Social media has become a powerful tool used by entrepreneurs to market their products. As things stand, it seems that Instagram is the best platform to promote your products to a wider audience as its popularity is unparalleled. Its popularity stems primarily from its visual-based features that are easy and fun to use.
Further proving the point of how amazing Instagram is, statistics show that a whopping 72% of Instagram users purchased a product because of content they saw in their feed. But even though joining the top Instagram businesses might be difficult it is still not impossible.
The key to success on Instagram is engagement. Audiences love when they are appreciated and are not just viewed as customers. Below we will share how you can increase your engagement rate and build a community rather than a following.
Focus on the right type of content
If you’re wondering how to get more followers on Instagram and increase your engagement rates, the answer is by posting creative and engaging content. The more interesting content you create, the more engagement you will get. To increase your Instagram engagement rapidly, make sure to use filters that highlight your brand’s personality and be strategic with your captions and story content.
You can utilize the story feature on Instagram to ask your followers various questions and spark up conversations in the DMs once they reply. However, make sure you aim for organic growth rather than a fake audience that will not help you boost your engagement rate.
Organic growth is only possible if you focus on the quality of your content and relationship with your audience. At the start, the low follower number might prompt you to take a lifeline and go for overnight success with growth services. However, the majority of these services don’t care about organic growth and use bots to grow your channels.
If you do decide to work with a growth service, make sure they share your vision of increasing your followers with a real audience.
Instagram Live
If you’re a brand looking to increase engagement and reach a new audience, then Instagram Live is the perfect option for you. Live broadcasts are more engaging than text, images, or pre-recorded videos. The Live feature can be used for branding, marketing, customer service, and general entertainment.
Through live feeds, your audience will get to know you better and share their experiences with your brand. They will have the opportunity to ask questions and make suggestions on how you can improve your services or products, and even your content.
Before you decide to go live, it’s important to keep in mind that your audience will want to see the real you and not a perfect marketing version of yourself. Try to put business aside for a bit and invest your time in developing relationships with your most loyal followers and customers.
Encourage user-generated content
Nothing is better than a brand allowing its customers and followers to join the marketing team. User-generated content is brand-specific content that customers create and share on social media channels. By focusing on user-generated content, you can take a break from your regular content and have some fun with your followers.
The format of the content can be whatever fits your brand the most. It can be either visual or written, but what’s important is that your users are the ones that have complete creative control over the whole process.
Reviews are a great form of user-generated content as well. They provide your other followers with valuable information about the product or service. As a business owner, you can offer them goods or services in exchange for their honest reviews. Besides reviews, you can also leverage user testimonials by posting them on your website or other social media channels.
Final thoughts
If you want to create meaningful content and connect with your audience, Instagram is the best place to start. When you post on your Instagram page remember to be creative, funny, and above all trustworthy.
In addition to that, consider making your followers part of the marketing team and allow them to create content that you can then leverage. User-generated reviews and testimonials can be incredibly effective and they have the potential to bring a lot of new customers to your store’s front doors.
