Jenessa Stark Agency

'Likes' are an Outdated Metric—Here's What We Measure Instead ⬇︎

There was a time when ❤️s meant something on Instagram.

Then the bots and spammers arrived.

On top of that, Instagram has evolved to be "more than just a photo-sharing app."

Simply put, how people interact with this app has changed.

Now that robots could be skewing your 'Likes' and users are leaning further into features like Reels and messaging, here's what we keep tabs on for our clients.

⭐️Comments ⭐️ Comments indicate that you're starting conversations and have an active and engaged audience. They also subconsciously signal that your brand is trustworthy because you're not just a grid—you're a community.

⭐️Shares ⭐️When your content is so funny/inspiring/informative that someone had to share it to their Stories or send it to a friend, that's when you know you're onto something.

⭐️Saves ⭐️Saves are what they sound like—a bookmark of sorts that lets someone find it easily later. We measure the success of how-tos, infographics, recipes, and aspirational and educational content in Saves, but more Saves might be a goal for other types of content, too.

⭐️Engagement Rate ⭐️This is what you might call our bread and butter metric for overall account health and campaign success. Engagement Rate is the rate at which your audience is engaging with your content in any way—comments, shares, reactions.

What we focus on each month can change depending on a client's marketing goals, but this is what we track to make sure we're creating content that resonates and inspires action within the app.

🤓We also look to Google Analytics for more data...but that's a nerd-out session for another day.

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Why you should leave reviews for small businesses today + tips for your small biz.

🤝 Trust and authority are part of Google's ranking system. Online reviews are considered in this algorithm. Every time you leave a business an online review, you're essentially giving a little boost to their SEO, which helps people discover them easier online. How cool is that?
📲 If you really want to help them out, publish your review on more than one platform. You can copy and paste your review on Google, Yelp, Facebook, and any other platforms that are relevant to their industry.
💻 As an example, if your yoga studio or massage therapist uses Mindbody Online, leave a review there, too! And remember, small online businesses sometimes sell products on Amazon, so you can leave feedback and even share photos of the product there. They may also accept reviews on their website.
👩🏽‍💻 If you're a small business, this is a great time to check your online listings and make sure they're up-to-date with current hours, contact information, and menus or other relevant info. Also, reply to your online reviews if you haven't already!
🌟 While you're at it, screen-shot or copy recent 5-star reviews and share them on social media. This is a nice little boost of social proof for your biz.
👇🏻 Who are you leaving a review for today?

Have you ever ignored “expert” advice to do what you knew was right for your business?

I know I have. 🙋🏻‍♀️
Quick little story: I was advised not to change my business name to and to use my name instead. Apparently it was due to some sort of “brand strategy” rule book.
But that imaginary rule book was blind to my goals of growing beyond a one-woman mission to make a bigger impact. It also had no idea how many times someone showed up in my inbox with....
“Hey, Jessica!"
Or "Hey, Jenna!"
Or "Hey, Jennessa!"
Or "Hey, Jessa!"
Do you know where people will end up if they visit jennastark.com? A dead end. ☠️
So, I decided to honor both my goals and the phenomenon of our brains filling in gaps between letters and rebrand. And the results are it...
It feels so much more authentic. Plus Little Dipper Agency is fun, nostalgic, and a little bit nerdy. All things I align with and that light me up creatively. I believe working on your marketing can and should be inspiring.
Moral of the story: go with your gut. When you see a clear solution to a problem, whether it be your brand name or a way to alleviate the stress on our climate and resources, take action. No one else on earth has your perspective. Not even the experts. 😉
PS - Shout-out to for my new out-of-this-world images. 🚀 11/10 recommend booking a shoot with her if you're in the Hood River/PDX area.

Okay, you could say that these are best practices for ALL brands, and anyone on social media for that matter. 📲

But I would argue that as a business with a larger social mission, you have a responsibility to raise the bar on being intentional throughout your communications.
Believe me, I know, adding one more thing to your social media SOP might feel overwhelming—let alone 5 more things. 🙅🏻‍♀️ The thing is though, once you start implementing these best practices, social starts to feel less like a job and more like a conversation with your audience.
And I don't mean slimy, cringe-worthy networking conversations. I'm talking genuine, interesting, and fun happy hour chats with your besties. 🥂 This makes your social media a place you actually like to hang out. Imagine that!
If this resonates with you, save this post and let me know if there's anything you would add to these best practices in the comments. 👇🏻👇🏽👇🏿