The quality of content you create and share on Instagram will have a direct impact on your ability to attract new customers and convert them to paying customers.
Companies that use social media, including Instagram, sometimes make mistakes. For example:
• Posting inconsistently leaving fans wondering where they are.
• Posting too many direct sales pitches and not enough content that provides real value to their followers.
• Ignoring comments and not engaging with their followers.
The more consistently you post – and the more regularly you engage with your followers – the more benefit you will get from your social media marketing. The algorithms that Instagram uses mean that users who interact with you the most are most likely to see your content.
The solution is to post only the kind of content that is going to entertain and inform your followers. This is an awesome affordable marketing technique. Remember that at least 80% of your content should be entertaining and valuable, and no more than 20% should include direct sales pitches. You can have a call to action at the end of a post, but don’t overdo it. People don’t follow their favourite brands on Instagram to be hounded to make purchases.
1. Community events
One of the best things you can do on Instagram is to remember the ‘social’ in social media. The reason that these sites and apps are so popular is that they give people the opportunity to interact with one another.
Community events like Throwback Thursdays #tbt and Flashback Friday #fbf present an easy opportunity for small business marketing by enabling brands to drop into conversations, getting themselves known and talked about. For instance, when you set up your account, you may wish to post photos of your staff as kids or share an image from when you first started your business.
2. Behind the scenes
One of the reasons that people follow their favourite brands on social media is that they want to feel a personal connection. They want to believe that they are getting a look at things they wouldn’t normally see – getting a peek behind the curtains, so to speak. You can play to that desire to get exclusive content by sharing photographs or videos of what goes on behind the scenes at your company. A good example is what Kylie Jenner did for Kylie Cosmetics when she gave a behind the scenes tour of her company, making people feel like they were part of the company.
3. User-curated content
One of the single most effective ways to engage your customers on Instagram is to make them do the work of creating content for you. This might sound contradictory, but it’s good. Remember, Instagram is primarily a platform for social sharing. People follow brands to see what they have to offer, but they also love to share their own images. You can encourage that by regularly asking your followers to share content with you where they interact with your products. You could include prizes for creativity and fun. This makes your customers feel that they are important to the brand.
If you would like to find out how Instagram marketing can work for your business, get in touch with us at Promotr today.
