Who isn't on social media? It's a great thing, but it also creates a challenge for businesses. How do you cut through the noise? Whatever your goal may be for putting your business on social platforms (increase brand awareness, generate leads or sales, etc.), you generally want to stand out from your competition. Let's learn how to create engaging posts to help reach your goals.
Photo by Rogue Lab.
CAPTIVATING IMAGERY
It's all about the image (or gif, video, Reel, etc.). Grabbing your phone, taking a quick pic, and uploading it does not cut it. For some potential customers, stumbling along your Instagram profile is their first interaction with your brand. The quality of the images represent the type of quality your business produces. It's important to take the time and effort to capture good photos.
When taking photos, you need to keep in mind that the photos need to match your brand. Taking photos that align with your brand depends on what your brand is about. Take Symmetree Clothing; their brand is about creating handcrafted apparel that represents being balanced by nature. The photos they post are either related to nature or of them decorating the garment. Or look at Golden Press Studio. Their brand has a color scheme — white, black, and gold. The color scheme is shown in every single photo. Whatever tactic you choose, just make sure it represents your brand.
Take photos that bring value to your audience. Why should someone care to look at your photos? The intention could be anything — funny, educational, inspirational. Each post doesn't have to be funny or inspirational. Mix it up. Again, do whatever matches your brand's personality.
LEARN HOW TO TAKE GOOD PHOTOS
CATCHY CAPTIONS
Taking a good photo is half the battle of creating engaging social media posts. The caption is just as important as the photo. The caption directly highlights the brand's voice, its personality. Captions also add context to the photo, if it's needed.
What do you even write? Remember, you want to bring value to your audience. You can add value through the caption as well. A caption could highlight a sale, which is beneficial for the audience to know because they can save money. Maybe the caption shares a fact so the audience learns something new. Write something you believe your audience would want to read.
One important engagement metric is comments. The caption on a post could encourage people to leave a comment. A simple way to motivate people to comment is to ask a question. People love talking about themselves, so inviting them to share their thoughts or personal experiences will generate engagement. Again, questions should revolve around your brand's vibe. For example, Symmetree could ask a question like, "What hikes are you going on this weekend?" Or Golden Press Studio could ask, "What part of the screen printing process do you like the most?" The questions focus on who they're speaking to (nature enthusiasts or screen printers). Brainstorm ideas about what could work for your channel and audience.
RELATED: HOW TO ESTABLISH A BRAND
RESPOND
If you're asking people to comment on your posts, you should comment back. Let them know that a real person exists behind the profile. You should definitely respond if they ask a question. By replying to comments, you're showing your audience (and potential customers) that you're open and receptive. People will be more encouraged to communicate with you, which will sustain healthy, longterm engagement on your channels.
LEARN HOW TO GET CLIENTS THROUGH INSTAGRAM
HASHTAGS
Using hashtags is a way to gain new impressions from people who don't currently follow you. People skim through hashtags to find inspiration, new products/services, or learn more information on a topic. By including hashtags that are relevant to your brand, you could possibly increase engagement as well because more people are seeing your posts.
Social media is trial and error. Your customers and followers are unique to you. Test your ideas and pay attention to what your customers engage with the most. As time goes on, you'll get a better grasp on what works best and have strong engagement on each post. Good luck!
