It’s no secret that Instagram has become one of the most prominent digital marketing outlets utilized by thousands of businesses today, from small local markets to multi-million dollar corporations. The idea behind the social media application is actually pretty simple - a digital online scrapbook. With nearly 800 million users, if you’re not already interacting with your audience on Instagram, it’s probable that you’re doing your business a disservice.
Just like you market yourself on RV Trader and on local print and media advertisements, marketing your company on social is now just as crucial. However, it’s not just about “being” on Instagram. It’s about growing and engaging an audience of interested, loyal audience members. It might sound easy- but getting started with this digital business expansion can often be the hardest part.
To help you hone your social strategy on Instagram, we’ve come up with three key tips to grow your following, engage your audience, and get customers interested all through the simple use of this social platform.
- Get your company's profile completely filled out. Nothing is worse than a customer receiving a follower request or getting a picture liked by a ‘business’ with no profile photo or a missing website link. Though many companies may feel that Instagram is “just a social profile” that doesn’t need the same attention as a website, users may think that your activity without a full profile on Instagram could be regarded as spam. Not only could you be blocked, unfollowed, or turned down for a following, you could even be reported- just because users think you look suspicious. Don’t let that happen. Be sure your Instagram profile includes all of the following elements in full:
- A link to your website. Now that Instagram has a section on your profile where you can include a website or link, take advantage of that space! If a user notices you on Instagram and visits your profile, that is your chance to introduce yourself to them as who you really are. This way, they aren’t having to exit out of the app, open a browser, and search you on Google- they are directly linked to your website for information.
- A short bio, perhaps even with a clever or motivational spin. You have a very limited number of characters to fill the “About” section of your profile before people either (a) become annoyed at you for talking too much about yourself, or (b) decide not to read the rest of your description, because they are distracted or get bored. Grab their attention. Include something about yourself being a business (“Family RV Dealer located in Sunny Southwest Florida”), but add something to help them remember you by. Try not to be too corny, but whether it’s your company slogan or a quote, this can help draw your audience in and get them scrolling through your feed.
- Engage with your followers to grow your audience. The thing about Instagram for business is that it isn’t an exact science - is more of an art, with stable practice over time. You’re not going to grow by 20,000 followers overnight, but you definitely can grow by at least 20 a day with the proper tricks on hand. Try a few of these strategies known to grow business’ follower numbers exponentially over time:
- Use hashtags in your posts. When people are searching for something on instagram, such as a travel trailer, they will type into the searchbar “#traveltrailer.” Obviously, you want your dealership’s profile and related posts to show up in their search, so use that hashtag to help that customer find you. The most successful and engaging posts include at least 11 hashtags, so depending on your niche, primary models carried, etc., choose the best ones that work for you. At least one should be focused on your company name, and most of the rest should be focused on the type of model/RV experience in your photo or at your dealership.
- Whether you have a specified social media specialist or you’re the director and handle social yourself, you should be engaging with Instagram users regularly as though they were all your prospects. One way to do this is by searching one of your target hashtags (i.e., “#traveltrailer”) and liking posts related to that hashtag. It may sound tedious, but liking at least 50 posts a day - focusing on the most recent posts, which have less likes - will get your name on a user’s notifications as someone who liked their photo.
- Another way to do this - scroll through those hashtags, and when you see a photo you find especially interesting, comment on it! Even if it’s just a statement such as “Great photo!”, users love engagement. Talk to them, and whether it’s through a like, follow, or simple response back, you are putting your name out there - and once you comment on their photo, it’s now in front of that individual’s followers, too. Much more simple than it sounds at first!
- Pay special attention to the quality and type of photos you post. Don’t take the same photos of different units over and over again. Rather, try to mix your messages. Take this idea for a sample strategy:
- One day, take a photo of a special rate sign in your dealership.
- The next day, go ahead and share a photo of a unit for sale- but aim to do so every other day, mixing these photos with other types of media.
- This will communicate to your audience that yes, you are a dealership, and your goal is to get units sold, but you also care about the experience the have with your company- both online, and in person.
We hope these tips have helped you gain a clearer vision of what steps you can take to refine and develop your presence on Instagram - be sure to tag @rvtrader and hashtag #rvtrader to gain the most exposure possible for your photos - and possibly even get featured on our own Instagram page!
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