How to make Instagram work for you

So you’ve started an Instagram account for your business, now what? There are so many social media strategies, coaches and courses, it can be hard to know what to do next!

I ask these four questions when working with clients on their Instagram strategy.

1. Who are you talking to?

The first step in determining your social media strategy is articulating who you’re talking to, your audience. Are they parents, women in their early 20s or empty nesters? All of these people are on Instagram. However, you want to make sure you have the highest likelihood of appearing on their feed! Your posts must speak to and resonate with your audience, so they engage with you, and you appear in their feed more often.

2. What do they want to know?

How are you providing value to your audience? The people you talk to on Instagram live busy lives, just like you and me. They’re not sitting at home waiting for you to appear on their feed! So how do you add value to their lives? Are they looking for information, infographics, inspirational quotes, videos, or something else?

3. Why are you using Instagram?

Instagram is no different to meeting people in real life! The marketing strategies of “Push or Pull” are still relevant. Are you using Instagram to “push” people to your website? Are you using your website, TicTok or other channels to “pull” people to Instagram? Alternatively, are you using Instagram as a community-building tool? Your Instagram strategy has to fit your overall business strategy to make your time on Instagram worthwhile.

4. Are you playing the game?

Instagram rewards regular posts to the feed (2-3 times a week as a minimum, no more than twice a day), hashtags, showing up in stories regularly (daily), using the tools provided such as Reels or IGTV and interactions with other accounts. You can interact with other accounts by searching hashtags relevant to your audience and interacting with them through likes, follows, comments and shares.

Instagram censors many words and topics, so if you notice you’re reach dropping (through your insights), check you’re not talking about sensitive issues. And if you do want to talk about sensitive topics, do it cleverly!

Instagram is an excellent platform to use for your business, and answering these questions will help shape the content you share. So how are you going to play the game better this week?

By Court Garfoot (LLB, BMgmt, BHSc)

~Business Game Changer Special Promotion~

About Court Garfoot

Court is currently a marketing mentor, consultant, strategist and content creator. Having worked with some of the biggest brands internationally, nationally and locally, Court has experience in multi-channel campaigns with every sized budget. If you’re interested in connecting with Court, you can find her on Instagram, LinkedIn, or courtgarfoot.com.

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