5 Tips for Connecting With Your Ideal Customer on Instagram

Call it the holy grail of social media, Instagram is where the action is right now, and more retail brands are looking for ways to connect with their customers on the platform. Facebook’s Instagram outperforms the likes of Twitter, Snapchat, LinkedIn and Pinterest when it comes to customer engagement.

That in and of itself doesn’t come as a big surprise. With more than 800 million active users, the platform has made a huge milestone from being a fashionista hub to a darling of digital marketers. In fact, in a recent survey conducted by Bloglovin Global, 60% of micro-influencers believe Instagram is the place-to-be for optimal engagement. What’s more — most Instagram users and visitors are in a “ready-to-buy” mode.

So, how can independent retailers tap Instagram marketing potential? How can you make the most out of millions of Instagram users to drive foot traffic to your store and improve sales? Herein, we’ll take a look at 5 insider tips on how to connect better with your ideal customer on Instagram.

1. Upload Appealing Photos

Acing Instagram marketing boils down to being visually compelling. As they say, a picture is worth a 1000 words, and Instagram is where to tell your customer story. Use visually appealing images to convey your message at a glance. It’s crucial that your pictures, videos, and even GIFs be high-quality, attention-grabbing, and a little fun. You should never compromise on the resolution of the photos.

The bottom line is that eye-catching images can truly turbo-charge your brand visibility on Instagram, and lure in more engagement.

2. Run An Attention-Grabbing Instagram Contest

Nothing generates more buzz and engagement quite like a worthwhile contest. Once you have rounded up a decent audience on your Instagram channel, you can now run a contest — just make sure it doesn’t violate any of the platform’s policies. Which begs the question: what makes for a compelling Instagram contest? Remember Instagram is rife with a ton of contests, so you’re constantly fighting for user’s attention. Make sure your Instagram contest has the following nifty qualities:

  • Includes a fabulous video or image to entice more users
  • A branded hashtag to create buzz around your brand, and help you measure how much engagement your contest is receiving.
  • Easy to join and participate — don’t bore users with a complex process
  • It’s time-bound: most contests run for one or two weeks max
  • Has public elements to increase engagement
  • Has an attractive prize: it could be promo code, freebie or discount vouchers

The good thing about branded Instagram contests is that they can boost your engagement and reach as well as enhance your branding without spending a lot on Ads.

3. Spruce Up your Instagram Reach

Reach is crucial when it comes to to gaining more brand visibility and engagement. What to do to improve your reach? Use 5 hashtags, leverage local targeting, and promote your product’s name.

4. Give Value in Every Post

Don’t just blurt out the names of your products. Offer value in every post by making the content entertaining, educational, motivating, inspiring or funny.

5. Add Call-to-Action

Every post you make should include a call-to-action to get people to visit your website, buy a product, participate in a contest, and so on.