your  June email

When stay-at-home orders were put into place, tasting rooms who often rely on in-person tastings for about ⅓ of their sales were left scrambling. How could they offer a similar experience of education, sales, and interaction with their customers, while honoring the need to stay at home?
 

For some, the answer was obvious: Instagram Live.
 

Instagram Live has been around for a while, and quite a lot of brands were already using it very effectively to grow their audiences and increase engagement, but in this new world where staying at home is safer than venturing out into society, Instagram Live is now just another way for people to stay connected. 

In fact, in the last few months we’ve seen 70% more brands using Instagram Live than prior to the COVID-19 outbreak!

But, why use Instagram Live in the first place?
WELL I'LL TELL YOU!

 

It increases engagement: Instagram sends your audience a push notification when you go live AND it pushes your icon to the very front of the Stories feed, meaning that even if your audience doesn’t usually see your stories or posts, they will be more likely to see that you’re live
 

It increases reach: Instagram rewards accounts that use all of its features. If you use Instagram live consistently, you’re more likely to show up on someone’s discovery page, thus increasing the potential for new audience members.
 

It increases trust amongst your audience: By showing up in such an authentic and interactive way, you humanize your brand, which increases perceived trustworthiness amongst your audience.

 

It’s virtually free: Social media is a FREE marketing tool! It will only cost you your time and the ROI makes it worth it.
 

The data is there: 80% of people say they would rather watch a live video than read a blog from a brand and 82% of people say they would rather watch a live video than consume a social media post.

On a More Serious Note

Like you, I have been left reeling by the murders of black Americans by police officers and the subsequent riots and looting in major cities.  

We should not be living in a world where innocent black Americans are killed by the very people we pay to serve and protect us. 

We should not live in a world where white supremacists can walk around with military-grade weapons to protest the fact that they are bored being at home while black Americans aren't even safe in their own homes, can't go for a jog without being gunned down, and can't watch birds in a park without the threat of arrest.

We should not.
We should not.
We should not.

As a white woman, I understand that I have many privileges not afforded to women and men of color. Though I have faced challenges in my life, those challenges have never been exacerbated by the color of my skin.

The fact that people of color must navigate the world knowing that any minute they could be killed or arrested simply because of the color of their skin is WRONG.

I am ashamed of my past silence on this subject. I am ashamed that it took the murder of hundreds of innocent men and women to wake me up and pull me out of that complacency.

 

I promise that I will no longer remain silent on this. I promise to work hard every day to call out the racism I see, not only in my community, but in myself.  I promise to work to build a better America so that people of color can have the same rights and privileges I take for granted daily.

Click here for a list of ways you can help and take action.

-Heather

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