There are 300+ million users on Instagram who share millions of videos and photographs every day. A lot of these users are now businesses that share content related to their products, services, organization, and future innovations. They use Instagram to keep their loyal customers and target audience updated on the latest things happening with their company. What better way to do that than visually through videos and photos?
However, it is not enough to share content with just anyone. You must know how to reach your target audience and build a community of followers who are interested in your brand. That is the only way to ensure their engagement with your Instagram posts. Now let’s go over how to find the ideal audience for your brand on Instagram.
1) Use Hashtags
Hashtags are the best way to reach your target audience on Instagram. The platform allows users to discover new content by searching for specific hashtags. The idea is to put hashtags in your posts which identify your niche, or some product or service related to it. When new users go to search those hashtags on the platform, they’ll likely discover your posts and view your content.
Instagram recently added an Explore page to their platform, which allows users to discover posts much faster and easier. All you need to do is identify which hashtags are popular in your niche and then use them. Use the Explore page to research the different hashtags that your competitors use. Instagram also has a search feature which lets you discover hashtags by entering relevant keyword phrases.
2) Use the @mention Strategy
When an Instagram user wants to draw attention to another user’s posted message, they can use @mentions. You would basically type the character @ and then put the user’s name immediately after it. This is a brand marketing strategy that can work well if you do it right. Find out who else your target audience follows on Instagram and start mentioning their posts in a natural way. In some cases, the user account that you mention will repost your message to their own group of followers within your same niche. This could possibly attract some of them to follow your account too.
3) Location Tagging
Does your brand name have a connection to a specific location? Maybe you share a photo or video of a specific location? If so, you can tag your posts with the name of the location in order to get more exposure. Hashtag feeds are filled with location-based posts where people share their vacations, memories, and other relevant content. If you can somehow get your brand to identify with a popular location, such as Los Angeles or New York, then you can gain followers who simply love those areas.
4) Use Third-Party Services to Get Noticed
If you’re new on Instagram and struggling to get your brand noticed, there are third-party services which can give your brand name recognition a boost. Some of these services providers will even offer free Instagram followers. All you need to do is have quality content waiting for them. Some of them may stick around for a while if they’re interested, while others might not. Either way, this gives your Instagram posts some additional exposure as you attempt to gain a large following to your brand account.
5) Instagram Insights
To ensure that you’re targeting the right audience, use the Instagram Insights feature to see the demographics of your user engagement. This will give you valuable information about your average followers, such as their location, gender, and age range. By learning this information, you can organize your future content to cater more to the specific demographics that view your posts the most. This can also help if you ever decide to run an Instagram Ads campaign.
Conclusion
Building a brand on Instagram will not happen overnight. However, there are a lot of useful tools and strategies available which can expedite the process. The five strategies outlined above should help you get there faster than usual.