So, I don’t know about you, but I don’t have the time in the world to be on Instagram. That’s why I’ve honed an engagement strategy that will help you get more reach while also connecting with your ideal client.
To do this right, you need to have a few critical elements in place first.
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Your hashtags need to be on point
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We need to know who your ideal clients are and where they live
Search by Hashtags
Using your hashtag list, I choose a few hashtags to focus on per day. These would include hashtags that have shown a lot of engagement and reach. Using the discovery, I will look at the recent posts. If I find posts that are in line with my account, I’ll like and leave a thoughtful message. I’ll follow the account if they match my brand’s ideal customer.
In some cases, I’ll even follow these hashtags to save me time.
Search By Location
If you’re trying to connect with customers, you may find many don’t use hashtags on their accounts, however many of them do use locations. If you go to your discovery and click search and then click on the location, you can enter where you want to search, such as Edmonton, Sherwood Park etc.
Watch your time
I typically spend an average of 30 minutes, engaging two times per week.
YEP! That’s right. But what does that look like? It’s not mindlessly scrolling through the feed. No, it’s using the strategies I’ve listed to engage and connect with NEW users meaningfully.
I use the insights to plan which hashtags I’m going to search, the locations etc.
Engage like a professional
When I’m engaging, I don’t just cruise through and like a bunch of accounts. No, when my goal is to grow an account, I focus on leaving meaningful comments, likes, and I even follow new people.
Depending on my goal, I try and find 50-70 new accounts to follow per week.
I do not follow to unfollow as soon as they follow back. I think that’s disingenuous and people don’t like it.
However, it’s still a good idea to go through and clean up your follower list a few times a year. I start by picking a letter a day and going through the list.
Instagram Stories have made it even easier to connect.
With the invention of Instagram stories, you have an even more authentic way of connecting and starting conversations with your customers. You can either send them a response to one of their Instagram stories or encourage them to message you in your Instagram story.
Sliding into DMs the right way
I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve received the dreaded
“Hey (girl, hun, hunnie, babe, gurl)!
Do you want to be your boss?
You can achieve all your own boss babe dreams of selling (insert product here)!”
While I can appreciate the #hustle, this form of engagement went the way of the engagement pods and dinosaurs.
Would you walk up to someone and pitch them? Most likely, no. You would want to get to know them better, ask them a few questions, and build rapport.
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“Your first message to a new follower or someone you follow should NEVER EVER be a pitch. EVER.”
Social media is a long game, my friends. It’s about showing your audience so much value they talk about you to their friends, they share your posts, and can’t help but sign up to your newsletter list because they know you’ll send them great info!
