April 2021

April Marketing Dates to Remember (+ Post Ideas!)

Paul Dughi on April 5, 2021

An April calendar surrounded by tulips on a pink background

April showers bring… marketing inspiration! It’s spring time! That means the weather is changing and so is your business. Use the new season, new month, and new days to inspire your social media content throughout the month, every week, and each day!

Ready for ideas? Keep reading

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April is the Month of….

National Alcohol Awareness Month Increases awareness of alcohol addiction
National Month of HopeEncourages all to be a beacon of hope and light for others
National Humor Month Reminds us all to celebrate the light-hearted moments in everyday life
National Volunteer Month Encourages Americans to take time out of their busy schedules to do something for others
Stress Awareness Month Recognizes and educates about the detrimental effects of stress on the human body

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A post shared by Southeastern Guide Dogs (@seguidedogs)

April Monthly Post Ideas

A few ways to implement these:

Share your favorite inspirational quote to your Instagram Story. You never know who might need to hear it.
Take a day off from being the boss that you are and volunteer somewhere you’re passionate about. Share your experience on your social media and encourage your followers to do the same.
Host an Instagram giveaway that donates to the winner’s charity of choice
Challenge yourself to post an inspirational quote and/or joke every day this month
Create a blog post about ways to reduce stress as it relates to your field (ex: 10 Ways to Lower Stress on Your Wedding Day)

Important Weeks in April

National Library Week- April 4-10Recognizes the value our libraries provide everyday
National Wildlife Week– April 5-9Promotes awareness and conservation of wildlife and habitats
National Public Health Week- First Week of AprilEncourages people to help create a healthy nation and reduce unhealthy habits
Administrative Professionals Week– Last week of AprilCelebrates the secretaries and administrative professionals that keep businesses going worldwide

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A post shared by Kelly Staten (@librarian.style)

April Weekly Post Ideas

Ways to celebrate these with your business:

Create a Pinterest Board to keep a running list of your favorite book recommendations
If you sell a product, do a photoshoot that features your product outdoors in wildlife settings. Use this week to post ‘wildlife inspired images to your social media accounts
If you’re a food blogger, do a blog post round-up of your most popular healthy recipes to celebrate National Public Health Week
Give the administrative professionals and secretaries a shoutout on your Instagram and/or Facebook during Administrative Professionals Week. Show them how much you appreciate them!
Use a question sticke r on your Instagram Stories to get your audience to come together and share their favorite ‘healthy life’ tips during National Public Health Week. Share the answers to your Story!

Important Days in April

April Fool’s Day– April 1The age-old holiday of playing practical jokes and tricks on others
National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day– April 2Honors the classic lunchbox favorite
Easter- April 4Celebrated by Christians to honor the resurrection of Jesus Christ
National Walking Day- April 5Encourages Americans of all ages to get out and stretch their legs
National Pet Day– April 11Celebrates our furry (and not so furry!) friends
National Make Lunch Count Day– April 13Encourages workers to take a real break from work to eat lunch
National Tax Day– April 15The day U.S. taxes are normally due! (don’t worry- it was pushed back this year)
National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day– April 15Encourages employees to have a more laid-back dress code day
National Take Your Daughters and Sons to Work Day– April 22Encourages parents to take their children to work
National Superhero Day– April 28Honors superheroes, both real and fictional

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A post shared by fitbit (@fitbit)

April Daily Post Ideas

Ways to recognizes these dates on social media:

Get creative on April 1! Post your most interesting (and harmless!) prank to your social media. Bonus points if you can tie it back to your business.
Or run a promotion on April Fool’s Day with the idea “Prices this great are no joke!”
On National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day, you could make yourself a PB&J sandwich. Orrr, you could use the opportunity to market your product or service as the perfect pairing for your consumer (think: You and these earrings go together like peanut butter and jelly )
On April 5, go for a walk and post an “Ask Me Anything” question box on your Stories. Answer the questions in your Stories as you get your exercise in!
You know the drill… everyone loves cute pictures of animals! Be sure to take advantage of National Pet Day and make your followers’ day.
On April 13, make yourself take a real brain break during your lunch hour. No working through lunch! No eating at the desk! If you make (or order!) a delicious lunch, post it to your Story and encourage your audience to take time for themselves too
If your workplace allows it, take your kids to work (or to your home office) with you on National Take Your Daughters and Sons to Work Day! It will be sure to provide memorable experiences for you both! If you’d like, document the experience on your Instagram Stories!
On National Superhero Day, highlight some of the real life superheroes you look up to through an Instagram post

Conclusion: How to Use Monthly Trends In Your Marketing Content

Now that you have plenty of ideas to fill your April content calendar, you’re free to go enjoy the nice spring weather! Enjoy! ☀️

How do you recognize seasons, holidays, dates, and months in your business’s social media? Let us know in the comments below!

Pssst… this Pin was made in seconds with Tailwind Create! Try it out for yourself!

Need some inspiration for your marketing calendar? Check out the months, weeks and days that the world is celebrating in April, and get some content inspo!

Why You Should Add Instagram Alt Text to Your Posts (+ Tutorial!)

ohsopinteresting on April 1, 2021

An example of alt text on Instagram. Shows an image description that reads "a light green graphic that says Accessibility: what's vital to some is valuable to all."

What’s one of the first platforms that come to your mind when you think about social media marketing? If you’re like most marketers and entrepreneurs, chances are you’re already thinking about promoting your brand on Instagram.

With more than 1 billion monthly active users, Instagram is one of the most popular and engaging social media platforms. It’s a great platform for boosting brand awareness and audience engagement, particularly for small businesses.

Whether you’re selling handmade jewelry or artisanal cheese, your potential customers are likely using Instagram.

Instagram: The Marketers’ Platform

Here’s the thing – the brains behind Instagram understand this and therefore, roll out useful features for marketers and content creators. Hashtags, Instagram Shopping and in-app purchases, IGTV, Instagram Reels – the platform has introduced various features to help brands boost visibility and conversions.

But while you’re focusing on the creator-friendly aspects, there’s a powerful new feature you might be ignoring. That is the Instagram alt text feature. While this feature was introduced in November 2018, most marketers and business owners have yet to use it to its full potential.

However, adding a relevant and descriptive alt text can go a long way to boost the reach and accessibility of your Instagram posts.

Also, it only takes a few easy steps to add Instagram alt text to new and existing posts! If you’re ready to implement your Instagram marketing strategy, it’s high time you focus on the alt text.

In this blog, we’ll outline the steps to add alt text to an Instagram post. But let’s first delve deeper into the concept and explore its benefits.

What is Alt Text on Instagram?

If you’re familiar with search engine optimization (SEO), you’ve likely come across the term “image alt text”. Simply put, alt text or alternative text is the description that’s displayed when an image fails to load on a web page.

The same definition applies to the context of Instagram photos. It’s a text description that appears instead of an image when:

The image doesn’t load due to poor internet connectivity
The user can’t see the image and needs a screen reader to access the platform

The main objective behind introducing alt text on Instagram is to make the platform more accessible.

This is crucial because Instagram users with visual impairment can’t use the platform the way most people do. Instead, they need screen readers that read aloud text descriptions of on-screen images.

So, providing alt text for Instagram posts ensures that your content is accessible to users with visual impairments.

But this isn’t the only reason you should be adding alt text to your posts. Adding the right alt text can also help improve the performance of your Instagram posts.

Alt Text for Instagram SEO: How & Why It Works

When you think of SEO, you’re likely thinking about content optimization and link building. However, adding keyword-rich alt text to the images on your blog posts can also help drive traffic to your website!

It’s because this helps search engines understand the content of the image and include it in relevant image search results.

Likewise, when you add relevant alt text to an Instagram post, it helps the Instagram algorithm understand what the image is all about. This, in turn, increases the chances of your post showing up in the “Explore” section of your target users’ Instagram accounts. This has become even more crucial with the latest changes in Instagram Search.

While the platform uses image recognition to analyze every post, the alt text ensures your content is shown to the right people. Also, it’ll help you reach your target audience when they’re looking for posts related to your brand/niche/product.

And if Google decides to include Instagram photos in image search, it’ll ensure that your posts show up in relevant results. This, in turn, will expand and diversify your reach.

How to Add Alt Text to Your Instagram Posts

First things first – Instagram uses object recognition technology to generate automatic alt text for every post. But these text descriptions often lack context and accuracy. Also, they don’t explain why and how the image is related to your brand/product.

That’s why it is always a good idea to edit the automatic alt text and replace it with a custom description for every Instagram post. In the following sections, we’ll find out how to add and edit alt text on Instagram. Let’s get started!

Adding Alt Text to a New Instagram Post

If you’re uploading a new Instagram post, here are the steps you should follow to add custom alt text:

1. Launch the Instagram app on your phone and follow the usual steps to select and edit a photo. Click the forward arrow on the top-right corner after you’ve applied a filter and edited the photo.

2. Click the “Advanced Settings” option near the bottom of the screen.

3. Tap “Write Alt Text” under the Accessibility section on the next page.

4. Write the alt text and hit the checkmark or “Done” button at the top-right corner.

5. Tap the back arrow on the next page.

6. Add your Instagram caption, hashtags, location, and other details before clicking the checkmark or “Share” button to upload your post.

A screenshot of the Write Alt Text option located in Advanced Settings on Instagram posts.

Adding Alt Text to An Existing Instagram Post

If you’ve uploaded Instagram photos without alt text, there’s no reason to break a sweat. You can easily add alt text by editing your Instagram post in a few clicks.

Here are the steps you should follow to add alt text to older posts on Instagram:

1. Find and open the Instagram post. Tap the three-dot button at the top-right corner of the screen.

2. Select the “Edit” option from the pop-up menu.

3. Tap the “Edit Alt Text” link near the bottom-left corner of the photo.

4. Type the description in the text box and click the checkmark or “Done” button.

5. Hit the checkmark on the next screen to save your alt text.

Yes. It’s that easy to include alt text for any existing or new Instagram post.

A screenshot of the Write Alt Text button in the bottom right corner of existing Instagram posts.

How to See Alt Text on Instagram

The best way to check alt text for an Instagram post is to use a screen reader app on your phone to browse Instagram.

Alternatively, you can use a special browser, such as MozBraille and ReadText, to access Instagram on your computer.

Writing Good Alt Text for Instagram: Tips & Tricks

If you’ve been copying the image caption in the alt text field of your Instagram posts, it’s high time to change that. Here are a few Instagram alt text best practices to help you get started:

Keep It Short

As a ground-rule, you should restrict the length of the alt text to 100 characters. Otherwise, screen readers won’t accurately interpret and read the description.

Provide Context

The key to effective alt text is to provide an accurate and specific description of the photo. Make sure you include key elements, such as color or texture, that can help the user better visualize the photo. Also, avoid using phrases, such as “picture of” or “image of”.

Include a Keyword

It’s a good idea to include one or more relevant keywords in the alt text. However, you should only follow this practice when it organically fits the description. Also, don’t try to force-fit too many keywords into a single alt text.

Add a Branded Touch

Include your brand name, location, or any other relevant information that’ll help the image reach your target audience via Instagram search.

Conclusion: How to Use Instagram Alt Text

The main aim of Instagram alt text is to make your posts accessible to users with visual impairments. However, you can utilize this feature to maximize visibility and diversify your audience. While adding alt text on Instagram isn’t rocket science, you should focus on crafting a descriptive, meaningful, and compelling description.

Do you have any other tips for writing Instagram alt text? Share your suggestions in the comments section below.

Psst… this Pin was made in seconds using Tailwind Create! Try it out for yourself!