This Couple Makes How Much on Instagram?

Posted on May 8, 2017 by johnmalik

Can you imagine getting paid thousands just for an Instagram photo?

This couple does just that. Jack Morris and Lauren Bullen have between them almost 4 million followers on Instagram. They’re lifestyle ambassadors that have successfully created a lifestyle enabling them to travel and get paid to do so. I first read about this couple in Huffington Post and I’ve been following them for a couple of months and I’d like to point out some of the reasons why they’ve got such a following, and why their photographs are worth ten thousand dollars each, or more.

First of all, Instagram is full of attractive people in bathing suits, or sheer dresses, or short shorts, or nothing at all. Young and old, man and woman, dogs and cats. It’s all there.

So what makes these two different?

For starters let’s look at some pretenders. And here’s our first contestant. Notice how this young lady makes herself the center of her photos? And she’s facing the camera and she’s smiling and showing off her hair. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she’s selling shampoo or working for a salon and if that’s the case, she’s doing a great job. Yet that graphic in the center would say otherwise. Her photos have all been taken in the middle of the day so we get a lot of bright sunlight. Ho hum. She’s posing in front of these well known monuments and edifices and she looks totally bored with the whole thing. “#sobored Might as well play with my hair.”

Here’s another one. And this young lady has gone so far as to crib the word “lust” into her Instagram handle. I’m guessing she really wants to emulate our two stars, Jack and Lauren. So notice that again, she’s center of the photo. And she’s got her back to the table even though it’s set with dinner. And to top it all off, she’s in focus while the background isn’t. What’s up with that? I look at this and my reaction is she believes she’s more important than the food or scenery. Which one of us, when presented with a beautiful meal, would get up then stand at the balcony ?

This is not an invitation to join her, it’s an invitation to look at her. If she’s selling yellow dresses or repping a professional salon, she’s doing a great job.

And how about this one? Alright we get it. You’re pretty and wear lacey bedroom clothing in the middle of the day. Again, she’s centered herself in the frame and everything important is out of focus. After reading the caption, I’d guess the folks at Life Water have paid her a few bucks to pose with their bottle. Yet she’s clearly trying to appeal to the Instagram travel industry and the background is out of focus? Sheesh!

If she’s selling water, well, good for her.

Now on to these two…Same crimes, same agenda. If you’re looking for a great beach to travel to, who better to advertise your beach than two grumpy twenty somethings? Jeez I’d sooner have Herman Munster in a thong on my beach than this sulking duo.

The Perfect What?

Different poster, same crimes…She’s centered herself, and these are all taken in the middle of the day so the lighting isn’t very intriguing. If she’s selling dresses, she’s doing a great job.

Photos such as these say to me “I’ve made this place better just by being here.”

Even though this is but a few folks, it represents a huge majority of what I see on Instagram. People taking photos of themselves trying to look as if their mere presence has bettered a well-known landmark, or beach, or town.

So now let’s get back to Jack and Lauren and some of their photos. Here they are at the Giraffe Manor in Kenya. Don’t know about you but the first thing I notice is the giraffe on the right. Why? Because he’s focused on you. The giraffe is looking right at you and he’s almost inviting you into the frame. He’s asking you to pet him. The next thing is the other one that’s helping himself to Jack’s plate of eggs. What sort of place is this where a giraffe can just stick his neck through a window and gobble up your breakfast? I’m not looking at Jack or Lauren, I’m focused on the experience, the fact that they’ve got giraffes eating off their plate! What I’m seeing is something crazy and wonderful and exotic and even though I’m a proponent of proper table manners, I’d like to join them for breakfast.

Here they are on a beach in the Maldives. And what do you notice first? That beach looks magnificent! Take a look at the way the tree line practically spills onto the beach and the sand is as white as sugar and look at those huts in the background! Heck that’s the hotel and it sits on top of all of that gloriously blue water. And the beach is practically untouched by human hands. I don’t see beach chairs, or cans of beer, or plastic beach toys, or umbrellas. I see a pristine, serene beach that beckons to the traveler in me.

Same here. This photo says “exotic”, “magical”, “peaceful”, and it really invites you into the frame. If you’ve ever wanted to go to Bali, Indonesia but weren’t sure why, this photo tells you why.

Here’s Lauren in a desert in the United Arab Emirates and again notice she’s not the center of attention in this photo. The scenery, the desert is the center of attention, she just happens to be in it. It’s a beautifully staged photo that really showcases the natural curves of the desert and not Lauren’s. And my guess is it’s evening and notice the way the light spills across the dunes and the shadows give texture to the photo?

Today’s lesson ends with this photo. Anyone care to tell me what’s so great about this one? The obvious answer is these two look great in swimsuits but go beyond that and notice they’re in motion and about to jump off that raft and right into that impossibly blue water?

Can’t you almost hear the roar of that waterfall? Do you feel the water slipping across your feet as you head to the edge of that raft? Did you take a breath before jumping off and splashing down into that lagoon? Can you taste the salt from that crisp Pacific water? This photo really invites the viewer in, then encourages them to click on that link because don’t you want to know where you can have an experience like this. And that’s why these two get paid to post photographs on Instagram.

If you’re a huge fan of Instagram and enjoy planning your adventures based on what travel professionals post, then definitely give these two a follow. Even better, if you desire to sell a product or service on Instagram then why not take a hint from these two. The lessons they share with their followers would certainly make Instagram a better place for all of us.

And if you or your team ever need professional help with Instagram, just give Jack a call. He can craft an Instagram strategy designed to take full advantage of this justly popular platform.

Eight 6 Four – 6 one 6 – 717 one

Help Wanted

Posted on January 1, 2016 by johnmalik

Social Media & Digital Marketing Handler Job Description

Our company is growing and we’re looking for help. Do you love a good pun? A crispy chocolate chip cookie? Do you understand why people buy what they buy? Perhaps we’re meant for one another. We’re a small social media marketing company looking to grow our reach and client base in 2016. We need someone smart, clever, mature, and fun.

Here’s the nitty gritty:

Position Requirements

Develop and manage editorial calendar for client communications
Daily activity moderation on social properties. Curate, coordinate and execute daily content (posts, tweets, contests, etc.)
Develop and copy write blog content and press materials to be shared and distributed through networks and media.
Manage and protect brand online through active listening and appropriate escalation to client customer service.
Manage Jack Russell’s social presence across a number of social media channels, producing engaging content optimized for the platform and intended audience

mmm…we love cookies

Social Media Analytics and Monitoring

Report quarterly on social media results to the client using meaningful metrics to evaluate success
Highlight new opportunities that foster social engagement and growth
Report on PR efforts if required

Social and PR Strategy and Planning

Stay up-to-date on social media trends, platform changes, best practices as well as competitive landscape and communicate industry news and trends to JRC team.
Bachelor’s Degree preferred
Experience in content management, digital marketing or social media coordination roles

Social Media Marketing Expertise

Passionate about and keeps up with latest social media trends.
Proficiency in best practices and style conventions on social media platforms including, but not limited to, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Experience using Social Media management and monitoring tools such as Hootsuite, Vocus or similar platforms.
Strong copywriting and editing skills. Command of the English language, its grammar and spelling is a must.
Expertise in Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe, and Road Cycling
Ability to execute multiple projects (we hope) in a timely fashion, from start to finish, under tight deadlines.
Ability to express ideas clearly both in visual, written, and oral communications.
Ability to work with Photo Shop and Picassa
Ability to read an entire job description because chocolate comes from a cacao tree pod

John Malik

Jack Russell Social Media Consulting

Please respond creatively to:

Twitter: @chefjohnmalik

Instagram: @chefjohnmalik

Facebook: facebook.com/JackRussellConsulting/

You want to borrow my Corvette?

Posted on October 29, 2015 by johnmalik

Do you wash elephants or sell portable heaters in Alaska?

Stay with me please.

A few days ago we received an email from a client’s web management company. The client is a doctor, a medical professional in a highly competitive field here in the Upstate of South Carolina. The web management company sends us an SEO report every quarter and this report showed our client physician as #1 or #2 in organic search results on Google, Yahoo, and Bing.

When they came to Jack Russell, they were spending a fortune on Google Ad Words in order to keep their website on top of local Google search results. Some of those clicks on their Google Ads were costing $25.00 per click. And that’s just a click on a web link which doesn’t guarantee a conversion to a phone number or a phone call. Four to five clicks, $100 to $150 a day. Oof!

If you’re not familiar with the way Google Ad Words works, it’s basically an auction.

Let’s say you’re in a competitive field in a saturated market. Suppose you sell portable heaters to first time cabin renters in Alaska. As you can imagine, there’s a lot of folks selling all sorts of portable heaters in Alaska. So you put up a website, post your heaters on Facebook and Twitter and wait for the phone to ring. Well, that’s not going to work because if you’re renting your first cabin in Alaska, you’re probably going to jump on Google and type in “portable heater, cabin rental, Alaska.”

The search results that pop up on page one are based on three things. Money, Location, and SEO, or search engine optimization. Google, Yahoo, and Bing are all search engines and we all use them to find stuff every day. Getting the right stuff to show up at the top of the results means that the search engine has been used to its fullest potential by that top listing.

The results with the little yellow “Ad” next to them are sponsored results and that’s where the money comes in. The company whose website has popped up first is paying Google to place them at the top. The more sellers (in this case, people selling portable heaters in Alaska) using those particular key words (portable heaters, cabin rental, Alaska) the more expensive each click becomes. If you’re not careful, your advertising expense can quickly eclipse your profit margins depending on your commodity.

Now let’s pretend we have an elephant washing business in Greenville, SC. That’s an industry with very little competition. Most of the year business will be quiet because there’s only a couple of elephants in Greenville. Then Barnum & Bailey rolls into town, their vet gets on Google and searches “elephant washing service, Greenville, SC” and boom, there we are. There’s no need to spend money or do any fancy SEO because there’s no competition.

Most of us aren’t washing elephants. We’ve got a product or service for sale, we have competitors and we don’t want to spend a fortune on Google Ad Words. The next best way to influence search results is with fresh web content and that comes down to either placing photos of kittens on your website every week, or a fresh blog post. And that’s where we come in. Our founder, John Malik, is a published author, a voracious reader and an award-winning writer that’s written for Air & Space Magazine, Chile Pepper, Bon Appetit Magazine, and the Huffington Post.

Our Doctor gets two blog essays a month posted to his website, people read his blog, share his essays with their friends, click through his website to read his reviews then schedule an appointment. And when our doctor gets compliments on his writing, he smiles and says “Thank you very much.” I know, we’re not doctors. Yet our essays are enthusiastic and knowledgeable, hand crafted to strike an emotional chord.

When he received that email from his web management company, he called and offered up his new Corvette to us for a long weekend.

And yes, my insurance is paid up.

At Jack Russell, we create engaging, timely, and relevant blog essays. We tag them with the client’s keywords then push them out on the client’s social media. And when someone reads a client’s blog post, the reader puts their eyeballs on the client’s website. We’re successful, affordable, and anonymous, which is why I don’t name clients in person. If you’d like to learn more, we will provide references in person. Just give us a call or drop us an email.

Now if you’ll excuse us, we’ve got a twisty road to explore.

The Fuller Brush Man

Posted on June 10, 2015 by johnmalik

I can remember one of these guys coming to the house. If I’m before your time, let me explain. Many years ago, it was not an uncommon practice to hire a sales force, equip them with everything they needed, then send them out into suburbia where they would go door to door. It was the ultimate in cold calling. Just knock on the door in the middle of the day. This was a fairly common practice after Word War 2 when most suburban women didn’t have jobs outside of the home. In our home in south Louisiana, courtesy the travelling salesman, we were exposed to vacuum cleaners, encyclopedias, life insurance, soaps, potato chips, milk, and of course Fuller brushes. The Fuller Brush Company made brushes for hair, toilets, grills, cars, pets, etc and these guys were famously pushy. They carried their wares in a huge suitcase and would walk through neighborhoods selling directly from their case. They banked on their pushiness and a housewife would often buy just to get rid of them. They were so common that in 1948 MGM made a movie titled The Fuller Brush Man featuring comedian Red Skelton.

Red Skelton as the Fuller Brush Man

Ever heard that saying, “just get your foot in the door”? That was a tactic of door to door salesmen. Stick your toe over the threshold of the door and a sweet housewife wouldn’t dream of closing the door on your foot. And that gave you enough time to be charming, or stubborn. The Fuller Brush guy that came to our house (I was probably four) didn’t count on Mrs. Virginia Malik asking him if he wanted to retain the use of his left foot for the rest of the day. And that was our first and last experience with Fuller brushes. But when the guy from Charles Chips walked up, you bet we all screamed for chips.

The Charles Chip company went door to door in big delivery vans. They dropped off a fresh can and picked up the empty ones.

In today’s world, social media is our new front door, especially Facebook. It’s so integrated into our daily lives that our wall feels like a front door and its Messenger has replaced the telephone. If you’ve got a Facebook page for your business, you’ve probably had that front door opened up long enough so someone can stick their toe in your door. Over the last couple years, I’ve intercepted spam from all sorts of well-meaning but clueless folks. Beauty pageant contestants, charities, authors, bloggers, city officials, and in the last few months I’ve seen an upturn in businesses spamming other business pages. One of my clients is a pediatric dentist and his office gets more spam than all my other clients combined.

Here’s the deal, folks. People buy from people they like. And in business, before you stick your foot in the door, perhaps you should take some time to understand your prospect. Maybe even consider doing business with them first. Care to guess how many half-pound burgers I ate before one of my restaurant clients said yes?

And if your business is ladies clothing, why on earth would you spam a pediatric dentist and demand (“I’ve shared your post, now you share mine”) he like your page and share your post? Especially since you’ve never set foot in his office.

I’m hardly an authority on professional sales tactics. But I know what works. Get to know people first, understand their business, then figure out if you can help them. If they’re looking for something I can’t deliver, I’ll tell them so then pass their info off to a real marketing professional. If they’re looking for affordable social media, without all the bells and whistles that a full service marketing company provides (and charges for) then maybe I’m the guy they’re looking for. So today’s lesson is do not stick your foot in the door and do not spam a Facebook page. Practice good manners, follow professional sales techniques, and do so every day and you won’t get your foot slammed in the door.

9 Reasons why Jack Russell is great at Social Media

Posted on January 10, 2015 by johnmalik

9 Reasons Why You shouldn’t Move or Visit Greenville, SC in 2015. Yeah, that was me. And judging by my recent success in the Huffington Post, I really should be a travel writer. And I would if I could get someone to pay me to travel, and snorkel, and ski, and hike, and sample craft brews…and I should really try to stay focused here.

In March, my wife and I spent a long weekend in St. Pete, Florida and when we returned I penned an article for the Huff Post. We had a great time, great weather and we thoroughly enjoyed the funky vibe, the wonderful Cuban food, and their craft beer scene. I shared this article with the visitor’s bureau in St. Pete and it took off from there. Within 24 hours it made a significant impact in the St. Pete area. Just as I expected. The St. Pete/Tampa area has maybe 3.5 million folks so that’s a hefty built-in customer base. As you can see, it received 6.4K likes and garnered probably 70,000 readers.

The first week of January I wrote this piece on my town and jokingly labeled it 9 reasons not to move or visit Greenville. Our county has about 460,000 residents. Our city? About 62,000. Yet the amount of shares, likes, tweets, etc it has received is more than double what the story on St. Pete received. And as of today, it’s still getting shared.

I knew this story would be well-received for several reasons. I have a strong following on my social media, Greenvillians love their town, and the overall tone of the story was tongue-in-cheek, a far cry from most travel/tourism related features. But Holy Moly! This story went viral in a big way. (170,000+ impressions) I’ve got a few ideas as to why that is but I can’t say my ideas are fool-proof. In the past few years, Greenville has had a fair amount of press. Perhaps the level of interest is because so much has already been written about St. Pete as a travel destination, and Greenville is just finding its legs. The story on St. Pete went live at the end of a miserable winter for much of the US so I would think that had something to do with its interest level. And in the middle of a cold snap that’s settled over much of the country, perhaps a new story on St. Pete would receive more interest than the recent story on Greenville? The only way to test my theory is to return to St. Pete.

In the meantime, how may I help you? My company manages social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, Four Square, and Google+. And we do it anonymously. We’ll ask the right questions, discover your company’s strengths, conceive a voice, then go to work. We’re clever, funny, and mature. We’ll keep you up to date on your clients and provide insights and updates. We know how to get the most out of social media and we’re affordable. If you’re not leveraging your social media to its fullest potential, give us a call. Or a tweet.

And now for that return trip to St. Pete. Hello Delta?