How to create for Instagram
Melissa Blum is the CEO & Founder of M.T. Deco.
Everyone loves Instagram. Ok, maybe not everyone, but millions of people do. We have clients who are always pushing to grow their following on Instagram. And it makes sense, a lot of us spend a LOT of time on the platform. Our initial advice is ALWAYS: if digital strategy is new for you and your company, avoid getting fully sucked into Instagram. There are a lot of social platforms out there and even though Instagram gets a lot of attention, oftentimes investing in it won’t help you hit your bottom line. Eva Chen, Director of Fashion Partnerships at Instagram, has been quoted saying that every post on Instagram is a drop in a rainstorm. In other words, you could spend all the time in the world on Instagram and hardly make a dent, which is a terrible ROI.
Ironically, it’s the most popular among many of our clients and also the hardest to produce for. So, how do you successfully create for Instagram?
First things first, you need to get your big picture digital strategy set. Then, begin creating content for your owned platforms. Next you can focus on your social platforms, keeping in mind that every platform has its own purpose and target audience. It’s important to produce content that most effectively serves that audience based on who they are [age, demographics], where they are [geography, time zones], what they’re up to [career, family, travel] and what they are looking for [aka what is it that you uniquely bring to the table for them; how do you make their lives better].
Now, what you’re really here for -- Instagram. Here are 5 ways to focus your efforts and help you break through the rainstorm.
Treat your avatar + bio like a business card. You have seconds to leave an impression. Make sure your avatar image is fresh, your bio makes sense + communicates the value you bring to the table [bonus if you infuse voice/tone], and your website is linked.
Use your grid of posts as a living portfolio. Your grid should feature roughly 5 different content pillars (or various types of content) that showcase you in action and appeal to various target audience segments. For example, if you’re working on your personal brand, a mix of content pillars could be: CAREER, WELLNESS, TRAVEL, FAMILY, ADVOCACY. Build interesting and in-depth multimedia content around these pillars.
Utilize guides to build an archive. A lesser-used tool in Instagram, but a favorite of ours at M.T. Deco, are guides. Guides allow you to curate posts into a list format with space for commentary [think resources, travel guides, viewing guides, etc.]. They’re the closest thing to microblogging available on the platform, and are a great way to curate helpful content for your audience. Examples of this are here and here.
Use Lives + igTV for more in-depth context. Going live and posting videos on Instagram allows you to provide more context and drive conversation around posts. It also allows you to bring in voices and perspectives on topics that you might not be an expert on, but want to use your platform to elevate. For example, if a post is doing really well for you, consider making it a Live or bring in a collaborator to talk together on the topic. If your audience is showing you what they’re interested in, keep giving them more!
Engage your audience with Stories. Instagram’s Stories are an ongoing, less production-heavy way to consistently engage your audience. Use tools like polls, questions and swipe-ups to really capitalize on the opportunity to engage your audience. When used regularly, stories are a powerful way to further drive attention around a marquee post or initiative.
If you’re getting dizzy, remember that this is all the scientific method. What works for one account doesn’t necessarily work for the next, so the more important thing is to try it all out and see what lands.
Get your content strategy straight, optimize your account, post consistently and test the features out. Your audience will tell you, specifically in the analytics, what to do more of and what to back off from. Listen to them and continue to tweak, repeat.