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Instagram Photos are Making a Comeback in 2023 | Mini News Jan 30, 2023

Show notes

Huge news this week - Instagram photos are making a comeback in 2023! Instagram is switching focus back to photos and less videos this year. Social Media Manager Hayden is here to weigh the pros and cons of this update and share information straight from head of Instagram Adam Mosseri.

***

⭐️Instagram gained its original popularity by featuring still images, giving users a place to share all their new memories they captured on their phones - remember that phone cameras were newer technology back then. After the feed post gained its hype, they released the story feature to combat against Snapchat’s rising popularity. User focus shifted to stories because at the time, that was a great way to grow your account as Instagram rewards users that use its newest features. Given the various algorithmic shifts, the original focus of the app has largely been overshadowed by Meta’s broader business push. While Instagram popularity has grown, it’s also become more cluttered and less focused on how they originally gained popularity.

⭐️Mosseri said in his recent IG story, “ I think we were overfocused on video in 2022 and pushed ranking too far, and basically showed too many videos and not enough photos. We’ve since balanced, so things like how often someone likes photos versus videos, and how often someone comments on photos versus videos, are roughly equal, which is a good sign that things are balanced.” Mosseri further notes that photos will remain a key focus for the app, and that maintaining the right balance in this respect will be key. Although, as we have seen in the past, whatever performs the best and keeps user on the app the longest is what will stick. For interior designers, this can be a very exciting change! No more endless filming of projects and more focus on using the still images that are quick and easy. Making your videos into reels can be very time consuming and something that many of people don’t want to do, or just don’t really know how. Having the ability to upload pictures and them still get extensive reach will be a positive change for interior designers.

***

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Tax Tips for Business Owners and Interior Designers (with Aaron Smyle) Jan 25, 2023

Show notes

It’s officially tax season and it’s time to get all of your paperwork together. W2s, W9s, 1099s - what are all of these documents? Tax practitioner Aaron Smyle joins us today to offer tax advice, define the differences between employees and independent contractors, and what you need to do to set your business up for success.

Aaron Smyle MBA, MST is an Enrolled Agent (EA), a federally-authorized tax practitioner who has technical expertise in the field of taxation and is empowered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to represent taxpayers before all administrative levels of the Internal Revenue Service for audits, collections, and appeals.

***

📲CONNECT with Aaron:

Website: https://www.smyleandassociates.com/

Instagram: @smyletaxes

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Darla’s Interior Design Website: https://darlapowell.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darlapowellhome/

📚Resources & People Mentioned: "Let the Great World Spin" by Colum McCann

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Meta Is Shutting Down Facebook Creator Studio: Facebook Updates 2023 | Mini News Jan 23, 2023

Show notes

Did you know Meta is shutting down Facebook Creator Studio? This sounds like a big deal, however, not to worry - all those features will be moved into Meta Business Suite. Emily is here to walk us through the latest Facebook updates and how the new Meta Business Suite will have increased functionality to manage your Facebook and Instagram business accounts.

***

⭐️Meta is shutting down Facebook Creator Studio. This sounds like a big deal, however, not to worry - all those features will be moved into Meta Business Suite. Facebook Creator Studio is Facebook’s built-in tool that lets you create and schedule Facebook and Instagram content for your business profiles. You can manage your page content; track posts, insights, and analytics; manage your inbox like your comments and DMs - all in one place via Facebook Creator Studio. So why would Meta get rid of this tool? They are taking all of these features and putting them into the Meta Business Suite, which is formerly known as Facebook Business Manager, which is a tool with backend access to your pages and settings as well as your ads manager and more.

⭐️What’s the point of getting rid of Facebook Creator Studio? Meta wants to streamline things and have everything in one spot. You used to have to visit a specific url to access the creator studio, but now you just have to go to business.facebook.com to access Meta Business Suite. Meta states, “We’re actively working to bring Meta’s creator tools together in one place. You can access all of your content and data when you switch. After trying the new creator experience in Meta Business Suite, you can switch back to Creator Studio.” In terms of functionalities, it seems that Meta Business Suite may have more to offer. You’ll be able to see your notifications for Facebook and Instagram; your messages and comments; plus you’ll be able to create, schedule, and post stories, reels, and more. It’ll also be easier to utilize the ads manager.

***

📲CONNECT with Darla:

Darla’s Interior Design Website: https://darlapowell.com/

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REPLAY: Business Tips for New Interior Designers Jan 18, 2023

Show notes

Meredith founded the “House of Huck” in 2020 as a passion project. She gave herself an ultimatum: If she wasn’t successful in three years, she’d go back to the corporate world. But in one year, she transformed her business into a full-time career.

She’s leveraged her unique background in corporate sales—and some genius social media marketing tactics—to build a thriving business. In this episode of Wingnut Social, Meredith shares some business tips for new interior designers that you just can’t miss!

Connect with Meredith Huck

House of Huck
Connect on Instagram

Resources & People Mentioned

Wingnut Webinar Aug 25, 2022 11:00 AM: Let’s Get Real About Reels
Profit First by Mike Michalowicz
Dakota Design Co.
The Brownstone Boys
Record your podcast episodes on Riverside

Why House of Huck grew quickly

95% of Meredith’s clients have come from social media. How does she leverage various platforms to gain visibility?

Meredith got in front of the camera. It allowed people to learn about herself and her life. She also embraced a unique social media marketing strategy: Throwing a scavenger hunt.

Meredith chose 5 local businesses, bought gift cards, and hid them around town. You had to follow her on social media and answer a riddle to find the gift card(s). Once someone found one, they had to tag her in a post.

She gained followers, gave back to her community, and it even led to a request for a design consultation.

Why Meredith doesn’t want to grow and scale a team

Meredith is struggling with a great problem to have: Getting too many requests for her design services. She’s learning how to take discovery calls, explaining how her process works, and scheduling out (sometimes weeks or months).

She sets the expectation that it may be weeks before she can connect back to work on their project. But then she communicates via email, notes in the mail, etc. She’ll have those clients work on creating a Pinterest board to fill in the gap during those weeks.

Meredith is busier than ever, but she isn’t interested in growing and scaling a team right now. She loves what she does and chooses to outsource when necessary. She works with a virtual assistant and outsources renderings and sourcing tasks.

Business tips for new interior designers

What has Meredith learned from her first couple of years as a new interior designer?

Tip #1: It’s not just about charging a design fee. Whenever you can, open up wholesale accounts and purchase furnishings directly from them. A large portion of Meredith’s revenue has come from the margin she makes on furnishings.

Tip #2: Trust your gut. Meredith agreed to do some design work for a couple despite seeing numerous red flags. Meredith requires her clients to request revisions within one week of her design presentation. After her design presentation, this client asked for more than a week to decide. Two months later, they asked her for a refund of her design fees.

Tip #3: Don’t take every job that comes your way. Only work with people who appreciate what you’re doing for them.

Meredith shares more tips, tricks, and business strategies in this episode of Wingnut Social. Check it out!

Connect With Darla & Wingnut Social

www.WingnutSocial.com
On Facebook
On Twitter: @WingnutSocial
On Instagram: @WingnutSocial
Subscribe on YouTube
Darla’s Interior Design Website
Check out the Wingnut Social Media Lab Facebook Group!
786-206-4331 (connect with us for your social media marketing needs)

Subscribe to The Wingnut Social Podcast on iTunes, Google Podcasts, or TuneIn

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Instagram Group Profiles and Collaborative Collections: New Instagram Updates 2023 | Mini News Jan 16, 2023

Show notes

What are the latest Instagram updates in 2023? Social Media Manager Abby is here to share some exciting new features coming to Instagram this year, including Group Profiles and Collaborative Collections. Tune in to see how you can take advantage of these new features as an interior designer and business owner.

***

⭐️Last year, Instagram’s main goal was transparency, which was demonstrated through insight updates and peeling the curtain back on the algorithm. This year, one of their biggest initiatives is connection: connecting people to things they love, and connecting them to one another. They are testing some new updates, including group profiles. Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Group profiles are a place where you can have multiple users post to it. What will this look like? When you’re logged into an account that has access to a group profile, whenever you go to share any type of content (stories, reels, or feed posts), you’ll have the option to share it to your personal profile or to share it to the group profile…or both! Think of it as Facebook groups, but on Instagram. This could change a lot for social media agencies in particular as it won’t require you to log in to all of your clients accounts but rather simply have access via a group profile. It will also be great for teams that have a social media account and have multiple posters without risking a security breach.

⭐️Another update coming to Instagram in 2023 is Collaborative Collections. Collections can be found in your saved photos on Instagram and are great for staying organized. Let’s say you have 10 kitchen pictures saved, and 1 bathroom picture, but you don’t want them all mixed up. You can create separate folders, or collections, for different spaces. Previously, these collections have been private to individual users. These collections will now be able to be collaborative shared and added to by other users. For interior designers, this will be great because you can share these collections with other team members. Think of it as a Pinterest board or a mood board. You can use collaborative collections to save your ideas and share them with one another.

***

📲CONNECT with Darla:

Darla’s Interior Design Website: https://darlapowell.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darlapowellhome/

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REPLAY: Why Interior Designers Need Ongoing SEO to Remain Competitive Jan 11, 2023

Show notes

Why is SEO so critical for your brand’s online presence?

How does it help you compete with other interior designers? Why is ongoing SEO the key to keeping your interior design business ranking on Google?

The biggest piece of misinformation that we hear about SEO is that it’s a “one-and-done” service that’s complete when your website is created. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Ongoing SEO, when done correctly, is your key to remaining competitive. Gavin—Wingnut’s resident SEO guru—covers this important topic in this episode of Wingnut Social!

Resources & People Mentioned

Wingnut Webinar: 7/28 at 11 am EST: SEO 101
Wingnut Academy: Instagram for Interior Designers
Record your podcast episodes on Riverside
Wingnut Social is on YouTube!

How ongoing SEO can boost your business

When your website is created and SEO-optimized, you can’t just set it and forget it. You can’t just run ads and call it good. Why? 80% of people searching on Google ignore paid ads. Secondly, most people won’t go past the first page of search results. So your business needs to be ranked in the top 10 search results.

How do you achieve that? You have to track and measure the impact of your work and adjust your SEO continuously. You can make adjustments as you go to make sure your pages stay on the first page of Google’s search results.

Your competition’s SEO tactics are constantly changing. If you’re ranking for a keyword and it falls from #2 to #10, you need to make some adjustments or you’ll lose traffic. If your competition is ranking for keywords that you used to rank for, changes need to be made.

That’s why a robust and ongoing SEO strategy can mean the difference between being flooded with clients—or being irrelevant.

Your clients have questions—make sure you provide the answers

When it comes to blogging, people think they need to produce a chunk of new content once a month and they’re okay. Gavin points out that blogging is a great strategy and you need to do it. However, you have to keep in mind that Google is trying to connect people who have questions with the answers they’re looking for.

5–10 years ago, people would stuff keywords into a blog and rank for it. Google is now an intelligent platform that can’t be fooled. If you’re keyword stuffing, your content won’t rank. When you write content, focus on answering questions that your ideal client is searching for.

What questions are they asking? How do YOU provide the best answer and share value? The keywords and phrases you use reflect your ability to understand your customer. If you have a great idea of what your customers are looking for and provide them value, you’ll see a bump in SEO.

What tools can you use to help you write SEO-optimized content? How does Google’s algorithm play a role in your success? Listen to the whole episode to learn more about ongoing SEO’s impact on your bottom line.

Connect With Darla & Wingnut Social

www.WingnutSocial.com
On Facebook
On Twitter: @WingnutSocial
On Instagram: @WingnutSocial
Subscribe on YouTube
Check out the Wingnut Social Media Lab Facebook Group!
786-206-4331 (connect with us for your digital marketing needs)

Subscribe to The Wingnut Social Podcast on iTunes, Google Podcasts, or TuneIn

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Twitter Advanced Search on Mobile: How to Use for Social Media Marketing | Mini News Jan 09, 2023

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Twitter advanced search for mobile is here! Is there a tweet you’ve been trying to find forever, or do you want to clean up some of your old tweets? Twitter is launching a new “advanced search” feature on the mobile app that will provide users with a range of filters when searching for content. Social Media Manager Hayden is here to walk us through the latest developments.

***

⭐️Twitter’s advanced search on mobile will provide you with a range of additional options when searching for content, including accounts mentioned, date ranges, personal mentions, hashtags, and like and retweet counts. All of these qualifiers are already built into the app, and are available in the Advanced Search tab on desktop - but until now, they haven’t been easily accessible on mobile. You’ll also be able to use these additional search parameters when conducting a tweet search on an individual user’s profile.

⭐️This new feature can be a very helpful addition for businesses and interior designers when trying to search things that are specific to your field. If someone is looking for interior design trends, they will be able to easily search any of these in the new Twitter advanced search option. Being able to search tweets with large amounts of retweets and engagement will be a fantastic way to identify content that is trending currently.

***

📲CONNECT with Darla:

Darla’s Interior Design Website: https://darlapowell.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darlapowellhome/

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REPLAY: Perfecting Your Interior Design Niche Jan 04, 2023

Show notes

Anne Gillyard—along with Jodi Arellano—own and operate GrOH! Playrooms, specializing in educationally-based children’s interiors. They strive to create spaces full of color, joy, fun, and playfulness that encourage your child’s development. But how did they choose to niche down into something so specific? How have they built a thriving play-focused business? Anne joins Darla to discuss all things marketing, niching down, and incorporating play into your child’s every day.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode of Wingnut Social

[1:02] Subscribe to Wingnut Social on YouTube!
[2:01] Mini News Sesh: YouTube Shorts
[5:43] Learn all about Anne Gillyard
[7:55] How Anne chose her interior design niche
[12:39] How Anne reaches her ideal clients
[16:01] The benefit of industry partnerships
[22:36] How to choose work you enjoy
[25:05] Tips for mastering reels and videos
[28:55] The What Up Wingnut Round!

Connect with Anne GillYard

Connect on Instagram
GrOH! Playrooms

Resources & People Mentioned

Mike Michalowicz’s books

How Anne landed on a niche in playrooms

Anne worked in early education for years as a teacher and curriculum designer. But her expertise is play. She always wanted to be an interior designer but never thought she’d land there. Now, she designs family rooms, playrooms, bedrooms, and outdoor spaces where the intention is to live, breathe, and move around with your kids.

When they launched GrOh!, they were worried they wouldn’t survive if they niched down too far. So if a client asked them to do something outside their scope, they quickly agreed to it. But it wasn’t where they thrived. Once they fully committed to their niche, they took off. Now they have a waitlist of 6+ months.

How to choose your interior design niche

Anne says to pour your favorite drink, get comfy, and spend some time thinking. What lights your fire? What takes the least amount of energy to brainstorm about? When you complete a project, what are you proud of? How can you make your experience special? What can you do to make your relationship with your client wonderful and easy?

Reflect after every project and determine what you enjoyed—and what you didn’t. What did you find to be easiest? Anne once created a gorgeous custom kitchen, designed to help create independence for kids. While the project was a smashing success, they didn’t enjoy the work. Now, they only focus on what they love.

How GrOH! Reaches their ideal clients

In December 2019, GrOH! had committed to only doing commercial spaces. A few months later, because of covid, no one was going to commercial play spaces—maybe ever again. So they pivoted to residential spaces. Word-of-mouth wasn’t a possibility at that point. So what marketing stuck?

They invested in photography immediately. Then they hired social media out to professionals (Wingnut Social, of course) and the change was transformative. It’s allowed them to niche and establish themselves as go-to experts. Since then, 99% of their clients find them through social media.

And Anne is a social media genius. Her content is eye-catching, playful, and educational all while perfectly showcasing their designs. How has she found such social success (aside from Wingnut Social, of course)? She shares her tricks of the trade in this episode. Don’t miss it!

Connect With Darla & Wingnut Social

www.WingnutSocial.com
On Facebook
On Twitter: @WingnutSocial
On Instagram: @WingnutSocial
Subscribe on YouTube
Darla’s Interior Design Website
Check out the Wingnut Social Media Lab Facebook Group!
786-206-4331 (connect with us for your social media marketing needs)

Subscribe to The Wingnut Social Podcast on iTunes, Google Podcasts, or TuneIn

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PODCAST FAST TRACK
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How to Keep Your Instagram From Getting Hacked: New Instagram Safety Updates | Mini News Jan 02, 2023

Show notes

Have you received a suspicious "Giveaway" DM on Instagram, or been followed by an account that may be impersonating someone? On today's Mini News, Emily walks us through some new account safety features that have been added on Instagram to help users regain access to their accounts if they find themselves locked out or hacked.

***

⭐️Instagram has added some new tools to help users regain access to their accounts if they find themselves locked out or hacked. The new recovery center is at instagram.com/hacked. The con is most help options just direct you to the Help Center, which already existed, to help you troubleshoot your issue. In other words, you’re not being put in touch with a real person at Instagram Support. However, the pro is this tool makes the recovery and troubleshooting process much more streamlined. You’re provided quick, easy access to steps you can take depending on your issue.

⭐️A great new safety measure Instagram has provided is this: if you find yourself locked out of your account, you can choose two of your Instagram friends to confirm your identity and get back into your account. Instagram is also testing measures to combat impersonation and ways to help prevent hacking before it happens. There have been many instances where people impersonate design businesses and run fake giveaways to get other users’ info or hack their accounts. Instagram is testing a feature that sends warnings if an account that is suspected to be an impersonator follows you, or if an account that may be impersonating a business sends you a DM.

⭐️How can you keep your Instagram account safe before any of this happens to you? Use a strong, unique password with numbers, letters, and special characters. Don’t use this password for anything else. Change your password regularly, at least once a year. Ideally, you should change your password every few months. Lastly, turn on your two-factor authentication in Settings under Privacy and Security. You’ll get a login code when you sign in on a new device, so it offers a little extra security for your account.

***

📲CONNECT with Darla:

Darla’s Interior Design Website: https://darlapowell.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darlapowellhome/

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