First of all, did you know that Instagram has a blog? They do, and it is very useful for understanding how Instagram works.
Below is some info about Instagram that can give you better understanding of how it works and what are the best practices to improve your presence on the platform.
Make Great Content
You have to put stuff out there that captures people’s attention…obviously. But how do you do that?
Instagram recognizes well-composed photographs and high-quality videos (thank you AI). But beyond that, you need to dial in your aesthetic, your Instagram “voice” if you will. This could be a video of you talking directly to camera, you and your staff making skits, or posting beautiful photos of your creations. This is a fine line to walk sometimes. Reels that are short, punchy and force the viewer to watch it again will score points with Instagram’s algorithm. Instagram also rewards comments and shares, so create something that invites people to interact with your posts.
You might want to be relatable or vulnerable to your audience – perhaps that is the spirit of your or your company. You might want to be the cool kids, the in-the-know type – so your content might be a little edgy and less corporate. Or maybe you want to be informative, an authority in your industry – then your content might be brief tutorials or answering FAQ’s.
Don’t worry if you don’t find your voice right away. There will be some random post that suddenly everyone loves. Be sure to capitalize on that and find out how you can reproduce that type of reaction from your audience. Here is what Instagram lists in their blog:
- Meme style posts
- Vlogs
- One-takes – these are videos shot from your POV in just one take, no cuts
- Voice over content
- Behind the scenes
- Photo showcase
- Collaborate with other accounts
Be Popular in Real-life First
If you notice, celebrities and major brands have millions of followers without even trying. People go to their Instagram to get close to them. ANY AND EVERY OPPORTUNITY you have to point someone to your Instagram account you MUST ACT ON. If someone walks through your brick and mortar door, offer them a free bag, sticker, or 15% discount if they follow you on Instagram (this can be applied to other social media platforms and email as well). Now you’ve got them locked in, a guaranteed follower that is a potential or recurring customer. Get to know the real humans first, then they’ll be more likely to follow and interact with you on Instagram.
Be Consistent
Remember the first heading: make great content. Make great content and make it consistently, ESPECIALLY REELS. That’s the caveat. Instagram loves short and sweet reels that can be easily consumed by viewers and shared. How much should you share? The more the better. But remember that if you inundate your audiences feed with content that is boring or irrelevant, they will start to be indifferent to your stuff. There is a photography account that we follow and they post multiple times a day. It’s not their best content either, in fact it’s pretty generic AND it’s just static photos. Keep it consistent but do not take quality for granted.
The Caption
Your caption is also scanned by the algorithm. Make sure your caption has key words and phrases that are similar to your potential customers’ interests. Hashtags are hit and miss but are good for ensuring that your posts are categorized appropriately. Just don’t bank too much on the idea that a hashtag will guarantee eyes on your content. Also be sure to include things like ALT text and proper tagging.
Clean Up Your Profile
You should have a nice, well positioned profile pic. Your description should be clean and informative, or it can be tongue-in-cheek to convey your personality. The Highlight icons should also be customized to match the aesthetic of your business. Finally, your feed should have a certain aesthetic. When posting a reel for example, be sure to adjust the cover image. You can and probably should have a customized thumbnail for your reels. This attention to detail indicates that your feed, and therefore your business, is the real deal. It’s your thin-slice.
At Led Cookie, we help businesses find their voice and create content that catches viewers’ attention. Stuff that has a high production value. And since we understand that most businesses don’t have huge budgets like major corporations, we’ve structured our business to have the capacity to deliver consistent, high-quality content at affordable rates. We work remotely with clients across the country, but we also work in person with local Bakersfield businesses doing content creation and social media management. Message us!