Courtesy / Marshall Communications
Whitney Raymond of Marshall Communications
Updated: August 16, 2022
How to create engaging Instagram content for your business
By Whitney Raymond, Marshall Communications
It’s no surprise social media has become a cost-effective tool to reach a business or organization’s target audiences.
For many companies with visual components to showcase, Instagram has become the go-to platform for sharing key messages and showcasing photos and videos that drive business and engagement.
There are a variety of ways to successfully use a business Instagram account and encourage interaction, some of which are simple and don’t take a lot of valuable time.
Here are ways to make a big impact with Instagram business accounts and generate engagement:
Optimize your account
Though it seems obvious, one of the glaring missed opportunities on Instagram is leaving a profile incomplete. It gives the impression the Instagram account isn’t active and can make it challenging for individuals to easily locate contact information.
Complete the business bio with a short description about what the business is or does, add the correct URL and contact information. Make sure the profile is set to a business account to access important insights and metrics.
Select visuals that represent the brand
Choosing appealing, interesting visuals is the most important step in creating content that elicits engagement. The great news is that still photos and videos both perform well on the platform. All posts should represent or be applicable to the business or organization and include the basics. Add locations, tag relevant individuals or businesses and a few appropriate hashtags to reach a larger audience and to show up more frequently when people are searching within Instagram.
Remember to engage with others by liking and responding to their comments and engaging with others’ posts and content related to the business or industry.
Try different Instagram features
While traditional photo and video posts still perform well, the forever-changing algorithm has made it more challenging to show up on people’s feeds. One of the best ways to combat this it to switch up the method. Here are a few ideas:
- Post a series of Instagram Stories featuring a behind-the-scenes look, a business-related event, an experience or an activity or an insider look at a new product or service. Video content, especially the less polished, more in the moment footage works well as a Story. Since they disappear after 24 hours, be sure to save the content as an Instagram Highlight before it does!
- To take advantage of trending topics or music in the social media world (as long as it’s relevant to your business or brand), try producing a Reel. These are often more polished and produced videos or a compilation of images. Using trending themes that can be viewed by the Reels icon allows Instagram to serve up content to more people. Unlike Stories that disappear unless saved as a Highlight, Reels live on the Instagram profile.
- If a business primarily has images to work with, switch up regular posts by selecting the multiple posting feature, allowing 10 photos or videos to be shared in one post which provides an opportunity to dig deeper and showcase more on a specific product, service, event or offering.
Determine what’s working and revisit the strategy
As with all other marketing initiatives, pay close attention to what’s resonating with followers and what’s not, then adjust the action plan on an ongoing basis. Instagram’s Insight tool has a wealth of information on analytics ranging from the number of accounts reached to more granular information like how many times the most popular post of the month was shared, or the time-of-day people interact with the profile most.
Trying new content approaches, replicating high performing post types, and adapting the strategy along the way are the keys to creating meaningful engagement on Instagram.
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments