Kimp’s Picks 5th June: Weekly Highlights In Design, Marketing, AI, & More

We’re glad to be back with another round of KIMP’s social media picks where we curate the crème de la crème of the digital world just for you! Whether you want to ignite your creativity or equip yourself with the latest insights we have handpicked the perfect list of posts for you.

From social media algorithm updates to all-new AI experiments, we’ll take a deep dive into some of the awe-inspiring content we stumbled upon. 

So, are you ready to unleash your creative potential? Let’s get the ball rolling. 

In the Marketing Realm 

Tackling the Instagram Algorithm in 2023 

Hootsuite is one of the most popular social media management platforms. Naturally, the company knows social media better than most. In a recent post on Instagram, Hootsuite spoke about a few quick tricks for “winning the Instagram algorithm”. Isn’t that every marketer’s dream? 

While the post itself gives a brief overview, the linked blog post goes on to explain some of the major Instagram algorithm updates that happened so far in 2023. And also about a few effective tips on tackling the algorithm and getting noticed. 

So, if you are looking to rework your Instagram strategy for the year, then this will be a good starting point. 

The power of positivity for brand outreach 

Washington-based company Social Media Today talks about all the latest happenings in the world of social media. In a recent Twitter, Social Media Today highlighted the need for positivity in brand outreach. The post also noted how about 6 out of 10 American adults reportedly remember brands better in positive environments. 

Additionally, the post also emphasizes the effectiveness of using Pinterest for creating positive experiences. So, if you think your brand’s social media strategy is not giving the intended results, try strengthening your Pinterest content strategy and working toward creating positive experiences for your customers. 

Automated lead generation 

The Entrepreneur Magazine is a great place for marketers and entrepreneurs looking for inspiration and insights for refining their processes. And staying true to its style, Entrepreneur magazine shared the below Tweet featuring a blog post by Lewis Schenk. The blog in the Tweet talks about three effective strategies for automated lead generation. 

The blog explains the basics of LinkedIn outreach, Twitter outreach, and cold email for outbound lead generation automation. Given that about 61% of marketers find lead generation as one of the most challenging tasks, this article is a great start. 

The updated WordPress Stats page 

While we talk about social media and the many ways to reach out to target customers through images and videos, a standard website still remains an indispensable component in marketing. And if you are using WordPress for web content management, you already know how valuable the Stats page is. 

In the below Instagram post, WordPress announced its updated Stats page. 

The linked blog post details the new features including the Traffic and Insights tabs as well as quick insights and more that have been added. So, if you have a WordPress site, be sure to check out the all-new Stats experience. 

Choosing the right Meta ad formats 

The Instagram For Business page on Instagram is a powerhouse of information for small business owners and content creators looking to elevate their Instagram game. And one of the key strategies to success on Instagram is paid advertising. Meta advertising is something that brands cannot ignore. In fact, there are over 3 million active advertisers on the Meta platforms. 

Given that there are different ad formats supported on these platforms and that these formats have different impacts on the users, it is important to know which ones to use and where. The below post on the Instagram For Business page gives a quick look at the various Meta ad formats that businesses can use for specific objectives. 

As you can see from the above post, most brands benefit from having a mix of relevant ad formats rather than sticking with just one. 

Also, if you need a quick and useful cheatsheet regarding Meta ad placements, check out our post here: 

In the Content Marketing Realm

Gauging the ROI of content marketing 

Working on a content marketing strategy is tough, we get it. But even the best content strategy will not be of use if you do not periodically evaluate the strategy and its progress. Measuring the ROI is one way to do this. But how do you do that? Tim Soulo, CMO of Ahrefs shares his insights on this in the below Tweet. 

From bringing new customers to reactivating old customers and building brand reputation, a strong content strategy helps in so many ways. And the above Tweet is a quick refresher on all these benefits and how to use them to check if you are on the right track with your content marketing strategy. 

Social media hashtag strategy 

As you work on your content strategy for social media, there is one little detail you cannot ignore – the hashtags you use when posting your content. 

Hashtags are pivotal in increasing the reach and engagement of a post on social media. And now with almost all social media platforms supporting hashtags, it becomes a critical area of focus. 

In fact, data shows that hashtags can increase engagement on brand pages by about 50%. Keeping all this in mind, working on a hashtag strategy for your brand is an important step. The below Tweet from Content Marketing Institute is a great place, to begin with. 

The linked blog gives a peek into some effective tips to refine your hashtag strategies for different social media platforms. 

And here is a quick Hashtag cheatsheet you might like: 

Podcasts in YouTube Music 

Audio content has been quickly catching up and we see a lot of big brands actively investing in podcasting to stay connected with their audience. The growth of Twitter Spaces, as well as the popularity of the Clubhouse platform are all examples of the success of audio marketing in recent times. 

As another reminder of this, YouTube recently announced podcasts on YouTube Music. 

So, if you are looking to strengthen your content marketing game, it’s time to add audio content to your strategy. Better reach, better engagement, and some great platforms to explore! Now isn’t that a good mix to try? 

In the Design Realm 

Canva Magic Design 

Ever since AI art generators started flooding the market, Canva has been stepping up its game with a lot of new features and AI integration into the editor. One of the recent additions has been the Magic Design tool which is still in its beta version. 

In the below Instagram post, Canva gives a quick preview of the Magic Design feature and how to use it in your design projects. 

Need help customizing your Canva designs and aligning them to the rest of your marketing collateral? Get KIMP!  

Creative ad design 

To attract the attention of the right audience, you need designs that are creative. Of course, visual appeal and the message conveyed are important but they often go unnoticed if there is no creativity in the ad. Especially since advertising has become a constant struggle for attention, creativity can be your trump card. 

Marketing Campaigns, a great source of inspiration for creative campaign designs, shared the below post. It shows a Domino’s ad for World Environment Day. 

The design shows how creativity helps you stay on brand while also delivering the intended message. 

Ways to use Generative Fill in Adobe Photoshop 

Ever since Adobe started adding AI tools to Photoshop, things have changed. And Generative Fill is one of the most discussed features over the past few days. There’s so much you can do with this AI-powered feature. And the below Instagram post shows just another creative way to use Generative Fill to remove people and objects in the background and edit your pictures more conveniently. 

The above video is proof that AI has indeed made design a much more enjoyable process. 

In the AI Realm 

Snapchat My AI 

From SEO news to search updates, Search Engine Journal has a lot of content that excites the marketer community. In the below Tweet, Search Engine Journal talks about Snapchat My AI which has been quite a popular topic of discussion on social media. The linked blog is a quick refresher on the My AI feature that Snapchat recently introduced. 

Will AI replace the human workforce? 

As AI tools get more creative and capable, people talk about the threat that these tools impose on the human workforce. There has been news about companies laying off employees since AI took up most of the responsibilities. All of these have been hot topics of discussion in the world of business. 

Amidst this, the below ad from IMPACT comes as a reminder that there are some jobs that simply cannot be replaced by AI. IMPACT is a Belgian company that provides job search assistance, language training, and more for job seekers looking for vacancies in Belgium. The catchy copy effectively conveys the message in the ad. 

Contextual search on Bing Chat 

While people dispute the capabilities of Bard vs ChatGPT, Bing has been silently adding more features to Bing Chat. And one of the recent updates that most people seem to be talking about is Contextual Search. The video demo that Bing shared on Twitter shows how sleek the feature is and how it conveniently upgrades the search experience. 

Generative AI is here to stay 

A lot of posts and discussions like the ones we shared just now remind us of the rapid pace at which generative AI has been progressing. Just in case you still have your doubts about whether generative AI trends are going to fade away soon or going to stay, the below post on the Insider Tech Instagram page has the answer. 

A compounded growth of 42% each year is tremendous indeed. So, if you haven’t already invested in generative AI or if you have been skeptical about the necessity of it for your business, now is a good time to revisit your decision. 

The Time Magazine cover everyone is talking about 

The cover pages of Time magazines have a special place in the world of design. They often capture the redefining moments in history and are therefore credible sources of updates. And the recent cover of Time is the talk of the town in the social media realm. With AI dominating the digital landscape, the cover puts this topic in the front seat. 

If you haven’t seen the cover we are talking about, take a look at it in the below Tweet. 

Everything Else 

New feature in Google’s Merchant Center 

There are many ways in which small businesses can use Google to advance their growth and to elevate their local reach. 

And one of the most productive Google features for small businesses is Google Merchant Center. In the below Tweet, Google announced the introduction of a new feature for the Merchant Center, and the feature is called Product Studio. 

This feature uses, (you guessed it right), generative AI to make quick and easy tweaks to your product images. So adding your business images and listings to Google is going to be simpler than ever before. 

The art of taking a break 

We all talk about taking breaks regularly. But when we do take breaks, do we do it properly? The below Instagram post from Havard Business Review will make you rethink your idea of breaks. 

Everything from the length of the breaks you take to the activities you perform during these breaks determines whether you feel refreshed and rejuvenated or just tired after your breaks. So, use these little tricks and master the art of taking a break. 

A new Twitter feature to look out for 

With a lot of content being generated by AI and with deepfake technologies causing a lot of commotion, organizations are figuring out ways to tackle fakes and to prevent the spread of false information. One such step that Twitter is taking to help creators prevent misinterpretation of the information posted is the Notes on Media feature that is being piloted now. 

The below Tweet gives a sneak peek into what the feature would look like. It is to allow creators to add notes to the media they post on Twitter. 

And that’s a wrap!

With that, we come to the end of this week’s KIMP’s Picks from social media. We hope you’ve enjoyed the rich tapestry of ideas and innovations that have graced the social media landscape as much as we did. Stay tuned for next week’s edition, as we continue to uncover the gems of the digital universe.