Instagram’s popularity can be attributed in part to the way the platform encourages engagement between different communities, individuals, and businesses. Because of this dynamic on the channel, managing a business account on Instagram does not mean the content should be business only. It’s crucial for businesses to engage with their Instagram audience on a personal level.
Engage Your Audience Effortlessly Through Likes & Comments
One of the best ways to engage your audience personally is through liking and commenting on other users’ posts and responding to engagement on your own posts. While not every business has free time to like and comment on other users’ posts, using hashtags can help simplify this process to find meaningful and related content to engage with. Liking and commenting within a few related “hashtag communities” can help your business find new customers and collaborators as well as establish you as an active member of the community.
When it comes to responding to engagement on your own posts, ‘pinned comments’ can be a great way to boost engagement. This feature allows the creator to highlight up to three user comments on a single post. This acknowledges users most engaged with your brand, further developing a positive relationship. Pinned comments can also function to answer FAQs within the post.
Foster Creativity Through Sharing User-Generated Content
Another great way to engage with your audience on a personal level is to share user-generated content. In many cases, your audience may already be posting about your brand and, if you’re lucky, you’ll find some high-quality content worth sharing with the rest of your audience.
Sharing this content is a great opportunity to show your audience you’re listening to them and appreciate their support. This also encourages other members of your audience to speak up and share their own personal experiences in hopes of being highlighted on your page. Additionally, through sharing user-generated posts, your business gains fresh, authentic content that you can reuse over time.
Overall, building a personal connection with your Instagram audience takes time but it is well worth the effort. The more integrated your business becomes in relevant communities, the more new opportunities will arise.
90% of users on Instagram are following at least one business.
Do you need to start marketing your company on Instagram, but aren’t sure how to get started? Or maybe you’ve been posting content, but can’t seem to get the results you want?
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