3 Ways to Gain a Loyal Audience on Instagram
There’s a distinct difference between growing audience size and growing audience loyalty on Instagram. While marketers across the globe have somewhat cracked the code on what conquers the platform’s algorithm, there’s no replacing the value of quality, curated content geared towards keeping followers long term.
Any seasoned social marketer will explain which KPI’s matter the most when it comes to growing followers on the platform that’s undoubtedly become the most versatile social tool. From engagement rate to shares and saves, social professionals have made leaps and bounds in recent years to understand what makes this channel tick. While growing audience size is an accomplishment in itself, no matter the rate, how do we gain a loyal following on Instagram?
Since Instagram was sold to Facebook in 2012 for $1 billion, the platform has transformed from a photo-focused functionality to a multimedia megastar in the social world. As of Q3 2020, 1.16 billion users were logged into the app throughout the world, the top three countries consisting of the U.S., India and Brazil. Users’ top interests range from travel to music to health and fitness. A large percentage of young people even rely on Instagram to deliver domestic and international breaking news.
Needless to say, Instagram isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. As a veteran social marketer with proven success in the brand space, I’ve developed three categories to lean on when strategizing your calendar and content. They’re called the “Three E’s”.
1.) Educate.
Most people don’t typically associate the words education and social media with one another. And as a marketer in the space, hearing it may take the wind out of your sail. “How is educational content going to gain followers?,” you may ask. Hear me out.
As a brand it’s on you to showcase the value of your product or service and how it can increase the quality of life of your audience. Don’t just assume people are going to understand what it is that you do when they hit your profile. Dedicate one to two posts per week that truly spell out what it is that you’re offering.
Throughout my time with a global fitness brand, I knew it was crucial to not only educate our audience on what it was that we sold, (events), but rather show the useful skills consumers could gain by clicking the follow button or joining our newsletter, (fitness, nutrition and recovery tips).
With the simple click of a button, users had access to weekly tips from certified trainers, coaches and nutritionists from all walks of life. Whether you were an endurance obsessed athlete or a fitness newbie, we were creating content that had the ability to help a wide range of consumers. This was done through a range of how-to’s, takeovers, exercise programming videos and more.
Keep in mind that educational content is not going to be the bread and butter when it comes to KPI’s. In fact, they’ll most likely be some of your lower performing content. That’s okay. Embrace the balance between timeline winners and brand moments.
The major takeaway here is to provide consumers with a piece of knowledge that they didn’t have before stumbling across your page. Once you have them, ensure that you’re remaining consistent with your content mix so you keep them. Always assume that every click to your profile is someone who’s never heard of your brand before. Give them a reason to come back.
2.) Engage.
Creating engaging content is a bit easier, (once you find out what makes your audience click the comment, share and save buttons, which can take some testing.)
Engaging content is relatable content. What’s going to prompt someone to physically take the time to stop scrolling and leave a comment? Better yet, what prompts you to do that on your own personal feed? I’ll be the first to admit that I rarely leave comments on posts aside from the selfie my best friend just posted because #hypewoman is my other title.
This is where saves and shares join the convo. Saves undoubtedly have taken the spotlight from likes in the last two years, which makes all the sense in the world. It’s one thing to like a post, but to save it reference at a later date is much more telling of the value of your post. Honestly, a highly saved post makes me giddy.
As for shares, think about the additional eyeballs you’re gaining every time a user sends a post to a friend. This is by far one of the easiest ways to gain new audience members on Instagram and has essentially replaced the days of people publicly tagging friends in the comments section.
So, what are some examples of engaging content?
It’s going to differentiate per brand, but start by evaluating which content types and topics has excited your audience the most in the past. Monthly and quarterly audit reports with tools such as Sprout Social makes this a low lift, efficient task.
For some, it may be a tweet (above) that directly relates to the wide range of community members of the brand itself. Others may fall along the lines of inspirational/motivational quote creatives, quirky, original memes, or a video clip that prompts a collective virtual head nod in agreement, further warranting a save or share.
Regardless of what engaging content looks like for you and your brand, ensure that it’s inclusive, impactful and has a personal flare that ties directly back to what you stand for.
3.) Entertain.
Let’s have some fun with this one.
Most of us are using social to disconnect from whatever it is that we’re doing at that given moment. Have we taken it to the point where we’re spending a bit too much time on social? Yes. Are we most likely going to continue this habit? Also yes.
People come to social to be entertained! As a partner to someone who isn’t on social media, I save at least 1–3 posts a day that I think he’d find enjoyable or get a good laugh from. Most of the time, he does. (You’re welcome, Ken).
Regardless, once you’ve accomplished the integration of educational and engaging content into your cadence, loosen the reigns and make room for purely entertaining content. This is where video steals the show.
Original content i.e. franchise series, reels, etc. are the perfect way to showcase a unique, fun side of your brand. From behind-the-scenes footage, to meticulously thought out series, entertaining content will grab the attention of users quicker than any sales promo you post.
Don’t have the budget to support highly produced content? Ping your sales and sponsorship team and begin nurturing a hybrid content creation process that will open the doors to getting your content production paid for by external sources. Far too often I speak with smaller, startup brands who show immediate concern feeling like they’re still months or years away from this. They’re not.
You don’t need full formed teams to execute sponsored content. If your sales and sponsorship team is nonexistent, be your own content advocate and start reaching out to relevant brands via dm. Tell them why they’d be a good match with your brand and what you’re thinking of in terms of initial concept. Set up a meeting and present the larger vision. You’d be surprised how seamless this can be when it comes to brands getting exposure they barely had to work for, but are more than happy to provide financial support for.
If you’re a fellow social marketer and still believe that your brand should purely be basing content through classic number crunching, I challenge you to test the above concept for three months. Analytics and insights are a great way to measure success, but shouldn’t be the end all be all when it comes to deciding which content comes next.
This concept may be a tough sell for the leadership members of the team who die on the sword of reporting, but the long term value of providing your audience with the content they want and need goes a lot further than the red and green boxes you’re filling out for weekly scrum.
