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Does Using Emojis on Instagram Lead to More Engagement?

Yes.

Thanks for reading, you can move on to the next section of this email now.

Just kidding… While it is definitely true that emojis do lead to more engagement, we’re going to explain why. After all, knowing the answer without showing your work is as bad today as it was when we were in 6th grade.

Agorapulse is the company behind this research. They conducted a study where they examined emoji use of Instagram accounts they own and some they don’t. When you look at the raw data, it looks like emojis are actually worse for engagement. But like any good data scientist, Agorapulse didn’t stop with the raw data.

They used a formula to level the playing field. Their formula is built to show performance regardless of profile size.

You know what? We’ll just let the pros at Agorapulse handle it…

• (00:30) Using emojis in your Instagram posts have tangible value for your business.
• (00:47) Quintly studied 29,000 Instagram profiles and concluded that using emojis leads to more interactions.
• (01:30) That study showed a 15% increase in engagement by using emojis.
• (02:12) Agorapulse conducted their own study because Quintly’s study was just averages of engagement numbers.
• (03:46) They used a formula to see how profiles perform relative to their size. You can accurately compare smaller profiles against larger ones with this formula.
• (04:51) In terms of performance, posts with emojis had at least a 3% higher interaction rate.
• (05:51) The business value? Emojis make posts more personal and intimate.
• (06:11) Emojis are also eye-catching. They’ll stop people from scroll through their feeds and pay more attention to your posts.

The article that goes along with this podcast has a ton of additional data and insight into emoji use.

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How To Build A Content Marketing Strategy You’ll Actually Use

Building a content marketing strategy is a beast. A big ol’ scary one. And this post from CoSchedule proves it. It’s a long one, but dang is it in-depth. It’ll be your one-stop shop for finally creating that solid content marketing strategy you and your team have been talking about. So bookmark this bad boy!

In the article, CoSchedule covers exactly how to create a content marketing strategy that will:

• Keep your team focused and organized, so you can plan your work, then work your plan
• Ensure your content is aligned with real goals that’ll make an actual impact on your business (keywords here being “real” and “actual”)
• Help you stay flexible and adjust according to what’s working (and what isn’t

The problem with a lot of strategies is that they’re too rigid. Just like your social media strategy, you can’t plan too far in advance, or you’re merely guessing. You need a strategy that’s adaptable, and that’s exactly the type of strategy this post will help you build.

It won’t just tell you what to do, but it’ll show you how to document your strategy too. Complete with a free downloadable template! 

You’ll also find that the post is divided up into 10 steps, properly organized in the “Table of Contents” at the beginning of the article. We’ve linked to them below. 

The 10 Steps to Create your Content Marketing Strategy:

1. Assemble Your Content Marketing Team
2. Establish Your Mission Statement
3. Establish Your Content Marketing Goals
4. Audience and Persona Development
5. Determine Content Types
6. Choosing Content Promotion Channels
7. Writing and Designing Your Content
8. Define Your Content Creation Process
9. Create Your Content Promotion Strategy
10. Make a Plan to Measure Your Results

Alright, get to building that strategy and let us know how it goes.

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“Oui, Oui, Oui” All the Way Home

What do Surrealism, train travel, and opera have in common? They all star in this wild ride of an ad spot from OuiSCNF, France’s main rail booking platform.

Crazy vehicles take shape as Mad-Max-meets-Alice-in-Wonderland hybrids, ploying through a Dalí-esque desert. Meanwhile, an eccentric opera singer belts “Oui!” into the surrealist landscape, awakening several more quirky characters and their whimsical steeds. 

The spot ends with the outré troupe riding off into the sunset with the tagline, “Say yes to travel.” Dang, totally magical. 

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