My Social Brand Growth

Posted on by Emma Henzes

Growing My Social Brand: My Twitter and Instagram Influence Growth & Analysis

A screenshot of @EmmaHenzes twitter page.
@EmmaHenzes Twitter Page.

My professional Twitter has grown from 79 followers to 108 followers, growing 38%.

My Twitter following is comprised mostly of Newhouse students and some communications industry professionals. The likes and comments came from close friends and colleagues. My network is still growing, but I found those I communicate with in-person often engage more on my social media posts. I found this true for Instagram, as well.

I found that my posts with the most engagement had videos and photos. High-quality visual content grabbed the attention of a Tweet user scrolling through their feed. I also found that posting my journalism work with links to stories garnered more attention than simple text-only tweets. However, a text-only post with a tagged account that my Twitter following is familiar with had a higher engagement rate than text-only posts. We practiced the technique “dropping in” to a conversation on Twitter. I wasn’t successful in the way that I gained more followers, but I did get a few replies. I understand how a timely “drop-in” tweet can blow up if crafted right.

Through this semester, I have found the key to higher engagement on a Tweet is utilizing hashtags, tagging, location, and visual elements. I noticed on Instagram, the more active you are on other user’s posts, the more likely they are to be more active on your posts and “return the favor.”

@emmahenzes Instagram page

My Instagram page drums up much more attention than my Twitter page. This Instagram page is from middle school, growing with followers from my hometown and Syracuse University. I tend to post high-quality photos with Lightroom presets that amplify the lighting of the photo. Pictures that include me do better than pictures of other objects such as food, shoes or a screenshot of a tweet. I noticed that the quality of the caption has less to do with likes, but more so with comments.

My Top 10 #Nhsmc Posts:

This tweet had 5 likes, 1 reply, 259 impressions, and 45 total engagements consisted of 24 photo clicks, 10 details expands and 5 profile clicks. The 5 likes were Syracuse University students in our class or persons affiliated with the university. Since it was about Professor Gryriel, students could relate to the tweet because they take their class. Humor and the fact it was an old screenshot from two years ago added to the tone of the tweet.

This video of spaghetti squash and tomatoes had 2 likes, 728 impressions, 227 media views and 24 total engagements, which consisted of 15 media engagements, 4 detail expands, 2 hashtag clicks, and 1 profile click. I think my caption could have made people watch the video more than once with the volume on. It did well since it had more media views than the number of my followers. I quote tweeted this video again a few weeks later and it could have picked up more views then.

This tweet had 2 likes, 289 impressions, 49 media views and 8 total engagements, which consisted of 4 details expanded, and 3 media engagements. The world of social media loves GIFs of dogs and I think this is why this post did well. My caption left a cliff-hanger and the only way to finish reading my thought was to watch the GIF.

This tweet had 8 likes, impressions 670 and 157 total engagements, which consisted of 113 media engagements, 20 profile clicks, 11 details expands, 2 link clicks, 2 hashtag clicks and 1 reply. Max Kranick has 996 Twitter followers and his account is verified because he plays professional baseball. Tagging a verified account with more “clout” than my account allowed me to reach more viewers and his reply helped spread my tweet to more people who wouldn’t have normally seen it. Many of my followers are fans and supporters of Max and that why I think I had a higher amount of likes than normal.

This tweet had 3 likes, 316 impressions, and 14 total engagements, which consisted of 5 detail expands, 5 profile clicks and 1 hashtag click. Jake Henzes is my brother and many of my followers know him contributing to the interaction on the tweet. I think if I added a picture of him or a GIF of Villanova football where he coaches, the tweet would have done better.

This tweet had 3 likes, 445 impressions, and 9 total engagements which consisted of 3 detail expands, 2 profile clicks and 1 reply and 1 reply to a comment. This tweet worked out in my favor because now I have a new networking connection with Tayrn Varricchio, who works in an industry I am interested in. She is a Newhouse alum and an alum of this #NHSmc class!

This Instagram post 995 likes, 44 comments, 5,845 impressions, reached 2,749 accounts, 24% weren’t following me. I gained one follower from the post and it was sent in 2 direct messages. The post had 9 saves, 103 profile visits and 2 website clicks from my profile. This caption was relatable content and referred to a meme that is popular with the majority of my Instagram following. It was a goofy slide that poked at sarcasm and humor which sparked 44 comments.

This slide photo of similar pictures had 817 likes, 11 comments, 4,679 impressions, 2 sent direct messages, and 2 saves. This post reached 2,504 accounts, 30% who weren’t following me. This post had 74 views from the location, 92 profile visits, and 1 website click. I had originally posted these pictures on my stories and some of my followers replied, so I decided with a clever caption to throwback to, it would get some engagement.

This post had 865 likes, 14 comments, 4,992 impressions, 1 sent via direct message, 3 saves, 82 profile visits, and one reply. This post reached 2,491 accounts, 24% who do not follow me. 26 views came from the location. #Nhsmc is the first comment. Many of my followers have come from being tagged in Max Kranick’s verified account so when I post pictures with him, I tend to get on average more likes than pictures where he is not in the photo. Many of my comments come from people who are supporters of our relationship.

This slide post of my Halloween Weekend had 836 likes, 20 comments,  4,986 impressions, 1 sent via direct message, 5 saves, 56 profile visits and reached 2258 accounts, 12% weren’t following me. I don’t think the extra hashtags helped me in this case because I didn’t get any unusual likes or comments. I was also trolled by the verified Max Kranick Instagram page for my hashtag use as discussed in class. However, the hashtags could help my post stay relevant during next year’s Halloween if people are looking for costume inspiration. I had three different of my friends’ accounts tagged in this post, which helped the engagement. The video and picture of the Guy Fieri costume did well on my story and consequently, many of the comments were about that costume.

After looking at my Instagram analytics, I understand the importance of tagging specific accounts related to my content, tagging relevant locations and efficiently utilizing hashtags to send my content more places without a “spam look.” I have found my brand is high-quality photos or videos of visual engaging backgrounds or outfits that feature me, my boyfriend, my friends, and my family. Humor and sarcasm seem to help drum up more comments.

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