Seven Essential Instagram Tactics for Fashion Brands
Obviously, Instagram is essential to any fashion brand’s success. But just because your brand has a business account on the platform doesn’t mean the followers will automatically come rolling in. Your main goal on Instagram should be to attract ideal customers and engage with them. So let’s debunk a few myths before we get into the tactics.
Myth #1: You need 10,000+ followers to be considered a successful brand
I really encourage my clients to shift their mindsets about social media numbers. Likes and followers are categorized as vanity metrics, meaning these metrics don’t really mean much in the grand scheme of your business since there can be numerous reasons why people follow your brand or like a piece of content outside of any kind of interest in purchasing from you.
Instead, focus on your level of engagement with comments, DMs, and click-throughs to your website. That way, you’re more likely to build an actual connection with your followers that will encourage them to visit your website for more information about your brand.
Myth #2: You need to post every day to “beat the algorithm”
Nope. You have an actual business to run so how can you do that when all your energy is focused on creating new posts for your grid? Personally, I struggled with this one for a while. I had a bit of anxiety worrying that if I didn’t post at least once a day, people would forget about me and I’d lose my momentum. But over time, I’ve come to realize that all social media platforms are only supplementary to your business.
Myth #3: You need to limit your number of hashtags
Ok, so this one is half true. You should only use hashtags that are relevant to the content you’re posting. For example, if you’re posting a lifestyle image featuring your best-selling rose gold stud earrings, stick to hashtags like these: #rosegoldearrings, #rosegoldstuds, #rosegoldjewelry, etc. You can also use hashtags related to your location, the fashion season, and even your unique hashtag.
Now let’s get into these tactics.
Tactic #1: Keep tabs on your competitors
When I say “keep tabs”, I mean occasionally scroll through your competitors’ feeds to see which types of content their followers engage with the most. This does not mean steal or create identical visual content for your own feed. This goes for copywriting as well. Everyone’s brand is unique. Even if you sell similar products or offer the same types of services, you and your team should bring something custom to your brand that no other business can offer.
Tactic #2: Edit your “Following” list
Your feed should be a source of inspiration to continue motivating you to run your business. So to keep you on track with engaging with your audience and complementary brands, take some time to edit the profiles that your brand follows. This can also help your build trust and authority with your new followers.
Tactic #3: Use story highlights to share your brand story
You only get so much space to describe your brand in your bio so take advantage of the extra space in your highlights. You can use graphics or even video to introduce yourself, your team, and your brand story to new followers.
Tactic #4: Follow hashtags related to your brand
In relation to Myth #3, make sure to do your research on hashtags that are relevant to your offerings so you can analyze how the top posts in that hashtag are structured. You can even follow those hashtags to keep up with the latest trends.
Tactic #5: Check your insights weekly
Unfortunately, Instagram only gives you a week’s worth of analytics. This data will give you more information on the top age ranges of your followers (which can help with copywriting), where your followers are located (which can help you determine where to target your ads), and when the majority of your followers are using the platform (so you can maximize your engagement opportunities). You can use a social media management tool to gather even more data on how your content performs.
Tactic #6: Use your content to educate your audience and tell relatable stories
Once you have a better understanding of how other brands in your category engage with their followers, which hashtags are on top of the best trends related to your offerings and the types of content your followers engage with the most, you’ll have a better idea of how to use your content to educate your audience about your products/services. You’ll also be able to tell stories that your followers can relate to.
Tactic #7: Schedule your content a few weeks in advance
As much as we can plan, things always pop up at the last minute. So whenever you’re in the zone of creating content for your feed, batch as much of those posts as you can and schedule them out over the next few weeks. That way, you’re not constantly on edge about posting something new.
Now that we’ve covered how to change your mind about certain Instagram myths and you’ve got some concrete tactics to maximize your time on the platform, go forth and ‘gram!
Comment Below
Share which Instagram myth you struggled with debunking for your business.
