Instagram is a great way to connect with your target audience and expand your brand’s reach online. However, without proper media management, you could be missing out on some of the benefits of this app.
Since Instagram’s launch, people have responded positively to this highly visual platform. Currently, there are over 1 billion users worldwide who share approximately 95 million pieces of content daily. With so many people and businesses using this social media platform, it’s an ideal place to invest your time and effort.
Driving engagement on Instagram is a great way to share your brand with like-minded people who pursue similar interests. Over time, an Instagram account can be a great way to popularize your brand and funnel future customers to your website.
As with Facebook, Instagram offers paid advertising; but before you take out your credit card, keep in mind that there are some simple, free techniques that drastically and organically expand your reach and engagement.
Expanding Your Instagram Reach (for Free)
Hashtags
These tags are a great way to identify ideal followers. Basically, a hashtag is a term that links content on social media; these terms can be searched to find where they appear in similar posts. By searching hashtags relevant to your brand, you can discover accounts that would most likely follow you.
When you comment, like, and/or follow, you can often encourage these accounts to reciprocate. In this way, you add followers and develop new online relationships.
Review Your Demographics
Instagram has a great tool for researching your current followers. Under “Insights,” you will find detailed information about the people who engage with your content (age, gender, location, and most active times). Understanding your audience helps you to craft more effective, meaningful, and focused content.
Also, knowing when your users are most active allows you to get the most mileage out of your posts.
Research Your Followers
By looking into your followers and your followers’ followers, you can learn a great deal about what content resonates best with your target audience. If, for example, you discover your followers respond well to humorous posts or short videos, you can now tailor future content to maximize reach and engagement.
Research the Competition
An effective way to strengthen your Instagram posts is to research similar accounts. What type of content is your competition posting? How often do they post? On what days? How are followers responding to their content, and can you apply any of this information to your own posts?
Also, your competition is going to have similar followers who would most likely respond to your content. Look through their followers and engage with a like or comment. Often, you’ll receive a follow in return.
Reach Out Directly
Contacting followers directly is a good idea as long as you don’t come across as pushy. Keep it lighthearted and thank them for following your account.
If these users routinely engage with your content, you can ask what type of content they prefer. People often want to share their thoughts and help out, so expect a reply. This is a great way to get ideas and also build genuine relationships online.
Feedback
Now and then, an Instagram poll can help gather information about your followers and strengthen your social media management. Not only does this information help you create more meaningful content, but it shows that you have a genuine interest in producing content that followers want.
Another way to connect with your audience and gather feedback is with a direct question embedded in the post. Most people are eager to offer suggestions; plus, comments always help boost your ranking by alerting the algorithm that people are interacting with your content.
Location Tagging
With Instagram’s location tagging option, your posts have a better chance of reaching people who engage with content around a specific area. Keep that in mind if a post comes from a specific location. When you tag a location, be sure to be precise. For example, instead of tagging New York City, you would be better to tag a specific spot, such as The Statue of Liberty.
Influencers
Social media influencers (with sometimes substantial followings) can help advance your visibility on Instagram and connect you with your target audience. By reaching out to influential voices in your niche, you can establish a mutually beneficial relationship. Maybe you can engage in some a joint venture, exchange reviews, or share one another’s content.
@Mentions
When you @mention relevant accounts, they often repost your content, giving you instant access to their followers. Keep this in mind when you have content that really resonates with a post on another account.
Improving your Instagram reach organically is an evolving process and a critical part of your social media management. Trends change and brands come and go, so the techniques used to reach your target audience will change as well.
Our team of Instagram experts understands how this social media platform can best elevate your brand and increase traffic to your website. Call today at (410) 376-7709 to find out how Gauge Digital Media can connect you with your target audience!
