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.
LinkedIn
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.
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.
https://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Which-Social-Media-Channels-Fit-Your-Target-Audience-1.png12602240Caitlin McDonaldhttps://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SocialSpeak-Logo.pngCaitlin McDonald2022-08-31 10:46:472022-08-25 15:04:11Which Social Media Channels Fit Your Target Audience [PLUS Tips for Writing the Perfect Instagram Caption]
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.
https://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Cost-Effective-Ways-to-Market-Your-Local-Business-Online.png12602240Kathlyn Angeleshttps://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SocialSpeak-Logo.pngKathlyn Angeles2022-08-03 10:06:472022-07-29 17:33:416 Cost-Effective Ways to Market Your Local Business Online
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:
https://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/6-Reasons-You-Need-to-be-Using-Instagram-Stories-for-Business.png12602240Amber Irwinhttps://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SocialSpeak-Logo.pngAmber Irwin2022-06-08 10:14:342022-06-06 09:19:426 Reasons You NEED to be Using Instagram Stories for Business
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.
https://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Clever-Ways-to-Get-More-Comments-on-Instagram.png12602240Caitlin McDonaldhttps://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SocialSpeak-Logo.pngCaitlin McDonald2021-12-22 10:11:182021-12-29 15:08:05Clever Ways to Get More Comments on Instagram
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.
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.
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.
https://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/8-Ways-to-Grow-Your-Instagram-Following-Organically.png12602240Kathlyn Angeleshttps://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SocialSpeak-Logo.pngKathlyn Angeles2020-11-11 08:00:552020-11-10 17:57:418 Ways to Grow Your Instagram Following Organically
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.
https://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Instagram-Mistakes-Blog.png12602240Kathlyn Angeleshttps://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SocialSpeak-Logo.pngKathlyn Angeles2020-09-23 12:42:552020-09-22 15:20:056 Instagram Mistakes That Keep Your Brand from Growing
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.
In today’s podcast, we talk about how Instagram and Pinterest play an important role in your digital marketing strategy.
Some people may overlook these two platforms thinking either they are for a younger crowd or their target market is not using these platforms, but that’s not true. Instagram is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms and Pinterest is being used as a visual search engine, it’s just like Google but all pictures!
I highlight the following points:
Tips & Tricks to utilize Instagram to it’s fullest potential
How to Upload videos to Instagram and Pinterest
Tools to help maximize your Pinterest efforts
00:00 Speaker 1: Hello. Welcome to the Social Speak Network Podcast. I am your host Amber Irwin, and in today’s episode, we are gonna be covering tips four and five, which were Instagram and Pinterest. And I wanted to go over these two together because they really compliment each other in your digital marketing strategy. So, I wanted to show you a tool that we use for Instagram and Pinterest, and really when you’re figuring out that strategy with each of them. So, let’s talk about Instagram first. Instagram is… Instagram and Pinterest are both visual… So with Instagram, links do not work in your content, the only link that you have in your profile is in your bio. There’s a couple of tools like Linktree, that link will be in the bottom, that you use, which is a free tool that allows people to click on to that. So I think ours is Linktree/Social Speak. And, we have multiple links on that platform, so we have a link to our website, to our blog, to our YouTube, to maybe…
01:12 S1: We have different offers up there. So Linktree’s a great free tool to use to be able to have multiple links in your bio. Because otherwise you’re always saying ‘link in bio’, and you have to make sure you’re changing that out. But if someone’s looking through your Instagram account and you’re talking about one product but that link’s not there anymore, it gets a little confusing. So using a tool like Linktree and having a link to different products or services or blogs you’re talking about is a good idea. With Instagram… There’s a couple of different aspects of Instagram that I want to talk about. First is consistency. Just your news feed and with this is… You’re going through and these are just normal posts that are being put up. So this is just as you scroll through your news feed, these are your normal posts, square images that you’re putting up.
02:09 S1: A couple of added benefits to Instagram that you really wanna take advantage of is Instagram stories and Instagram TV. So when you’re doing a video on your feed as just like a normal post, that video can only be one minute long. When you’re doing Instagram stories, those videos are a 15-second long. So, Instagram TV (IGTV) can be 10 minutes, so take advantage of that space. You’re gonna have a different audience on Instagram compared to Facebook or… If you’re using Twitter or LinkedIn. A lot of our clients get a better response from Instagram than they do Facebook, just a different crowd, different algorithms as well. So with your Instagram account, you wanna make sure you have that strategy. And our tip one was creating that strategy. So, in that strategy, you should have put together, what are those topics you wanna talk about? What videos do you want to do? And, it gets a little tricky with Instagram because you can do your videos horizontal, just make sure you’re in the middle of the screen because if you’re talking like this then… So make sure you’re just in the center of the screen when you’re doing them.
03:33 S1: Vertical videos work the best on Instagram, so sometimes you are recording for dual purposes, so sometimes I’ll set my phone on my computer vertically and record from my phone and my computer, and then the one that’s on my computer, I upload to YouTube and Facebook, the one that I’m using on my phone, I upload to Instagram. So it just kind of depends, you gotta figure out what works best for you. But taking advantage of Instagram stories… And… Hey, we are the first ones to say, “We were really good at doing Instagram stories for a while and then we stopped, and we were seeing… That’s where a lot of those kinds of behind the scenes, the real-time information is great with Instagram stories; it really allows your audience to see who you are as a person and as a company. It’s great if you did an Instagram take over.
04:29 S1: So maybe you have a different employee each week or maybe a couple of times per week, take that Instagram account over, do some behind the scenes, talk about who they are, what their expertise is; just a fun way to really just let your followers know who you guys are as a company. So that’s a great way to use Instagram stories. They only see it for 24 hours, so if you don’t highlight that Instagram story, it’s poof! It’s gone in 24 hours. So a lot of people will use this Instagram stories area as event promotion or specials like, “Only for 24 hours, we’re gonna have this special. So when this video’s gone off Instagram, that special no longer exists. Get in with your membership today, get in with this exclusive offer.” So people love Instagram stories for that. And when you highlight them, if you go to an account and you see these circle icons, these are highlighted stories.
05:32 S1: And you can have different themes. So based on what you do, if you’re a wellness center and you do chiropractic massage, maybe you do holistic medicine, or naturopathic medicine, these will be different so called boards. And you can highlight different stories at any time. So, once you create these boards… Or these… I’m gonna call ’em boards. Once you create these boards, we have one for core values, for business tips, Instagram story tips, just tips for you. So as we do different stories, I can highlight them to go back to these different boards. And so, it kinda helps people know what it is we do. And especially in that coaching space, it’s important for people to know maybe you have a personal life. Maybe if you’re a wellness coach, you have exercises, eating guides or eating tips, whatever that is. So take advantage of that for your audience to kinda go and get those resources.
06:39 S1: So you have your news feed, you have Instagram stories and you have your Instagram TV. So using all of these pieces allows your audience to really engage with you, and the key to this is just being consistent. So whether you’re posting every single day, three times a week, four times a week, figuring out that schedule. And then with Instagram, direct messaging is really a big thing, so people are commenting or asking questions, making sure you’re responding to them within 24 hours. Have your notifications on or have the team you’re working with make sure that they’re checking those notifications and those messages. Sometimes you’ll get ones that are spam, and you know they’re spam, but other times people are just asking questions. You can use an app called Repost, and this allows you to re-post content from other accounts giving them credit; so that if you’re running out of ideas of, “Okay, what should I be talking about?” then you can use Repost, and it’s just like sharing an article on Facebook, but you’re sharing that post from their account.
07:54 S1: So with Instagram and Pinterest, as I said, they’re both visual, so the biggest thing is making sure that people know what they’re looking at so each image is clear, if you’re having content on it, and let them know what the post is the about. And so moving into Pinterest, being able to utilize the images that you have on Instagram on Pinterest as well. So cool fact with Pinterest, you can upload square images, you can upload the vertical images and videos to Pinterest. Think of Pinterest less as social media and more as a visual search engine. I think it was 65% of women search Pinterest for their needs, whether it’s medical, home, DIY; that is their search engine, that’s their Google. And I say, “Yes because I’m always on Pinterest searching for something, whether it’s content ideas, social media tips, home tips with activities with my daughter, wellness tips as far as we used to do to make our own soap, how do you do that, essential oils, whatever it is, Pinterest, you can find everything on there.
09:17 S1: So Pinterest is that visual search engine. And I want to talk to you about a tool we use that’s called Tailwind, and I’ll put a link to this below, but Tailwind… And I wanna show this to you… Tailwind is a really cool tool that we use. It is a paid tool; this is one tool that we do pay for, it’s $14.99 a month, but this allows us to schedule Pins to Pinterest. And what it allows us to do is with Pinterest, you wanna make sure that you are… You always have Pins going out, anywhere from three to eight to 10 a day; you definitely want that rotation continuing. And so with Tailwind, it will actually monitor to know how many posts you should have each day; some days based on our traffic, based on our audience, we have more than other days. And so the weekends, the beginning of the week are a lot heavier, for us, than the end of the week. And so Tailwind creates this process for you and different times.
10:41 S1: So Pinterest, again, it’s like a Google machine, so people are on there in the morning, they’re on there late at night. And so Tailwind calculates when your audience is on Pinterest, and they schedule those Pins to go out, which is super-cool. The other thing that I love with Tailwind and Pinterest is if you’re blogging, you write this awesome blog, you create your images, you pin it to your board, you put it on your social media, but then what? Like you’re writing a blog each month, but each blog is good to repurpose content; you can create what’s called these Smart Loops, and this… What does is you tell Tailwind what images you want to be… Like we have 230 active Loops right now, which means we have a ton of different images, all from our blog, that will continue to be posted, and that they’re posted to different boards, so they’re always being reused because we’re always gaining new followers.
11:53 S1: So with Pinterest, it’s not necessarily about growing your followers to thousands and thousands like it is with Facebook and Instagram, but it’s more about creating that content that people want to share, and the end goal with Pinterest is really to increase that website traffic, that’s the key, is that website traffic. And by using a tool like this, it allows you to see what are the most popular Pins, what are people clicking on, what are they liking, who’s re-pinning what, so it allows you to really dive into those analytics. And so using Tailwind is a great tool, and it keeps us organized. This is… We do this once a week, and then Pinterest is done; you’re already making those images for your blog, and so if you have… If you’re doing lead generation, and you have a content upgrade, you wanna make sure that you’re creating those images around that; so this is just a good way to be able to help you take your Pinterest account to the next level.
13:05 S1: The other thing why I like talking about Instagram and Pinterest with this is a couple of things; with Tailwind, you can link your Instagram account to Tailwind. So if you’re really, really good at posting to Instagram… We have some clients that are posting every single day, and that’s valuable content. You can click Schedule from Instagram, it’s gonna link to your Instagram account, and it’s gonna pull up all of the posts. So this makes it easy to make sure that all that amazing content that you’re putting on to Instagram also can be shared to your Pinterest account with the right boards and making sure that audience sees it as well. So it’s so easy, all you have to do is click Schedule, you pick the board that you want it to go to, and bada-bing, bada-boom, you’re done.
14:08 S1: This is why I really like Instagram and Pinterest together because they do complement each other. That content that you are sharing to Instagram can easily be shared to Pinterest. So, being able to use a tool like Tailwind, and I will put a link in the description with that so you can see that as well, but having a strategy for each of those is really important and then being able to track your analytics with where that traffic’s coming from. So you gotta think of it like this, with Instagram and Facebook it really is… Let’s just stick with Instagram and Pinterest. Instagram is really about getting the engagement, getting the likes, getting the comments, getting the [14:55] ____ messages, and building those relationships. You may not get a lot of website traffic from Instagram because of how the platform is made. You can’t share an article on there and have a link in the content, and people can’t click through to that.
15:13 S1: As I said in the beginning, you have Linktree where you could say, “link in bio.” They click on that and then go to that blog post. You’re not using Instagram for website traffic; you’re using Instagram to build those relationships. Pinterest, you’re using to drive that traffic to your website. You want people to see your blogs. You want people to click on to them. You want them if you have a website that has product on there, whether it’s digital product or physical product, you wanna be pinning all of those images with the right description, with the link back to that page to Pinterest because as people are searching, especially in the health and wellness industries, because if people are searching for essential oils for better sleep, kids’ fever, or whatever it may be, and you have a line and you keep pinning, this is a resource so people are able to click on it, buy it. I’ve bought so many things off of Pinterest because I follow this person; I look at what they’re pinning. I go to their website. I cyberstalk them. I know that sounds crazy, but that’s what we do.
16:31 S1: So, using Pinterest to the fullest potential is huge. And the other piece with Pinterest is using it as a resource for your audience. And what I mean by that is you’re gonna have multiple boards for your business, so you’re gonna have a business account, you’re gonna have your… Like for us, we have email marketing tips, Facebook marketing tips. You’re gonna have all these different boards, and thinking of those boards as keywords, what are people searching for, and how can you use them as a resource for your current audience? So I always like to use Home Depot, for instance, has a really good Pinterest account because they have backyard ideas, bathroom lighting trends, bathroom project ideas. So, they make this a resource for their audience. And I love that because if I’m always going there, it’s a trusted source, I wanna be able to go and see, “Okay, what can I use to redo this as a DIY?” They’re putting this resource here for me to look at and then all I have to do is click on that, “Oh, and they have it in store. Oh, that’s so cool.”
17:58 S1: So if you are a wellness practice, you wanna create your boards based along your services, but then also think of, what are your clients asking you, what are their needs, what are they searching for, and how can you create a board that is a resource for them? And that content that’s on those boards doesn’t have to be all original content. The content that’s on our boards, we did not write all of that content or make all those images. A lot, I would say 70% of our pins, are re-pins. So we have sources like CoSchedule, HubSpot, a couple of other sources that we love, that we get all of our information from that we wanna share. So having those sources that you’re already maybe sharing on Facebook or you’re going to for your own information, see if they have a Pinterest account, start re-pinning their stuff. So that’s really what Pinterest is about, is that sharing platform.
19:03 S1: So, I hope that in this podcast, that made sense with the Instagram and Pinterest, how they work together and how they really tie in to your overall strategy because they’re both really important to have, and that’s why we focused a lot on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for our clients because I really think that you’re being able to touch all areas of where your audiences are at online. So, if you need help with identifying what these strategies are or how to use Pinterest or Instagram for your business, please let us know, schedule your free 30-minute consultation today; we would love to help you discuss that strategy, those ideas and get you Instagramming and Pinteresting right away because I know once you start doing it, you’re gonna be able to see the results and be able to utilize them as tools for your practice. So, if you have questions, let us know. Please remember to subscribe on either Podbean or iTunes for our podcast. We have a weekly podcast to help you organize your digital marketing life. Until next time, we will see you guys later, and remember, head over to socialspeaknetwork.com and schedule your free consultation today. Have a great day.
https://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/How-to-use-Instagram-and-Pinterest-for-your-Wellness-Practice.png800800Amber Irwinhttps://socialspeaknetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SocialSpeak-Logo.pngAmber Irwin2019-09-03 08:00:152019-08-22 19:48:43How to use Instagram and Pinterest for your Wellness Practice
