Stories and success strategies with the authority on social selling, Rebekah Radice
How is your brand using Instagram? Instagram is the second-largest engaged social platform and shows no signs of slowing down. One question we hear a lot is, "How can my brand use Instagram more effectively?"
Rebekah Radice is the founder of Rebekah Radice Media and RadiantLA, premier training and development companies working with growth driven leaders to build comprehensive marketing systems.
She leads product marketing for Tail Wind, is the author of “Social Media Mastery: A Comprehensive Guide to Strategic Growth,” and has created “The Authority Matrix,” a powerful personal brand building tool used by Fortune 500 executives to leverage employee influence and advocacy.
One of the top struggles for businesses who want to utilize Instagram is how they connect the dots and harness the power of Instagram.
“No matter what you’re showing up on Instagram for, there is an audience,” Radice said. “Even if you’ve been told, or if you’re feeling as if your audience isn’t over there, I guarantee they are. There are just some specific ways in how you go about nurturing those relationships and then finding them.
Hashtags are one big driver, Radice said, as well as making sure you understand who your audience is. When you know your audience, you can stay pretty narrow in your content and with your posts.
“We’re following people because we are looking for something very specific,” Radice said. “We know what we want ... We’re scrolling through exactly what we want to see from those people.”
Radice also said that it’s a misconception that you have to be everything to everybody. That’s just not the case. Instead, if you look at the majority of influencer feeds, you’ll see the same thing over and over again.
“The picture may look a little bit different, but you’re telling a very similar story,” she explained. Then, they have a compelling call-to-action. Thus, the answer is to get crystal clear on who your audience is, what they’re looking for, and decide how you can best serve that up to them consistently. “That is a key to Instagram success,” Radice said.
However, that doesn’t mean you have to post every single day or three times a day at the same time.
“It’s more about the value you are bringing and the type of content you’re sharing,” Radice said. That helps make sure your audience in confident in you. After all, they know what they can expect from you. When they visit your page or watch your stories, they know what you’re all about and what they’re going to get. “It doesn’t have to be difficult or convoluted,” she continued.
Great brands use Instagram to share:
- Real photos, not stock photography
- Similar messages and calls-to-action
- Behind-the-scenes and insider knowledge
- Personal and genuine interactions
That’s how you can be real on Instagram. Rely on being original with your photos, your story, and yourself! And, of all the platforms, Instagram is the best at being authentic.
“Stories takes that to a whole other dimension,” Radice said. “We strip away the pretty and the posed look of our feeds … Instead we take you with us.”
Some people feel like their business isn’t interesting enough for real posts. But, Radice said, there is an audience out there, no matter the industry. Somebody is interested in what you’re doing.
That’s where stories can really come in handy. People are watching stories, and the trend will only continue to grow. It allows you to showcase the “exciting” parts of your business—the behind the scenes. People want to see the real deal. No longer are they satisfied with pretty filters. Instead, the trend is in favor of uncut, raw video that showcases the real aspects of your business.
You can use stories to bring engagement to your posts, by using them to quickly tell people what’s happening. Posts are used as a long-term strategy to support your main goals and lead the call for whatever action you want people to take. Let stories be your way of being in the moment and allowing people to get to know you, your team, and your business. The relationship building is what really help build your audience.
Radice recommends doing an assessment of your Instagram page and feed to look at the content from your audience’s perspective. What are you currently sharing and how is your audience responding? Is it truly the best representation of what the business and the brand is all about?
Also think about the core things your business is about. Is your current content upholding those core things?
“None of this has to be difficult,” Radice said. “What are you trying to achieve?”
Radice recommended that marketers get specific with a simple goal, assign a metric to it, and then strategize some content that will support that goal. If you come out of the gate with a big, overwhelming strategy, you’re just setting yourself up for failure.
“Share what you need to share,” she added. “If it’s posting once a week to your feed and using stories in between that, do it.”
Need some help coming up with an Instagram strategy for your business? We’re here for you. Watch the replay of our Magnet Marketers Training Tuesday live stream and ask us your questions. As always, feel free to reach out and contact us at info@nowmarketinggroup.com.
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