In our opinion, Instagram is the number 1 visual, social media platform your business can be on right now. Think of it as your shop window, displaying your most lovely wares and drawing the customers in off the street right into the belly of your business. Right there on that grid of visual loveliness your brand can proudly display its peacock feathers, it can be the window into your brand’s uniqueness, a place to tell the story behind your product/idea/service and a place to connect on a more personal level with your customers and potential clients.
But how do you hit that sweet spot and get your Instagram feed looking fabulous and working as a great marketing tool for your business?
Here are our 5 top tips for supercharging your Instagram feed:
You’ve heard of the elevator pitch, right? You know, you find yourself in a lift going 5 floors up with Sir Alan Sugar (feel free to insert your dream customer/investor here!) and you’ve got 30 seconds to sell your business. Well, your bio is the social media equivalent of this pitch - it needs to describe who you are/what you do, how you can be reached and get your potential audience excited about your brand in just a couple of lines.
You’ve seen those fantastic Instagram feeds filled with gorgeous photos of high intensity workouts, organic quinoa bowls and achingly cool Veja trainers, haven’t you? They look incredible, have a gazillion followers and they ooze aspiration and inspiration - so you should basically just post the same kind of stuff on your feed, right? Wrong! Your business or idea isn’t a carbon copy of someone else’s, so why make your social media content the same as theirs? Customers want to see why they should choose you and not the next guy - so be real, give your brand a personality that fits with yours, let your audience in on the story behind your business and be you! Yes, make sure your images are clear and of good quality but always remember to be less ‘them’ ….. and be more you. Believe us, it really will work.
Love them or loathe them, hashtags are the key to the success of your Instagram business page! Instagram posts with at least one hashtag have an average of around 12% more engagement over those without. Using hashtags effectively is one of the best ways to ensure your posts are found by new audiences, and well targeted hashtags can increase engagement, followers and can even lead to converting new customers into sales. BUT be strategic in your hashtag use - do your research and find the best ones for your business and niche, keep an eye on trending keywords, think of what searches your ideal audience would make to find a business doing what you do and use them in your hashtag lists. Instagram allows users to follow key hashtags - so get it right and you’ll put your business right under the noses of your dream customers.
Say what?! You heard us. One of the most important things you can do on your instagram feed (or for that matter, any of your social platforms) is listen, listen and listen some more. So what we’re saying is that it’s not all about shouting about your business from the rooftops - nobody wants that on their Insta feed everyday. It's so important to hear what others in your industry are talking about and to have your ear to the ground listening to what your customers are saying. That way you'll avoid being that annoying shouty guy, boring the world with your constant chat about yourself. By listening and sharing what other people are saying that’s relevant to your business, you’ll improve your feed and ultimately increase your follower loyalty.
Try it for a while. Rather than screaming about your product or service from the rooftop, try asking your audience a question. Sit back, listen and reap the instagram rewards!
Using the analytic features on Instagram, or an external measuring tool, you can start to understand what is and isn’t working on your Instagram feed. Analytic tools will give you a great insight into which posts are performing best, what time of day is proving the most successful and which hashtags are bringing in the most engagement for your brand. Testing and measuring what you’re up to on social might sound like a deadly boring job (we get it!) but it cuts through all the hearsay and helps you really dig down into the nitty gritty of how your business can sock it to ‘em on social media!
Need help with your social media platforms or Facebook advertising?
Contact us: hello@looped.media