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It’s National Give Something Away Day, Reader! What will you give away? A smile, a kind word, a surprise? 🤪

In today’s edition:

• 🚫 Today's Tip of the Day is for Instagram

• ✍🏿 📷 🎤 Expanding your social media role

• LinkedIn enhances automated Accelerate campaigns

• Retrospective collaborator tags for Instagram posts

• Additional industry news from LinkedIn and Snapchat

Is your organic Instagram reach dwindling? Do you repost a lot of memes and jokes, content from influential figures, or articles and images from magazine or press accounts?

If so, you’ll need to adjust your strategy.

Cut Back on Curated Instagram Content

Recently, Instagram announced that its algorithm is deprioritizing posts featuring these types of content.

While accounts that share third-party content have historically performed well on Instagram, the algorithm is now favoring original content to encourage more authentic and diverse content creation.

Take a look at your content mix and make sure your strategy is built on producing original, quality content. 

Soon, you’ll see a rise in organic reach and exposure. 

Today's advice is provided with insights from Kar Brulhart, a featured guest on the Social Media Marketing Podcast.

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How Social Media Managers Can Become In-House Content Creators

Are you an in-house social media manager or strategist? Do you want to do more content creation? Wondering how to balance both roles effectively?

Defining the Roles: Content Creator, Social Media Manager, and Social Media Strategist 

Though the lines blur at times, content creators, social media managers, and social media strategists play distinct yet complementary roles in crafting effective online presences for brands.

Social media strategists focus on expanding branded channels and communities. Their core duty is developing data-driven social strategies centered on engagement and conversions.

Once they map out a plan of attack, the social media manager turns to implementation. This entails managing the brand's daily posting cadence, writing captions and responses, running campaigns and activations, and monitoring engagement analytics. 

Content creators leverage various tools to generate digital content, including photo and video editing software, AI-powered platforms that provide content inspiration, and collaborators who supplement skill sets.

It can be tricky to juggle being a creative content producer and a strategist. Sometimes, the sales department wants you to create a video or social post. They don't care about broader strategy. You'll have to stay mindful of those needs and avoid jumping into a strategist mindset when stakeholders make valid requests for specific content creation that is related to their goals.

Alternatively, the people you work with and for might need clarification on the difference between creating posts and total social media management. You'll need to educate them on how content creation differs from ongoing posting and optimization by asking clarifying questions upfront so everyone understands the expected scope of work.

Set Expectations With Your Internal Stakeholders 

Even though you'll be embracing a creator role, it's essential to maintain a strategic focus amidst the creativity—especially if you're working with partner brands or other creators. 

Don't get carried away with big, flashy ideas that aren't grounded; your goals, priorities, and desired outcomes inform what you should actually make. When considering new content ideas or directions, ask questions like, "What are we trying to accomplish, and why?" and "Where will this content live?" 

Without those goalposts, creative ideas can balloon in any direction. It's a balancing act between imaginative thinking and strategic alignment. Tying aspirations back to practical objectives will help you determine your content's best formats, platforms, and creative direction.

Know Your Strengths 

To become a content creator, first, figure out what types of content creation you enjoy and are good at. Do you like writing? Making videos? Taking photos? You don't have to do it all. Focus on creating the types of content you feel enthusiastic about and motivated to make.  

Next, get feedback from honest people on the content you're producing. If it's not very good, that's okay—it means you can improve or maybe try creating different types of content. If your skill set is rooted in social media management, you'll have to rely on trial and error to find your sweet spot. Play to your strengths and figure out what you excel at by testing different formats and asking for critiques.

Use Tools to Help You Create 

If you're going to wear multiple hats—especially if you're a one- or two-person team—AI can do a lot of the heavy lifting for you. 

Are you stuck conceptualizing ideas for a campaign? Turn to AI and say, "Give me five ideas for a basketball merch line." You'll get generic starters that can help shake up your thinking and open up new possibilities. You can take those seeds of inspiration and apply your own expertise to develop innovative, strategic campaigns.

In a similar way, tools for graphic design, video editing, and copywriting—Canva, Splice, and Descipt—can save you time delivering drafts you can polish up.

Today's advice is provided with insights from Jayde I. Powell, a featured guest on the Marketing Agency Show.

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🗞 Instagram’s Retrospective Collaborator Tags: Instagram plans to introduce a new feature allowing users to retrospectively add collaborators to their posts. Currently, users can only add collaborators during the initial creation process for feed posts and Stories, although this option was recently made available for Reels. This update is expected to be implemented soon. Source: Social Media Today

🗞 LinkedIn Expands ‘Accelerate’ Campaigns: LinkedIn is expanding its AI-powered "Accelerate" campaigns to all advertisers globally. This feature automates the entire campaign creation process, analyzing provided URLs and company profiles to build optimized campaigns in minutes. It includes AI-generated creative elements and targeting recommendations. LinkedIn is also adding new tools like customer data integration and enhancing its AI marketing assistant. The global rollout will begin with English language campaigns in the coming months. Source: Social Media Today

🗞 LinkedIn’s New Comment Thread Experience: LinkedIn has updated its comment thread experience. The new feature allows users to track replies to specific comments more easily, creating clearer conversation flows within post comment sections. Source: @lindseygamble_ via Threads

🗞 Snap Partners With VideoAmp: Snapchat has partnered with VideoAmp to provide reach planning and measurement tools for agency partners. This integration will offer greater visibility into Snapchat's audience. VideoAmp will be the first planning tool to incorporate all of Snapchat's inventory, including video and AR content. Source: Snapchat Business

Did You Know?

In the mid-18th century, the British Navy fought scurvy by adding limes as a source of vitamin C to daily rations. And that’s why we use the term Limey for a sailor.