@WeAreCisco’s 4-Pronged Instagram KPI Approach

By: Sophie Maerowitz

July 3, 2018

Now that Instagram has surpassed its billion-user mark, competition for attention on the platform is heating up. Instagram content must be positioned even more strategically in order to cut through the noise.

Casie Shimansky, social media manager, talent brand, Cisco

Casie Shimansky, one of The Social Shake-Up’s 2018 Movers & Shakers and social media manager at Cisco’s talent brand @WeAreCisco, says that Instagram’s monumental growth (not to mention algorithm change) has caused her team of two to constantly test their approach to creating and sharing content. Using different hashtags, geotags and posting strategies, the @WeAreCisco duo, led by Social Shake-Up advisory board member Carmen Shirkey Collins, ensures “we always stay true to the overall tone that the Instagram community expects.”

Within Instagram, there are several different features social media pros can use toward different ends. Shimansky, charged with Instagram strategy specifically, has developed specific goals for @WeAreCisco’s Instagram feed posts, Instagram Stories and Instagram Live broadcasts, each tied to overall objectives for the recruiting arm of Cisco’s business.

Socks are always optional as long as you come to work with a full heart and a smile! ❤? Do you want to bring your authentic self to work every day? To apply – click the link in our bio! #WeAreCisco #LoveWhereYouWork #?@derekdykens

A post shared by We Are Cisco (@wearecisco) on Jul 2, 2018 at 6:00am PDT

In terms of the big picture, @WeAreCisco’s overarching Instagram goals are to:

• Create awareness that Cisco is a good place to work;
• Generate demand for Cisco jobs;
• Drive traffic to “Careers” site & applications;
• Inspire Cisco employees to share why they love where they work.

See the three elements of Instagram @WeAreCisco currently uses, and individual KPIs for each, below:

Instagram Feed:

• Grow followers
• Maintain engagement rate at or above industry rate (1.5%)
• Drive traffic to careers site from Instagram bio link and Instagram Stories “swipe up” links
• Global representation of content and followers, including employee-generated content from Cisco’s offices around the world

Instagram Stories:

• Unique views
• Completion rate over 40%

Instagram Live (still being piloted):

• Monitoring live views
• 24-hour replay views

Having laid the groundwork above, one can only imagine where Shimansky and her team will take their department’s strategy for Instagram’s new long-form video feature, IGTV. Coding competitions between engineers? A condensed documentary of an employee’s first day on the job? For Shimansky’s team, the possibilities could be endless.

Follow Casie: @TheNameIsCasie
Follow Sophie: @SophieMaerowitz