1. Generative AI as a Creative Partner

Generative AI has moved from experimental tool to core strategy. Content teams are using AI to brainstorm creative angles, automate repetitive tasks, and refine tone for different audience segments.
But AI is a co-pilot, not the pilot. As Hootsuite reports, 69% of marketers say AI “helps them create significantly more content than they could without it.”

Key Takeaway: Use AI to accelerate workflows—but always add a human touch before publishing.

2. Short-Form Video Drives Results

Short-form content dominates engagement. TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts consistently outperform other formats. According to Lifewire, short-form videos generate more than twice the engagement of long-form clips.

Key Takeaway: Build content for short-form first, then repurpose snippets into longer content or multi-channel campaigns.

3. Meme Marketing Goes Mainstream

Memes are now a staple in digital engagement. According to Forbes, meme-driven campaigns can drive 60% higher engagement compared to standard ad campaigns.

Key Takeaway: Use meme marketing to add relatability, but review and test them internally to ensure they fit your brand’s tone.

4. Employee-Generated Content Boosts Trust

Authenticity is king. Brands that showcase real team members—sharing day-in-the-life stories, client wins, or behind-the-scenes moments—are building stronger connections with their audience. TRIBE reports micro and nano creators (under ~50k followers) deliver the most loyal engagement.

Key Takeaway: Encourage employees to share authentic moments and highlight their content to build a relatable brand voice.

5. Optimizing for AI Search & Voice Assistants

Voice search and AI-powered answers are transforming the way audiences discover content. According to a recent Semrush report, optimizing content for tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Alexa falls under Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)—and it’s becoming just as crucial as SEO.

Key Takeaway: Structure your content with clear headings, FAQs, and bullet points to improve its chances of being pulled into AI-generated answers.

How to Put These Trends Into Action

1. Treat AI as a helper, not a replacement. Use it to ideate and automate—but polish the final content manually. 
2. Lead with short-form video. Build 15- to 60-second clips as primary assets, then repurpose into long-form content. 
3. Leverage meme marketing carefully. Keep it fun and authentic without straying from your brand voice. 
4. Empower your team. Encourage employees to create content that shows your culture. 
5. Prepare for AI-driven discovery. Make your content easy for voice assistants and AI bots to reference by structuring key insights clearly. 

Final Thought

In 2025, success comes from blending speed, authenticity, and smart technology. By embracing these trends, brands can create content that resonates, converts, and stays ahead of digital shifts.

Ready to take your content to the next level? Get in touch with our team and let’s create strategies that keep you ahead of the trends.

The post 5 Top Trends in Content Creation Every Marketer Should Know in July 2025 appeared first on Mad Men Marketing.

Have you ever noticed that the moment you show even a slight interest in fitness online, your social media feed gets flooded by gyms like F45, Orange Theory, D1, or Chuze Fitness? You’re not alone. Corporate gym franchises overwhelmingly focus their advertising budgets on social media platforms, which, at first glance, makes sense. Social media ads allow precise targeting, quick adjustments, and immediate feedback. However, there’s one big problem: every gym is using the exact same playbook, targeting the exact same audience.

The Problem with Oversaturated Social Media Ads in Gym Advertising

The strategy of heavy reliance on social media ads creates an unintended echo chamber. Once Facebook, Instagram, or Meta tags you as someone interested in fitness, you’re bombarded by ads from multiple gyms, all essentially offering the same thing. This results in:

• Ad fatigue: People quickly become annoyed by repetitive ads.
• Diminished ROI: Rising costs per acquisition (CPA) and cost per thousand impressions (CPM) due to fierce competition.
• Loss of differentiation: Your gym’s unique value gets buried under an avalanche of similar messaging.

Why Diversification Matters in Gym Ads

The secret to standing out isn’t doing more of the same; it’s doing things differently. Diversifying your marketing approach ensures your message doesn’t blend into the background noise. Here are effective alternative strategies gyms should consider:

1. Local Partnerships and Events: Partner with nearby businesses, organize community events, or sponsor local sports teams. Physical community involvement not only builds genuine relationships but also fosters brand loyalty.
2. Influencer and Micro-influencer Campaigns: Authentic, targeted recommendations from respected local influencers can resonate deeply and appear more organic than repetitive corporate ads.
3. Content Marketing: Create valuable, educational content through blogs, videos, or podcasts. Helpful content positions your gym as an authority, increases organic SEO, and genuinely engages your audience.
4. Email Marketing: Tailored, segmented email campaigns can nurture leads more personally and effectively, cutting through the noise that saturates social platforms.
5. Streaming Media and TV Ads: Explore advertising through streaming media platforms like Spotify or streaming television services such as MLB TV, Hulu, YouTube, or Paramount Plus. These channels offer opportunities to target specific audiences with less competition and higher viewer engagement.

Franchise Owners, It’s Time to Innovate

If you’re a franchise owner, it’s essential to communicate with corporate leadership about the shifting landscape. Just because a social-media-centric approach worked five years ago doesn’t guarantee it’s the right strategy today, especially considering evolving consumer habits and increasing ad costs. Advocating for flexibility and diversification can position your franchise as forward-thinking and adaptable.

Independent Gyms: Seize the Advantage

Local independent gym owners have a distinct advantage: agility. You can pivot quickly, experiment with new advertising strategies, and genuinely reflect your local community in your messaging. While corporate franchises are bogged down by slow-moving corporate decisions, you can outpace them by diversifying early and authentically engaging your audience.

Final Thoughts

Advertising on social media still holds value, but putting all your marketing eggs into one basket limits your growth potential. Diversification not only helps you reach new audiences but significantly enhances your gym’s visibility and brand strength in an increasingly crowded marketplace. Step outside the digital echo chamber—your business depends on it.

The post Gym Advertising – It’s Time To Rethink It appeared first on Mad Men Marketing.

Ad fatigue arises when users repeatedly see the same creative and begin to overlook it. When this happens, performance can decline, and costs often escalate.

• Frequency Awareness: Most social platforms provide frequency metrics to indicate how many times each user sees a specific ad. Performance tends to drop once this metric exceeds certain levels.
• Rotational Approach: Rotating various ad creatives helps keep content fresh and engaging, leading to improved long-term impact.

Practical Tip: Launch campaigns with at least three or four distinct ad variations to maintain audience interest and minimize the risk of burnout.

2. Enabling Effective Testing and Optimization

Multiple ad creatives allow for more robust testing to discover which elements resonate best with the intended audience. These data-driven insights foster continual improvement.

• A/B and Multivariate Testing: Testing different headlines, visuals, and calls to action provides clarity on the specific combinations that lead to higher engagement or conversions.
• Ongoing Refinement: Once the most successful variations are identified, redirect budgets toward those creatives while refining or removing weaker performers.

Practical Tip: Employ a structured testing framework. Launch two to three creatives for each audience subset, measure performance (e.g., CPC, CTR, conversion rate), and refine the campaign according to the results.

3. Connecting with Diverse Audience Segments

Target audiences can exhibit a wide range of interests, pain points, and preferences—even when they share a core demographic profile. Multiple creatives help address these differences more precisely.

• Personalized Messaging: Ads that mirror specific audience challenges or aspirations stand out in busy news feeds.
• Regional Adaptations: Cultural and regional nuances may call for distinct imagery or references to resonate more effectively.
• Persona-Focused Strategies: In-depth personas clarify each segment’s motivations, enabling more targeted ad copy and visuals.

Practical Tip: Create at least one or two unique creatives per persona or audience subset. Align visuals and messaging with the values and lifestyles that each group holds.

4. Showcasing Variety While Upholding Brand Identity

A common concern is that multiple variations might dilute a brand’s image. Adhering to established brand elements ensures consistency, even with diverse creative approaches.

• Unified Design Elements: Consistent brand colors, fonts, and logos help maintain a cohesive style.
• Varied Formats: Introduce different formats—such as short videos, carousels, static images, or user-generated content—to cater to diverse viewer preferences.
• Reusing Winning Assets: High-performing visuals or videos can be repurposed with fresh headlines and captions to extend their lifecycle while keeping content engaging.

Practical Tip: Craft a detailed brand style guide and distribute it to team members. Encourage creative experimentation within brand guidelines for a balance of consistency and variety.

5. Allocating Budget for Multiple Ad Creatives

While producing multiple variations can demand a higher initial investment, it often results in stronger long-term performance and returns on ad spend.

• Dedicated Testing Budget: Setting aside 10–20% of the advertising budget for testing enables efficient identification of the most effective creatives.
• Scaling Up Winners: Once top performers are found, allocate additional resources to those creatives and refine or pause underperforming ones.

Practical Tip: Begin with a modest but diverse pool of creatives, analyze performance indicators closely, and increase spending on ads that yield the best results.

6. Identifying the Sweet Spot

Although a fixed number of creatives does not apply to every scenario, the following suggestions can guide campaign planning:

• Three to Four Variations per Segment: This range generally provides enough diversity to combat ad fatigue and gather actionable insights.
• At Least Two Formats: Incorporating both static images and videos can capture broader audience attention and encourage higher engagement.

Just as offering different menu items at a dinner party ensures every guest finds something to enjoy, providing multiple ad creatives caters to a wider range of user preferences. Consistent updates, strategic testing, and data-driven optimization can help ensure each campaign remains relevant and cost-effective.

Conclusion

Variety in social media advertising is more than a recommendation—it is a proven path to better engagement, reduced ad fatigue, and deeper audience insights. Mad Men Marketing’s approach underscores the importance of using multiple creatives to stay competitive in an increasingly crowded digital marketplace. By developing diverse ads, regularly testing performance, and refining campaigns based on data, brands can maximize their impact across platforms.

Ready to elevate your social media campaigns with high-performing ad creatives?
Contact us to discuss customized strategies for reaching and engaging your target audience.

The post How Many Ad Creatives Are Needed for a Successful Social Media Campaign? appeared first on Mad Men Marketing.

Facebook

Owned by Meta, Facebook remains a powerhouse in social media advertising due to its extensive user base and advanced targeting options. With over 2.8 billion monthly active users, it offers a vast audience for advertisers. Facebook Ads Manager allows you to target users based on demographics, interests, behaviors, and even life events. Additionally, Facebook’s retargeting options help you reach users who have previously interacted with your website or content, enhancing your chances of conversion and further optimizing your funnel.

Instagram

Also part of the Meta family, Instagram has become a favorite for brands looking to engage with a younger, visually-driven audience. With features like Stories, Reels, and Shopping, Instagram provides diverse advertising formats to showcase your products or services. The platform’s emphasis on visual content makes it ideal for brands in the fashion, beauty, food, and lifestyle industries. Even more, Instagram’s integration with Facebook Ads Manager ensures seamless ad campaign management.

LinkedIn

For B2B companies, LinkedIn is an invaluable platform. With over 774 million professionals, LinkedIn allows you to target ads based on job titles, industries, company size, and more. Sponsored Content, InMail, and Text Ads are popular ad formats on LinkedIn that can help you reach decision-makers and professionals in your target market. It’s an excellent platform for generating leads, building brand authority, and driving traffic to your website while targeting large groups of professionals with ease.

X (formerly Twitter)

X’s fast-paced environment is perfect for real-time engagement and brand visibility. With over 330 million monthly active users, X allows you to join conversations, promote your content, and engage with your audience through Promoted Tweets, Promoted Accounts, and Promoted Trends. It’s particularly effective for brands looking to capitalize on trending topics and engage with a highly interactive audience.

TikTok

TikTok has taken the social media world by storm with its short-form, engaging video content. With over 1 billion active users, TikTok is an excellent platform for reaching even younger demographics than Instagram. TikTok Ads offer various formats, including In-Feed Ads, Branded Hashtag Challenges, and Branded Effects, allowing brands to create authentic and viral content. If your brand can tap into creative and trendy content, TikTok can significantly boost your brand awareness with demographics that are otherwise suspicious of overly corporate content.

Pinterest

Pinterest is a visual discovery platform ideal for brands in the home decor, fashion, beauty, and DIY industries. With over 459 million monthly active users, Pinterest Ads can drive significant traffic to your website and increase sales. Promoted Pins, Video Pins, and Shopping Ads are effective formats for showcasing your products and inspiring potential customers. Pinterest’s unique search-based advertising can help you reach users who are actively looking for ideas, inspiration, and creative solutions.

YouTube

YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world, making it a powerful platform for video advertising. With over 2 billion logged-in monthly users, YouTube offers a massive audience for your ads. YouTube Ads come in various formats, including Skippable and Non-Skippable Video Ads, Bumper Ads, and Sponsored Cards, providing flexibility in how you present your content. Video ads can be targeted based on demographics, interests, and even specific YouTube channels or videos, allowing for highly precise audience targeting. YouTube is especially effective for building brand awareness and showcasing detailed product demonstrations or tutorials.

Which Platform is Right for You?

The best social media platform for advertising depends on your business goals, target audience, and industry. At Mad Men Marketing, we help you develop a tailored social media strategy that aligns with your objectives and leverages the strengths of each platform.

Ready to Elevate Your Social Media Advertising?

Partner with Mad Men Marketing and let us craft a comprehensive social media advertising strategy that drives results. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and discover how we can help your brand shine in the digital space.

The post What Social Media Platforms Are the Best to Advertise On? appeared first on Mad Men Marketing.

AI-Powered Content Creation:

Artificial Intelligence has revolutionized content creation. Platforms now use AI to suggest content ideas, auto-generate posts, and even craft personalized responses. This trend is not only making content creation more efficient but also more targeted and engaging.

Augmented Reality Experiences:

Augmented Reality (AR) continues to blur the lines between the virtual and real worlds. Social media platforms have embraced AR for filters, games, and interactive ads, offering users a more immersive and engaging experience.

Voice and Conversational Interfaces:

Voice interfaces are becoming a staple in social media. Features like voice commands, voice tweets, and audio chats are gaining traction. Though certain platforms and functionalities (R.I.P. Clubhouse & Twitter Circles) have waned in popularity since the pandemic, the trend still has a lot of steam left in it. These interfaces make social media more accessible and offer a fresh way of engaging with others.

Short-Form Video Content:

The explosive popularity of short-form videos, pioneered by TikTok, remains a dominant trend. These quick, engaging videos cater to the decreasing attention spans of users and are a powerful tool for storytelling and advertising, especially as YouTube & Instagram/Facebook have prioritized their own versions.

Social Commerce:

Buying and selling through social media platforms, known as social commerce, is transforming the shopping experience. With features like shoppable posts, live stream shopping, and integrated checkout, social media is becoming a significant retail hub.

Ephemeral Content:

Ephemeral content like Stories, which disappear after a short period, continues to be popular for its authenticity and immediacy. This trend caters to the user’s desire for real-time, unfiltered content.

Increased Privacy and Security:

With growing awareness about data privacy, social media platforms are enhancing security measures and offering more privacy controls to users. This shift is crucial in maintaining user trust and complying with global data protection regulations.

Social Media for Social Good:

Platforms are increasingly being used for advocacy, awareness, and fundraising. Users and organizations leverage these tools to drive social change, making social media a powerful tool for good.

Virtual Reality (VR) Communities:

The rise of VR technology has led to the creation of virtual communities where users can interact in a fully immersive environment (think Metaverse). These spaces, though still in their infancy, offer new possibilities and expanded horizons for socializing, gaming, and even attending virtual events.

Data-Driven Personalization:

The use of big data and analytics for personalization remains consistent. Platforms continue to utilize user data to curate content, suggest connections, and even predict trends, offering a highly personalized social media experience.

These trends highlight the continuous evolution of social media, driven by technological advancements and shifting user expectations. 

Looking for help navigating the ever-shifting social media landscape? Give us a call at 904-355-1766 or contact us today! 

The post Navigating the Future: 10 Social Media Trends Shaping 2024 appeared first on Mad Men Marketing.

In this blog post, we will discuss five key tips for successful video production on social media platforms. And by following these best practices, you can ensure that your videos are up to industry standards — as well as your audience’s expectations. So let’s get started!

#1 — Proper Timing

In today’s world of technology, it is important for video production teams to be mindful of time lengths when creating social media content. Limited attention spans mean that viewers are less likely to stay engaged with content that runs too long.

Recent studies have found that shorter videos tend to perform better on social media platforms, with the ideal length varying from platform to platform. For example, YouTube videos typically perform best with videos that are around two minutes long, according to Hootsuite, while Instagram reels can be as short as 15 seconds and perform well so long as they fall under one minute.

#2 — Aspect Ratios and Platforms

When it comes to aspect ratios, video production teams or content creators should also be aware of the differences between vertical and horizontal formats.

Specifically, vertical videos are best suited for social platforms such as Reels and TikTok, which feature content specifically designed for mobile devices. Horizontal videos are better suited for more traditional platforms such as YouTube and Facebook, which feature content optimized for computers and other larger screens.

#3 — Appropriate Lighting

Lighting is an essential part of any video production. When shooting on location, it is important to ensure that your subject is well-lit and not backlit, otherwise their features — and the quality of your focus — will be obscured in shadows.

A good way to prevent this is by using a ring light, which produces soft and even lighting that helps bring out the details of your subject’s face. Additionally, you should try to keep your lighting setup consistent throughout the entire production.

#4 — Sound Recording

Sound is an integral part of any video production and it should be considered just as carefully as lighting and aspect ratios. Quality sound design can make even the simplest video come alive, while poor sound can make even the best video seem amateurish and unprofessional.

Remember: When recording audio for a project, it is important to use a high-quality microphone that is able to capture a wide range of frequencies. Additionally, it is also important to ensure that your audio levels are balanced correctly and not too loud or too quiet.

#5 — Filters and Edits

The use of filters and color/lighting correction can be important tools in video production for social media. Filters can be used to enhance the look and feel of a video, creating a more engaging experience for viewers. Additionally, color correction is crucial for ensuring that colors look consistent across all devices, creating a more professional appearance.

“There are a lot of tools within apps like Instagram to edit videos, but also I’ve come to realize Google Photos has some really great editing tools,” recommends Tamara Dileo, the Director of Production with Mad Men Marketing. “But it’s also important not to overdo it with the filters unless it’s a deliberate style choice.”

Honorable Mention — The Right Music

When it comes to picking the right music for a Reel or TikTok, it’s important to match the tone of the video. Music can be used to evoke emotion and create a mood that resonates with viewers. Depending on the type of content, different styles of music may be more effective in creating the desired atmosphere.

For example, upbeat music may be more suitable for an inspirational video, while a slower piece is better suited for a reflective moment. Music can also be used to add energy and dynamism to a clip, or even just provide background ambience.

Overall, by following these best practices, video production teams — or individual content creators — can achieve greater success while developing content for social media platforms.

Then again, if all of this feels just a tad overwhelming, it’s important to know that you don’t have to go it alone.

After all, here at Mad Men Marketing, we are rooted in the belief that brands should interact with their customers, not interrupt them. Thus, our in-house production team is equipped with the right tools, technology, and expertise to help you take your visual media to the next level!

So, are you ready to interact? If so, contact Mad Men Marketing today by calling (904) 355-1766!

The post The Top 5 Best Video Production Practices for Social Media appeared first on Mad Men Marketing.

With easy-to-fill forms, dynamic ads, retargeting capabilities, and integration with third-party apps and services, Facebook Lead Ads make it easier than ever to capture leads without taking users offsite.

Of course, this has been slowly changing up just how marketers and business owners use Facebook, so let’s take a moment to break down the details:

Prioritizing User Experience

First and foremost, Facebook Lead Ads are more trusted because they keep the targeted audience on Facebook as opposed to taking them to a different website. As the user doesn’t leave Facebook, they are more likely to complete the process.

Lead Ads also use pre-filled forms, so all the user has to do is click a button — no need to enter any information into complex forms. This makes Lead Ads much quicker and easier than traditional methods of capturing leads.

“People can simply tap your ad and a form pops up—it’s already pre-populated with their Facebook contact information and ready to be sent directly to you,” according to Facebook.  “With just a few taps, they can get the information they want, and you generate a qualified lead for your business.”

Lead Ads also use dynamic ads and retargeting, so you can target users with personalized ads tailored to their interests. This makes Lead Ads more likely to convert people into leads than traditional methods such as email marketing or using website forms.

The Gift of Simplicity

The process of re-formatting an ad to ensure it is user-friendly on both desktop and mobile can be time-consuming. Thankfully Facebook Lead Ads provide an unprecedented level of simplicity for mobile users.

“The app is already set up for mobile users, so you can rest assured that your ads will be, too,” Hubspot explains. “That means that no matter which device your leads view your ads, they’ll be able to complete your form without any issues thanks to its responsive design.”

Additionally, Lead Ads also have the ability to integrate with third-party apps and services. This makes it much easier for you to track and organize your leads throughout the lifespan of your campaign.

Last but not least, according to the Facebook Business Help Center, “these forms also let you include custom questions to help you understand your potential customers and reach your business goals.”

Interact, Don’t Interrupt

Overall, Lead Ads are an efficient way for businesses to capture leads without the hassle of taking users offsite. The form is easy to fill out, and the process is mostly automated so you don’t have to worry about manually tracking leads.

But if you just can’t wrap your head around how to use it effectively — or if you simply don’t have the time to overcome the learning curve — you don’t have to do it alone.

At Mad Men Marketing, our social media team specializes in setting up Lead Ads that maximize conversions while minimizing clicks. Our team of experts will work with you throughout the entire process of setting up your campaign and measuring your ROI for sustainable growth.

After all, we are rooted in the belief that brands should interact with their customers, not interrupt them. And what better way to do so than seamlessly integrating your ads into their existing experiences?

So, are you ready to interact? If so, contact Mad Men Marketing today by calling (904) 355-1766!

The post How to Use Facebook Lead Ads for Maximum Efficiency and Profitability appeared first on Mad Men Marketing.

After all, while social media is just one cog in the proverbial marketing machine, it’s coming to be, well, the primary one.

Thus, here at Mad Men Marketing, we’re currently in the midst of our transition to a full-service social media advertising agency. Here’s why:

The Rise of Social Media…

According to Statista, “in 2021, over 4.26 billion people were using social media worldwide, a number projected to increase to almost six billion in 2027.”

In other words, simply being active on social media is one of the world’s most popular activities.

And if we were to shave it down to the United States, specifically, the University of Maine has found that “72.3% of the total US population actively use social media, totaling a number of 240 million people.”

Consequently, it’s easy to see how and why the advertising landscape as a whole is changing.

After all, marketers want to be where their audience is — and these efforts have absolutely proven fruitful. For example, on Instagram alone, “92% of users say that they’ve acted in the moment after seeing a product on Instagram,” as reported by Hootsuite.

And as the community tides turn in favor of social media, so too will the marketing industry as a whole.

… And the Fall of Traditional Marketing

While television commercials, radio spots, and other physical forms of traditional content are all well and good — and still necessary, depending on the context — they are no longer the bread and butter of the marketing world.

This is because, not only do brands lack real-time interactions with their direct audience and prospective consumers, but traditional marketing is just plain inefficient in terms of making edits and adjustments as necessary.

Additionally, “traditional marketing can also be pricier,” Hubspot explains. “For instance, it can cost between $2,000-$160,000 to run a print ad. Further, you never know who you’ll reach with that investment because results are difficult to measure.”

Not to mention a reported “70% of consumers want to learn about products through content as opposed to traditional ad methods.”

So… why not do exactly that? Talk about a single statistic that puts it all in perspective.

Upward and Onward with Mad Men Marketing

Here at Mad Men Marketing, we’re not just going to help you make memes and optimize your direct engagement with your audience. Rather, as your cutting-edge social media advertising agency, we’re going to help you stay ahead of the game and on top of industry strategies!

Specifically, we…

• Produce a variety of visual content for social platforms. Whether you’re looking to produce a short and witty Instagram Reel or an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at your company for Facebook, we can do it all and more.
• Design eye-catching content that will enhance your brand identity. Our graphic designers won’t just create aesthetically pleasing carousels and banners for your business accounts, but they can also generate infographics, create your new logo, and more.
• Craft compelling copy, both long- and short-form in nature. Need a brief but convincing social media caption? No problem. Or perhaps a longer, more in-depth LinkedIn article? We’ve got you there, too.

And that’s only where it starts.

After all, here at Mad Men Marketing, we are rooted in the belief that brands should interact with their customers, not interrupt them. And social media is precisely where a majority of that magic happens today.

So, are you ready to interact? If so, contact Mad Men Marketing today by calling (904) 355-1766!

The post What is a Social Media Advertising Agency? appeared first on Mad Men Marketing.

We don’t need expensive cameras to take quality photos. Our cell phones can take such high-quality photos, and most people can’t tell if they are taken with a phone or professional photography equipment. The camera can’t do all the work, though.

There are a few key tips to keep in mind while you’re trying to capture that Kodak moment.

#1 — Light it Right

Lighting is one of the most important tools you can utilize when taking photos. An easy tip to remember is to ensure your subject isn’t backlit, and that the light is shining down on it directly or coming at it from an upper-diagonal angle. If the light hits it from the back, you’ll be left with a dark, indiscernible green smoothie bowl, which is social media blasphemy.

You can combat this in a few ways:

• The first way is to make sure your light source is coming from behind you (facing the subject).
• You can also take the photo in HDR mode.
• The third option is to fix it in post-production.

#2 — Shoot in HDR Mode

HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. In HDR mode, the camera will typically take two, three, or more photos at different exposures in quick succession, and then blend them together into one image with detail in both highlights and shadow.

Smartphone cameras that have the HDR feature usually offer the option to switch the HDR setting to On, Off, or to set it to Auto-HDR. Having HDR set to “On” tells your phone to capture a high dynamic range image every time a photo is taken.

#3 — Understand Depth of Field

Creating depth of field with your phone camera is a really cool way to up your Instagram photo game. When you’re shooting, always take into consideration the foreground, middle ground, and background in relation to the subject of the photo.

Let’s say you’re taking a picture of a subject some distance away from you and you want the subject in focus and the background blurry — simply tap your subject and wait for a yellow square to appear. Shooting in portrait mode on your phone is a great way to effectively highlight the depth of field, too.

#4 — Learn the Rule of Thirds

Rule of thirds, also known as the golden grid rule, is a technique where a composition is aligned to a three-by-three grid.

By dividing a composition into three grids, we section it into nine imaginary rectangles with four intersections. The focus subject is aligned at one of the intersecting points or close to them. This creates an asymmetry in the composition.

In Settings, tap Camera, and then enable the Grid option. That’s all you have to do to turn the feature on! Your next step is to apply the concept: remember to put important things along the lines.

#5 — Have Fun With Camera Angles

Playing with unique angles can help your photos stand out and offer you a variety of options to choose from when it comes time to post. Angles can create the illusion of depth and height, making your images more interesting to look at, thereby generating more views.

TIP: Try lowering the angle to create a new perspective instead of shooting straight down.

#6 — Use Negative Space Appropriately

Negative space is the area surrounding the main subject in a photograph that is left unoccupied. Basically, it’s the space around the subject that helps define the positive space (or main focus).

Leaving a large amount of negative space in the photo can emphasize scale and simplicity, but make sure you are using it correctly.

TIP: If you’re trying to highlight the subject in the photo, make sure you’re taking the photo close up and filling the frame with the subject. This will reduce the surrounding negative space.

#7 — Tasteful Phone Editing

We could break down each category of editing you can utilize on your phone, but for simplicity’s sake, we want to highlight the three tools that can really elevate your photo:

1. Brightness: It’s always a safe bet to bump up the brightness a bit unless your photo is already over-exposed. Indoor lighting rarely provides you with adequate illumination for a decent photo.
2. Contrast: Adjusting the contrast ever so slightly helps to make the darks darker and the lights lighter. This can help your image appear less “flat.”
3. Saturation: Delicately increasing the saturation will help to bring out some of those vivid colors that poor lightning may have counterbalanced. Make sure to not overdo this one or you will end up with some radioactive colors.

With over 4.6 billion people around the world using social media, online engagement is higher than ever. That is why it is so important to have content that is not only engaging but aesthetically pleasing. Take each one of these tips into consideration the next time you are taking a photo with the intention to post and you’ll look like a pro in no time.

And the Mad Men Marketing production crews are always ready to step in and help elevate your content for you! So, are you ready to interact? If so, reach out to our team today by calling 904-355-1766!

The post 7 tips on taking better photos for social media appeared first on Mad Men Marketing.

But, in the digital age, one thing is for sure — by ignoring and/or underutilizing social media, you are only leaving money on the table. After all, social media has proven to be an effective and affordable means of enhancing your advertising methods, so why would you sit out on such a lucrative online opportunity?

And if you’re not convinced, allow us to explain the top three reasons you should be putting your online presence first:

#1 — To Strengthen Your Brand Identity

Today, social media is almost synonymous with some businesses’ brand identities. In particular, social media provides an outlet through which a company can visually express itself outside of its primary website — the likes of which potential customers may or may not be on.

What’s more, the visual aspect of your brand identity is crucial come time to move your audience to action. In fact, “customers are 6x more likely to purchase a product if the page includes pictures from social media,” as reported by Social Media Today.

Otherwise, social media is where you can truly create and convey your brand voice and tone.

Think of Wendy’s, for example. This fast-food chain is well-known for its social media antics on Twitter, specifically, where it garners attention through its sly sense of humor and relatability. Thanks to these posts, the fun, casual identity of the brand is further highlighted and, well, expected.

Thus, when done right, you can absolutely find the same level of continued success on these platforms.

#2 — To Reach Your Audience

Another reason social media is crucial in the success of your business? Because it’s likely to be where your audience is.

“Over the last two decades, [social media] has become one of the primary marketing channels,” as explained by Hubspot. “With over 53% of the world’s population on social media, it’s critical that your business has an effective social media strategy that helps you reach your intended audience.”

Not only can you reach your audience by using paid ads and boosted posts on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and the like, but you can easily target your ideal demographic(s) directly. So, by using these built-in social advertising tools, you may further enhance the likelihood that your presence will prove memorable t the right people.

Additionally, when you foster a following built on trust and engagement online, you’re more likely to reap the benefits of user-generated content (UGC), which is essentially free promotional content that your customers make for you when they are pleased with your services or products.

And word of mouth on social media today can truly make a monumental difference, especially when a reported total of “66% of Facebook users visit a local business page at least once a week” as of this year.

#3 — To Enhance Your Overall Marketing Strategy

Did you know that, according to Sprout Social, “social media recently overtook paid search as an advertising channel, growing 25% [year-over-year] and exceeding $137 billion (just edging out search’s $135 billion)”?

In other words, there are so many more cogs in the marketing machine than mere billboards and Google ads. And social media only continues to grow in importance among them all.

Of course, you shouldn’t rely on one strategy alone to launch your business into the successful hands of new leads, which is why your strategy needs to be well-rounded. Social media plays into that strategy by bolstering your audience base and using it as a launching point through which you can…

• Use hyperlinks to increase your website traffic
• Encourage your audience to visit your pages on other platforms
• Cohesively tie in the themes of your ongoing  traditional marketing campaigns
• Repurpose television commercials and other graphic elements
• Sell your items online directly through the platforms themselves
• And more

That all being said, we understand that, depending on your experience with and ultimate goals for social media, getting online may come with a steep learning curve. Otherwise, you may simply lack the time to pursue yet another marketing avenue.

But that’s where Mad Men Marketing comes in.

In fact, our social media team comes equipped with the knowledge, skills, and overall expertise to keep up with the ever-changing tide of algorithms and digital trends. From generating effective paid social media ads to strategizing your organic social media plans for the future, we’ve got you covered!

So, are you ready to interact with your customers, rather than interrupt them?

Then it’s time to reach out to Mad Men Marketing! Get started today by calling our team at 904-355-1766. We look forward to delivering results that help you sustainably grow your business.

The post Top 3 Reasons You Need Social Media for Your Business appeared first on Mad Men Marketing.