When it comes to leverage social media platforms for marketing purposes, Instagram is a popular platform worth considering. However, it also is one of the hardest choices when trying to gain significant traction. For starters, everyone that is making use of social media will be vying for the attention of the same audience.
In such a competitive space, coming up with creative and captivating content can be a daunting task. Therefore, you will benefit from considering other ways of building and boosting your reputation via Instagram. Given this, below are some handy tips that you can use to generate more following in the shortest time possible.
- Know Your Audience
Building a significant rep via Instagram will first require you to identify and connect with your target audience. With Instagram having a massive number of active users stretching across different demographics, much of the audience is the younger folk. According to research, the majority of Instagram users (71%) are aged between 18 years and 24 years. That means a considerable portion of the target audience will consist of Generation Z. And if that is who you are eyeing, then Instagram is where you will find them and this is the best way to make instagram impressions.
When trying to building a following or loyal audience, you need to think of the story you want to tell and find out if it will resonate with them. For instance, you need to access your current brand and how it fairs when compared to other players in your industry. Also, check the kind of audience the other brands are attracting and how they related. The objective of this is to start as targeted as possible so that you can draw in a significant following and create avenues for a rapid expansion of viewership. To do this, you need to ensure that you know who will gravitate towards what you have to offer. Be open-minded about it so that you can be accommodative of the unexpected audience that finds value in your brand.
- Focus On Engagement
Once you have bagged the viewership you need, the next step is to have an active engagement with your audience. Building your brand’s reputation via Instagram, as is on any other social media platform, will involve a two-way interaction. Where you post something, and people like, comment on, or share your posts. You also will need to build a reputation by also having an active role in their posts. Invespcro did a study that shows Instagram has an engagement rate of 4.21%. But then again, there is a lot to engaging with your target audience other than likes, comments, and sharing. You need to ensure that you connect with quality users – the social media influencers.
Therefore, quality engagement should have a genuine approach when dialoguing. It will involve posting statements and posing questions related to your brand that elicit a response. For instance, you can post a fall-themed post and inquire from your audience what they like and their favorite activities for fall. The goal is to help your target viewers to gravitate towards your brand; therefore, what you post should be as on-brand as possible. Moreover, you need to keep up with the activities tied to your posts. That then necessitates keeping a calendar of what you post, when and the focus of the content. All of this will also help you rank better in Google too and in turn help you manage your reputation and branding.
- Remember To Tag
Taking posts on Instagram may seem to have an insignificant role, but it can make a major difference. For instance, a post with a tagged location is likely to have increased engagement since the tags are an origin point of discovery. Take the example of restaurant food; let’s say you want to see if a particular restaurant has excellent food. You can know this by checking the location tag to find out what others have commented or posted so that you can have an accurate description. That is the same tactic you should employ when posting on Instagram.
Now, this strategy does not imply that you tag every location you wish to explore. It mostly focuses on showcases where you have been or plan to visit. Therefore, location tagging should be a prominent feature when trying to building your brand reputation through Instagram. It is how you will gain significant traction and bag a notable following.
Aside from tagging locations, you also should do the same with partners. It will be a strategy gives your brand a co-sign. Ultimately, the tagging will help increase inbound traffic, thereby pulling in a following from different sources.
- Post As Much As You Need
Lastly, you do not have to worry much about how many times you should post. The only thing not worth doing is failing to post on Instagram. But then again, what you post should be content that resonates with the target audience. With Instagram offering a multitude of delivery mediums, you can use them to pass your message in the form of IGTV, posts, or stories. Hootsuite did research that showed Insta stories are the most prominent features, with 38% of the Gen-Z checking their Instagram several times a day to stay abreast with stories. Strategize your content generation to be along this line, and you will draw in your target audience.
