We are talking about Instagram again this week because we are so fired up about the impact that brands are able to make on this platform in 2017. In fact, our research is shining the spotlight on Instagram as the social media platform that offers brands the greatest ROI at the moment. Looking to leverage your efforts on social to reach your goals? Then you had better roll up your sleeves and make Instagram your best friend this year. Here are our suggestions for how to achieve your goals on Instagram:
BRAND GOAL: Increase Engagement
If you’re looking for engagement, brands are reporting 4 times as many likes for a photo on Instagram than the exact same photo posted on Facebook. Best practices? Besides ensuring that you’re posting new, interesting & engaging photos, we recommend that you consider the bigger picture of your overall Instagram feed. Whether you use the same filter across all photos or keep the elements of your photography consistent, consider the overall audience experience when visiting your Instagram account.
The main key to boosting engagement is to actually ENGAGE! Reach out – make sure that you are liking and commenting on the content that your audience is producing. Don’t be shy! Engagement is all about creating connections and inspiring others to want to learn more about you.
BRAND GOAL: Improve Reach
Want to drive brand awareness & grow your audience? Instagram Stories are yielding 10 times the reach of Snapchat. There are two primary ways to increase your brand’s reach on Instagram, paid and unpaid. If paid reach is an option for you, Instagram advertising remains highly cost-effective, as many brands are not leveraging this channel… YET! If paid advertisements are not in the budget, then it’s time to get up close and personal with hashtags.
Hashtags are essentially search terms. So, if your audience is interested in a particular topic, be sure to include the hashtags that pertain to that topic. For example, #dogsofinsta is a highly popular hashtag for dog lovers! If you own a pet store/dog food company/dog walking service, these are your people. Using hashtags on your Instagram content allows ensuring that your content is reaching people who are already interested in what you do.
BRAND GOAL: Increase Conversion
By switching to a “business” profile, Instagram will give you the opportunity to link to your business and provide location details in your profile. Additionally, sponsored advertisements blend into the organic stories & post feeds, serving your ads where your audience is actually paying attention. Instagram ads can be tailored to drive website clicks, app downloads or mass awareness.
Whatever your social media goals are for 2017, we are certain that Instagram must hold a central role in your strategy so, have fun with it! Tell your story and be yourself. Your audience will love it.
