(ThyBlackMan.com) When you own a business, it is normal to want a wide reach, as much as possible. In that effort, you decide to open an Instagram account, and even hire an Instagram influencer to help you out. You may even decide to use a service that allows you to buy 50 likes on Instagram app – new services that help to boost your engagement rates, at least temporarily. The main expectation from these efforts is that your brand name spreads, and you gain more customers.
However, after some time, you notice that there is not much progress in your business venture, or none at all. You may be doing all the right things, and even working with influencers that are genuine, but your business fails to go viral. Yes, this scenario can happen.
The truth is that Instagram contains a very massive user base, as monthly users active on the site are estimated to be 500 to 600 million. Therefore, there is a good chance that many of your potential and current customers are on the site, so what are the things you can do to reach them?
The realities of Instagram marketing
This is not a venture for the faint-hearted. Selling your brand on Instagram is difficult and time consuming, and you must be prepared to put as much resources as possible – not just selecting an influencer and calling it a day.
You must consider numerous factors if you want the marketing efforts to work out in the way you want. That also means that you must understand how Instagram marketing operates, and know what you want.
Signs your efforts are not working
The visitors on your site are only there for discounts or coupons
Offering discounts and coupons to your followers is not a bad thing, but these people need to stick around even after the promotion is over.
You need to create a long term marketing strategy. If you decide to use an Instagram influencer, they are only a vehicle to fulfill your long term goals of expansion and connection with your ideal customers.
In order to reduce the chances of this issue happening, make sure the content you are offering is of high quality. The coupon can draw extra attention to your brand, but you also need to convince the visitors why they should switch to your business. When choosing an influencer, make sure they understand what your product is about, and they will know how they will promote it to their followers.
The influencer is not posting content that is relevant to your product or business
When you think about it, a business will only choose an influencer because they have many followers, and these followers are potential customers. However, this does not always work out positively – and it may be due to the influencer being out of depth when promoting your product.
For instance, if you have a business that sells electronics, you cannot use an influencer that is known for promoting art supplies. The way to solve this is using an influencer that works in your business niche, or their area of interest is very similar to what you do. This is because they will be great at that topic, and it is even better if they are specialists in a certain field within an industry.
The comments are generic
It is no secret that many influencers use bots to generate their comments, so do not be surprised to find such comments in their posts. They will tend to do this because they want to provide the impression that their work is effective, and they can move to their next project quickly.
For this reason, take your time before deciding on an influencer. Make sure they are trustworthy and honest. In addition, consider signing a contract with them, which states clearly that they must refund you in the event they use bots or fake followers.
You are only working with big-time influencers
Influencers usually have a large amount of followers, and they may be the first people you think of when considering working with influencers. However, they may not always give you the results you want.
At face value, it does make sense to work with them, instead of choosing those that have a considerable number of followers. However, you need to remember that on Instagram, as well as other social media platforms, people with very many followers find it very difficult to engage with them effectively. In addition, there is a considerable chance that many of their followers are bots.
In addition, since they are followed by very many people, these followers may have other interests that do not align with your products or services. For this reason, it may be a better option to work with those that have a big audience, have the experience, but are specialists in the niche your business covers.
Their audience may not be getting the message you are sending
Many times, a common strategy that influencers use is setting up contests for your products, and their followers get to win prizes (your products) and also check out your business. However, sometimes this strategy fails to work, and things do not turn out the way you thought they would.
In addition, the platform itself is trying to make money, so they may be limiting your reach and wanting you to pay up so that they boost your posts. Since this is the case, you may fail to reach many people even after hiring a good influencer and having great posts.
If this happens, then you can consider doing sponsored posts, which are affordable and boost your audience reach. They are additionally an excellent way of increasing your organic reach.
Final thoughts
It is not easy to do a marketing campaign on Instagram, and your strategy may fail to work in some instances – even if you hire an influencer. You should first understand the basis of marketing on the site, so that you can make better choices when putting your brand out there.
Staff Writer; Roy Hall