Managing your own brand’s social media account is totally do-able (which is why we have an online course in the works to help business owners do it for themselves!).
However, not all business owners have the time to DIY their social media management. Some may already be doing it themselves, but simply aren’t getting the results they want. That’s exactly why social media management teams (like us) are here to provide top notch content creation for our clients.
Do you want to make the most out of your social media management? Read on to find out the key things you should be doing!
Words: Adriana Thani
Relay all the important details
When you’re discussing your content strategy with your social media management team, always make sure your brief isn’t too brief! No matter how talented and experienced your social media management team is, they simply can’t magic something out of nothing.
There are several things you can share with your social media manager to make your time together more effective. First of all, think about how your business set up, and your business’ unique customer journey. Do you sell a product or service? Do you have a physical location or are you based completely online?
For example, we have clients who display their wares online but require customers to attend their business in order to complete their transactions. Another client sells both products and services, so their messaging has a mix for both sides of her business. Determining these factors will help guide your social media management team so everyone is clear on what your business objectives are.
You should also thoroughly explain your core brand values so your content can accurately reflect what’s important to your brand. This is a vital step for your social media management team so they can create a brand voice and content pillars that are unique to your business.
Identify your goals
One thing to keep in mind when it comes to Instagram is this: Social media isn’t about getting sales, it’s about providing a memorable brand experience and creating a community that is loyal to your brand.
When you look at a Content Marketing Funnel, you’ll notice that social media is at the very top of the funnel, in the Awareness stage. This means that social media is often one of the first interactions that a potential customer has with your brand.
If you’re well-versed in marketing touch points, you’ll know that social media is just one of the many digital touchpoints that you should have in your marketing tool belt. Basically, you can’t treat your Instagram account as the be-all-end-all for your digital marketing strategy! It’s just one of the many ways for you to market your business.
Now that you’ve managed your expectations accordingly, you need to identify realistic goals for your Instagram presence. This could be website clicks, or reach, or even engagement, like the number of comments on your posts.
This will help your social media management team craft the best Calls To Action (CTAs) for your Instagram content. For example, some of the common CTAs we use for our clients ask that audiences visit their website, read a blog post, comment with an answer to a question, and tag a friend in the comments. Your social media team should be able to craft at least 5 main CTAs for your brand that can be interspersed through your content!
Provide some examples
One of the key questions we ask clients during our initial consultations is: are there any Instagram profiles or websites that are similar to what you want?
Whether it’s the images or captions, make sure to specify what it is you like about those Instagram profiles so your social media management team can understand what kind of results you’re after!
You don’t have to be a fan of everything that account is doing, either. For example, you may really like the peachy golden image aesthetics of one account’s grid, but enjoy the sassy captions from a whole different account.
The main thing to ask yourself is: what type of content do you want to see on my Instagram, and who is doing it really well right now? This doesn’t mean that your social media management will copy everything that those accounts are doing, of course! It simply gives them a benchmark to work with as they tailor your content to your specific brand.
Give them some content
Do you have content that you think would look good on your Instagram grid? Share them with your social media manager! This is especially true for personal branding photos, or any images that feature you in it. This type of content is fantastic for humanising your brand and allows an insight to the people behind your business.
Of course, if you’re selling products, you need to have beautifully shot, high-quality product images that suit your Instagram aesthetic. We highly recommend hiring a professional photographer for all your product shots, but you can certainly DIY if you can make sure it fulfils all the criteria above!
Aside from that, you can also provide customer testimonials, reviews, and case studies. This is especially important for digital service providers, as it showcases your services in a tangible way, which makes it a lot easier for your audiences to relate to.
You could also consider sharing other user-generated content, including photos and videos! This type of social proof is priceless, really. Just make sure to choose content that suits your grid and brand voice where possible (although you could always share some of the content on your Stories and add them to your Highlights as well).
Engage with your community
All the best content in the world will mean nothing if you’re not sparking genuine relationships with your community! Interacting with fellow Instagram users can mean the difference between someone liking a photo and then scrolling to the next photo on their feed, or spending time chatting with you in the comments or via DMs.
There are so many ways you can engage with your community on Instagram. Make the first move by liking and commenting on the posts from Instagram accounts that are relevant to you. This could be other brands in your industry, potential customers, or even existing customers.
Your social media team should also be adept at crafting engaging content that will encourage followers to engage with you first. This is a great way for your profile to passively invite communication, without you needing to make the first move!
Help us help you!
As social media managers, we love educating small business owners on how to use social media to drive their business growth. It’s something we are passionate about, because we want to empower more entrepreneurs to utilise platforms like Instagram to their advantage.So make sure you’re making full use of our talents by using the tips above when engaging our services.
Do you want your Instagram account to be the go-to place for your community to gather? Drop us a line to find out how we can make that happen!
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