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Tag: marketing

Canva AI Apps: Canva Bulk Create

Posted on March 11, 2024 - 9:00 am by

Our team is blown away at all the new apps that have come available in the past year on their site. Canva has unleashed the potential of artificial intelligence with content creation and it is a blast to work with! Enjoy this simple tutorial we’ve put together to show how you can increase your efficiency as a marketer and create content at a rapid pace by mass-creating bulk posts with the Canva AI Tool “Bulk Create” + ChatGPT.

Bulk Create Tutorial

1. Make your request to ChatGPT for how many posts / tips you’re needing.

I requested a list of 25 Nordic ski tips to enhance performance on the snow.

2. Ask ChatGPT to please arrange tips in a table.

Organize the table where [SAMPLE] as column 1, [SAMPLE 2] as column 2 as instructions for ChatGPT, etc. Copy and download the content as CSV or Copy/Paste it directly into Canva. (I used this query to return table for Nordic tips – Can you arrange the tips in a table where [TIP] is the tip number and first column, [Description] is the tip and second column, and [SUMMARY] is the longer description of the tip from above?)

3. Open Canva, navigate to Apps, Search “Bulk Create.”

It asks to upload a CSV or manual upload. I just copy and paste the columns I’m using right into the wizard. Scroll to bottom of table and hit OKAY. Hit Purple ‘Continue’ button on Bulk Create pane of Canva. (Bottom left screen once you’ve added your excel columns).

4. Now we are going to connect each of your columns to a different area of your Canva template/design.

The columns Canva recognized from my excel columns were “Tips” (Tip #), “Description”, and “Summary”. Now, right click on the element on your canva design you want a certain column to show up in. I wanted the tip number to be at the top – so I clicked/created the text box at the top, right click, and hit “Connect to Data”. This will show one of your recognized columns. Once you select your preferred column, it will show the textbox as a variable. Connect the other two columns to your data by right clicking on each of those text box elements.

5. Generate tips within the template.

Hit continue. You can choose which of the tips to create now from your excel or to create all pages. Once you click generate, all pages will generate in a different window. You can adjust sizing of text/other small adjustments for each before or after you generate the bulk pages.

6. You can schedule posts to connected apps

Schedule posts for FB or Instagram directly from Canva. Since we (Transcend Ideas) manages multiple client accounts we export the files either on our desktop or phone and schedule within our scheduling platform.

Bonus: An extra interesting use of Bulk Create is that can run this AI tool with multiple pages within one design file. That allows you to choose from your favorite formats. I recommend using different variations so your feed isn’t so redundant.

Bulk Create is made for everyone and any small business! Are you a fan of the new Bulk Create capability on Canva? Let us know! Contact Transcend Ideas today if you’d like to learn about Canva doing some heavy lifting for your business!

JH Nordic Annual Event 2024 Case Study

Posted on February 12, 2024 - 6:00 am by

Transcend Ideas is proud to continue our partnership with JH Nordic. We are proud to support their mission to improve winter trails access, education, and stewardship in the Teton. The Jackson Hole Nordic Alliance Annual Free Ski, Snowshoe, and Fat Bike Day event has become a favorite tradition for families and the community to come together to celebrate winter recreation in the Tetons. We are proud to have provided the illustration and marketing for the 2024 event this year.

JH Nordic Annual Free Ski, Snowshoe, Fatbike Day at Turpin Meadow Ranch

Transcend Ideas was proud to support the goal to provide education and increase awareness and community around winter trails use in the Tetons for visitors and locals alike.

  • Our team generated an illustrated vintage-style poster reminiscent of skiing and days spent on winter trails from the past. This appeals emotionally to viewers of both the physical and digital marketing campaigns.
  • Digital graphics were created for social media as a 10 day countdown to increase excitement and engagement online. A consistent digital presence promoting attendance at the 6th Annual Free Ski, Snowshoe, and Fatbike Day supported the success of the event.

Visit the JH Nordic website to learn more about all things winter trails and grooming in the Tetons.

Learn more about how Transcend Ideas can help with strategy and marketing behind your non-profits next big community event!

Building a Content Strategy for Social Media

Posted on December 21, 2023 - 3:30 pm by

Developing a content strategy for your business’s social media can be intimidating. With a packed schedule, setting aside time for social media strategy might seem challenging. However, an intentional social media strategy is essential. It not only saves you time but also enhances the quality and value of your brand.

Let’s break down our recommended approach and keep it simple for you.

Step 1: Define Goals

Begin by aligning your social media marketing goals with your business objectives. Review your business objectives and consider how social media can help achieve these long-term goals.

Step 2: Identify Your Audience

Ask crucial questions about your target audience. Is the content tailored to their preferences? Which social media platforms are most effective in reaching them? It’s not necessary to post across all channels; find the ones that work best for your brand.

Step 3: Content Audit + Determine Content Pillars

Once you’ve defined your goals and identified your target audience, proceed with a content audit. Analyze the analytics of your past posts to find common qualities. This analysis forms the basis for determining your content pillars — the primary topics your business consistently addresses. Maintaining a focus on these pillars ensures your content remains organized, relevant, and authoritative.

Step 4: Organize & Plan Content

With these defined content pillars, you’re primed to initiate the content creation process. Kick things off by brainstorming a comprehensive list of content ideas, utilizing your content pillars as a guiding framework. This list will serve as an archive for your ideas, proving valuable when you find yourself in need of inspiration.

Simultaneously, establish a content calendar to strategically plan when your content will be published. This ensures your social media plan remains organized and consistently engages your audience. For an added layer of efficiency, contemplate integrating a social media scheduling platform into your workflow. While several options are available, at Transcend Ideas, we like Loomy!

Step 5: Analyze and Measure Performance

Dive into analytics to gauge content performance. Business profiles on social channels often have accessible analytics. Enhance insights using tools like Hootsuite or Semrush for a deeper analysis. 

Step 6: Keep Churning out Content

Once a strategy is established, maintain consistency. On a monthly basis, allocate dedicated time to strategize and plan your upcoming content. Being intentional with your social media will save you time in the long run.

Feeling overwhelmed? Transcend Ideas has helped numerous brands and organizations develop social media content strategies. Let us assist you, too.

Social Media Building a Content Strategy for Social Media. "Feeling overwhelmed with social media? Let's get coffee" graphic.

Non-Profit Storytelling as a Catalyst For Change

Posted on December 12, 2023 - 5:46 pm by
Transcend Ideas - Nonprofit storytelling as a catalyst for change graphic

Non-profits ignite transformation in our communities. From championing and overcoming food insecurity and poverty to resolving inequality, protecting women’s and minority rights, to creating endless innovative solutions to help curtail these and other social problems that isolate our communities and us from each other. How does storytelling play a pivotal piece in the puzzle of social issues?

Complex problems require a lot of resources and a lot of brainpower to overcome. How is it possible to create enough of a wave of excitement to generate action from viewers or your community? How do you pierce someone emotionally to the point where they feel they have to support your brand by volunteering or donating to your cause?

Storytelling. The power of the underdog and the tale-as-old-as-time triumph of the Cinderella story is what motivates viewers to send money your way. If they connect with your brand emotionally – you could have a recurring donor long-term. If you can replicate this type of reaction on a large scale, you could have the funding to make a difference with your organization.

Here are a Few Tips for Effective Storytelling with your Non-profit

Build a community

Building a community that everyone relates to requires empathy, curiosity, research, and patience. Take the time to lean into what the true goals of your nonprofit are and find a consistent way to share this message in a way that will rally others to join your cause.

Start a Conversation

Why should people be passionate about your organization? What is the problem? Can you back up your position with statistics and numbers? These are all questions you have to approach as you look at your non-profit marketing plan. Take to social media and introduce people to the social problem your non-profit is approaching and ask them their thoughts. Conversations get people curious. Starting a conversation in an interesting and creative way is a great way to get peak engagement.

Transcend Ideas - nonprofit image of food and medicine labelled boxes

Stay Curious and Strengthen Your Non-profit Messaging

Gather the Stories and Impact of Your Organization on a Blog

Gathering resources, funding, and volunteers is no small task. A great way to maintain a consistent stream of content that reaches the public and aligns with your brand values is to create blog content. Your blog can empower viewers to stand up and take action with you. How do you write in a way that moves people? Blogging is a powerful way to bring new eyes to your website and introduce your mission consistently. Google website crawlers are constantly looking over your site for new content that can be indexed. Do you have the chops to cut through with a message that resonates? 

Hit their Pain Points

Make me feel something. That’s what every internet and social media user is looking for in less than 10 seconds. How do you relate to and make someone feel involved with your mission so quickly?

Polish your Writing Tone

Find ways to use messaging in a succinct way that hits on the base instincts of self-preservation and security, creating connections, generating social change, and harnessing creativity. Utilizing these types of call-to-action messages will be most effective in getting the engagement and attention you need.

Tell the Truth

Nothing makes an impact quite like a true story. Whether it be a testimonial from someone who benefitted from your organization or a harrowing story that encourages viewers to stand up and take action. Always protect the privacy of those you receive stories from and be mindful of how to use their stories to enlist help and create an impact with your non-profits.

According to Non-profit Source, non-profits that effectively use storytelling in their fundraising efforts have a donor retention rate of 45% compared to 27% for organizations that do not focus on storytelling. Storytelling fosters a stronger emotional connection with donors and encourages them to stay committed to the cause.

Effective and powerful storytelling, additionally, brings increased donor retention, higher fundraising success, greater engagement on social media, enhanced volunteer participation, improved email response rates, building trust and transparency, humanizing the organization, and more.

Non-Profit Tech for Good Resources

Non-Profit Tech for Good is one of our favorite resources for learning about the best tools for non-profits. These help make a big difference with their webinar series. These tools and organization tips allow your non-profit message to penetrate through the distracting messages of other organizations. These same organizations are vying for the time, attention, and money of other potential donors.

Non-profit messaging appeals to the compassionate nature of our communities. Taking the time to dig deep and harness the message you want to send out to the community will come back to your nonprofit in leaps and bounds. We hope we’ve shared some ideas on how you can make some small adjustments to your nonprofit to make a big impact in attracting others to your cause.

Transcend Ideas is passionate about supporting our local non-profits. Let’s get coffee and discuss how we can promote your mission in an effective and engaging way!

The Power of QR Codes in Small Business

Posted on November 7, 2023 - 2:06 pm by
Let's Get Coffee graphic with cup of coffee in QR code for Transcend Ideas

As polarizing as they were, the pandemic-era menus at restaurants deserve credit for the revival of the QR code. Before 2020, this technology was declining, but the need for contact-free options ushered in a new era of creative QR code use within marketing. As the global QR code labels market is projected to grow by an additional 5.6 percent by 2026, exceeding $1 billion, it’s clear that they’re here to stay.

Rightfully so, as it turns out QR codes are an effective marketing tool for business owners. As nearly half of the global population owns a smartphone, most of these devices now come with built-in QR code scanning capabilities, eliminating the need for external apps that used to hinder their functionality. This is a positive development for QR code implementation since they are specifically made for mobile users.

Transcend Ideas - scan QR code for menu image

Why should you use QR codes in your small business?

  1. Connecting Print and Digital Marketing: QR codes provide a seamless link between your print materials and digital content.
    • Information-Rich Design: You can pack more information into your materials without clutter, maintaining an appealing design while delivering valuable content.
    • Enhanced Design Flexibility: QR codes allow for various design options while ensuring brand consistency. Allowing you to choose custom colors, and designs, and incorporate your own logo. 
  2. Targeted Calls to Action: Drive specific customer actions and direct them to relevant web links with ease, breaking through the digital noise.
  3. Efficient Customer Navigation: QR codes facilitate streamlined processes, connecting customers to services like Wi-Fi or customer intake forms effortlessly.
  4. User-Friendly and Cost-Effective: They are easy to implement and budget-friendly, making them accessible for businesses of all sizes.
  5. Data Tracking: QR codes are a valuable tool for tracking customer behavior and collecting analytics data, providing insights for informed marketing strategies.

Did you say Data?

As it turns out, QR codes gather rather useful analytics for businesses through their data-tracking abilities. With services like Qr-code-generator.com by .bitly, you are privy to a CSV report that offers insight; into total QR scans, the geographic location of those scans, the device, and the time the scan was made. These data specs can help business owners pinpoint the effectiveness of marketing efforts.

QR Code Ideas?

One of the many benefits of using QR codes in your marketing strategy is the flexibility they provide, allowing you to customize a highly effective strategy for your business. Given the numerous possibilities, this may seem overwhelming. Here is a list to start as you look to implement QR Codes for your business:

  1. Business Card: Create a QR code that links to a digital business card. This is especially useful in networking scenarios when you don’t have a physical business card on hand.
  2. Social Media: Restaurants, for instance, can place a QR code on their menus, allowing customers to access their social media channels instantly.
  3. Feedback: Implement a QR code on your printed materials to provide clients with a direct way to share their feedback or reviews.
  4. Website: Guide clients directly to your website, where they can find a comprehensive overview of your business concept.
  5. Location: Simplify the process of locating your business by linking a QR code to Google Maps or Waze for easy directions.

We hope our insights have inspired you to explore QR code marketing in your business endeavors. To begin creating your own customized QR codes, you can turn to various software providers. At Transcend Ideas, we favor Qr-code-generator.com! 😃

Does your team need help expanding the reach of your marketing campaigns and business? Let Transcend Ideas take some of the load off and help put QR codes to work for you! Schedule a time to get coffee with us at this link and let’s chat business!

Leverage the Power of Email Marketing

Posted on October 2, 2023 - 9:30 am by
Email marketing graphic with a heart over an envelope on an illustrated laptop screen

As a business owner, it’s easy to divert your attention towards the flashy world of social media marketing. However, what if we told you that email marketing not only leaves a more lasting impression on customers but also boasts a high success rate in converting those impressions into sales?

Leverage the Power of Email Marketing to Retain Customers

It can, also, be tempting to put all your energy into acquiring new clients when it’s a better investment to focus on retaining existing ones. According to MailChimp, our email marketing platform of choice, “customer retention is all about ensuring that existing customers continue to choose your products or services.” 

Retention emails, in particular, play a pivotal role in achieving this goal. These targeted communications are designed to reinforce your product or service’s value, nurturing customer loyalty, and promoting continued usage, all while fostering satisfaction and deeper engagement with your brand. According to Heather Devine, the founder of Transcend Ideas, “A well-executed email marketing strategy can tell a story and build lasting relationships between the recipient and the brand. The relationship can be maintained or it can fizzle out, it all depends on utilizing several communication tactics well, including email marketing.”

Ohio voters - email marketing graphic

Why are retention emails so effective?

  1. Existing Customers Buy More Frequently 📈

    Market Metric’s data reveals a striking fact: your chances of successfully selling to an existing customer range from 60% to 70%. In contrast, the success rate of closing a new customer hovers much lower, at just 5% to 20%.
  2. Cost-Efficiency 📉

    Marketing to existing customers is not only more effective but also lighter on your budget. According to MailChimp, a mere 10% increase in customer retention rates can boost profits by a remarkable 30%.
  3. Freshness and Relevance for Your Brand

    By staying in touch with your customers through retention emails, your brand remains top-of-mind. This not only ensures their ongoing satisfaction but also increases the likelihood of satisfied customers recommending your brand to potential new customers.

Prioritizing customer retention is a vital component of running a successful business. One way to achieve this is through a well-structured email marketing strategy that maintains a consistent relationship with your existing customers. While organizing such a campaign might seem daunting, it doesn’t need to be complicated. Embrace your brand’s unique personality and the relationships you’ve cultivated. A customer communication calendar can help streamline your efforts throughout the year.

Retention emails come in various forms, and the right approach depends on factors such as your unique business, objectives, and the time of year.

Types of Retention Emails

  1. Welcome Emails

    When a new customer inquires about your business or subscribes to your newsletter, use this opportunity to introduce yourself and showcase the value you offer. Plus, welcome emails often enjoy an above-average open rate.
  2. Announcements and Product Updates

    When you release a new product or service, share the exciting news with your existing clients. They deserve to be the first to know!
  3. Promotional Emails

    Reward loyal customers with discounts or promotions, demonstrating your appreciation for their continued support.
  4. Reminder Emails

    Help customers keep track of important dates and ensure time-sensitive information stays fresh in their minds. For instance, many non-profits benefit from countdown emails leading to fundraising deadlines, like the Old Bill’s Fun Run giving period in Jackson Hole every fall.
  5. Customer Engagement Emails

    Customer engagement emails encourage active participation from your customers, inviting them to share feedback, take surveys, or interact with your brand directly. These interactions foster a sense of community and strengthen customer loyalty.
  6. Special Occasion Emails

    Recognize holidays or specific seasons with tailored retention emails that align with your brand identity. Be cautious not to get lost in the holiday email clutter; make it work for your brand.
  7. Thank You and Acknowledgment Emails

     Take a moment to express gratitude to your customers. ❤️

These are just a handful of examples of retention email types. You know your business best, so get creative and stay consistent!

Is email marketing a foreign territory you don’t want to explore? Let Transcend Ideas fill you in on how we can make email marketing work for your business. We will work with you on the email marketing strategy to best fit your audience and bring great results for your business.

Create Your Holiday Marketing Plan

Posted on September 20, 2023 - 5:16 pm by
Holiday Marketing Plan with holiday decor

Summer’s come to an end and shorts and sandals are being replaced with jeans and boots. It may seem a little silly to already be thinking about a holiday marketing plan— didn’t summer JUST end? But believe it or not, now is the PERFECT time to get ahead when it comes to the holidays. 

Holiday season has a tendency to sneak up on you. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years seem so far in the future. Before you know it, snowflakes will be falling and the busyness of the holidays will be in full swing. Want to avoid unnecessary stress and burnout this holiday season? Check out our helpful holiday marketing tips and get ahead of the game!

Prioritize Your Holiday Marketing Plan

Brainstorm: Start as soon as you can to brainstorm a holiday marketing plan and put it into place. Holiday sales tend to bring in about 20% of annual sales across most industries. It’s the time of year where a strong marketing plan can bring your business to the top of the competition. Plus, who doesn’t want to end 2023 with a bang?

Your brainstorming session should be where you bring efficiency and creativity together. 

Ask for help: Seek out innovative yet reliable marketing plans. Your employees as well as other experts in your industry may have some insight that you didn’t realize you need. Or perhaps you’re friends with an owner of a business very different from yours. You can still bounce ideas off of each other.

Reflect on Your Past Marketing Plans

One of the first steps of an effective marketing plan is to research your own company. Sounds weird? It’s not! 

Use historical data to determine if you overspent or underspent on anything last year (we’re talking money or time).

  • Did you host an event? If so, how effective was it? 
  • Did you create a coupon? If so, how many coupons were used?
  • Did you write a blog? If so, how many people read it?
  • Did you update your website? If so, how much more traffic is it seeing?
  • Did you use social media last year? If so, have your followers increased/do they engage with your material?

Take a closer look at how you’ve been conducting your previous holidays marketing strategies and see what really worked and what could use some extra TLC.

Create a Holiday Offer

Pick a campaign theme and run with it! Each year you should reflect on what you want this holiday season and what your organization or business can provide people. Each year may be drastically different or have subtle nuances. Either way, your holiday campaign should be designed with flavor! Have fun with it. Your campaign is designed around your holiday offer.

Establish a Goal for the Holiday Season

A clear and attainable goal is one of the cornerstones of a great marketing strategy. A goal is not a hope. It’s an objective that you’ve written down and will pursue. Writing down your goal keeps you accountable to it in the future.

Your goals should be SMART – Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. 

Collect $75,000 in donations for ____ charity by December 25, 2023.

Generate 2,000 leads who are interested in our black friday sale by November 22, 2023.

Host 250 participants at the annual _____ event on December 31st, 2023. 

You goals could focus on one or multiple categories:

  • Revenue
  • Awareness
  • Leads
  • Shares
  • Conversion

Define Your Target Audience

Who are you trying to attract and who do you already attract? Gather as much information about your target audience as possible. 

Reflect on your target audience:

  • Do they like to shop in stores or online?
  • Do they consume social media on instagram or facebook?
  • What’s their age demographic?
  • Are you catering to a high-end consumer or more of the middle class?
  • Are they locals, tourists, or a mix of both?

When you truly understand your target audience, you understand the best ways to engage them.

Leverage the Right Marketing Channels

After looking at your target audience and writing down your goals this holiday season, you need to determine which marketing channels are best for you. 

Marketing is EVERYWHERE these days. Make sure that you’re emphasizing quality over quantity. (Quantity isn’t bad, just make sure that the quality is the priority!) Ask industry experts what they use, take a short class on the latest marketing channels, and be creative.

You may want to optimize these marketing channels:

  • Website
  • Email 
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • TikTok
  • Newspaper Ads
  • Online Reviews
  • Word of mouth
  • Paid Advertising 
  • Radio
  • Chamber of Commerce listing
  • Sponsorships
  • Community calendars
  • Flyers/Posters

 Create Your Marketing Calendar

This is an exciting new step! All of your planning and preparation come together in your marketing calendar. 

This calendar reminds you of holidays and important nation-wide events such as Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Small Business Saturday. You can even include other celebrations or noteworthy days like Native American Heritage Month, World Mental Health Day, Daylight Savings, World Coffee Day, National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day, Winter Solstice, or a sporting event.  

Plus, this calendar reminds you to release a new promotional video, run a new ad, print and hang a community flier, or post a story on instagram.

No matter what industry you’re in, you NEED a marketing calendar to keep everything straight.

Delegate, Delegate, Delegate

Delegate tasks to keep everything organized and running smoothly. Most of the time, you can’t do everything—and that’s okay!

If an employee is extremely detail oriented and good with numbers—have them order merchandise or supplies.

Do you have an employee is a social butterfly? Encourage them to meet with your advertisers or plan a social event.

Is there an employee who loves to read—have them research your target audience.

Optimize the strengths of others! 

Avoid the Biggest Holiday Marketing Plan Mistakes

Now that we’ve discussed what you SHOULD do, let’s quickly go over what you SHOULDN’T. 

  1. Only focus on one marketing strategy – this will drastically limit your reach. It’s okay to have one larger marketing strategy but just make sure that it’s not your only one.
  2. Last minute planning – start early! Last minute planning will stress you out and hurt your outcomes.
  3. Not optimizing your mobile site – You need to be accessible online. Like it or not, that’s how the world runs these days. Focus on your online presence and you will reap the rewards.
  4. Ineffective customer service – Be available and fully staffed during the busy holiday season. Customer service can make or break any business. Monitor social media engagement and consider implementing a live chat feature on your website.
  5. Not staying local – One way to stand out is to have a personalized touch to your organization—don’t underestimate the power of your local audience.

The Bottom Line

Design your holiday marketing plan to boost your brand awareness and meet your goals. It’s that simple. Position your brand above others, attract new customers, and keep your loyal ones. Make it great, make it you!

Do you need holiday marketing solutions and don’t know where to start? Schedule a time to grab a coffee and learn how Transcend Ideas can help take the load off this holiday season and provide marketing solutions for your company.

Dear Canva, I LOVE you!

Posted on July 6, 2023 - 11:07 am by

A quick geek out over Canva!

This is a geek out blog post about Canva. If you haven’t guessed, I love the platform and what they provide businesses. Their platform continues to amaze me and what you can do with it. How may I count the ways.. I love you, Canva!

SVG Magic in Branding Your Business

DeLacy Tea Company – SVG rosehips

Let’s begin with SVGs, which stands for: Scalable Vector Graphics.
This handy-dandy format allows for your vector files to be colorized before your eyes. That’s right. Exactly how you can pull an element from Canva and change out a color to your liking? I recently designed something for Mariel’s DeLacy Tea Company. Delacy Tea Company wanted to utilize the rosehips element on different tea labels. Each label needing to be a different color, so making a couple of elements she can then colorize in Canva was huge! An important tip for Illustrator/vector designers: make sure the vector is completely closed so the element can be colorized effectively in Canva. For this sample of their rosehips (right), I had the lines in the leaves transparent and not white so that the rosy color or any color of their choosing can stand out on a contrasting background.

There are some smaller businesses that need to be able to “play” with their logo and with this versatility it allows for a business owner to take it upon themselves to make necessary changes on their own.

From now on, when I package my client’s graphics and hand them over, SVGs will be on that checklist of elements that are an absolute must. Exporting elements for your clients that can be the most useful allows them to move freely in their brand without constraints. All too often clients have shared stories where they are left hopeless with ownership over their own logo files, domain names, hosting for their website, access to their social media platforms, etc. All forthcoming topics I will happily share in our blog.

Some Canva templates provided for marketing campaigns:

Happy Holidays from JH Fire/EMS
People Spread Love Old Bill’s Fun Run (Insta Square)
TCWP Spray Days (Email Newsletter header)
People Spread Love Old Bill’s Fun Run (Insta Square)

Bravo goes back to Canva, an Australia-women owned business. Canva has revolutionized graphic design for so many ambitious dreamers. Now design is accessible to anyone that wants to build a business with the help of their design platform. I couldn’t be more excited to recommend them to anyone who works in design or wants to dabble in it.

Canva Custom Template Offerings

Hashtags Banned vs Allowed

Posted on June 6, 2023 - 1:44 pm by

Did you know that Instagram has taken a stand against certain hashtags? Yep, they’ve implemented a ban to make sure those hashtags don’t get associated with any flagged content. It’s all about protecting users and businesses from potentially harmful or inappropriate stuff. So, if you want to keep your social media game strong, stick to using only approved hashtags.

Now, let’s talk about the power of hashtags!

Hashtags play a significant role in social media, allowing individuals to express themselves and explore new ideas. They enable users to share their experiences, perspectives, and achievements, connecting with people and places they may have never reached before. By simply clicking on a hashtag, you can discover a world that relates to your interests, location, and hobbies. Hashtags bring humanity to the internet, injecting emotion into an otherwise flat digital landscape.

Where does the problem lie?

However, the power of storytelling through hashtags can also attract negative elements. Some individuals and accounts exploit the platform for their own gain, providing no value to users. To combat this, Instagram has banned certain hashtags that have been flagged by the community for various reasons. By using a banned hashtag, you risk connecting with inappropriate or objectionable content.

Meta hashtags now offer a tool to check if a hashtag is banned. This tool allows you to verify whether the content you are sharing or connecting with is acceptable and approved by Instagram’s community standards. Banned hashtags include those that feature obscene phrases, explicit or violent material, and those associated with spam or bot accounts. Using banned hashtags repeatedly may result in a shadow ban, temporarily limiting engagement on your Instagram account until the issue is resolved.

Here are a few banned hashtag you should avoid using all together:

#valentinesday
#single
#nasty
#besties
#alone
#adulting
#dating
#humpday
#mustfollow
#parties
#workflow
#thought

Hashtags that connect to proven spam or bot accounts and other content that directly violates Instagram’s community standards will be banned, as well. If you are found repeatedly using banned hashtags, a shadow ban may be placed on any Instagram account. A shadow ban is a temporary limit to any account, they bring your engagement to low or none until there is a resolution to the problem.

Find the complete list of banned hashtags, access the list via desktop or on the Instagram app with the most recent additions. Make sure you stay up to date with what content is being nixed on Instagram so you don’t lose quality engagement from your viewers!

Keep Telling Your Story!

Despite these precautions, it’s crucial to keep sharing your story on Instagram. By maintaining high standards and adhering to community guidelines, you contribute to a positive online environment. At Transcend Ideas, we are eager to connect with you, discover your story, and help amplify your message to those seeking the services you offer. Join us on the bright side of Instagram!

Let Transcend Ideas help find the perfect balance of social media to use in your marketing campaigns and strategy. Let’s get coffee today!

Master CTA’s (Call to Actions) with Empathy Marketing

Posted on April 20, 2023 - 2:34 pm by

How can you master CTA’s (Call to Actions) with empathy marketing? What are CTAs you ask?

It’s the acronym for call-to-action, like:

Donate Now

Learn More

Buy Now

Register Now

… and so on!

CTA is giving the audience direction and an actionable to take

When we market to our audience we are looking to add value and we are asking them to engage with us with curiosity. With my approach to empathy marketing I empathize with my audience and where they are. Here are some things to think about when you are generating your content and your CTAs when you write a newsletter, blog post, or a social media post.

When using empathy marketing, ask these questions:

  • What does the consumer feel?
  • What is the consumer facing right now?
  • How can we connect as a business?

Our content can shape the relationship

Our content can shape the relationship we have with our consumers. We use tone and personality and the consumer then responds to it. It’s important to:

  • stay relavant, stay informed (webinars, workshops, networking events, speak to your audience)
  • humanize your business
  • ask questions (use surveys – this will eliminate assumptions)
  • answer questions (use real Q&A here to share with the community)
  • share how you can help meet a need – *** Keep your content digestable info, bullet points will help led the reader, if they are curious about more they can contact you (DM or E-mail)
  • use clean graphics and nice photography to help compliment your message – this anchors those topics into your website and your social media feed
  • try an A/B testing to see what’s the most effective approach – look at the data and compare and try it again, see if it still works

Consider These Shifted Verbal Cues to Master CTA’s (Call to Actions) with Empathy Marketing:

Let’s Try Something New

Say YES!

Let’s Get Curious

Join the Conversation

Share Your Story

Are you interested to learn more?

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