How to Use Instagram to Connect with Fans: 10 Tips

Don't you love diving into your Instagram feed? You're not alone! Instagram has more than 700 million users in the U.S. alone. And with so many ways to express your brand and connect with your ideal customer including Stories, Live Video, Carousel, to name a few, it's no wonder Instagram is the second most popular social media platform.

To make the biggest splash on Instagram and create the most authentic connection for your brand, try these 10 tips.

1. Choose 3 to 5 different areas you want to be known for. For example: DIY decor whiz, mom to two-legged and four-legged babes, tacos, small-town charm in a big city and mid-century modern maven. Select a combo of interests that, yes, include your product and service but also include you! Add these interests to your bio to give people an idea of what they can expect from you. 

2. Then, post about those things with regularity. Create a content calendar to help you stay consistent, even if it's only planning out a week ahead.

3. Experiment with your bio. Maybe test out including some emojis. Also, try leading with the about you rather than what you do (mama, etc. first then founder)

4. Give followers a taste of what you covet and what you use. Share flat lays of things that are meaningful to you, whether it's your favorite Madison items, your morning work setup or what you pack when you travel. Flat lays are the overhead shots you're used to seeing on Instagram, when items are arranged in a way that shares a narrative. They're prominent because they work.

5. When there is someone to tag in your images, tag them. Maybe you partnered with someone or have a featured influencer. Expand your reach and opportunity for engagement by including them in the post.

6. Share the story behind that image and make it real. What inspired the design? What challenges did you experience as you were creating it? Was it a custom piece for someone with an interesting story? Do the materials have history? Err on the side of oversharing and pull back if needed.

7. Engage with people's comments. This is a missed opportunity for many people. Whether someone is genuinely and thoughtfully engaging or they're using a bot to auto-like/comment, reply to them. You never know what kind of connection you could make.

8. Play with calls-to-action in your caption - Whether it's clicking on the link in your bio to learn more, to answer a question, to tag someone they know who might enjoy/tag a fellow mid-century-lovin' mama. Especially if you're looking to generate leads, getting them to engage on platform or click to your site are good places to start

9. Add locations to make yourself more discoverable through Explore. They can be specific (a favorite diner) or more general (the city you're in.)

10. Most importantly, be you. Vulnerability takes courage. Stop faking it. Don't just show the perfect. Show the real you. And all that good stuff!

There you have it - 10 ways to connect with followers and fans on Instagram. 

What tip are you going to try today? Let me know in the comments.