By The content on the brand’s social networks can be “covered with dust”: the headings are already familiar to the readers; the posts have become boring. What to do? Look for new options. But, finding ideas is not that easy.
We have selected content options for small businesses on Instagram that will help marketers and SMMs present a brand in a relevant way and forget what a creative block is.
Show that the brand cares
The brand cares about the environment, society, local community or animals.
In recent years, people have become more aware of the world’s environmental problems. They expect more than just good prices and good products. They want to have a positive impact on the world.
Expressing such concern for a brand on Instagram will improve people’s attitudes towards the company.
For example, the KappAhl chain of stores offers gift certificates to their customers for bringing old clothes and shoes for recycling and sustainable recycling.
Expand your brand identity
Brand pages are different from the accounts of influencers, bloggers, and regular Instagram users. Often, everything that companies usually show to subscribers is strictly planned according to the strategy for several months before the release.
This is the specificity of promoting an Instagram page. But does it hurt to be more extraordinary sometimes? Help your subscribers get to know you a little better. Show not only the shop window, but also what is happening behind it. Show off a creatively cluttered studio, workspace, or create a short video clip of how you work.
BUT don’t make a gallery of sleepy faces in a serious meeting at 10am Monday morning. Show something interesting or funny. It can be anything – an employee working at a desk; a service dog sprawled on the bed; or a Bollywood-style dance number featuring the office.
It’s good to be more extraordinary sometimes. It inspires sympathy and brings you closer to your audience.
Exclusive offers, discounts or special promo codes
Community-exclusive offers help your audience feel special. For example, you can inform on the page about the start of the sale before the information becomes available to site visitors or regular customers offline. Or create exclusive gift promo codes for the Instagram community. You can offer a special coupon code. In return, ask to mention the post on Instagram when placing an order or booking a service.
A great example for a chain of coffee shops. An original exclusive for customers – to paint portraits of customers on cups.
By the way, promo codes will be useful not only for subscribers, but also for marketers. They will show how many customers come from the site. This will help to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of advertising. And, if necessary, make changes to the promotion strategy.
Interview or synopsis
Is there an expert in your field that you admire? Or a client with an interesting story?
An interview with a specialist, answers to frequently asked questions from users or a brief product overview. This is content that is beautiful from every angle. Subscribers receive useful information, and the brand shows its expertise and answers the most popular questions or needs.
This type of content can be promoted in several ways:
- Regular publications in the feed. For example, a video up to 60 seconds with a synopsis or the highlights of an interview.
- Instagram Stories. Selected excerpts from the interview can be published here. Just remember that each story can be up to 15 seconds long. If you add a longer video, for example 45 seconds, Instagram will automatically split it into short stories. Do not forget to add subtitles to Stories, as many users watch them with the sound turned off.
- IGTV. On IGTV, you can publish the entire interview and then promote it in your profile or Stories.
- Live Stream. Are you confident, well prepared and able to act spontaneously? Answer questions live, conduct an interview with a guest / expert, or review a product. Then you can save the video, edit and use later in the feed or Stories.
Hot topics
Is there a hot topic that everyone is talking about that relates to your brand? Don’t ignore the hype.
This will join a broader topic that is already engaging a lot of Instagram users. Moreover, the event may not always be directly related to the activities of the company. For example, Dodo Pizza has released a series of products to mark the release of Cyberpunk 2077.
Useful content
Do users ask the same questions multiple times a day? Help people solve a popular problem.
For example, a short one-minute tutorial video will explain how to do something in an easy and accessible way. Or post a before / after product image with written instructions in the comments. Alternatively, an image carousel with a step-by-step guide
How-to posts make you an expert in your field and provide valuable insight to your audience. For example, like the feed of marketer Neil Patel, which is filled with short videos and slides with helpful tutorials.
Ask users a question
By asking questions, you encourage subscribers to share thoughts and ideas on almost any topic. These opinions will help you create content that will interest your audience. For example, if you are a fitness trainer, ask, “What is your purpose in going to the gym?” Subscriber responses will help you frame a ton of new content or create a custom workout.
Surveys also help intrigue and shape audience expectations. For example, the Epica yoghurt brand did this by talking about the imminent release of new flavors in a survey format.
The examples in this article are just a few of the posting content options. The Internet is constantly replenished with new examples of posts and instructions for creating spectacular posts. Get inspired, create posts and delight your subscribers with interesting content.
