Instagram, a social media application came into existence in the year 2010, which enabled its users to share photos and videos. It gained millions of users in a very short time. It has over half a billion of active users at present, and is often hailed as the most popular social media platform. To increase the app’s revenue, it incorporated the new feature of sponsored posts after a few years of its launch, which allowed users to advertise their products on the app. This move paved the pathway for digital marketing, and now this app is extensively used for personal as well as brand purposes.
Many brands are opting for marketing on Instagram, owing to its high user engagement. As we all know it is a picture sharing application, it is highly suitable for brands associated with creative industries. Beauty industry is inarguably one of such creative and expressive industries that are booming on Instagram, as it nicely ticks the platform’s visual element. From product reviews, tutorials, to skincare routines, Instagram does not fall short in terms of beauty related content. According to statistics most of the beauty brand communications occur on this app alone. There are thousands of beauty brands active on Instagram, competing with each other for more attention from customers.
Few Tips for Increasing Your Beauty Brand’s Engagement on Instagram:
With upsurge in popularity of social media apps, most of the industries have shifted their focus on advertising on such platforms and targeting a larger number of potential customers. Nowadays, many brands choose to buy likes and comments on Instagram as it increases visibility. However, following are some of tips that you can use to increase engagement.
- Make tutorials – It is undoubtedly one of the most famous types of video content available on Instagram. Beauty brands post plenty of product tutorials. It is because these videos do not only promote the products but also have good engagement rates. It is a way one can institute itself as a leader of the industry. As there are many beauty companies that make and have already uploaded tutorials on basic things like contouring, lining the eyes, etc. you should focus on something that is unusual and probably exclusive to your brand.
- Examine what type of content works the best for you – In general, posts which feature people on beauty brands’ handles, tend to have higher engagement rate. But some brands prefer to post more of product photos, because their audience are more responsive or receptive to that content. So, it is important to keep a regular check on your Instagram analytics, as it will help you identify the content’s type that captures the attention of your audience. It includes noticing the photos which have gotten maximum number of likes and comments, videos that people have watched till the end and lastly the product posts which are converting users into customers. This information will give you an idea about what your followers want in the feeds.
- Accessibility – One of the prime social media benefits for brands is that it allows direct response to customers along with one-to-one conversations. Today, customers expect quick response as the entire process has become so much simpler and easier. According to surveys, more than seventy percent of peoplehave more loyalty towards the brands that respond to their queries or feedback quickly. So, it is important to respond to users in time. This will help you build a reputation of a respectful brand.
- Use a specific hashtag – You should not use a hashtag that’s a broad term like love or happy, etc. and is used generally, as it can be used by so many brands and individuals. You should use a brand that is specific to your brand aka branded hashtag. It will help you see the actual reach of your brand and see how customers feel about your brand and products. It also becomes much simpler for customers to find your products and engage with your brand.
- Inclusivity – Inclusivity is the only way ahead. It is a well-known fact that everyone is not the same, and neither is supposed to be. People have become more aware and accepting of differences, and they expect to see same acceptance in the brands. Customers want companies to have an inclusive approach and have diverse range of products that will cater to wider audience. It has been noticed that brands which are inclusive have more popularity and have garnered more engagement.
- Connect with users – Instagram offers you numerous ways to stay connected with your users, utilise those. Go live! When you go live, you provide an opportunity to your audience to interact with you. You can go live with influencers, experts, founders of the brand, etc. and do real time tutorial or a skin care routine. With new features on the app, you can also conduct Q&A’s by using the sticker of the same. It provides with more entertaining and interactive content thus, making your followers feel valued.
This is a digital era and social media platforms have proven to be a game changer in a positive way for many companies.
