Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | May 11, 2020 | Worcester Business Journal 15 T H E D I G I T A L F U T U R E F O C U S hours, provide an opportunity to post multiple times a day without clogging followers' feeds. is, Nelson said, allows Worcester Wares to share more dynamic posts with greater frequency, and makes them less likely to annoy its 8,700 followers with over-posting. He's particularly fond of using Stories as a way to show, perhaps, a video of someone wearing a clothing item already featured in a static image on Worcester Wares' grid. Take your time with content production But in an age where everyone has cameras in their pockets, growing an engaged Instagram following requires more than snapping a photo, applying a filter and throwing a few hashtags in the caption. e platform is massive – company figures in 2018 reported one billion active users a month and 500 million active users per day – and its users are accustomed to businesses large and small using the app as a marketing tool. In order to turn posts into tangible business returns, it's important to share content as appealing as possible for a business's target audience. "Make sure that whatever you're putting out there looks incredible," said BirchTree Bread Co. Co-Owner Avra Hoffman, whose Worcester restaurant's Instagram account (@ birchtreebreadcompany) has roughly 18,200 followers. "I see some photos that aren't always the most appealing, so just make sure you're selling yourself with that vision because you have that one swipe to catch someone's eye and you really want it to be special." Alec Lopez, who co-owns Armsby Abbey (@armsbyabbey), the popular gastropub in downtown Worcester, said aer he dras out social media posts, he lets the caption simmer for a while in his dras before he sends them out to the restaurant's 14,100 followers. He almost always edits the original, and stressed the importance of practicing restraint when sharing posts. at same intentionality and precision applies to the images he shares, too. (Like the others, Lopez said he typically prioritizes Instagram.) "ere's an aesthetic for sure," Lopez said, explaining he prioritizes contrast, dimension, color and texture when sharing to the Armsby Abbey feed. "In my mind, it's always composed," Lopez said. "It's never random or quick." Show your customers who you are e most common piece of advice business owners had for their peers in Central Mass. was possibly the most challenging: Be yourself. "Just do what feels right for you and your brand," said Amy Lynn Chase, who owns retailer Crompton Collective in Worcester, as well as the Haberdash, which has locations in Worcester and Hudson. "Be yourself. Social media will be easy and more enjoyable if you are being yourself." In that vein, she said posting to Crompton Collective's Instagram page (@shopcrompton), which has 27,400 followers, means prioritizing the kind of merchandise the shop is inclined to sell. "In general, our goal is to sell pretty things, so that is kinda our only guideline," Chase said. In the chase for online authenticity, where appearances are paramount, this may seem like a catch-22. But Renee Diaz, owner of e Queen's Cups (@ thequeenscups) bakery in Worcester's Canal District, suggested the key is to not overthink things. Just share what you do, whatever that may be. is is the rule for e Queen's Cups, Diaz said, even though she has an employee handle a lot of the posting. "When she started working for me, I told her the only thing that matters to me is to keep it real," Diaz said. "I don't ever want to be the brand that posts just to have content. I want our content to have depth." is, she said, means taking stock of what is actually happening in the bakery on any given day, and determining which of those accomplishments the company wants to share with its followers. "Show what you are actually doing and what you actually believe in," Diaz said. "Don't post content just to have it. Make it mean something." W Instagram followers Six of Worcester's most active Instagram business accounts Company Followers Source: Instagram Seed to Stem (@seedtostem) 45,200 The Queen's Cups (@thequeenscups) 28,100 Crompton Collective (@shopcrompton) 27,400 BirchTree Bread Co. (@birchtreebreadcompany) 18,200 Armsby Abbey (@armsbyabbey) 14,100 Worcester Wares (@worcesterwares) 8,750 " M a k e s u r e t h a t w h a t e v e r y o u ' r e p u t t i n g o u t t h e r e l o o k s i n c r e d i b l e . " BirchTree Bread Co. Co-Owner Avra Hoffman Agnienient il mi, sus, ut quis doluptatecum faccae pel im ad essi dis quat a qui niscidebis aped moditatiam, sero tempore rumqui temque etuscius am fugia dolupta quis mos volupta nam fuga. Et adit eum

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