It’s no secret that Instagram has become one of the most prominent social media platforms and the idea behind it is actually pretty simple - a digital online scrapbook. With nearly 800 million users as of September 2017, interacting with your audience on Instagram is a great way to showcase your dealership in a very visual and engaging way.
To help you hone your social strategy on Instagram, we’ve come up with three key tips to grow your following, engage your audience and get customers interested all through the simple use of this social platform.
- Get your company's profile completely filled out. Without all of your information - including a profile picture - users may think that your Instagram account is actually spam. If they don’t trust your presence -- they could block or unfollow your Instagram account -- or even worse, you could even be reported. Don’t let that happen. Be sure your Instagram profile includes all of the following elements in full:
- A clear profile image, featuring the most simplistic version of your logo possible. The amount of space provided for a profile photo is incredibly small, so you want people to be able to identify your business identity easily and without straining their eyes.
- A link to your website. Instagram has a section on your profile where you can include a website or link, take advantage of that space. If a user notices you on Instagram and visits your profile, that is your chance to introduce yourself to them as who you really are. This way, they aren’t having to exit out of the app, open a browser, and search you on Google- they are directly linked to your website for information.
- A short bio. You have a very limited number of characters to fill the “About” section of your profile so grab their attention right from the start. Include something about yourself being a business (“The best Harley dealer in Southwest Florida”), but add something to help them remember you by. Try not to be too corny, but whether it’s your company slogan or a quote, this can help draw your audience in and get them scrolling through your feed.
- Engage with your followers to grow your audience. The thing about Instagram for business is that it isn’t an exact science - it's more of an art, with stable practice over time. You’re not going to grow by 20,000 followers overnight, but you definitely can grow by at least 20 a day with the proper tricks on hand. Try a few of these strategies known to grow business’ follower numbers exponentially over time:
- Use hashtags in your posts. When people are searching for something on Instagram, such as a travel trailer, they will type into the searchbar “#traveltrailer.” You want to make sure your dealership’s profile and related posts to show up in their search - so make sure to include relevant hashtags to help that customer find you. The most successful and engaging posts include at least 11 hashtags, so depending on your niche, primary models carried, etc., choose the best ones that work for you. At least one should be focused on your company name, and most of the rest should be focused on the type of different makes and models carried by your dealership.
- Engage with Instagram users regularly - treat them all as though they were all your prospects. One way to find new followers is by searching one of your target hashtags (i.e., “#indianmotos”) and liking posts you find. It may sound tedious, but by liking at least 50 posts a day - focusing on the most recent posts, which have less likes - you can get your name on a user’s notifications as someone who liked their photo.
- Another way to do this - scroll through those hashtags, and when you see a photo you find especially interesting, comment on it. Even if it’s just a statement such as “Great photo!”, users love engagement. Talk to them, and whether it’s through a like, follow, or simple response back, you are putting your name out there - and once you comment on their photo, it’s now in front of that individual’s followers, too.
- Pay special attention to the quality and type of photos you post. Don’t take the same photos of different units over and over again. Rather, try to mix your messages. Include images of your staff, people searching the lot or offer up a helpful tip to guide buyers in their search for the perfect unit. This will communicate to your audience that yes, you are a dealership, and your goal is to get units sold, but you also care about the experience they have with your company- both online, and in person.
We hope these tips have helped you gain a clearer vision of what steps you can take to refine and develop your presence on Instagram - be sure to tag @cycle_trader and hashtag #cycletrader and #cycletradernation to gain the most exposure possible for your photos- and possibly even get featured on our own Instagram page.
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