Instagram is a flooded social media platform. With over 1 billion active monthly users, standing out and fostering your own community on the app can be difficult. The two most important components to success on the platform involving producing high-quality content, and being patient. However, also in the mix is having a solid marketing strategy — built on innovative ideas.
On such a popular app like Instagram, it can be easy to just mimic what everyone else is doing to grow their following. Yet, seeing noteworthy increases in your reach and engagement rates often involves not just copying your competitor, but taking a step outside the box. As Instagram has expanded its content possibilities over the last few years, more creative marketing campaigns are happening.
If your account is struggling to expand its community and Instagram isn’t helping be a driving force in your lead production, then it might be time to explore a new strategy.
IGTV Series
Instagram TV is a new content delivery method which the platform launched a couple of years ago. We’ll admit, it’s a difficult accessory to manage well. Not a lot of businesses and influencers use IGTV too often, partly because the video content needs to be edited and exported in the untraditional 9:16 or 16:9 aspect ratio. Regardless, IGTV remains an undervalued tool for connecting with and expanding your community.
For one, younger generations like Gen Z prefer consuming their entertainment through social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube, compared to traditional TV. Additionally, IGTV lends itself to a more engaging and a greater value to the consumer when paired with influencer marketing.
Therefore, crafting a high-quality IGTV series can help boost your current audience engagement rate, and more importantly better explain or highlight your products or services. Often video content gives consumers a greater understanding of the value they receive from a product or service — this translates to an IGTV series being a great way to funnel viewers further down the sales journey.
DMs & Audience Engagement
More brands and businesses are becoming aware of the power associated with audience interaction. Developing strong relationships with your followers helps increase engagement, audience satisfaction, and boost overall brand awareness. As a company, it will pay dividends to start creating more content that requires greater follower interaction besides “liking” it.
Take advantage of how people are more inclined to ask questions and leave comments over social media, than other communication forms. Encourage followers to direct message you, produce contest videos that ask for user-generated content. Whatever you can do to start the conversation, and keep it going, the faster your community will grow.
Personality & Instagram Stories
As mentioned, Instagram is now overcrowded with countless businesses trying to use the platform to further market their company. Due to this, countless cookie-cutter profiles span across Instagram. There can be 100 small business clothing companies marketing on Instagram, and the vast majority are all going to look the same, sound the same, and be the same. This doesn’t give Instagram users a lot of incentive to follow one company’s account over the other.
Today, social media has allowed personality to be the defining factor in a lot of businesses’ success. People buy from people they like — it’s always been that way. If you can authentically show your personality to your audience, you’re going to see a positive response in engagement and most likely sales. This gives you the opportunity to use Instagram Stories as a less-formal way into showing followers who you really are. Give behind the scenes access, do Q&A’s, provide news updates and more. These short organic “vlog” style videos are fan favorites and give followers a deep sense of who they are buying from.