It’s one thing to simply set up an account for your business, but its another thing entirely to build to an engaging Instagram presence for your brand that converts browsers into consumers.
When utilised to its full capacity, the platform is the perfect network to get your business seen. More than 200 million users visit at least one business profile every day, that could be your brand’s profile.
On the surface, it may seem simple, but developing an Instagram presence that both authentically reflects your brand and engages your audience, is no small thing. There are rules that should be followed and social media faux pas that you should avoid.
Whether you’re just getting started or you simply need to refine your existing strategy, here are the dos and don’ts of managing your business’s Instagram profile.
The Dos
Post consistently
It’s just as simple as it sounds: if you produce content consistently, you are more likely to keep people engaged with your brand. Instagram is a platform of quality rather than quantity. Don’t just post for the sake of posting, but deliver valuable content that engages your audience.
If you are struggling to produce content, consider reposting images from other relevant accounts. Make sure you give credit to the original producers of that content.
Develop a social media style guide and stick to it
A social media style guide is your one-stop resource for how your brand talks, looks and acts on social media. If multiple people are developing content for your business or managing your social media, a style guide helps your company maintain a cohesive and consistent brand image across all platforms. It can include everything from colour-scheme, imagery, to the tone of voice that your brand writes in.
Create content that encourages a response
Don’t waste your time with dull, filler posts. Your business’s Instagram should be a conversation between your brand and your audience, it shouldn’t be a one-sided product pitch. Talk with your consumer, not at them.
It’s no secret that people love to voice their opinion, so why not give them a space to do so? You can encourage a response from your audience by asking them questions. If you have a retail store, ask for their thoughts on your latest merchandise or see what colour they would want to see your products in. This helps to involve your customer and make them feel like an active part of your business.
Another way your social media can engage your audience is with competitions. Encourage your audience to tag or share page for the chance to win something from your business.
Use Targeted Hashtags
If you want to widen your reach, hashtags help to make your content easier to discover for those that aren’t following your page. Carefully select hashtags that are relevant to your post and business. Keep in mind that five relevant hashtags will serve your post better than a random assortment of thirty hashtags.
The Don’ts
Have endless paragraphs of hashtags
Have you ever seen those endless paragraphs of hashtags on a business’s post? Not only does it look unsightly, but it also isn’t really effective. Using vague and semi-relevant hashtags isn’t going to get your post seen by the right people. Make sure you use targeted hashtags that are suitable to your post and page.
It’s also important to note that Instagram places a “… more” icon after the first two lines of text in your caption. If your caption isn’t longer than those two lines, any hashtags after that will be seen by a user.
Spam
Whether it’s the canned mystery meat or an endless stream of posts, nobody likes spam. Your page should post content consistently, but not too frequently as to overwhelm your audience. Spamming will cost you more followers than it will make.
Buy followers
You may be able to buy followers, but you can’t necessarily buy consumers. Buying followers doesn’t just cheat the numbers, but it also ends up cheating your business in the long run. Fake followers may seem impressive on first glance, but if they don’t convert into buyers, then what’s the point?
Have you ever seen an influencer profile that has thousands of followers but when you click on a post, it has an unimpressive number of likes? It’s an obvious sign that someone has purchased followers. Fake numbers make your business look fake, which is not a great image for your brand. It’s better to put in the hard work and build your followers the proper way, with engaging content, paid posts and targeted hashtags.