As an entrepreneur, you may have said to yourself on a few occasions, how do I maneuver this Social Media thing in a way that is going to help my business. You are not alone. As each day passes, social advances give us options on how to present content but sometimes it can become overwhelming. I completely get that. Let’s take Instagram for example. Now, many people are using Instagram today to connect, monetize their business and as means to share their content. Recent studies show that there are about 600 Million active daily users on Instagram in 2021 thus far. Those numbers will continue to rise and as a business owner, having a presence on Instagram is a very smart idea.
You now might be saying, with Instagram, how do I know when to post a story, versus a reel, versus using IGTV? How does these options compare to the other social channels that are out there like YouTube, TikTok or Snapchat per se. All Valid questions. I was recently asked this by one of my clients and I wanted to share with you what I shared with them.
Here is a good and quick way to think about it:
- IGTV is like YouTube: You can post edited, high quality, longer format videos, I believe up to about 10 minutes. You can feel free though to add links and content for more clarity and marketing. These are good ways to share some of your longer form thoughts.
- Stories are like Snapchat: You can do pics or videos, add special effects but best practice is to use for messages, videos and content that is 15 seconds long. You can do longer and snapchat will cut it into bite size pieces for you but again, average attention for these is 15 seconds.
- Reel is like Tik Tok: You also have 15 seconds, but they are used to make people laugh, show off your skills in different areas and ways but best practice is also to use them to highlight a product or even behind the scenes of your company.
During this same dialogue, I was asked about the feed and how many times you should post. In my humble opinion, people have different audiences, expectations and levels of time. My primary advice to my clients is to think about your audiences and your future audiences. If you have a very active audience, they are likely looking to see content from you on a regular basis. Posting a few times a day will ensure that they can get insight into your thoughts and perspectives. For a less engaged audience you can post less frequently but keep in mind that the more you do post, the more brand visibility, content and access you are giving to your clients. Content like social media and blogs also help to increase your findability in search engines so the more attention you give to it, the more successful you will be.
In terms of posting in the feed, my feedback is simple. Social is about being present and being active. There are many ways to be present and active and not necessarily be posting in your feed multiple times a day. You can use stories, reels and IGTV to spread your message to your audiences. Remember, video is one of the highest engaging forms of content so take advantage of that. Its also an opportunity for your audience to connect with you in a more intimate way. When they see your face and hear your voice, they get an even closer look into the real you. Connection as I always say is key in creating a marketing strategy that will bring you more leads and ultimately convert those leads into clients.
Moral of the story is, stay consistent. Use all the tools available to you on Instagram to tell your story. Do not limit yourself just to the feed to post content. People consume content in many different ways so having different forms of content will ensure that you can reach multiple audiences.
Do you need help creating your Instagram strategy? Don’t worry, we have got you covered. Email us at [email protected] and let us help you build your content strategy today. You will be so glad you did.