Being on the gram is not an optional add-on for brands. It has become the place to be for any business big or small trying to keep up with its audience. Instagram has become the place for connecting with customers at a more personal level thus building better customer relationships. But marketers are at their wits’ end when it comes to deciding the right kinds of Instagram posts for their brand pages. Because your brand’s engagement depends on what you post.
Can you relate to that? Then you are in the right place. Today let’s tell you a little about the most popular Instagram post ideas that help skyrocket brand page engagement.
Before we talk about post ideas to try, let’s look at the common types of posts to include:
Make the most of all these Instagram post types and explore all the Instagram features to make the most of this platform for your brand. With that said, let’s talk about post ideas you can add to your page.
There are 2 benefits of sharing educational content on Instagram:
If you only have a crisp fact to share, a traditional single-image post works. But when you have a lot of information, use carousels, infographics (like the one featured below), or video posts. These make it easier to communicate the information more clearly.
Among the many reasons why people choose to follow a brand on social media, one is to get to know the brand better. About 81% of consumers prefer buying from brands they trust. How can they trust a brand when they do not know about it?
There are many ways to tell your brand story in your Instagram posts. Tracing back your history, highlighting key milestones, and talking about the ways in which your brand has grown are a few ways to do it. See how Oreo does it creatively.
Tutorials are evergreen content ideas that work on almost all platforms including Instagram. People are always on the lookout for new ideas that makes life simpler for them. And Instagram is also a place where people gain a better understanding of the products and services they are looking for. So, if your Instagram posts give them easy hacks on how to use particular products, they work in favor of your brand.
Your tutorial posts do not even have to be serious demonstrations of your products all the time. Simply look for problems your customers face and create videos that suggest a creative way to solve these problems. Take a look at the fun tutorial video from Coca-Cola below.
User-generated content on Instagram help break the ice and build better connections with customers. These Instagram posts are a way to acknowledge your customers, celebrate them, and appreciate them for their support.
When you share your users’ content and give them a shoutout, customers feel “heard”. Customers who feel heard tend to be more loyal and bring in new customers too.
The below post on the TicTac Instagram page gives a nod to the creativity of a user.
Not all Instagram posts need to be about your brand. Remember the “social” factor in social media. Share posts that are share-worthy. In other words, regularly include Instagram posts that are relatable. These can be light-hearted jokes, inspirational quotes, or so much more.
Take the below Starbucks post for example. Besides sharing them with their friends and family, people might tag them too. That brings new leads to your brand.
Again, this one helps in your community-building approach on Instagram. Seasonal wishes do not have to be too elaborate. A simple heartfelt wish with a subtle flavor of your brand is all it takes. It helps you connect with your customers and also shows them that your Instagram page is up-to-date.
The below post on M&M’s page conveys the wish while also keeping the brand in the spotlight.
Instagram is a great place for brands to gather customer feedback. By asking questions to your customers you are showing them that their opinions count.
The above post on the Instagram page of Krispy Kreme works because:
Did you know that an average millennial is likely to come across 20-30 memes per day?
Memes are a rage on social media. If you think memes are too casual and therefore not suitable on a brand page, think again. Memes are fun and easy to understand. They are excellent icebreakers that encourage customers to interact more with the brand.
While creating branded memes for your brand’s Instagram page:
The below email on the Pizza Hut Instagram page shows that you can use memes not just for engagement but also to promote your social media contests and more.
Your company’s CST strategies influence your brand image in many ways. And about 88% of people are curious to find out more about a brand’s CSR activities.
Instagram posts that talk about your corporate social responsibility activities help show customers that your brand does more than “business”.
These CSR posts are also a way to re-establish your brand values. And brand values help shape your brand image. Nearly 77% of consumers make purchases from brands with values similar to theirs.
In the below heartwarming video Chick-fil-A talks about its annual True Inspiration Awards given to nonprofits.
When you meet someone new, what’s the best way to initiate conversations? Ask questions! Similarly, if are struggling to boost engagement on your Instagram page then one of the best ways to do that will be to post open-ended questions.
The above Instagram post from Papa Johns is a good example of how simple open-ended questions initiate conversations and increase engagement rates on Instagram. As you can see, the question is not directly connected to the brand but it stays within the niche. And with questions like these customers find it easy to answer and connect with the brand.
Depending on your current content calendar, your posting frequency and other factors you can use these ideas both on the Feed and on Story posts. Remember that on a visually-engaging platform like Instagram, you need to have aesthetically appealing graphics to make your customers stop scrolling and take a look at your posts.
Standardize your visual style for Instagram and stick with it. This should be in line with your brand identity. You do not want any disconnect between your Instagram page and website. There are several DIY design tools like Canva that can be used to quickly create Instagram posts. Or you can work with graphic designers. Stock image sites come in handy in case you need quick stock elements to put together some creative visuals for your page.
