Instagram Archives | Social Speak Network

Instagram, Social Media, Video Marketing

Instagram Reels for Beginners: Quick Wins to Boost Local Engagement

As a small business owner, you’ve probably heard the buzz around Instagram Reels. Maybe you’ve even watched a few and thought, “That’s cute, but I don’t have time for this. What would I even post?” You’re not alone.

Let’s face it. Instagram Reels can feel a little intimidating at first. You don’t have a full-time content team or hours to spend scrolling for trends.

But here’s the good news: you don’t need to be a professional video editor or go viral to get real, local results. You just need to start with the right strategy.

In this post, we’ll walk you through what Reels are, why they matter for local engagement, and beginner-friendly strategies you can try — even if you’re short on time, experience, or budget.

Let’s dive in.

Why Local Businesses Should Care About Reels

Reels aren’t just for influencers and viral dances anymore. Instagram is leaning hard into short-form video. And they’re rewarding creators (yes, even local business owners like you) who use it.

Unlike regular posts that mostly show up to your followers, Reels can reach way beyond your current audience. That means new people in your area can discover your business without following you first or seeing an ad.

The results speak for themselves. Brands using Reels see more engagement, visibility, and conversions.

So if you’re trying to get more foot traffic, online bookings, or DMs from interested customers, Reels can help make that happen.

5 Simple Reel Ideas to Get You Started (No Dance Required)

1. Use Trending Audio With a Local Twist

Instagram favors Reels that use popular audio. The key? Choose trending sounds and connect them to something local. For example, if a catchy summer track is trending, use it to showcase your seasonal menu or a neighborhood event.

Pro tip: Tap into sounds that are already familiar to your community. You can use local band clips, festival sounds, or even local inside jokes. It makes your content feel relatable.

2. Show What Happens Behind the Scenes

People love seeing the faces and stories behind a business. Share quick clips of how your products are made, your team preparing for the day, or even the morning coffee run. It builds trust and reminds customers that there’s a real human behind the brand.

No need to script anything. Just hit record and talk about what you do. Authenticity wins every time.

3. Let Your Customers Do the Talking

Social proof is powerful. A quick video of a happy customer enjoying your product or sharing a mini review can go a long way.

Even better? Ask them to tag your business when they post their own Reels. Then, reshare that content with permission. Not only does it build trust, but it also gives you an ongoing stream of content without starting from scratch.

4. Use Location Tags and Local Hashtags

You want your Reels to show up in front of people who can visit your business, right? That’s where location tagging and local hashtags come in.

Always tag your city, neighborhood, or specific location in the Reel. Use local hashtags your community searches for, like #SanDiegoEats or #DowntownTulsaFitness. It’s a simple move, but it helps Instagram know who to show your Reel to.

5. Always End with a Clear CTA

Always end your Reel with a clear next step. Whether it’s “Come visit us today,” “Tag a friend who needs this,” or “DM us to order,” make it easy for people to know what to do next.

Add that message as on-screen text, a voiceover, or both, especially since many people watch with the sound off.

When to Post (And How Often)

No need to post every day. 2–3 Reels a week is a great starting point for most businesses. The key is consistency. Show up regularly, and Instagram will start boosting your visibility.

As for timing? We typically see better engagement during lunch breaks (11 AM–1 PM) and early evenings (6 PM–8 PM). But test what works for your audience. Instagram Insights can show you when your followers are most active.

Tools That Make Reels Easier

If video editing makes your head spin, don’t worry. These tools are beginner-friendly and save a ton of time:

CapCut: Simple to use and has great templates. You can add music, captions, and transitions with a few taps.
InShot: Perfect for trimming clips, adding voiceovers, and resizing for Instagram.
Instagram’s built-in editor: Great if you’re in a hurry. Film, trim, add text, and hit post all in one place.

What to Track (So You Know It’s Working)

Once you start posting Reels, watch these numbers in your Instagram Insights:

Reach: Tells you how many people are seeing your content.
Saves and Shares: These are great signs that your content is valuable.
Profile Visits and Website Clicks: These mean people are interested enough to learn more.
Direction Requests or Calls: This is the gold. It means your Reel moved someone to take action.

Remember: engagement isn’t just about likes. Even silent viewers can become real-world customers if your Reels give them a reason to take the next step.

You Don’t Need to Be a Creator to Win at Reels

Reels aren’t about being flashy or “going viral.” For local businesses, it’s about being seen by the right people, in the right place, at the right time. A few seconds of video can do more for your business than a week’s worth of static posts.

The most important thing? Just start. Pick one of the tips above, grab your phone, and record a short clip. Remember, done is better than perfect.

And if you need help planning, brainstorming content ideas, or you’d rather have someone guide you, we’re here to help.

Book a free consultation with us. We’ll walk you through what’s working, show you easy ways to get started, and help you turn social media into actual sales.

April 30, 2025/by Kathlyn Angeles-Timbol

Instagram, Membership Only, Social Media

Which Social Media Channels Fit Your Target Audience [PLUS Tips for Writing the Perfect Instagram Caption]

You may have amazing products and provide great services. You also spend time creating good quality content. No matter how engaging or persuasive your content is, you won’t be able to achieve great results unless it reaches your target audience.

Most businesses use social media to engage with their fans and followers and even build a relationship with them. Considering there are several social media channels out there, do you ever wonder if you’re reaching the right audience?

Which social media channels fit your target audience? Keep reading to find out.

Twitter

Twitter makes use of hashtags that allows businesses to target people who are talking about and engaging with topics related to their business. This social media platform is ideal for sharing real time information, timely trends or live events, and will result in high levels share and engagement.

Use this social networking platform if your target audience is young adults. 24% of internet users log in on their Twitter account on a daily basis. Younger, more educated crowds aged 18 to 29 uses Twitter. 29% of college grads use Twitter and lots of it.

Facebook

Facebook is the biggest socal networking channel, with over 1.86 billion monthly users. Yes, Facebook is crowded, but it gives you the ability to narrow down that 1.86 billion users by gender, age, location, interests, marital status, employment, and income; thus, making it easier for you to reach the right audience.

Majority of the entire adult population is on Facebook. In fact, 88% of milennials and 62% of adults aged 65 and up use Facebook. As such, this would be a great place to start with your social media campaign.

Instagram

Instagram is geared towards younger millennial users. A hefty 38% of female internet users use Instagram. To make the most out of your social media campaign, make sure that you provide attention grabbing photos and high quality videos to your audience. Remember, content is king on Instagram.

People tend to use LinkedIn for interacting with clients, influencers and other professionals. This is a great option for business whose products or services are highly specific to professionals. It is also ideal for B2B marketers.

Just like Facebook, LinkedIn allows you to target users based on gender, location and age. In addition, it also allows you to filter based on field of study, company industry, company size, degrees, job title etc.

So let’s say you find Instagram to be the way to market your business…

Tips for Writing the Perfect Instagram Caption

Instagram may be all about compelling visuals. When it comes to gaining followers, the quality of your photos will be the differentiating factor. But if you want to capture the attention of your target audience, you need the perfect Instagram captions. It can be the key to having your posts seen by more people. This will improve engagement and lead to more likes and comments. Plus, it will help you build a strong online presence.

Here are some tips for writing the perfect Instagram caption.

ACCESS TIPS

Use a consistent brand voice

Brand voice is one of the most important parts of any good Instagram caption. If you are a small business owner, who is looking to engage with your audience on Instagram, we recommend that you develop a brand voice and use it on all your posts. Practice consistency. Your Instagram caption should sound and feel like the rest of your marketing channels.

Use hashtags

Hashtags aren’t mandatory in your Instagram captions, but they do help. They provide an effective way of connecting with your followers, gain more Instagram followers and even build a relationship with them. Proper use of hashtags will make your posts more effective.

Think outside the box when adding hashtags. Instead of just saving the hashtags for the end, try incorporating them into the body of your caption. Also, use relevant hashtags to boost your engagement and get new eyes on your Instagram content.

Consider length

Although Instagram have a caption character limit of 2,200 characters, followers will have the option to “view more” for longer captions. You should stay within 125 characters to ensure that your entire caption will display in your follower’s feeds with the image. Make sure that every word is integral to the message you’re trying to convey.

For longer tweets, make sure that the most important part of your message is at the beginning of the caption.

Always include a call-to-action

Your captions are a great way to inspire people to engage with your business. As such, we highly recommend that you include a call-to-action to your Instagram caption. You can encourage them to comment, answer questions, use your hashtags, click the link in your bio etc. Your followers will be happy to engage with your business, you just need to prompt them to do something. Inviting them to like or comment can go a long way towards driving more engagement to your posts.

August 31, 2022/by Caitlin McDonald

Blogging, Instagram, SEO, Social Media

6 Cost-Effective Ways to Market Your Local Business Online

Decades ago, small businesses only had a few ways to market their business. They would sponsor local events, put up bill boards or print out fliers. In today’s digital era, there are several marketing opportunities out there on the web.

The internet is teeming with marketing platforms. The good news is that you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on marketing. You just need to know where to look.

Listed below are 6 cost-effective ways to market your local business online. Use these tips to raise awareness of your products and business.

Get social

With the ever-prevading power of social media, you can easily reach a wide audience from across the globe. This can be done with just a few clicks of a button. But in order to make the most of your social media campaign, you need to build your fan base and target audience in your specific niche.

Determine which social media platform your target audience use the most, and build a strong presence there. Be active and engage with your audience. Make meaningful conversations with your fans and followers. Provide useful and relevant information. Offer advice and support. This will help you build your reputation and establish yourself as an expert in your field.

Get listed in local business sites

Before, people would look up businesses in Yellow Pages. Today, however, people will just bring out their smartphones and will find what they’re looking for in a matter of seconds. As such, it is important to have your business listed in multiple online directories. This will make it easier for potential customers to find you and increase traffic to your website.

USdirectory.com, Yellowbook, EZ Local,Yelp, and Google My Business are just some of the free listing sites your business should be on. Don’t forget to include your business name, address, phone number, email address, and website on the listing.

Have your business listed on online review sites

Local business reviews get higher rankings in search engine results. Encourage people to post authentic reviews based on their experiences with your company.

Take time to create a good listing. TripAdvisor is a great site if you’re in a travel-related field. If you’re selling services, why not list on Angie’s List? These sites give you the opportunity to reach an enormous audience of potential customers who are looking for products or services in your industry. Reading through reviews from past customers will be beneficial for consumers who are looking to make informed purchase decisions.

Create a blog

One of the best ways to promote your business online is by creating a blog. Posting high quality content on a regular basis will do wonders for your SEO efforts. Not only will it help you drive traffic to your site, but it can also help position yourself as an industry leader. If you can become an industry leader, then it would be easier for you to capture the attention of your target audience. The best part? It won’t require any investment on your part.

Keep in mind, though, that this is a long-term strategy. It may take a while before you see results, but all your efforts will be worth it in the end. If you consistently produce high quality content, you’ll start building authority and a solid online presence.

Optimize your website for local SEO

Word of mouth and local advertisements may be excellent ways to promote your local business. But online searches are more powerful. You see, most people would automatically turn to Google if they’re looking for specific products, services, etc. In fact, studies suggest that 97% of consumers use search engines to find local businesses.

People may be searching for “restaurants near me” or “salons near me”. If you want your content to be found online, the best way is to make sure that they rank on search engine results page. Optimizing your site for local SEO can help you enhance your online visibility in local searches and grow your business.

Leverage the power of influencers

These days, one of the most popular ways to promote your business is through influencer marketing. If you an avid Youtube user, then you might have noticed most content creators promoting certain products on their videos.

While this strategy may not be free, it can help you get your products in front of a wider audience quickly and easily. The key is to find a influencer who already has a following in your area and connect with them to see if they’re interested to promote your products.

You can also provide a promo code to the influencer to encourage their followers to purchase your products. Once they apply the promo code upon checkout, then they’ll get a discount. This strategy will not only entire people to purchase, but can also help you track which influencer is driving more sales.

Final thoughts

There is a plethora of options when it comes to promoting your business online. You may not have a wad of cash to go full-on and promote your business as aggressively as the big players in the market, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t attract the attention of your target audience. With a clear goal and a solid marketing strategy in place, there is no doubt that you can grow your business over time.

Use the strategies we’ve outlined above to help you get started in promoting your business. But if you still feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start, we’re here to help. Schedule you free consultation with us and we’ll help you build a solid marketing strategy to help you market your business and help you garner the attention it deserves.

August 3, 2022/by Kathlyn Angeles-Timbol

Instagram, Social Media, Social Speak

6 Reasons You NEED to be Using Instagram Stories for Business

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When Instagram stories were first introduced in 2016, a lot of people thought that it was nothing but a copycat of Snapchat. But with constant innovations and the addition of new features, people started to embrace it. Instagram is always adding new things to them to help make them, even more, user-friendly.

Years later, it seems to have taken momentum against Snapchat and has changed the way people share and consume content on social media.

In this blog, we will be discussing 6 reasons WHY you should be using Instagram Stories to market your business.

Instagram is owned by Facebook, which means their algorithm is going to be similar, the more you use their bells and whistle they offer the higher they rank you. Along with the more people engage in your posts they will see your posts more if you have common interests etc. Before the stories and posts would show up in chronological order, NOT anymore. Most social media platforms are following a similar algorithm to Facebook. They like to think they know who you are, based on interests, likes and engagement so they want to show you the stories and posts they think you will most like. Sometimes, it is crazy how spot-on they can be!

So let’s dive in . . .

#1 – Top of Mind – That is KEY!

We feel like one of the biggest reasons to use Instagram Stories is to be top of mind. It is the first thing people see when they open up their app. Once they see you once up there they are going to be looking for you even more. With Instagram Stories you can give value and keep your tribe coming back for more! The stories only stay up for 24 hours so it is a great way to increase engagement and get your message across. You want to keep your stories relevant and catchy!

Why is it important to stay top of mind? In today’s digital world people are being bombarded with thousands of different things daily, think of all the things you see on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, not to mention emails, texts, and good old fashion phone calls! If you are not consistent with your online marketing and sticking to a strict schedule you will get lost in the shuffle.

Each time you are posting a story you are giving your brand exposure, you are climbing the favorite list for your target market, and that’s what it is all about . . . being someones favorite, right?!?! Well, it kind of is with social media. People will start to notice that you are posting a story more regularly and that each story you are posting they are liking, they are engaging. They are excited to see what you have in store for them next!

#2 – Create a Strategy and Theme

People love when you are using all the components of Instagram. It’s important to keep your content fresh, get creative with it. Have a story that is a series of quick videos, images, a special offer, funny images. Get creative! One exciting way to use Instagram stories is to start creating a theme with them. Write down 10-15 different ideas for stories, be strategic about them. Maybe they are 10 tips and each story has 2-3 different components to it, like a static image with title, then short video and then call-to-action. you do this for 10 different stories each have your brand color, logo, and a video of you to build your brand.

Stories are real-time, so this is a great tool for your strategy. Stories tend to build engagement and help reach your target audience.

Think of using stories when you are at:
* Live Events
* Networking Groups
* Speaking Engagements
* Behind the Scenes
* Live Sale

Here is an example of what an AMAZING story would be, Forbes had an AARP event and they put together such a good story. They had branded images for each section of the event, such as Learn, Connect, and Health. They tied in still photos, branded photos, and videos of the event. They also branded the hashtags #DisruptAging. You can see in the first photo there are 15 little white lines, that means there are 15 slides to that story. You can have A LOT of images and videos to one story!

#3 – Let Your Creative Side Show

Instagram Stories are easy, quick and fun! It only takes a couple steps to get up your masterpiece. You can also share those stories on your Facebook page! I want to share a video with you that will show you how to create branded Instagram Templates. I know that everyone loves a pretty Instagram account when their images are all color coded, they have the same look and feel to them. It attracts people more to your feed. Well, why wouldn’t you do the same thing with Instagram Stories? We use Canva to create our brand templates:

Even though Instagram stories are made to be quick and easy you still want them to look good. By working ahead and creating your templates with Canva you are getting ahead of the game like we have said in previous posts, it is so important to be always working ahead. Create a “Story” list, what topics do you want to cover? Create the images ahead of time and save them on your phone, then you have them and can pop them right into Instagram.

#4 – Set Your Standards High

When people come to your Instagram account you want them to think . . . “Wow, they do an amazing job!” Your photos are all branded and you are giving amazing value, your engagement is high, and your stories are great! The only problem with doing stories is they ONLY stay up for 24 hours. Your photos and videos you post to your feed stay forever. That is where step #2 came in with the strategy and theme, once you have these stories and they are offering the value you can highlight them in your profile.

If your story is promoting a special offer like a one-time deal, or talking about an upcoming event that doesn’t repeat on a weekly or monthly basis, those stories are a good story to just leave in “story-land” and let them disappear in 24 hours. They stories like the 10 tips, stories about your products or services, the stories that give that value, those are the ones we want to highlight.

In this video below we will show you how to highlight a story and keep your brand consistent:

#5 – Adding Value to Your Business Profile

Think of your Instagram account as a mini website, people are going to Instagram all the time to research new products, services, and places before they buy. You want to make sure your business profile stands out. When people come to your profile they see who you are as a brand. What you do, who you are, why you do what you do. When you just put static posts up to your feed they may get lost with the new algorithm, they may not be seen as much as they should, especially if you have lower engagement. By using stories it allows you to keep bumping up in that algorithm, it’s like Instagram is giving you kudos for doing a job well done. You can’t just put a story up once, you have to be consistent. Some brands are putting stories up every day with multiple images and videos. Since you can ONLY have 1 story per 24 hours, each time you add an image or video to your story within those 24-hours it will go to the same story but then you can highlight the images you want from that story to certain highlighted storyboards.

Here are a few examples of brands that have gone above and beyond with Instagram:

#6- Connect with Your Tribe

If you build it they will come… Feild of dreams. You are building your brand to give value to your tribe, you want to give them just enough to keep bringing them back. With over 800 million people engaging in stories each and every day it is so important to use stories to engage with your audience. Get creative and maybe do a live story, have people ask questions and you can answer them with a live story.

There are two ways you can think of your stories:
1) Oh they only last 24 hours so it doesn’t matter on quality, they are quick and fast stories just to get something up every day

OR . . . .

2) Think of your stories as an opportunity to connect. Your stories can be providing value to your audience then you highlight that story. You will have a mix of stories the themed ones with your templates you created and then the live stories, behind the scenes and event stories, which are still important to have, remember it is your brand you are dealing it.

You want a brand that is raw, authentic and transparent! People want to do business with people they know, like and trust! Go to a deeper level with your Instagram account, get to know your audience.

Bonus . . . Topics you can do Instagram Stories On:

Your Goals
Showcase your products and/or services
FAQ – answer those questions your audience has asked
Exclusive Offers and Deals
Ask for people to sign-up for a Newsletter
Behind the scenes
Family Life
Repurpose Blogs
Testimonials and Interviews
Recipes
Podcasts
Events
Trends

Spruce up Your Stories

Like I said, in the beginning, use the bells and whistles that Instagram offers the #hashtag stickers, location, dates, emojis, filters etc. Try out the different options they offer the Type, Live, Normal, Boomerang, Focus, Superzoom, Rewind, Hands-Free, and Stop-Motion. These are all cool ways to be creative with your brand. The markup capabilities they have to allow you to create eye-catching images that stick out!

Take advantage of tagging people in your stories as well. Once you reach 10,000 followers you can also add a link to your stories! I think by using Instagram stories it gives your brand more freedom.
Instagram is always adding new features, remember to check them out. Here is what they are offering now:

Weather
The current time
Holidays
Days of the week
Location tags
Funny hats and sunglasses
Emojis

What do all the Features Mean in Instagram Stories:

Text – Text is an option where you can tap to type, Instagram has4 different templates you can choose from as far as Modern, Neon, Typewriter, Stong. You can then tap the small circle color icon on the bottom lefthand corner to choose a different color.
Live – The live option is pretty obvious you are about to go LIVE on Instagram! You can have it in selfie mode or turn it around. Pretty plain Vanilla here.
Normal – You can upload a picture or video, also add filters to the pictures you take.
Boomerang – You can now access the “Boomerang” app through Instagram Stories, this is in a way making your own gif. If you take a picture of a high-five or walking your dog, yoga pose, etc it will have that quick segment play over and over.
Focus – This is the NEWEST Instagram story feature. This option allows you to focuses on a subject’s face while blurring the rest of the photo’s background, this helps create that professional look. Great for selfies or products, yup, you can use this feature for front and rear facing camera modes.
Superzoom – This allows you to ZOOM super close up to an object and then is shows that process of moving closer.
Rewind – This plays your story from back to front
Hands-Free – This is great if you are doing a quick video and you don’t want your phone moving because your hand is shaking. You are still holding your phone, but you don’t have to keep holding the button, you can just tap it. It is also fun to try out the filters!
Stop-Motion – Stop Motion allows you to take a series of photos, but you cannot edit them. Once you’re done snapping photos, you tap “done” to see your story-editing tools like stickers and text. From there, you can post the stop-motion GIF to your story.

Wrap-Up

As you can see there are many options and features to try out with Instagram Stories, you can get lost in the creativity alone with these stories. Have fun with it and take your brand to the next level! We would love to hear what stories have worked best for you and which stories you have highlighted! We invite you to follow us on our Instagram account, we ALWAYS follow everyone back that follows us!

We also invite you to check out our FREE Resource page, we offer a ton of checklists to make sure your social media profiles are always at 100%. There is also an Instagram Caption Checklist that can help you craft together those eye-catchy captions to attract your target audience.

Cheers to your Instagram success!

Interested in learning more? Take a look at these articles:

Instagram Insights

Step up your Instagram Game – What makes a good image (or feed)?

Pinterest for your Business

June 8, 2022/by Amber Irwin

Hashtag Marketing, Instagram

Clever Ways to Get More Comments on Instagram

Instagram is one of the biggest social media platforms today, with over 1 billion monthly users worldwide.

With so many users on the platform and the ocean of posts being published every second, odds are you’re getting fewer and fewer comments and engagements on your posts. Worse, some of your posts may not be reaching your desired audience.

But with the right strategies, you can level up your Instagram comments rate and watch your notifications go wild.

If you’re not getting enough comments on your Instagram posts, keep reading. In this blog post, we listed down some tips to help you get more comments on your posts.

Create Quality Content

Instagram centers on photographs and captions. Many businesses embrace Instagram because it allows them to feature their products and services. To get the most out of your posts, you want to feature your products in the best possible light. If you own a restaurant, we recommend posting pictures of your signature item menus.

Instagram users respond to beautiful, captivating photos. If you feature delectable dishes, not only will it will garner more likes and comments, they can also drive customers to your restaurant.

Make Use of the “Videos” Properly

Instagram started out as a photo-sharing app, but eventually, they realized the power of video content. Now, Instagram offers a full suite of video options — from a standalone 60-second video to reels, live, and IGTV. The most successful brands on Instagram are the ones who capture videos, so be sure to explore each of these video formats.

If you’re running a bakeshop, you can post a video of you preparing some bread or pastries. Show them how your products are made. Consumers like it when they get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look. If you’re a plastic surgeon, you can record a video and share educational content to potential patients who might be interested in undergoing certain procedures. This will likely attract more comments.

Ask a question

Social media involves 2-way communication. While it’s a great place to promote your products, services, and upcoming events, you can also use it to get the opinion of your target audience. To earn more comments and prompt responses, ask your followers a question. You can seek their advice or simply ask them if they agree or disagree on a certain topic. Asking questions on your captions makes your audience think of a response.

Hold a contest

A fun and easy way to get more Instagram comments are to hold a contest. If you take a look at the social media accounts of different businesses, you will notice that the most liked and commented posts are all contests and giveaways. Come on, who doesn’t love giveaways?

Before you get too exciting planning your giveaway, be sure to set a goal. You can create the coolest contest in the world, but if you don’t know what you’re looking to achieve, then it won’t do you any good. Also, be sure to give away something that would be of value to your target audience. People are more likely to put some effort into your content if you have an amazing prize.

If you’re running an Instagram giveaway, this blog post might help give you some direction.

Final thoughts

Posting regularly on Instagram isn’t enough to get more comments and engagements. You’ll need to put more effort into creating comment-worthy posts.

Engagement is a great indicator of how well your posts perform. The more likes and comments your posts have, the more Instagram likes you. As a result, more people will see your posts.

If you need help creating engaging posts that will capture the attention of your target audience, we’re here to help. Schedule a free 30-minute call with us, and we’ll help you jump higher in the feed and get the attention you deserve.

December 22, 2021/by Caitlin McDonald

Instagram, Social Media

6 Powerful Tips to Improve Instagram Engagement

In today’s social media era, engagement is like a form of currency. The more likes, comments, and shares you get, the better your online visibility is.

Instagram engagement isn’t just about the number of followers. It’s more about how your audience interacts with your brand. The good news is that boosting your engagement isn’t rocket science.

Wondering how to improve your Instagram engagement? These six tips are all you need.

Have a visually consistent Instagram feed

A visually consistent gallery is a great way to make an impression and earn yourself a follow. When creating social media posts, don’t forget to spare a thought for building your overall visual brand.

You might want to start by deciding on a color palette or selecting 2-3 filters you can maintain throughout all your posts. For instance, you can create a visual feed that features some light colors. Or you can go all black and white.

Of course, you want your Instagram feed to look appealing to your audience. But you also want to make sure that it’s in tune with your brand.

Write engaging captions

While high-quality images are necessary, they aren’t enough to capture the attention of your audience. You should also include interesting and engaging captions.

There is no such thing as a perfect caption. But people are more likely to like and comment if they find your posts helpful or if they can relate to them.

You want to create captions that evoke emotions, highlight the value of your products and services, or something people will find valuable. You can share a story your audience can relate to, provide actionable tips, or share something informative.

Embrace Instagram stories

More than Instagram posts, Instagram stories pique immediate interest and engagement for most users. They sit at the top of the screen. They’re displayed with a colored ring and only take a few seconds to watch.

A simple yet clever way to increase your story’s engagement is to use stickers. They’re fun and will make your stories more interactive. You can use the poll stickers to encourage your audience to provide feedback or get in on their preferences. Question stickers are a great way to connect with your audience or answer questions about your products or services.

Add geolocation to your posts.

Most businesses encourage their customers and clients to check in on their location. However, many fail to realize the benefits of adding geolocation to their posts.

Make geotagging a key part of your social media strategy if you have a physical location. Adding a place to your posts can expand the reach of your posts and make it easier for users to find you. Instagram users will be able to see where your business is located on a map and how far it is from their location. They can even see recent posts from this location.

Activate Instagram Reels

Are you already using Instagram reels? If you haven’t already, now is the best time to get started.

Instagram reels are short-form videos that allow you to express your creativity and bring your brand to life. It will enable you to play with creative tools and add effects and music to make your videos pop. It is an excellent way to share sneak peeks of your products and services or show what goes on behind the scenes.

Time your posts for maximum effect

Instagram’s algorithm loves posts that generate more engagements in a short period. In fact, the more engagement your posts get, the more likely will it appear in users’ feeds.

You can limit your engagement when you post at the wrong time. This is why it’s essential to discover your best time to post. This can help you reach more people, increase your engagement, and grow your brand.

Every Instagram account has different followers with different time zones. Spend time tracking and monitoring your Instagram analytics to find out when your audience is most active.

Final thoughts

Amplifying your Instagram engagement is no longer just about posting high-quality photos. It’s also important to get to know your audience, interact with them regularly, and double down on creating content that will keep them coming back for more.

If you need help developing a concrete strategy to increase your Instagram engagement, we’re here to help. Schedule a free 30-minute consultation call, and we’ll help you build your brand and cultivate an audience online.

October 13, 2021/by Kathlyn Angeles-Timbol

Instagram, Social Media

8 Reasons Businesses Should Use Instagram Stories

When Instagram stories were first introduced in 2016, most users didn’t even give it much attention. They thought of it as a “copycat” of Snapchat. After all, Snapchat came up with the idea first, right? It was a bold, unthinkable move… or so we thought.

Over the years, Instagram stories have continually evolved, introducing new features that businesses can take advantage of to engage with their audience. Eventually, it has leapfrogged its competitors and actually became a better version of Snapchat.

Instagram stories are something you should consider incorporating into your social media marketing strategy. Here are 8 reasons you should give it a try.

Preserve a high-quality business profile

Normally, the content you publish on Instagram gets saved on your profile. But with stories, the content you share disappears after 24 hours. That means you can share as much as you want throughout the day without cluttering your profile with less-than-perfect images.

Now, you can treat your profile as a portfolio, showcasing only your best and evergreen content.

Stay on top of mind

Instagram puts stories at the top of your feed, marked with a purple ring. This indicates that there is a new story published. This feature enables you to stay top of the feed – and mind – of your followers. With stories, you no longer have to compete for a spot in your follower’s feeds.

Instagram seems to favor accounts that use stories often. If you want to stay connected with your followers and show up at the very top of the newsfeeds, then you need to bring in new ones. Don’t just post stories, watch other accounts’ stories too!

Have some fun with your audience

Instagram stories have tons of features that encourage audience engagement – using stickers, taking polls, asking questions, linking music, and so much more. Dressing up your content with these features can work wonders for driving more audience interaction.

With stories, you have the freedom to let loose and have some fun with your audience. You can experiment with different types of content and test out what works. Plus, you don’t have to worry about making each post so polished. In fact, more and more consumers find unpolished and goofy content increasingly endearing.

Show another side to your brand

It can be difficult to show the fun side of your brand on Instagram since you want to maintain the quality of your feed, but stories allow you to show another side to your brand.

Instagram stories let you humanize your brand. It enables you to add a personal touch to how you engage with your audience and showcase your products and services in exciting ways.

You can use stories to share your ideas with the community, ask them questions, or share some out-of-the-box content. You can also try showing some behind-the-scenes videos, feature people who are working behind your brand or share photos and videos from team events. Light-hearted, humorous posts also work well in helping you build rapport with your audience.

Grow your audience

Instagram Stories are discoverable. Meaning, even non-followers can see your stories. This provides an excellent opportunity to reach a wider audience. If your content is interesting and engaging enough, this could lead people to check out your profile and follow you.

Instagram stories are a must if you’re looking to expand your reach and grow your audience. But if you need more tips on how to Grow Your Instagram Following Organically, we have a separate blog post for that.

Real-time marketing

Instagram stories are usually real-time, which makes them feel more human and authentic, and people like that.

Instagram Live is a growing trend, and for good reasons. Live videos allow followers to see you face-to-face and take a peek as to what happens behind the scenes. Here, you’re developing real conversation, and people appreciate it when you’re genuine with them.

Going live can also be a great strategy if you’re looking for an instant engagement boost. It triggers a notification to followers who are using the app at that moment. You can live stream events, host Q&A sessions, or just to speak directly to your audience.

You won’t be bombarding your audience

Being active on Instagram is good, but you don’t want to annoy your followers either. This is where Instagram stories come in handy.

With stories, you can post as much as you want without being intrusive. The stories appear on top of a user’s Instagram feed and it’s highlighted when there’s a new post. Users can watch them at their convenience or choose not to view them at all.

Create buzz around a deal

These short, immersive clips are visually impactful and come with a range of features that are sure to capture the attention of your audience. The temporary 24-hour time frame is a great way to create a buzz around a deal or event.

When used appropriately, Instagram stories can help you promote discounts, deals, and events, and even urge people to take decisive action quickly.

Final thoughts

More than half a billion people consume Instagram stories on a daily basis. It’s a great opportunity to open new pathways to increase engagement and brand awareness. If you’re not using stories to your advantage, now is the time to get started. Use Instagram stories to share ideas in a creative way or tell stories about your product or services.

If you need help creating a more solid Instagram marketing strategy, we’re here to help you out. Schedule a free 30-minute consultation so we can get to know you and your business better, and see how we can be of help.

June 9, 2021/by Kathlyn Angeles-Timbol

Instagram

8 Ways to Grow Your Instagram Following Organically

Instagram has grown to a whopping 1 billion monthly active users. The competition on the platform is palpable. If you’re wondering how you can shine in this overcrowded space, you’re not alone.

Growing your Instagram following organically can be a challenge, but it’s not impossible. In this blog post, we’ll share with you some foolproof ways to take your Instagram game to the next level.

Get to know your target audience

The number one rule for marketing is to know who you’re posting for. You’re not supposed to please everyone. If you do, you’ll end up pleasing no one. Remember, the only truly valuable Instagram followers are the people who care about and engage with your brand.

Start by getting to know your audience well. Once you do, it will be easier for you to create content in a way that would appeal to the right people.

Don’t compromise on content

Today, people use Instagram not just to connect with their friends, but also to connect with their favorite brands and shop online. In fact, 80% of Instagram users follow at least one business account. That’s a lot of people who could potentially see and engage with your brand. followers to pause and engage with your posts.

Content is the lifeblood of your Instagram account, so make sure that you create interesting posts that will capture the attention of your target audience. Remember, there’s a lot more noise on Instagram feeds these days. If you want to stand out, then you need good quality content.

Consistency is key

If you have no plans of spending money and still curate a high-quality audience that will connect with your brand, then you need to post consistently.

According to a study that was conducted by Buffer, profiles that posted seven or more times a week gain more followers faster than those that post less frequently.

Start by planning your content strategically. Curate your Instagram feed and schedule them in advance. This will not only help you reach your target audience at peak times, it also ensures that everything fits together visually before you post.

Also, creating a consistent brand story and aesthetic is a must. You want to give your grid a consistent look and feel. Your posts should easily be recognizable at a glance.

Embrace Instagram Stories

Instagram stories are great because they help you stay top of mind for your audience. It allows you to maintain visibility in your followers’ feeds and gives you an opportunity to be creative with your content.

There is so much potential with Instagram stories to engage with your followers and attract new ones. Plus, there are plenty of fun features to experiment with such as chat stickers, questions, poll, filters etc. Utilize these features to keep your content fresh.

Use quality hashtags

Hashtags could be your best bet for growing a fast following on Instagram. Use hashtags in your posts or stories to expose them to people who aren’t still following you. The right hashtags can expose your image to a larger and more targeted audience.

Find out what hashtags are most popular among your target audience and your industry. It’s also a good idea to create a unique hashtag that reflects your brand. Don’t forget to use them in your posts and stories.

Collaborate with influencers

One effective way to grow your reach is following is to collaborate with influencers in your niche. Don’t be afraid to reach out to see if you can work together.

One survey suggests that 60% of users say they’d follow a brand on Instagram after seeing it promoted by an influencer they trust.

Run contests and promotions

If you want to boost your follower count organically in a short period of time, running contests is a great place to start. In fact, an Instagram contest or giveaway can help you grow your followers 70% faster than if you didn’t host a contest at all.

When running contests, make sure you’re giving away prizes that your target audience will feel compelled to have. Otherwise, you run the risk of attracting followers that don’t care about your business or the services you provide.

Spread the word

Most people have more than one social media account, so don’t silo yourself on Instagram alone. Talk about your Instagram account on other social media platforms as well. Think specifically about other social media platforms with the potential to reach a larger audience, like Facebook.

It is also a good idea to add Instagram links to your website. This is a great and cost-effective way to increase your fan base.

Final thoughts

There is no doubt that Instagram is a great platform for marketers and entrepreneurs. But with more than 25 million business accounts on the platform, it can be a tough battleground for those who do not have a well-planned growth strategy.

While it is possible to grow your Instagram followers organically, you need patience and consistency. Remember, building an authentic and engaged audience doesn’t happen overnight.

November 11, 2020/by Kathlyn Angeles-Timbol

Digital Marketing, Instagram

6 Instagram Mistakes That Keep Your Brand from Growing

When Instagram was launched in 2010, its primary focus was to feature photos that were specifically taken on mobile devices. The platform quickly became known for selfies and food pictures. Later on, it became a marketing platform for businesses and professionals to tell stories, deliver meaningful messages, and engage with their followers. If you play your cards right, Instagram can help you build a huge and loyal community and eventually grow your brand or business.

Unfortunately, Instagram is not the easiest platform to master. Knowing what mistakes to avoid is important to help you succeed on the platform.

Let’s take a look at six common Instagram mistakes that can keep your brand from growing. If you’ve fallen prey to any of these mistakes, be sure to fix them immediately.

Buying Instragram followers

Building a huge following can be a tedious, time-consuming process. But there’s a shortcut. You can buy instagram followers. Yes, you can instantly grow your followers from 100 to 10,000. It can be tempting, I know, but please resist the urge to do so.

You see, bought Instragram followers are not the same as the followers you genuinely acquire through your posts. Why? Because they have zero interest in you. Some of them aren’t even real people. That means they will not engage with you nor buy your products or use your services. What’s the point of having lots of followers when no one seems to be interested in what you have to offer.

Also, Instagram will purge your account once they spot that you have fake followers. Not only will it be a waste of money, but your fake followers will also be removed from the platform one-by-one.

Using poor quality photos

Most people are drawn to beautiful things. The same principle applies to social media, especially on Instagram. If you want to capture your audience’s attention, make sure that your posts are visually appealing. Remember, Instagram is a visual medium.

You don’t need to invest in a topnotch camera to take great photos. These days, your smartphones can take some pretty incredible shots. For best results, use natural light when taking pictures. If you’re taking pictures inside, take them in front of a window.

Not using Instagram stories

If you’ve only been using Instagram to post photos to your feed, you’re missing out on many valuable features the platform has to offer.

Instagram stories allow you to share “moments” of your day quickly and easily. It enables you to show your fun and creative side without affecting your Instagram feed. It’s a fantastic opportunity to experiment and engage your followers in a unique way. It’s fun, colorful, human, and different.

With Instagram stories, you can post as many photos and videos as you want without annoying your audience.

Focusing on photo quality rather than audience value

While photo and video quality is essential, you should also consider the value of the content you’re publishing.

When Instagram users follow you, that means they’re interested in you. They want to benefit from your content. Create quality content that will provide value to your audience and something to engage with. Share industry news. Ask questions. Use quizzes and polls. Get your audience involved.

Don’t just post for the sake of posting. Give people a reason to start following and keep coming back for more. Take time to create posts that your followers actually care about.

Posting duplicate photos

Instagram users want to be entertained. And users follow you because they want to get to know you better. And one of the best ways to do so is by telling stories, sharing updates about your practice, or your recent offers.

Instagram users will be quick to unfollow you if you’re continually posting duplicate photos and videos. Come to think of it. Why should they bother following you if you’re not sharing anything fresh, new, and exciting?

No link in bio

Traffic is the lifeline of all businesses, be it online or offline. After all, you can’t generate sales when there is no one to sell to.

Your Instagram bio provides a small window of opportunity to tell prospective clients and patients everything they need to know about you and your practice. So make sure you have a link in your bio at all times. Used correctly, it can help drive traffic to your website and convert leads to patients.

September 23, 2020/by Kathlyn Angeles-Timbol

Instagram, Social Speak

Instagram Stories Features

On today’s blog, we are going to be talking about Instagram Stories. We’ve done a few videos in the past on Instagram Stories, but Instagram is always adding new features to the Instagram Stories, different options you have when you do a new story, and I wanted to just walk through those today so you can see why it’s so important to do Instagram Stories.

So, let me jump on out of here real quick, and let me go into our Instagram account. And as you can see our screen, the circle icons up top are the Instagram Stories. These are what people see right away when they get on to Instagram, and people tend to scroll through Instagram Stories before they scroll through their Instagram feed. With that being said, you can see the importance of having Instagram Stories a part of your Instagram strategy. Instagram Stories only stay up for 24 hours, unless you highlight them to one of your boards, and I’ll show you how to do that.

Creating an Instagram story

Let’s go back to our home page and we wanna create an Instagram story. So you’re gonna go up to the top where you see your circle icon with the blue plus sign, you’re gonna click onto that, and this is gonna bring up the different options.

So I’m gonna put this in the background instead of my computer, so this what’s called normal option. Instagram has added a few different options for you, so this one is breezy.

If you want this effect again, you can save it here, you can send that post to somebody. This is also where you’re gonna get the twinkle. So you’ll see when people take selfies or pictures of things, that you’re gonna see these twinkles, this is underneath this normal option.

Live video

You can still do a live video, which would be just like this us talking. It will automatically cut it the correct way, and this is gonna tell you right now that you have six active followers that have the potential of watching your Instagram Live and being able to engage.

So, you would hit record here on this button and being able to start that process. So that is the live option.

Create

The next option is Create. This is where you saw in the beginning slide, the welcome to Social Speak Network. Now, I can go to create and I can click onto this happy face up here, and this is all the options that Instagram gives you, so you can add a location, you can mention somebody, you can add hashtags, you can add cute little images which are called stickers. What I love this feature is really the data that you’re able to collect from an Instagram story.

Poll

So if you have an event, you can do a register link here, but if you’re wanting to find out what your audience is looking for, where do they need help?

This is really good for your content strategy if you’re trying to figure out where people are needing help at. So you can do a poll and I can say, “Do you need more help with your social media?” You say social media marketing or your SEO website marketing. Okay, they’re two different things, but just so… And you put the answers here, social media and SEO website. So this is gonna be my question.

Now, I can change that text that I want, and I can say, “Do you need help with your social media marketing or your SEO website?”

If you’re a fitness coach and you’re wanting to do a new Zoom class, this can be something along the lines of, Would you rather do a morning class or an afternoon class? And then you can add another poll, so you would add another question here on the next slide.

Quiz

So this is just a really great feature. You can also do a quiz where… True or false.

If you’re a health coach and you’re wanting to see what your audience knows about their nutritional facts of their food, that’s a great option. Also, you can ask questions. Rather than doing a poll, you can just ask a question to your audience as well, and you can do a countdown.

So, there’s a lot of different options here on this area under Create that I really like, and so we’re just gonna exit out of this real quick, we don’t need that.

Boomerang

Boomerang is those fun videos where it takes a two-second video. Again, this is great for the Monday morning coffee cup, cheers to Monday morning. This could be a happy Friday, this can be different quick little snippet videos.

Layout

Then the one new thing that they have come out with is this layout. This is an awesome feature for product, so you can have a four-picture grid up to a six-picture grid. So this is great if you wanna take a picture of new products that have come in or if you’re highlighting staff members, you can just keep taking those and then being able to have that as a story.

Super Zoom

Then Super Zoom this is good if you can go in here, and this usually has options like hearts or flame. You’ll see it as you hold your thumb on that button, and it’s gonna just slowly but surely go deeper to an object. So this is just something if you wanted to have maybe like a quote of the day or just different features that Instagram Stories has to offer.

Highlight a story

Let’s go back to Create, and I wanna show you how to highlight a story. I’m gonna go on here, and you can change your colors if you want to as well, down here on the left, or the right-hand corner.

So, I’m gonna go back to this bluish-purple, and I’m gonna click onto the icon and I’m gonna do a poll. And my question is going to be, Would you rather have a company manage your social media marketing or your SEO and website marketing?

There’s a certain character count here, so we may have to think of that question. Let’s say, “Do you need more help with your social media or SEO website?” So let’s keep it short and simple. And then in this option here, you can say website and SEO.

So, now that I have this complete, now I just want to hit… You can change this to close friends if you have a list already made. Otherwise, I just like the stories going out to everyone, and what you can do is then just click on your stories.

Now, this can link to your Facebook as well. So if you click on to your Send to, it can go to your Facebook stories or just Instagram Stories. So what I always do is I just click on the bottom here and it’s shared. So now when we click onto that icon again up top, our story’s uploading, and it’s right here.

Now, if we want to highlight that we’re gonna click on to highlight, and if you already have these boards created, you can go into tips for you, whatever board you have that you want this in particular slide to go to, you could click right on to that and then it would say it’s added to those tips.

So, this is a way that you can go from having that Instagram story only show up here for 24 hours, to now showing up here at the end. So they’ve got through, they’ll say, “Oh, this is so great.” And then they’re gonna be able to then see that story right there.

Final thoughts

So this is just, again, another way to help you get in front of your audience stay top of mind, and this is what people are going to be seeing, as they get on to Instagram, they’re going to see the stories and click on those before they go on to the feed.

So really thinking of behind the scenes photos that you can put into the Instagram story, Instagram Exclusives for just your Instagram followers, promoting webinars, new blog posts. Those are things that Instagram Stories work really well for.

If you have any questions about your Instagram strategy, please let us know.

August 5, 2020/by Amber Irwin

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