In the previous part, we discovered about 6 things to post on Instagram, continue with 14 things we should post on Instagram.
7. Announce new products/business milestones
Here is a concept that’s easy but effective: Announce new products or new business updates on Instagram with an interesting visual.
This provides you with more content material to share on the platform and also encourages customers to follow you because everybody needs to feel like they’re in the know about a brand they love.
Pop Chart Lab (in the example below) often launches new prints, and Instagram is another channel for them to maintain their viewers informed.
Alternatively, you may share business/personal milestones, for example, making your 1000th order or becoming a new parent.
8. Run an Instagram contest/giveaway
Wish to get lots of engagement quickly and generate excitement around your brand? Contests and giveaways are the way to go.
Contests post on Instagram will get people talking about your brand, and they can usually yield strong social proof or user-generated content material, if not both.
For greatest outcomes, provide a prize that’s most relevant to your target audience, even if the general population wouldn’t be that. After all, anybody would comment for a free iPhone, however, it’s more necessary to get engagement and entries from customers who may actually become customers.
The example above from LEIF does it right by providing an excellent prize (partnering with similar businesses), making it simple to enter, and quickly flagging the contest with GIVEAWAY at the beginning of the post.
9. Seize the moment with seasonal posts
Customers like to get into the holiday spirit. It doesn’t matter whether that holiday is a major one such as Thanksgiving or an unofficial one such as National Dog Day.
Take advantage of this by creating a seasonal post on Instagram which is timely and immediately relevant. Posts about summer holidays, winter weather, and even a specific meteor shower can work in addition to the obvious holidays, too.
Luggage Guy’s post below demonstrates how nicely this may work, reminding customers that there are only so many days left of summer and asking how they’ll spend it.
There’s one factor to always be mindful of with seasonal posts: the hashtags. One of the greatest benefits of seasonal posts is that the hashtags are directly relevant right now, that means more customers are more likely to search them out. Fill your post’s description with plenty of timely, vacation, and seasonal hashtags for greatest outcomes.
Not sure implement this? National Ice Cream Day posts may gain advantage from hashtags like #nationalicecreamday, #iscreamyouscreamweallscreamforicecream, and #sweetstobeattheheat.
Thanksgiving posts may incorporate #thanksgiving, #turkeyday, #fall #autumnweather #harvestseason, #holidayseason, #almostblackfriday, and more.
10. Encourage followers to tag a friend
The tag-a-friend approach is usually used in tandem with contest posts, however, they could exist on their own, too.
These posts will encourage followers to “tag a friend” in the comments who they think would genuinely like the product or who may relate to the subject of your post. An incentive could also be provided (as in the case of a contest, shown in the example from Mahabis below), however, it’s not a necessity.
This post on Instagram strategy will earn you lots of social proof and it could introduce new customers to your brand. That being said, you wish to use this sparingly or you’ll risk looking such as you’re just spamming Instagram for followers. Try to think of creative methods to encourage customers to tag their friends.
11. Inspire followers with a quote
Inspirational quotes are a type of like the feel-good cheesy movies we all love. There’s so much negativity online, after all, sometimes we just need to see something optimistic and motivational.
This additionally creates optimistic associations between your followers and your brand, which is always a plus.
There are a few things to remember when it comes to inspirational quotes. You should make the picture visually interesting, like in the example above from gypsy05.
Do that using dynamic colors and layouts. You could use tools like Canva to help you create these photos quickly. And don’t forget to credit the quote to the one who originally said it.
12. Produce fun videos to share
Many brands don’t use enough video on their social media channels in general, however, they’re particularly lacking in a video post on Instagram.
A video is necessary for today’s current social setting, and using more of it in your feed will assist you to stand out. What kinds of videos you create are up to you; you may share product videos, brand storytelling videos, vlogs, or Q&As.
This can become even more important after the release of IGTV, which is an extension of Instagram that may permit customers to create videos up to an hour long (versus 60 seconds with a standard video post).
You’ll find some free tools for creating your own videos in How to Make Your Own Online Videos (In 30 Minutes or Less).
13. Share your community involvement
One of the quickest methods to establish trust and loyalty in your viewers is to post content material showing involvement with your community.
Lots of Shopify businesses are online-only (although there are plenty that is not). Community, therefore, can have a loose definition in this case.
When you occur to have a home base and/or a storefront in a certain location, you may focus on your local community.
For businesses in certain industries, they could concentrate on their industry community (like gamers or tech lovers). And others still could interpret this to mean benefiting the worldwide community overall by taking part in a fundraiser or charity event.
Some brands, like Kutoa Bars, really make this a central part of their mission statement so it comes up a bit post on Instagram. They actively work to reduce world hunger, and their posts reminding customers of that get a ton of engagement.
This isn’t surprising because it makes followers feel good about supporting the brand, and it reminds them that by purchasing a delicious snack for themselves they may do well elsewhere, too.
14. Cover an event
Instagram is a good place to showcase your involvement in any type of event. You may post content material from before, during, and after the event to create more hype. This may be an event that your business is hosting or one that you’ve been invited to attend.
Xterra boards, for example, posted the following picture about their involvement in races they participated in at Mission Beach. This was an effective way to show that they’re prominent in the community and involved with it, making them more relatable to their audience and earning them credibility.
15. Partner with influencers for content
If you wish to assist your brand garner some extra credibility and attention quickly, influencer marketing is an effective method to go.
Chaos is a luxury lifestyle brand, and they use social media influencers in order to add some credibility to their name. The post below options and tags an influencer with more than 40,000 followers.
Huge name influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers aren’t necessary. In fact, it will really be better in most cases for Shopify merchants to reach out to smaller micro-influencers.
These influencers might only have tens of thousands of followers, however, they’ll be trusted by their viewers. They’re also likely to be more open to working with small companies, and more affordable if they agree.