9 Content Ideas For An Engaging Instagram Feed
What I love the most about this social media era, is the innovation it has spawned in creating content. Platforms like Instagram have allowed for not only brands but individuals to express their creativity and frankly, I think that makes the world a much more interesting place. If you’re in the marketing industry, you’ll know that content marketing was and is a really big strategy to attracting your audience online. According to the Content Marketing Institute, content marketing is described as “a strategic approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience – and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.” If you’re not in the marketing industry, this can be a lot to absorb. Basically, if you’re going to be using social media to market your business, creating valuable and engaging content is a must.
It’s no secret that one of the most important metrics to track your social media success is engagement. Instagram, itself has been dubbed the “King of Engagement” as it outshines all the other platforms in this area. While the followers you gain on your Instagram account are very important, if those followers aren’t engaging with the content you’re producing it can be very frustrating. As an entrepreneur or solopreneur who has a limited budget, coming up with engaging content on your own can be a challenge. Trust me, I know (Solopreneur, right here!). However, there are some tried and true content strategies that you can apply today that will improve your engagement on instagram not to mention make it look hot or lit (whatever the kids are saying these days) 😁.
Here are 9 tried and true content ideas to get you started.
1. THE MORNING ROUTINE
What I think we as entrepreneurs can forget when we’re using platforms like Instagram, is that word “social”. Social implies human connection. Yet, we can forget that when we’re posting content, it’s actual, live human beings who are consuming it. Our audience wants to see that we are real and have a peek into your lives. A good content idea for this is to show your morning routine – whether that is your morning cup of coffee, journaling or reading the newspaper. Make a connection with your audience by revealing to them how you start your day. You don’t need expensive equipment either to capture the perfect photo. Use your phone as well as apps like VSCO and A Color Story to help you edit it to perfection.
Example:
Jasmine Star shows a really good example of her morning routine with her coffee and her puppy, Polo.
2. QUOTES
Let’s face it, everyone loves a good quote. If you don’t then you’re lying to yourself. I jest. But seriously, quotes are one of the highest engaging forms of content on Instagram. There are profiles dedicated to just quotes alone. That’s how engaging they are and bonus if they’re inspiring or entertaining. Creating quotes is also super easy. You can do them in Photoshop if you have the ability or you can use apps like Over, Word Swag or Canva that make your quotes look so good, everyone would think they’re professionally designed. I kid you not. Before you choose a quote, think about the message you want to convey. You can come up with something yourself or quote another entrepreneur that you admire. The choices are limitless.
Example:
I’m a huge fan of Gary Vaynerchuk and his inspiring quotes are straight to the point. Like this one is below.
3. TIPS / TUTORIALS
One of the best content ideas for Instagram is to share knowledge with your audience. Educate them on how to solve the problems they’re experiencing and how they can best improve. On my instagram, I started posting tips on improving your social media impact with the goal of improving your business’ bottom line. Providing something that your audience deems as valuable not only means that they will engage with your content – (like, repost or comment) but that they will stick around and become loyal followers and eventually customers.
Example:
In the post below, I posted a tip for determining the right time to post on Instagram along with a Free workbook. You can download your free copy here – Posting Times Decoded.
4. YOUR FACE
So many people have favourable and not so favourable opinions as to whether you should be posting a photo of yourself as a business owner – whether it’s a professional shot or a selfie. To me, it depends on the nature of your business. If you’re developing a personal brand, I’d definitely say yes because as human beings we love to see other faces. It’s built into our DNA. Not to mention people trust you more when they can see you who you are. If you’re looking to foster some real, human connection, show your face but please don’t go overboard. You don’t need to post a photo of yourself every day unless that is what your brand calls for.
Example:
We all know Richard Branson as the owner of Virgin and here he makes a rare appearance in this awesome promo for Virgin America.
5. BEHIND THE SCENES
If you’re a creative who is using Instagram to sell your products, showing your behind the scenes is a good way to involve your audience in the creation process. They will get to see the craftsmanship that goes into creating your product and what it takes to run your business. This will help build an appreciation for what you are offering to the world. Those of us in a service based profession can also give sneak peeks into our day to day activities. This can be done through videos/vlogging or a simple photograph.
Example:
Social Media Examiner recently released a behind the scenes vlog, called The Journey, that I’m loving. It chronicles the inner workings of the company as they seek to meet their business and marketing goals.
6. USER GENERATED CONTENT
Content needs to be authentic, enticing and have the ability to enhance your audience’s experience. One great way to do that is through User Generated Content. If your business is one that is product based, sharing photos that your customers post can be a helpful way to give your brand more credibility. It also takes the pressure off of you from having to create content from scratch every single time. The hospitality industry is great at utilizing user generated content to propel visitors to their websites and once there, influence conversions and bookings.
Example:
Ritz-Carlton does a good job of utilizing user generated content by reposting photos from their guests on their Instagram page.
7. GIFS
I have a confession. I am obsessed with GIFs. I just simply love them and like to use them in my content periodically. They are also a fun way to get your audience engaged. Especially if it’s a gif of a trending movie, tv show or entertainer. It’s a good way to create content that is being talked about in the moment. You can use them for educational purposes or to just simply have fun with your audience. Hubspot, does a great job of incorporating gifs into their instagram content.
Example:
Here Hubspot uses GIFs to make fun of the 4 moods every marketer goes through. I can totally relate.
8. HOLIDAY POSTS
Another way to capitalize on engagement is to post content that is relevant and timely. For example we experienced #NationalTacoDay a couple weeks ago and I don’t know about you but my feed was inundated with tacos. Because of its timeliness, participating and creating content on these national days can help boost your engagement and make you visible to people who may not otherwise see your content. At the time of this post it was #NationalCatDay and I kinda regret not posting a photo of one of my cats. To plan ahead, you can find a list of holidays here – National Day Calendar.
Example:
Of course the post that out did them all on #NationalTacoDay came from the one and only Taco Bell who used the opportunity to offer a special to their audience for that day only.
9. STOCK PHOTOS
I know what you’re thinking – I’m not a photographer, I don’t have the expensive equipment so how do I get good quality content to share my brand’s story. My answer, stock photos. There are plenty of free sites that offer high quality photos in a wide variety of categories. You can use photos from these sites to add to your brand’s content and pair it with your unique messaging. There are also paid sites that offer specifically targeted photo options. I, myself, rely on a combination of stock photos, designed graphics and the occassional photo I take to create content for my instagram. Here are some sites where you can start sourcing your stock photos from today.
Free stock sites:
Example:
The below photo was from Unsplash that I edited to fit my brand theme and paired with a motivational quote.
Creating content for your Instagram feed doesn’t have to be a scary process and I get it, we all need help with coming up with new ideas now and then. I hope this list was able to spark some inspiration and give you some new ideas to get started. Also, if your looking for ways to improve your content marketing overall, check out my blog post – 10 Quick Tips to Leverage Your Content Marketing.
With love from Barbados,
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Marisse Downie
Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
GorzĂłw Strony
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