one) or the cities/towns you serve. You can also check in at local businesses and events to increase your visibility even more!

4. You can effectively and creatively engage with your customers

On Instagram you can connect with your followers daily through likes, comments, shares, and much more. The more likes and comments you get, the more visible your company becomes. You can get more likes by taking high-quality photos, using local hashtags, and partnering with other brands. Also, you can get super creative! Show the public that your brand has personality by mixing it up with contests, polls, vivid images, live videos, and more. 

5. Keep an eye on your competition

Your company can use Instagram to keep an eye on your competitors and see how they interact with their followers. Watch carefully to find out how often they post, what they are posting and how they engage with their followers. You can use the information you gather to better define your own personal strategy. 

BONUS Tip

How frequently you post also has a huge impact on building and maintaining your follower engagement. Here at Rosewood we firmly believe in quality over quantity. We strongly encourage posting engaging, original content 2-3 times a week rather than sharing filler posts or re-posts daily. Therefore, for our clients we typically post 3 to 7 times a week to effectively increase their visibility and following.

One final take away – more people are paying attention to Instagram than ever before, and you may be missing out on millions of potential customers/clients by not leveraging Instagram to boost your business. Take these 5 tips and use them to start building your Instagram presence today! 

Questions? Get in Touch! 

Until Next Time,

Deanna

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