By now, most businesses know that having a social media presence is no longer an option - but a necessity. With constant changes being made to the platforms that marketers everywhere use, know, and love, simply having a social media presence is no longer enough.

From the dawn of the selfie to the first “lifestyle” shot, Instagram has been a valuable tool for brands and businesses of all sizes. As a visually driven platform, Instagram is a great tool to share styled images of products your business creates, and to tell the stories of the people who render your services.

Social media is ever-evolving. That’s part of why we love it! Socially Inspired is committed to following the trends, shifts, ebbs, and flows of new features, and staying ahead of what’s to come. With a whole new decade on the horizon, there’s bound to be some huge shifts- and hopefully some actual hoverboards- eventually.

November ushers in a season of holiday fun, but lattes and sweater-weather aside, what we love most about November is the reminder of all we have to thankful for. Show your gratitude this month by adding a few of these fun ideas to your to-do list!

So you've just discovered a new graphic design tool and you're ready to whip up some fun + informative posts for your social media platforms? Or, maybe you're branching out and starting a new social media platform but you're wanting to shake things up a little?

Practically any business can benefit from harnessing the hype of a fun holiday. Treat your brand to some spooktacular buzz during the scariest holiday of the year with one of these fun ideas!

(…Alternately titled: 3 Ways to Get More Ooohs and Ahhhs Online for Free)

True or False?

In the world of marketing, the phrase "less is more" can take on a whole new meaning.

In the world of social media, it's pretty common to see a person (and even the biggest of brands) repost, share, regram, or retweet content. That's kind of the point, right? Well... mostly.

Since the early days of Facebook (yes, even when it was just for the cool college kids,) the debate on how important a “like” was has been a cornerstone in any social media enthusiast’s mind.

Digital marketing and social media are part of the ever-changing (and growing!) marketing landscape. It's truly a gift as a professional to be able to continue to learn, share your passion, and hone your craft - and it's even more amazing when it happens in your own backyard.

Consider this, we take time every single day to recharge our precious pieces of technology but rarely do we consider recharging ourselves.

Go ahead and Google it, there’s a meme for just about every occasion. Social media snafus, pop-culture incidents, holidays, feelings, and thoughts we can’t always express out loud. Since memes hit the scene in the early days of social media, they’ve peppered our timelines with thought-provoking, laugh-inducing, and sometimes puzzling content.

Say Cheese!

In the world of immediate gratification (aka the internet,) you get just one shot at making an impression with your point and shoot. While your fans are scrolling through their newsfeed double tapping the latest trends, whether or not they know it, they’re curating an image.

You’ve got the drive to improve your company’s social media marketing approach but you’re not exactly sure how to execute it? You’re not alone. In fact, there are many small businesses like yours that often fall victim to hire social media professionals or an in-house aficionado to amplify their brand’s reach & engagement. And, that’s what we’re all after, right? More reach! More likes! More virtual high-fives!

As much as we loved our former office on Ivanhoe, when news broke that the gorgeous & newly renovated .ZACK on Locust was accepting tenants… we grabbed our moving boxes. We’re planning a shindig for our friends to come by and familiarize themselves with this new community gem, but in the mean time, let us “walk you through” what it’s like to be at home at .ZACK.