Do you ever feel like you’re always posting the same type of content to your Instagram feed? When you’re running a small business, you’re juggling a million different things at once and it isn’t easy to constantly be coming up with new, creative ideas for social media. Even if you’ve been wanting to change up your social media posts for a while now, it can be hard to figure out where to even start.

Before you can spice up your Instagram feed with great, new content, you’ll need to take a look at what you’re currently posting, analyze the types of posts that have performed well and understand what it is about your content that makes you feel like you’re posting the same thing over and over again. Then it’s time for the fun part – brainstorming some new social media content ideas to spice up your ‘gram! 

8 Ways to Brainstorm New Instagram Ideas for Your Small Business

1. Get inspired by your own top posts

Your own feed is the first place you should check when you’d like to brainstorm new social media content. Head to your Instagram Insights to find out what what your top posts are. You can filter by Post Type (photo vs. video), Metric (comments, likes, reach, saves etc.) as well as time period (anywhere from the past week to the 2 past 2 years).

Brainstorm what made your top content successful. Did your static content perform best or was it your video content? Did your short captions get better engagement than your long captions? Take note of what worked so that you can create more of that type of content.

2. Keep up with your competitor’s content

It’s extremely important to know what your competitors are doing on social media. Don’t try to copy their content – rather, think of their social accounts as a great place to refer to when you’re trying to brainstorm new content ideas to give your Instagram a makeover. Take note of what they’re doing well and what they aren’t doing well to help guide you when you are creating your own content. 

3. Search trending hashtags in your niche

Figure out what the top posts are in your industry. If you are a flower shop, look up hashtags related to florists. Get inspired by the top performing content within those hashtags. You can even follow a certain hashtag so that you’re always kept up to date.

4. Check out what influencers are posting

Influencers are a great source of inspiration when you want to brainstorm new content. Don’t just look up any celebrity on Instagram though – you’ll want to check out smaller influencers in your niche. The goal here is to find influencers who have similar followers to your own customers. For example, if you sell products for moms or babies, you’d want to research several different mom influencers.

5. Watch Instagram Reels

Even if you’ve never created an Instagram Reel yet, you’ve likely seen several pop up on your feed! Get inspired to create some video content to spice up your Instagram feed. Not sure where or how to create high-quality videos? Check out the Boosted video making app for easy-to-use templates, with stock photos and videos that are perfect for small businesses.

Check out this creative Reel by social media expert @jera.bean for inspiration:

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A post shared by SOCIAL MEDIA COACH ★ SPEAKER (@jera.bean)

6. Ask a friend for a few ideas

Who said you need to do all of the brainstorming by yourself? As a small business owner, your friends and family likely are very supportive of your business and know it well. Let them know that you’re looking for new Instagram content ideas and ask them to help you brainstorm. Also ask them to take a look at your account and note what you’re doing well and what you can improve upon.

7. Check out your tagged posts

Your customers’ photos are an amazing source of inspiration for brainstorming new content ideas for social media. What type of photos are they taking and tagging your small business in? See what parts of your business they are loving and then share more content based on those insights.

8. Look up local hashtags

If your small business has a local presence, you will definitely want to check out what’s getting posted in your city! Look up local hashtags for some ideas of what people living nearby are posting and engaging with. Not only are these the hashtags you’ll want to be using, they are also a great source of content inspiration. You might even want to ask for permission to repost some of the relevant content. Check out How to Reach Customers on Instagram When You’re a Local Business for more insights on this topic.

How to Decide if a Content Idea Makes Sense For Your Brand

As you’re brainstorming, it’s important to know that not everything you see another brand or influencer posting will be a good fit for your own brand. For example, they might have a large photography budget or marketing team to help create elaborate product photos.

Here are 7 questions to ask yourself to help you decide whether or not certain types of content will work for your small business:

1. What are the elements that I like about someone else’s feed? 

2. Does this content align with my brand values?

3. Will this content spice up my feed?

4. Am I able to easily recreate this type of content? 

5. Does this fit my color scheme?

6. Will my customers find this content interesting?

7. Am I excited to create & post this new content?

We hope that these tips help you get inspired and brainstorm new ideas to get out of your Instagram content rut and spice up your ‘gram! One final piece of advice – remember that your Instagram content doesn’t need to be perfect. Try and create new, exciting content that your followers will love but it’s always better to post and engage with your customers than to not be active at all.