RIP THE IG ERA OF IMAGERY ALONE WINNING YOU AN ENGAGED AUDIENCE, BUT LUCKILY FOR SMALL BUSINESSES, THE LATEST DATA FROM INSTAGRAM AND EXPERTS SUGGESTS NEW FORMULAS FOR GROWING ONLINE CAN REALLY BENEFIT YOU.
SO HOW DO YOU GROW YOUR SMALL BUSINESS CUSTOMER BASE ON SOCIAL MEDIA IN 2021?
WHILE IG GROWTH USED TO BE PRIMARILY ABOUT
1. IMAGERY (ASPIRATIONAL, “INSPO”, MEMES)
2. POST FREQUENCY (MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY)
3. LIKES AND COMMENTS (VOLUME OF TOUCH POINTS AND A BOOM OF ENGAGEMENT PODS)
THE LATEST RESEARCH ON GROWTH STRATEGY, AS WELL AS OFFICIAL WORD FROM INSTAGRAM STAFF IN A PODCAST INTERVIEW, HAS SHOWN LATE 2021 HAS USHERED IN A NEW ERA OF HOW TO GROW AUDIENCES IN THE APP:
1. CONTENT (HIGH VALUE CONTENT THAT CREATES AN EXPERIENCE FOR INSTAGRAM USERS, WITH FOCUS ON SHORT—FORM VIDEO)
2. POST FREQUENCY (WHILE IG STILL ADVISES TO POST SUPER REGULARLY, THERE’S A SHIFT IN FOCUS TO QUALITY OVER QUANTITY, AND THEREFORE POSTING LESS TO ENSURE A HIGHER QUALITY OF CONTENT IS ABSOLUTELY IN YOUR FAVOUR)
3. COMMUNITY (MEANINGFUL CONVERSATIONS OVER COMMENTS — ESPECIALLY THOSE FROM THE SAME ACCOUNTS CONTINUOUSLY OR ENGAGEMENT POD—TYPE BEHAVIOUR)
IT’S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT IN 2022 INSTAGRAM HAS MORE COMPETITORS THAN IT DID IN DID YEARS AGO, WHICH IS WHY IT’S PUSHING FOR HIGH QUALITY, VALUABLE CONTENT ON ITS PLATFORM.
HOW DO THEY ACHIEVE THAT?
MAKE SURE PEOPLE KEEP CHOOSING TO COME BACK TO INSTAGRAM MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY.
AND WHAT KEEPS PEOPLE COMING BACK?
ᯈFEELING HEARD AND A PART OF A WORTHWHILE COMMUNITY (COMMENTS ALWAYS ANSWERED, CONVERSATIONS STARTED, FEELING VALUED)
ᯈHAVING MEANINGFUL AND REAL CONVERSATIONS WITH LIKE—MINDED PEOPLE.
ᯈLEARNING SOMETHING NEW AND FEELING INSPIRED
ᯈWANTING TO SHARE WITH THEIR FRIENDS
THIS IS SUCH GOOD NEWS FOR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS!
AND WHILE ALL OF THESE THINGS WILL HELP YOU GROW YOUR CUSTOMER BASE ONLINE, YOU’LL ALSO QUICKLY LEARN THAT FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM ARE SOOOOOOOO MUCH MORE FUN WHEN YOU FIND (OR CREATE!) A COMMUNITY!