Here's what you need to do if your Instagram engagement is dropping

There’s a good chance that you’re not getting as many likes and comments as you used to on your Instagram account. Here’s something you should know if you’re not getting the engagement you’ve come to expect. You’re not the only person experiencing a drop in engagement.

Instagram has never been bigger. The social network has a billion active users with more than 500 million daily Story users. At the same time, Facebook business accounts used to be receiving a great deal of likes and comments that Instagram business accounts once had. Facebook has moved in the direction of rewarding businesses that spend more and more money to run Facebook ads. The reality is that Instagram is very likely following the same path as Facebook. Organic reach and engagement is going down and that’s a fact.

3 things you shouldn’t quit doing on Instagram

Although the amount of likes and comments you receive on your Instagram posts are dropping, it doesn’t mean that you should give up on Instagram. You can still experience success on Instagram whether you’re focused a B2B or B2C sales. Below are three things you need to continue doing.

Invest in Instagram Stories

While organic engagement has been going down rather drastically for some accounts since January 2019, Story usage has been going up. From what we’ve seen, some Instagram accounts are getting as many as 50% more views on Stories in recent months. Instagram Stories are a great way to announce sales and discounts. It’s also an effective feature to broadcast events and share timely content.

Post consistently

Don’t give up on posting regularly to your Instagram account. When you’re active on a consistent basis, you give your business more chances to be discovered in Instagram’s search tool. Aim for daily posts. If you don’t have the bandwidth to do that then post at least three times a week. Be sure to include hashtags and location tags so more people can find your Instagram profile.

Engage with relevant content

Remember that one of the keys to succeeding on social media is to be social. Make time every day to like and comment on relevant posts. It’s a free way to give some love back and find more accounts you can collaborate with. Engaging with relevant content will also help you increase your chances of being discovered by other audiences.

You can find relevant posts by using Instagram’s search tool. Type in a specific hashtag that is unique to your business. If you’re in the potty training business, use #pottytraining. The same goes for fashion and other industries. Another way to find relevant content is by searching location tags. Engaging with posts that have location tags are an effective way to get more customers if you have a location-based business like a restaurant.

Share this blog post with your friends if you found this post helpful

If you gained any value from this blog post, please share this with your friends who are concerned about their dropping engagement. It’ll help them accomplish their goals with Instagram marketing.

Questions about social media marketing? Email Josh at josh@jamiascreative.com!

Factors you need to consider when creating your content marketing strategy

Creating the perfect content marketing strategy for your brand isn’t impossible when you know what to do. If you don’t already know, content marketing is an effective way to develop a relationship with your customers and increase sales. By implementing a game plan for your content marketing efforts, you can set yourself up for success. Below are a handful of factors you need to consider when creating your content marketing strategy.

Just as a catering company provides a great experience through excellent service and quality food, you need to fulfill the needs of your customers with quality content.

How do you provide value?

Let’s answer this question with another question. Which problems do people pay you to solve? You provide great value when you help people solve the problems you’re best at solving. It’s difficult to provide value to customers when you step outside of your line of expertise or don’t share any content at all. Here are several content marketing ideas specific to the businesses listed below:

• Physical therapy clinic

  • 1 minute video: 3 stretches you can do for tight hamstrings

  • 500-word blog post: How to speed up your recovery after surgery

  • Infographic: 10 most frequently asked questions about physical therapy

• Kitchen/Cooking equipment specialty store

  • 1 minute video: How to sharpen your knife

  • 500-word blog post: 4 ways to use balsamic vinegar

  • Infographic: Every beginner chef needs to know these terms

• Boxing gym

  • 1 minute video: How to wrap your hands

  • 500-word blog post: Every champion boxer does these 4 things

  • Infographic: The top 10 best heavyweight boxers of the 2000’s

• Financial advisor

  • 1 minute video: 4 quick things everyone should know about credit cards

  • 500-word blog post: Here are 6 questions you should ask when you choosing a financial advisor

  • Infographic: What’s the difference between stocks and ETFs?

As you can see, all of the ideas shared above are relatively simple topics for each industry. They’re basic pieces of content that can be easily shared and help provide answers for both current and potential customers. They’re also content ideas that can be used over and over again which is known as evergreen content.

Give your customers and clients the answers they’re looking for with content marketing.

Content creation

How do you go about creating content? How do you know which types of content you should focus on? What if you’re not a great writer or don’t know how to produce videos?

The answer is you do what you’re capable of and what you can constantly produce on a regular basis. You also do what you can with the time and resources that you have. If you only have writing skills, create weekly blog posts. On the other hand, you can produce quick videos and would rather do that, go for it! In the event that you have the resources to pay someone else to create content, that may be the best option if your business skillset doesn’t include blog writing, video creation, or graphic design.

Focus on creating content that helps your customers solve the problems they’re dealing with. Helping them find answers should be your goal with every piece of marketing content you provide.

Distribution

Now that you have several pieces of killer content lined up, the next thing you need to do is share them. The best thing to do is to distribute your content on the platforms your customers spend the most time on. If your ideal customer doesn’t spend anytime on Twitter but is active on Instagram, focus on distributing content on Instagram. Be present and active where your customers are. In the event that your customers uses everything from Facebook to email, share your content on everything from Twitter to email. Give your brand as many opportunities as possible to be discovered.

Calendar

Putting a calendar to work for you will relieve stress and keep you on schedule.

After figuring out your distribution channels, decide on how often you’ll be sharing content. Depending on your bandwidth, you can choose to share content once a week, three times a week, or everyday. You could’ve share your new, original content twice a week if that works best for you. It’s a good idea to plan out a simple content calendar to help you stay on track and ensure that you’re posting consistently. Here are a few ways a calendar can help you:

• Establish deadlines for drafts of content

• Plan out timelines for content production which is especially key for more demanding projects such as white papers and high-end videos

• Increased accountability to yourself and your team

Consistency is vital to your success with content marketing. When you’re consistent, you build a real brand and will increase sales over time.

Build a real brand and make your customers happy with content marketing.

Do you have any questions about content marketing strategy? Email Josh at josh@jamiascreative.com!

Jamias Creative takes care of your social media marketing and content marketing so you don’t have to.

You'll gain more followers on Instagram this week by doing these things

Instagram follower growth isn’t impossible. You shouldn’t feel overwhelmed if you’re not gaining new followers. Sometimes it may come down to you missing a few details or not using certain strategies. Below are several things you can do to really attract new followers and build a strong brand.

Respond to all direct messages and comments

If you’ve ever reached out to a brand but didn’t hear back, you probably were frustrated since you may have felt like that brand didn’t care. You can show that you care by responding to all direct messages and comments you receive on Instagram. It’s really easy to do and a little bit of goodwill goes a long way. Don’t hesitate to communicate with your followers. When you respond, you invest in your relationship with your customers. They will be more likely to talk about your brand because they know that you care.

Like and comment on related posts

Engaging with relevant posts is an effective way to get more people to check out your Instagram profile. You can consistently increase your daily profile visits by liking and commenting on related posts. Related posts are posts that are from brands or people who are connected to your business. This connection can often be through either industry or geographic location.

Add hashtags

A simple way to increase your chances of getting discovered on Instagram is by using hashtags. You can include hashtags on your Instagram Stories, posts, and IGTV posts. Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags per post. You might be tempted to only share a 2-5 hashtags but don’t. Sticking to a handful of hashtags reduces your chances of new Instagram users finding your account. Be sure to use hashtags that are specific to your industry. You’re more likely to be found by users who will buy from you.

Share user-generated content

User-generated content will help you quickly increase follower loyalty when you use it. It makes the creator of the content happy and it shows other people the benefits of your products/services. The reason it’s so effective is because someone else is doing the talking for you. You’re not having to speak for yourself. Remember to ask your fans for permission to share on your feed! This simple courtesy goes a long way.

Collaborate

Another way to find new followers and grow your community is by collaborating with relevant accounts. There is a lot of power in collaboration because you’re combining your efforts with the efforts of another brand. Here are a few ideas you can tailor to the needs of your brand:

• Stylized shoot with a model, wedding dress designer, wedding photographer, and floral designer

• Fitness instructional IGTV series with a nutritionist and yoga instructor

• A three-part series of Instagram posts with a tax accountant and financial planner on saving for retirement

One of the benefits of collaborating with other brands is you are able to earn the attention of the followers who love the brands you are partnering with. Are there any brands you’re thinking about and want to reach to? Go for it! The worst thing that can happen is you get turned down.

Post consistently

If you want to be forgotten, don’t post consistently. If you want to build a brand and increase sales, post consistently. It’s really easy to do. Posting on a regular basis has never been easier thanks to the creation of scheduling tools for Instagram. In fact, you can use Facebook’s new Creator Studio for Instagram to plan and schedule posts. Creator Studio allows you plan out posts for your feed and upload IGTV videos ahead of time so you’re not sitting on your phone waiting for the right time to post.

By posting consistently, you’ll give yourself more chances to be discovered and more opportunities to generate sales.

Now that you’ve finished reading this blog post, you’re guaranteed to gain more followers by following the tips above! Do you have any questions about social media marketing? Email Josh at josh@jamiascreative.com!