Be in the Know
- Nike buys an AI startup that predicts what consumers want.
- Postmates obtains a permit to test sidewalk delivery robots in San Francisco.
- Equinox will start selling its own Peloton-like bikes and treadmills this winter.
- Google wants you to plan your whole vacation without leaving Google.
Should You Use Instagram Bots?
To bot or not, that is the question.
There are plenty of services that promise you followers, likes, comments and more. Sure, it’s enticing, but at the end of the day, vanity metrics won’t get you far.
The folks at Hubspot ran a side by side test using a bot service and a real human on Instagram. The profile, content and hashtags were exactly the same.
Here’s what they learned:
- Automation leads to less engagement: The number of followers on the automated profile was 799, compared to 621 for the human-managed account. Most bot services will run up your follower count fast, but that doesn’t translate to organic engagement. After 30 days, the human-managed account had 3x the amount of organic engagement.
- Organic engagement has a higher content reach potential: The potential reach of content (regramming, future partnerships, etc.) was higher when they looked at the number of followers who were influencers or popular. Bot comments lack human touch, which drive down potential reach.
- Automation connects more with bots than humans: A bot can’t recognize the difference between generic comments and real responses. This leads to bots following bots.
Takeaway: Don’t use Instagram bots.
Social media is all about human connection. If you’re looking to build an engaged audience, spend a couple hours per day (yes, it’s a commitment) doing the following:
- Replying to all comments
- Liking other posts
- Adding insightful comments to other posts
- Asking followers questions to connect with them
- Researching emerging content trends and hashtags
- Reaching out to influencers
Get to Know Your Team
Let’s skip the awkward part.
Icebreaker is a free collection of over 200 icebreaker questions you can use to start any team meeting or gathering.
It’s 100% free and a great way to get to know your team. #BreakThatIce
Watch
The Official Shower Beer Spoof
Last week, we featured the self-claimed “Official Shower Beer” ad by Coors Light.
Well, Stephen Colbert saw it too. Enjoy the hilarious commentary and spoof (2:27 mark).
