Sue Zimmerman has been coaching on how to maximize Instagram for your business for nearly a decade.
During her recent talk at Traffic and Conversion Summit 2021, she shared info and insights on how to use Instagram to build a community that LOVES to buy from you.
Here’s a look at what Zimmerman had to say.
A Different Way to Think of Instagram
According to Zimmerman, it’s helpful to think of Instagram as a “village” made up of five distinct neighborhoods. They include:
- Main Feed
- Stories
- Live
- IGTV
- Reels
The key to making the most of them? Figuring out where your target audience hangs out…and making sure you are there.
The 5 Instagram Content Pillars
Regardless of which neighborhood you’re creating content for, there are five Instagram content pillars you should be shooting for:
- Authority
- Relatability
- Relevance
- Saveability
- Shareability
So how do you build up those content pillars?
Five Tactics to Increase Engagement
These five tactics are the key to increasing your performance in the algorithm and generating more sales directly from Instagram.
1. SEO-optimize your account name and name field
If you want to be found on Instagram, you have to describe your business. Failure to do this is the #1 traffic-killing mistake people make.
2. Focus on hooks
Include your hook in all the neighborhoods to entice and connect with interested followers. Examples include:
- “Let me let you in on a little secret”
- “The biggest mistake (client niche) make”
- “The most productive way to support X this season”
- “The best gift to (demographic)”
- “My favorite (item/tip) for a problem”
- “X ways to avoid (pain point)”
3. Schedule time to engage with posts—your own and others’
High-quality conversations always lead to opportunities. Examples include:
- “Do you have any questions for me?”
- “What do you mean by that?”
- “Has that put you in a tough position?”
- “Thanks so much, what was your takeaway?”
- “Did you get a chance to try it?”
- “Who in your life would find this useful?”
4. Use CTAs
CTAs spark engagement and conversions.Use them in all the neighborhoods, as well as in your bio. Examples include:
- “Leave a comment below if…”
- “Double tap this post if you agree.”
- “Tap the link in my bio to get more information.”
- “Comment below with the emoji that best explains how you feel.”
- “Head to our Story to see how…”
- “Tell me your favorite: A,B,C, or D.”
- “Tag 3 friends who will agree.”
5. Use engagement stickers in Stories
Stickers help isolate your warmest followers. New ones are released and tested all the time. Examples include:
- Polls
- Questions
- Countdowns
- Sliders
- Quizzes
- Donations
One last thing to remember? There is a real person with real desires behind every follower. Keeping this in mind can help you do more than get “likes.” It can help you build a community and turn followers into fans.
