Authentic and organic engagement on social media paves the way to a loyal community, genuine engagement and long-term customers. I preach consistency and yes, while posting content consistently is essential, the real magic happens when you captivate your audience and inspire them to interact with your brand. You’ve already put in the work, time and effort into your content, so now we need people to see and interact with it. Your work deserves to get recognised!
But how?
Multiple factors go into this, like whether or not you’ve already established a loyal community, how you show up on Instagram, whether your content gives your audience value... the list could go on.
BUT... What I found gets the best results for my clients and myself on Instagram is my engagement strategy and I’m here to give you the EXACT strategy I use, which has helped me create a close-knit and engaged community of over 10,000 people on Instagram.
What is an engagement strategy?
Put simply, an engagement strategy is the way you interact with others on Instagram to build relationships and get more eyes and interactions on your page.
Types of engagement strategies?
Inbound: Interacting with your existing connections who have already shown interest and already know about your brand.
Outbound: Actively reaching out and initiating conversations with new people who haven’t heard or interacted with your brand before.
Benefits of implementing an engagement strategy:
Reach new people who are interested in your products or services
Raise more awareness on your business (show them you exist)!
Encourage and increase your engagement on your social media pages
Show your community you care about their content
Notify the algorithm that you’re online
MY STRATEGY IN 3 SIMPLE STEPS:
OUTBOUND ENGAGEMENT
POST TO INSTAGRAM
INBOUND ENGAGEMENT
Let’s break it down ↓
OUTBOUND ENGAGEMENT: 10 MINUTES
This is to help get your content seen by more of the right people.
Hashtags: I like to search for hashtags that I think my target audience are using to promote their posts. For me, this would be #smallbusinessowners. If you’re a wedding photographer, this may be #bridetobe, #justengaged or #heproposed.
The KEY here is to leave genuine interactions on their posts (not just likes)!
Comment on their posts with meaningful comments. Read their captions. Compliment their products. Then, you can go ahead and look at their other posts.
POST TO INSTAGRAM: You’ve now notified the Instagram algorithm that you’re online and active. This is the BEST time to post because your name will be popping up in other peoples notifications.
INBOUND ENGAGEMENT: 10 MINUTES
This is where you can nurture your existing audience.
Reply to your previous post’s comments: I have made it a habit to reply to all my previous comments and leave a like and comment on their posts too as soon as I post something new.
Scroll through your feed: See who else is online or has just posted and spread the love. Remember, you’ll be gaining exposure by commenting on more posts, even those who you may consider your 'competitors'. Why? because their audience would most likely also be interested in your content and products too.
HOT TIP: Turn your post-notifications on for large competitors in your industry and be the first to comment on their new posts. This will help you be seen by a large number of people who also see their posts!
The next time you've got an Instagram post going up, use this 3-step engagement strategy and notice your engagement actually increase.
If you'd like more insider information just like this, check out my Guide For Business Owners, 'Instagram In A Nutshell'.