Whenever a social media platform enters our lives, we end up getting even more connected to each other. These platforms have inevitably become part and parcel of our lives. Whether it is Facebook, Twitter, or TikTok, these facilitate the seamless sharing of ideas, thoughts, and experiences.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that such platforms have entirely transformed how we communicate and socialize in the 21st-century world. But things didn’t stop with tweets or Facebook posts. In this noisy social media world, we had another entrant way back in 2010—Instagram.
Now, the photo and video-sharing social networking service has over a billion users from all over the world.
The Instagram of today is different from what it was when it was launched. From a brand new logo, a 360-degree shift to video content, to including personal messaging features, it has come a long way.
This visuals-centric platform can be a goldmine of leads for brands. But making it big here can be pretty challenging. Only a few outliers have been able to reach out to their target audience in a productive manner.
However, this doesn’t mean that other brands should step back and take it easy. If approached properly, Instagram can help you grow your customer base and also boost engagement levels with significantly low investments on your part. To help you on your journey, here are a few tips for creating successful Instagram content:
Understand the platform: Instagram has been able to make waves on the basis of the people-centric content that gets uploaded daily. Its quality is what sets it apart. Whether it’s Instagram Stories, Reels, or the good old photo uploads, people log in to see creativity at its best. Therefore, brands cannot get away with content that’s blatantly commercial in nature. In fact, too many ads may even make your brand look fraudulent or scammy on the platform.
To drive meaningful engagement, it’s critical to have an authentic voice on Instagram. Without it, you will be invisible to your audience, especially before millennials and gen Zers. Hence, before you start uploading, do build your strategy on the fact that you will need to engage with your audience on a more personal level.
Work with influencers: These days, influencers on Instagram have millions of followers. You can push your brand right into the limelight with their help. This can work wonders because they have legions of fans who take their recommendations seriously and you get to promote your brand without it being too in-your-face.
Share user-generated content: You can request your customers to post their reviews in the form of Reels. These can generate a lot of traction in a short period of time.
Remember, Instagram recently announced that it’s going to focus more on video content in the coming months. Its algorithms are known to favor Reels, which is why brands should pay attention to this form. And, there are a lot of ideas you can play around with! For instance, you can easily post content around how to use your product in fun ways. These often strike a chord among Instagram users browsing through random Reels.
In addition to uploading posts (with relevant hashtags) these are just a few tips that you should work on to give your engagement levels a major boost and to stand out from the sea of brands trying to crack the Instagram code!
Faisal Abidi
