Worcester Business Journal

18 Worcester Business Journal | September 18, 2017 | wbjournal.com Transparency with Worcester Bravehearts baseball A little closer to home, it's great to see the Worcester Bravehearts baseball team (@woobaseball) get in on the Stories game. The team has used Stories as a way to not only bring excitement toward upcoming games but to also bring the action to folks through social media. This is what we like to call transparen- cy. The most effective social media strat- egies aren't comprised of high-concept images of videos. Social media is about being honest; it's about engaging in authentic connections with your viewers. For the Bravehearts, that means shooting short, casual videos during the game to help others experience the action. That's part of the reason Instagram launched Stories to begin with. The company realized far too many brands were very careful about the quality of their feed images. They wanted to bring transparency back. After one year in existence, Stories has proven that Instagram's mission has been a success. Each business can approach Stories in their own way; but one general rule of thumb I'd offer is this: Go into your Stories strategy – heck, your entire social media strategy – with a plan. You should know, each week, what your feed and Story will focus on, rather than approach each day with a blank slate. Whether it's a seasonal sale, a new launch, or something else, use Instagram Stories as a tool to broaden your message and connect with your audiences on a human level. L ast summer, Instagram introduced Instagram Stories, a very Snapchat-like feature allowing brands and people to share personal, temporary, moments outside of those carefully curated images we all post in our feeds. I'm not one to jump on any social media bandwagon just for the sake of it; so our team really took our time examining how Instagram Stories would – or could – benefit local busi- nesses. We never did see much value in Snapchat – it's just a hard platform for brands to leverage. Instagram, however, already had a massive, pub- lic following. Over the last several months we've examined the Instagram Stories of some well-known brands. Below are ideas we discovered. The limited-time sale Instagram Stories disappear after 24 hours, making them perfect for retail companies offering a limited-time sale. That's what we found J. Crew (@ jcrew) doing with a new product, Jane in Pink sunglasses. The story J.Crew told featured staff- ers at the company's headquarters sporting these sunglasses in natural, fun ways. The story added a more human element to the images J. Crew posted on their feed and encouraged audiences to act fast. A good rule of thumb is no one wants to see your 10 T H I NG S I know about . . . . . .Worcester real estate By Justin Dufresne Dufresne is a project manager with Worcester engineering and development firm VHB. Reach him at JDufresne@vhb.com. K N O W H O W Making sense of Instagram Stories T echnology has enabled work- places to offer more flexibility to employees, with the Internet being the essential tool for communi- cation and production in today's busi- ness world. The number of American employees who work from home regu- larly has grown 115 percent since 2005, according to Global Workplace Analytics. Nearly 4 million employees work from home at least half of the time, and about one quarter do so "with some frequency," the report found. Employees are also spending less time at their desks, even if they're based in an office. Large companies are the most likely to offer flexible work arrangements, but businesses of all sizes should explore this benefit. Here's what to consider before you take the plunge. Know the risks. There are many studies citing the pros of allowing flexible work arrangements, but if you're letting employees telecommute, know that collaboration may take a hit and the office won't be as lively, cautions an article by HR software company Zenefits. It's also a good idea to outline which positions aren't a good fit for options like telecommuting in order manage employee expectations, says an article posted by Villanova University. Put it in writing. Put flexible work poli- cies in writing and have employees sign them. Be sure to spell out what consti- tutes "hours worked," and expectations for overtime work, says the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and considering using time- tracking software. Know the options. Flexible work arrangements is more than just tele- commuting. Companies can offer a variety of options, according to SHRM, like allowing flex time schedules where employees choose the hours they work, or a compressed workweek,. BY EMILY MICUCCI Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer 10 1: O f f e r i n g w o r k p l a c e f l e x i b i l i t y 10) Revitalization of the urban core. The Worcester Redevelopment Authority's Downtown Urban Revitalization Plan aims to improve the culture downtown to attract residents and employers to Worcester. 9) Redevelopment & repositioning of malls.Shopping centers are repositioning anchor tenants, adding open-air shopping, restaurants and grocers, and offering entertainment venues. 8) Industrial boom. With the increase of ecommerce and next/same day delivery, companies are looking for high-bay warehouse space located closer to the cities they serve. 7) Reinvigoration of suburban office parks. With companies migrating to urban centers, suburban office park managers are improving their properties with high- end amenities. 6) Multi-family housing. A major driver is the introduction of hundreds of new housing units, redevelopment of under- utilized sites and the repurposing of historic buildings. 5) Higher education. With a recent a recent influx of research and development centers, graduates now have options to live and work in the city following graduation. 4) Suburban life science. The Worcester and MetroWest markets, unlike Cambridge, it can offer affordable land for life sciences companies. 3) Grocery store innovation: Developers are aiming to creating a sense of place and there has been a resurgence of small- scale grocers. 2) Benefits of networking: A great way to stay on top of industry trends and make connections is by attending networking events. 1) Stay on your toes: Keep an eye on market trends, but always be prepared for an unexpected shift – that's what makes it fun! W BY KHAM INTHIRATH Special to the Worcester Business Journal W W product in their feed. But add that product to a natural, real-life setting, and you're bound to win over new audiences. That's what J.Crew did. The seasonal product Instagram Stories was launched in August 2016 – that's ideal iced brew time at Starbucks (@starbucks). In its first ever story, Starbucks showcased both its chilled cold brew and iced Americano with cream drinks, using a combination of photos and video, as well as some unique neon drawings. This helped bring humor to a big-cor- poration brand. Kham Inthirath is founder and president of Worcester marketing agency Envision Digital Group, helping local businesses find and connect with their target audiences.

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