Columnist Emmanuel Raheb shares eight tips for growing an Instagram account from scratch. From optimizing your bio to engaging local influencers and spending money on advertising.
Instagram has changed the game for the jewellery industry. If you're not using the popular social media platform to grow your audience and drive new traffic to your store, you're missing a huge opportunity.
More than 1.4 billion people use Instagram every day. According to HootSuite, while 35% of users are expected to purchase a product or service they saw in their feed this year.
When you do the math, Instagram can have a greater reach and impact than TV, radio, newspapers and magazines combined. Plus, it's an interactive medium. You can have a direct conversation with your customers. No other advertising channel provides you with this level of feedback from your audience. It's your own private “focus group”.
But simply creating an Instagram account isn't enough. You need to have a strategy. It's hard to grow an audience from nothing. So where do you start?;
Here are eight powerful ways to start an Instagram account when you're starting from scratch.
1. Optimize your Instagram bio.
Whenever someone visits your Instagram profile, the first thing they'll probably read is your Instagram bio. This is even before they view your posts.
People want to get an idea of who you are and what your channel is about. You only have 150 characters to communicate your message, so make every word count.
Ideally, your Instagram bio should be a short and concise description of you and your jewelry store. Also what kind of jewelry you specialize in and what makes you different. You don't have a lot of space, so it's best to create a teaser. Then link it to a landing page on your website where you can explain more.
There you can detail why you are the ideal place to buy an engagement ring. Even other jewelry to celebrate a special occasion.
2. Place geographical tags on each post.
Geotagging allows everyone to know the location where a post was made. The purpose of a geotag is to make it easier for people searching in a particular area to find hyperlocal posts.
You can include the name of your city or town or specify your specific location. It only takes a few extra minutes to do this, but most jewelers don't. You can even ask your customers to post photos and videos of your store. But also ask them to geotag the location.
This strategy can be extremely effective with the launch of a new collection or to create buzz. Instagram's algorithms love it. For something relatively simple, it's extremely powerful.
3. Have a regular publication schedule.
Instagram rewards profiles that post regularly. At a minimum, especially when your channel has less than a thousand followers, you should post at least once a day. This includes both regular image posts as well as Instagram Stories and Reels.
Once you've grown, you can reduce your posting schedule, but maintain a steady schedule at least every other day.
Instagram's algorithm only has so much “reach”, i.e. eyes to show content within someone's feed. This means it tends to favor smaller accounts over much larger accounts. They want new profiles to gain traction and users to stay on the site.
When you're just starting out on Instagram, you have a small window of opportunity to gain momentum. Use it wisely and post every day, not once a week.
4. Use interactive stickers on Instagram Stories.
One strategy that we've found works well is to use Instagram's interactive stickers in Stories. They're fun and engaging and people seem to love them. (If you've ever seen a poll or quiz, then you've seen an interactive sticker).
Instagram introduced stickers as a way for users to engage with their audience.
Be creative and think about how you could use this feature. What would you like to ask your audience? What is the one piece of information you would want from customers if you knew it could grow your business? Use interactive stickers and reveal what your followers really think.
Source: nationaljeweler.com
