Category: Instagram Stories

What Is UGC (User-Generated Content) and How Can It Help Your Business on Instagram?

By: Cori Widen, Product Marketing Lead at Boosted by Lightricks

Creating quality content for an Instagram business account can be a lot of fun for some people… and a real drag for others. If you have a creative flair, an eye for photography, and a knack for social media — that’s awesome! But what about mere mortals who get a huge headache just thinking about it? What about small business owners who scroll wistfully through their Instagram feeds, wishing they had the time, creativity, and skills to create content as eye-catching as the stuff they’re seeing on other people’s feeds?

Well, if that’s you, we have some good news for you.

While you obviously can’t steal from other people’s feeds, you can use their content and post it on your own feed — as long as you have permission and credit the creator. You can actually build a stunning feed by curating other people’s posts that align with your brand.

Content borrowed from other people’s feeds this way is also called UGC (User-Generated Content), and there are so many reasons why it’s a good idea… even for those of you who can hold your own in terms of content creation.

Why would another user let you use their content?

You may think that other users wouldn’t think too kindly of another account posting their content. Remember how in kindergarten we used to whine to the teacher when another kid copied our idea? Well, some users may feel protective of their content that way, and they have every right to say no. But for the most part, people are perfectly happy to let you share their creations with permission and credit.

If the kindergarten scenario sounds familiar, you probably got some version of this annoying response from the teacher: “That means they liked your idea. You should take it as a compliment.” And if you were like most other kids, you probably hated that answer!

But imagine if, instead of secretly copying your drawing and claiming the idea as their own, little Jimmy or Susie had walked up to you and said, “Wow, that dinosaur you’re drawing is so cool! Do you mind if I draw one just like it, and write your name next to it so people know it was your idea?”

Now that would feel like an actual compliment.

It’s the same with sharing UGC. If you contact a user and ask permission to use their content, and give them full credit, you’re showing them that you truly admire what they’re doing — and you give them the opportunity to increase their own exposure and reach a wider audience.

Advantages of sharing UGC

Here are 5 reasons to share content created by other users:

  • It saves you a ton of time and effort. No need to create your own content! All you have to do is find it, ask permission, and share.
  • The content you find might be higher-quality than anything you could have created yourself, especially if you’re working with a limited set of equipment and skills.
  • Sharing other users’ content is yet another way to engage with other Instagram users in a meaningful way.
  • Asking to share someone’s content is a much deeper level of engagement than just liking or commenting on it.
  • Sharing UGC from someone else creates a sense of mutuality: provided you give appropriate credit, you’re actually helping the other user gain exposure. It’s really a win/win situation!

For all these reasons and more, we recently began incorporating more UGC to @Boosted_Social‘s Instagram feed – here’s an example:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9ZQ-WBj5r5/

How to find relevant UGC

A good way to hunt for relevant content is to search through hashtags you generally use, as well as to browse your feed for posts that look like a good fit. You should already be following hashtags and accounts that match your interests and niche, and if you’re not, now’s a great time to start!

hashtag follow

We particularly recommend approaching users who have roughly the same number of followers (or fewer) than you do, because they’ll be more likely to appreciate the proportional exposure.

Of course, you should use the same criteria with UGC as you would for your own content: make sure it aligns with your brand and is likely to resonate with your own audience.

Contacting the user for permission

Found a gorgeous post you’d like to share?

Contact the user via DM and ask to share it. It’s probably easiest to tap the DM icon on the post itself, write your message, and share it with the user. That way they’ll know exactly which post you’re asking about.

Your message can read something like this: “Hi [name]! I just came across this fantastic post you shared, and I wanted to know whether you’d feel comfortable if I reposted it on my own feed (with full credit and tagging you, of course!).” Even better, mention something specific that you loved about the post. That can amplify the compliment factor, making them more likely to let you share.

If they don’t respond, you can try nudging gently, or commenting on the post itself and tagging them (maybe they don’t check their DMs regularly). If that doesn’t work, just move on to the next one. Never repost someone else’s content on Instagram without their permission!

Sharing the content

Got permission? Fantastic! Now… how do you share it?

Unlike with Twitter and Facebook, there’s no simple, integrated way to share other people’s content on Instagram. You have a few options:

  • Use a third-party app: Apps like Repost for Instagram ot Instarepost allow you to download other users’ content and then repost it on your own feed. Make sure to add full credit in the description and tag the creator when you post it.
  • Take a screenshot: You can take a screenshot of the content and crop it to size when reposting it. This is a bit of a crude solution, though, and your image will likely be lower-quality than the original. It will also only work for still images, not videos.
  • Ask the user to send you the content: This requires more steps and is more awkward, but will result in a higher-quality image than a screenshot will, and can work for videos. Note that they may have applied custom filters to the original when posting on Instagram, so be sure to ask for the version of the image that’s saved to the Instagram folder on their phone.

Building your Instagram account using user-generated content may feel like cheating, but it’s totally not! Using this strategy, not only can you curate a gorgeous, high-quality feed, you can help other users and forge meaningful connections, too.

Action Items:

1. Search your feed or your favorite hashtags for an image or video that looks like a good fit for your brand.
2. Contact the user who created it via DM to ask for permission to repost it.
3. Download a third-party reposting app and repost the content, being sure to give appropriate credit and tag the original user.

Cori Widen is the Product Marketing Lead at Boosted by Lightricks. She has been leading product marketing campaigns and doing qualitative market research in the tech industry for 10 years.

user_generated_instagram_marketing_content

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How to Use Instagram Stories to Get More Relevant Followers

If you’re trying to figure out how to find the most relevant followers for your brand from among Instagram’s more than 800 million monthly users—60 percent of whom are active every day—then look no further than Instagram Stories and the Explore page.

Instagram’s Explore page is where users go for real-time content curated specifically for them—believe it or not, no two Explore pages are the same! The more users that engage with your content, the more it encourages Instagram to push your small business onto the Explore page for more Instagram users. When you end up on more Explore pages, your fan and follower base will grow larger and more valuable—and here are some ways to make it happen.

Use Hashtags

It’s time to prioritize your hashtag game! One of the most difficult things about Instagram Stories for brands that are used to posting tons of hashtags on feed posts is that Instagram only allows one hashtag sticker per Story, so you have to really make it count. But there’s a trick for using more hashtags on your stories: Use text-based hashtags and hide them in the background!

To hide your hashtag, type in a text-based hashtag on your Story, then use the eyedropper to change the font color to the background color of your image. No one has to know the hashtag—or how many—you’re using, but you’ll still get the hashtag juice in order to land on the Explore page. Additionally, if you’re posting really gorgeous images and don’t want to kill the vibe with the hashtag sticker, hidden text-based hashtags are a great solution.

Here’s a quick how-to video to demonstrate:

And if you’re not sure what hashtags to use, look up trending and recommended hashtags based on your industry or location, and make sure you’re using your own branded hashtags too. You can also check out 7 Quick Tips to Build an Instagram Hashtag Strategy for further insights.

Tag Your Location

Believe it or not, Instagram users leverage the social network to search for local businesses just like they do on Yelp or Google. Think about it this way: The location sticker on your Instagram Stories helps your discoverability on Instagram, which can then boost online and in-store engagement and purchases.

Be sure to post plenty of stories about your products or services—or your shop itself—and tag your business’s brick-and-mortar location. Then, if someone searches for a topic, product, service, or similar location on Instagram, they’ll see the posts with your location tagged. In fact, posts tagged with a location receive 79 percent higher engagement than those without.

If you don’t have a brick-and-mortar shop, never fear: If you host a gathering at a specific location or are attending a conference or pop-up event, location tagging lets your fans know where to find you as the event approaches or while it’s happening. You can also leverage broader location-based tags if your location is particularly localized (e.g., if your brand is Kansas City Kombucha but you don’t have a shop, you can tag Kansas City, MO as your location).

Location

Leverage User Generated Content (UGC)

The easiest way to create content is to use user-generated content (UGC). If you’ve got fans and followers who are posting about your product or service and raving about how much they love it, leverage that content! UGC is a powerful, free (most of the time) way to leverage authentic experiences and social proof in order to grow fans and your business.

To encourage more UGC, create a branded hashtag and be direct: ask your customers to post using that hashtag and tag you. Then, when you’re tagged, you’ll get a notification in your Instagram inbox and can easily share the content to your own stories from there.

Photo editing app @enlightphotofox shares UGC weekly on stories as part of their Photofox Battle competition:

Try Out an Instagram Collaboration

A great way to land on the Explore page is to secure a collaboration with an influencer or brand that has the kind of following you’re looking for. If you’ve got an account in mind, do a little research into their brand and then ask yourself some questions:

  • Does the brand have a similar Instagram vibe and style as mine? (This should be a resounding yes.)
  • Does the brand have the kind of followers I’m looking for? Is the target market similar? (Also a yes.)
  • Do their posts generate great, positive engagement? (You want this to be yes.)
  • Is the brand in direct competition with me? (If yes, not a great collaboration!)

Chances are you can find some partners who are willing to collaborate for free, but be prepared to set up a partnership that includes perks, whether that’s free products or payment. Make sure you work out a plan with your partner brand or influencer about the products they need to promote, hashtags or other stickers to use, how frequently they’ll be promoting your brand (and where), what the compensation is, what the expected results are, and how long the partnership will last.

The right partnership can launch a brand onto the Explore page and grow your relevant fan base quickly and efficiently—it’s definitely a worthy investment of time, energy, and money.

Action Items:

1. Start researching micro-influencers who may want to collaborate with your small business on Instagram Stories.
2. Look into your competitors to see what kinds of hashtags they’re using and how they’re leveraging stories—then take their strategies and improve upon them.
3. Create user-driven content and a content calendar so that your stories have a strong foundation for execution.

instagram_followers_to_grow_your_brand.

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6 Easy Ways to Get More Engagement on Your Instagram Posts

You may have heard that engagement is the key to growing your audience on Instagram. But what exactly does that mean? And how do you get your followers to engage more with your posts?

Engagement refers to any kind of interaction followers have with your posts. For Feed posts, that includes not just likes, but also comments and saves. The more engagement your post gets, the higher Instagram’s algorithm will rank it. Higher-ranking posts appear first on your followers’ feeds, and that makes the post more likely to reach more people.

Here are 6 easy ways to encourage your followers to engage more with posts on your Instagram feed.

1. Ask a question

Asking a question in the caption of your post prompts your followers to comment with a response. This works especially well if you ask them to share something from their own experience, or to give an opinion, because people love to talk about themselves.

Don’t worry if no one answers your questions at first. Just keep it up, and experiment with different types of questions. You’ll get more responses as your audience grows.

Here’s some inspiration from @Boosted_Social:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9jdU56pTfp/

2. Share a little of yourself

Succeeding on social media is all about connecting to your audience, and people want to connect with other people, not with products or services. Even if your account is devoted strictly to your business, share selfies and photos with personal stories you feel comfortable sharing. People love to get to know the person behind the business.

@EliseDarma lets her audience in on her journey here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8Zl9dCHoKJ/

3. Post photos of people

A study published on ResearchGate found that photos of faces are 38% more likely to receive likes and 32% more likely to receive comments on Instagram. That’s a good thing to keep in mind when planning your content. Post more photos of yourself, your team members, or your clients.

4. Post videos

There is a wealth of data that shows that videos generate more engagement than still images and text — and social media platforms have been adapting to accommodate more video content as a result. You can easily take advantage of this by posting videos to your Instagram feed.

Not sure how to go about making one? Creating an eye-catching video for Instagram is super easy with an app like Boosted. All you need to do is choose a template, insert some images, edit the text, add music and effects you like, and share.

5. Stay on top of your hashtag game

A good hashtag strategy increases the reach of your posts and ensures that the people most likely to be interested in your content will see it! Use a mix of popular and niche hashtags for the best results. See our post, 7 Quick Tips to Build an Instagram Hashtag Strategy, to learn more about using hashtags strategically.

6. Make sure your content matches your audience’s needs and interests

People are most likely to engage with content they find relevant and useful. For example, if your primary target audience is older teens and young college students, chances are they’re not going to engage much with parenting-related content. Do your research on the type of content your audience is looking for and make sure what you’re posting aligns with their needs.

Action Items:

1. Add questions to your captions to encourage your followers to respond.
2. Share photos of people, especially of yourself, and find personal anecdotes to share.
3. Create a video to post on your feed using Boosted.
4. Develop a solid hashtag strategy for your posts.
5. Review the content that hasn’t performed well and evaluate how well it aligns with your audience’s interests and needs. If it doesn’t align well, research and brainstorm some ideas for content that might work better for your audience.

increase instagram engagement

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Later’s Social Media Strategist: How to Rock Your Brand’s Instagram Stories

We chatted with Mel Brittner (@melbrittner), Social Media Strategist at Instagram Marketing platform Later (@latermedia). Mel shared insider tips on Instagram Story growth, as well as her best practices for stories. Check out her insights to discover how to take your brand’s stories to the next level:

1. Do you have any tips for keeping followers tapping through to the end of your Instagram Story?

With Instagram Stories, I believe it’s all about the narrative – that’s why it’s called a story! You have to create a clear beginning, middle and end. The best stories are straightforward, without complicated messaging. You can always add any additional details within links or Instagram feed post copy.

Length is also an important factor – you want to test out different story lengths to find your sweet spot. For us at Later, it’s usually around 8 slides. We try to keep our stories under that amount within a 24 hour period to avoid viewers exiting right away.

We keep track of stats for each @latermedia story, using a simple spreadsheet to learn our drop off rate after slide 1 and our overall completion rate. This gives us a ton of insight into what our followers want to see from us and what type of story content works best.

2. Any tips or tricks for when you have Instagram content block, and just can’t think of new Story or feed ideas?

Look to your community! See what people are talking about and then think of how you can spin those topics through the lens of your brand. Whether it’s a pop culture moment, a popular meme or a running joke – see if you can add your own unique take to the current conversations. Content like quotes or adding a design treatment to a funny tweet is an easy way to add variety to your grid, without having it feel like filler content.

Additionally, you may have a ton of untapped gold at your fingertips – I’m talking user-generated content (UGC)! Look at what people are tagging you in, find accounts that inspire you, and add them to your owned content to build out your content plan. A few tips for using UGC: make sure you’re always asking for permission to share, and including full credit (both in the tag on the image and in the copy). It can be a win-win for creators, as they get the added exposure, and you get the extra content! Here’s some recent UGC posted to @latermedia:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9NMcY9gWQP/

I find content creation is so much easier when I’m in the mood for it! Batch creating content will make your life so much easier and it enables you to create when the creative juices are flowing. By mapping out, creating, and then scheduling your Instagram posts and Stories in advance, you can carve out dedicated time to the task and really get in the zone – while saving yourself time (and saving yourself from headaches!) in the process.

3. Any tips or tricks for getting more DMs or other engagements in response to your Stories?

Use the interactive Instagram Story features! From polls and questions to the emoji slider, quizzes and countdown – you have so many options to get your audience involved with your stories. Be direct with your calls to action. If you want people to tap the countdown sticker to get notified when your countdown finishes, add some text to call that out. If you want people to answer a question, ensure that the sticker is somewhere obvious within your story, and easily clickable in the center of your screen. If you place your stickers too close to the right or left edges of your screen, it can get in the way of navigating the story and your viewers will be less likely to engage.

Another tip, especially for brands who might shy away from this, is to share your face from time to time. It’s a great way to connect with your audience on a human level. Whether it’s introducing members of your team, sharing specific insights and expertise, running a Q&A – there are a ton of ways to talk to your audience. @Ritual does a brilliant job of this if you’re looking for some inspiration.

succeed_on_instagram_marketing_strategy

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Instagram Ideas for DIY Bloggers

Trying to branch out and promote your DIY blog on more channels? The visual focus and fun vibe of Instagram make it a fantastic platform for DIY bloggers.

If you’d like to try but aren’t sure what kind of content to post to Instagram, here are some ideas:

Before/after carousel posts for upcycling or makeovers

Did you know that Instagram lets you post more than one photo at once? You may not have noticed, because you have to swipe to see the remaining photos in the carousel. That’s why it’s a good idea to call your followers’ attention to the fact that there is more than one photo to see.

Carousel posts are perfect for showing a process or before and after photos. Make the first image a graphic inviting followers to swipe left and describing what they’re about to see, then the before photo, and then the after photo.

Here is some before/after inspiration from Freelance Creative @marrahsgotprojects:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwFW8YMhbkU/

Quick Story tutorials

Stories are one of Instagram’s newest and hottest features, and there’s so much you can do with them. The advantage of posting your tutorial on Stories rather than as a Feed post is that it shows up at the top of your followers’ feeds, so it’s more likely to get their attention. You can later add it to your Highlights on your profile, too.

To make a great tutorial with Stories, utilize its unique features: make a different slide for each step, and use stickers and animations to guide your followers to creating a finished product. See our post on How to Create a Tutorial on Instagram Stories to learn more.

IGTV channel with longer tutorials

Set up your own IGTV channel to post longer tutorial videos. Videos on IGTV can be up to 10 minutes long. You can also post a 1-minute preview of the longer video to your feed that will take your followers straight to IGTV video.

You can read more about using IGTV in our post, Should You Use IGTV for Your Business?

@TheCrafty is excelling on IGTV with their original DIY video content:

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B7XCiHzjvQt/

DIY giveaway

Everybody loves a giveaway! You can choose one of your favorite craft items as the prize — even something small and inexpensive. Don’t forget to promote your giveaway in your Stories and feed. One idea for entry rules is to ask people to comment on the giveaway post with how they would like to use the product.

DIY blogger @honeybuilthome ran a successful 2019 giveaway:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxpXweOFS66/

See our post about How to Run a Successful Instagram Giveaway for more details and ideas.

Product reviews

Have you discovered an amazing new product lately? Make a review video and post it in your Stories. DIYers are always looking for new craft and DIY products, and your followers will appreciate knowing what you think. You could even get in touch with the company that sells the product and team up for a sponsored post or giveaway.

#ThrowbackThursday

The #throwbackthursday hashtag is a great opportunity to give old projects a second life! Pick an old project you loved… or maybe even one you hated. In the caption, you can write about what you learned from that project and what you’ve accomplished since, or what you might do differently now.

These are just a few ideas to get you started. Once you find your way around Instagram, you’ll discover endless new possibilities for fun and useful DIY content.

Action Items:

1. Create a quick tutorial to post in your Stories.
2. Try a before/after carousel post. Don’t forget to create an opening graphic that encourages your followers to swipe.
3. Set up your IGTV channel and post a longer tutorial video on your channel.
4. Find a product to review or give away and create a review post or a giveaway.
5.  Find an old project for #ThrowbackThursday and schedule a post for this coming Thursday.

(more…)

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Everything You Need to Know About Using AR Instagram Filters for Your Business

Ever since Snapchat released World Lenses in April 2017, live augmented reality (AR) filters have skyrocketed in popularity. Facebook, and subsequently Instagram (which is owned by Facebook), were fast on Snapchat’s heels: they introduced Camera Effects, later called Spark AR, which allowed beta users to create their own immersive AR experiences and share them with their followers.

In August 2019, Facebook and Instagram opened Spark AR to all businesses. That means that any business can now create its own custom AR filter that followers can use on Instagram Stories.

Before we get into the significance of this and how it can help grow your business, let’s backtrack a bit:

What are AR filters?

Augmented reality filters superimpose graphics and virtual effects onto a live video. They can give you puppy ears, draw rainbows on your forehead, give you sunglasses, add balloons or hearts in the background — and that’s just the beginning.

The idea is to create an interactive experience for your followers that they can then record and post to their Stories.

If the filter isn’t promotional or branded, it can appear under the “Browse Effects” section when selecting a filter for recording an Instagram Story. Otherwise, followers can find it by visiting your profile page and tapping the smiley face icon:

augemented reality filter instagram marketing 1

How can AR filters help your business?

AR filters are a fun way to increase brand awareness and engage with your audience. They can introduce new followers to your business and help existing followers get to know you better and interact with you more.

Your custom filter can incorporate interactive elements that allow the user to engage with your business in some way. A branded custom filter could incorporate your logo and/or brand name as well.

For example, Ray-Ban, the sunglasses company, offers a “Reindeerize” filter that is both entertaining and allows the user to try on one of their products.

augmented reality filter instagram

If your business sells apparel or eyewear, this could be an extremely useful tool for your followers.

Your custom filter doesn’t have to be promotional — it could also be just for fun. Or, it could support a social cause, like this one from artist Ines Longevial (@ineslongevial):

instagram ar filter save the world

The feature is still fairly new, so not all brands have taken advantage of it yet. That puts those companies that are introducing custom filters a step ahead of the competition.

How to produce your own custom AR filter

Have a good idea for an original AR filter that’s fun and consistent with your brand?

The good news is, you don’t necessarily need to outsource an expensive developer to create your own filter. You can design one using Spark AR Studios.

It might take some exploration and fiddling around, but Spark AR is fairly simple for a layperson to use. The program includes some templates for common VR concepts, such as placing an object in the real world, makeup enhancements, face decoration, or changing the background. You can learn how to get the most out of the program by taking the tutorials in Spark AR’s Learning Center.

Action Items:

1. Brainstorm ideas for an AR filter that suits your brand and will engage followers.
2. Download Spark AR Studios, and take some tutorials to learn how to use it.
3. Design an AR filter using the program.
4. Upload it to your Instagram profile and let your followers know it’s there!

AR_Filters_Instagram_Business_Marketing_Strategy

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7 Instagram Content Ideas for Easter 2020

Easter is right around the corner, and that’s good news for businesses of all sizes. Last year, the National Retail Federation predicted that Americans would spend more than $18 billion—or around $151 per person—before and during the Easter weekend.

If you want to leverage the Easter shopping frenzy but are curious how you can hop on the seasonal bandwagon by providing fun and engaging content for your fans, we’ve got seven ideas for your Stories and Feed.

1. Run a Contest

There’s no easier way to get people involved and engaged on Instagram than by running a giveaway in your Feed. Whether you give away a discount to the winner(s), offer to send them out your newest coffee blend, or give them their pick of an item from your website, there are many options for staying seasonal with a giveaway, including:

  • Guessing game: Fill up a jar with chocolate eggs and have fans guess how many are in the jar. If you have more than one winner, pick a random winner from the group or reward everyone.
  • Name game: Have them name the new office rabbit or plant; for Easter, the flowers of choice are lilies, tulips, daffodils, daisies, and yellow roses. Then, pick a random winner.
  • Trivia: Bust out some little-known facts about Easter and test your fans on their knowledge. Pick winners from those who guess the right answer.

For insights on how to run a successful Instagram giveaway, check out our recent blog. Here’s some giveaway inspiration from @platosclosetyakima from Easter 2019:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwX4gahh67y/

2. Get Creative with Seasonal Content

Your followers’ Feeds are going to be chock full of Easter content, with every brand and business they follow trying to capitalize on the holiday to boost sales or engagement. Focus on thoughtfully and carefully curating seasonal images with valuable captions and trending hashtags so that your content stands out and your fans save, share, and engage with your content.

Try to find images on sites like Pexels or Unsplash for your Feed and Stories that are outside the box, and do your best to forego the typical Easter images of decorated eggs, pastels, and flowers that are going to saturate social platforms. Here is an Easter collection you can browse, curated by Unsplash.

easter social media marketing
Image Credit: Micheile Henderson, Unsplash

Some content ideas:

  • Easter is definitely about the food, and even if your brand isn’t food focused, you can share a recipe with an unexpected twist on a classic Easter favorite (roast lamb tacos, anyone?) and let your fans know the office will be enjoying it over the holiday.
  • Did you know Americans eat more than 16 million jelly beans on Easter?! Post Easter trivia questions to your Stories with relevant and seasonal images teasing to the answers and tag related brands when it makes sense.
  • Share gratitude! Easter is a time when people gather with friends and family, so share who and what you’re thankful and grateful for.

Also, we recommend businesses avoid going crazy with the Easter puns in captions, egg-tractive as they may be, because everyone takes this route. Be different!

3. Plant an “Easter Egg”

No, we’re not talking about literal Easter eggs here. In the digital world, Easter eggs are hidden messages, jokes, or features. Easter eggs became a thing thanks to Google, which plants clever Easter eggs throughout the web, but now you can find them in video games, movies, computer programs, and plenty of other places.

Consider planting your logo, a brand mascot, or cleverly placed Easter-themed icon in your Stories or Feed posts and then encourage fans and followers to try and find it—and a giveaway attached to finding the Easter egg can’t hurt! Or, if you’re working with brand influencers, have them post your Easter-egged image and see if fans can figure it out.

4. Host a Sale

Did you know that 34% of Instagram users are ages 25 to 34? Today, this age group also has the greatest purchasing power, and the NRF says they’re doing more than planning egg hunts for Easter—they’re also planning to shop online for clothing, decorations, gifts, food, candy, flowers, travel opportunities, and more—and 74 percent will be busy shopping on their smartphones.

Leverage spring fever and the $18 billion that consumers will spend during the Easter weekend by hosting a “spring into savings” sale or promotion. Or, do the flip and run a “spring cleaning” sale by delivering a special promo on closeout or clearance items or services that are slow during this time of year.

5. Go Behind the Scenes

Easter is a time for gathering with friends, family, and even coworkers, so why not show the world what your employees are doing for the holiday? Easter offers a great chance to post content that can boost brand awareness and build loyalty by showing the world who you really are.

You don’t have to produce something super involved. Just hop around the office and ask your employees about their favorite Easter candy or what their plans for the holiday are and then post the videos to your Stories or post multiple images to the feed with their responses. Then, encourage your fans to comment on which staffer they relate to the most.

6. Run a “Caption This” competition

Find an interesting Easter-themed picture and invite your fans to caption the post on your Feed. Be sure to respond to each of the comments so your fans (and Instagram’s algorithm) know you’re engaged. If you’re running in your stories, use the question sticker and post responses to your Stories as they come in—it’ll keep your Stories busy and full of content all day.

Here’s some recent “Caption This” inspiration from @meowed:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8yGqt2A6z7/

7. Run a Poll with a Challenge

Throw a poll into your Stories asking your followers how they prefer to chomp down on the holiday’s beloved chocolate rabbits: Ears first? Feet first? Then, create a hashtag—think #ChocolateBunnyChomp or #EasterChompChallenge—and invite fans to post pictures of themselves to their stories and Feed with the hashtag.

Be sure to share images to your Stories as they come in so your fans feel seen and like they’re a part of your brand. If you’re working with influencers or have partner businesses or brands, get them onboard with the hashtag too.

Bonus Tip!

Whatever type of content you decide to leverage to boost your engagement and follower rates over Easter, don’t forget the holiday has deep religious significance for many who celebrate. From the images and GIFs you choose to the captions you write, be thoughtful and respectful to the way that different people celebrate the holiday.

Action Items:

  1. Start planning your Easter content strategy so the holiday doesn’t sneak up on you.
  2. Poll your followers now to find out what they love most about Easter. Then, work what’s relevant to your fans into your content calendar for maximum impact.
  3. Download VideoBoost to leverage easy-to-use templates and a library of images that will make creating Easter video content quick and easy.

Instagram Ideas Easter 2020 Social Media Marketing

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5 Instagram Content Ideas for St. Patrick’s Day

Every holiday and special occasion is an excellent marketing opportunity. People love celebrations and tend to spend more money during holidays, too.

That’s why, even if your business has little or no connection to Ireland or Irish culture, it’s a good idea to plan some dedicated content for St. Patrick’s Day.

St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) is the Catholic feast day of the patron saint of Ireland. Though it was originally a religious day celebrated mostly in Ireland, it spread with the Irish diaspora and has been embraced by other cultures as an opportunity to celebrate all things Irish.

Below you’ll find 5 ideas for content to post on Instagram in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.

1. Showcase (or create) Irish-themed merchandise

If you sell merchandise, chances are you’ve got something in green! Create a dedicated post that features a photo of all your Irish-themed products together. Aside from the color green, you can feature any product that reflects the other visual themes of the holiday:

  • Rainbows and pots of gold
  • Leprechauns
  • Guinness or other Irish beverages
  • Shamrocks (3-leafed or 4-leafed clover)
  • Luck

You can also take this a step further and create special St. Patrick’s Day merchandise. For example, if you’re a cake decorator, make a special St. Patrick’s Day cake decorated with any or all of the symbols above. If you make jewelry, create a special pair of earrings or necklace using green stones or a shamrock charm.

2. St. Patrick’s Day-themed tutorial or recipe

Another option is to create a tutorial or recipe for a St. Patrick’s Day-themed food, craft, or activity. Here’s some inspiration from @thecountrycook:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8mLl1MBjYj/

There’s plenty of room for creativity here. If you’re a makeup artist, you might make a tutorial that features green eyeshadow. If you’re in the wellness industry, you might post a recipe for a “lucky” green shake.

You can make a quick video to post to your feed (with the help of a tool like VideoBoost), post a photo of the finished product with instructions in the caption, or make a tutorial using Stories — as explained in this post.

3. “Luck of the Irish” contest

Leverage the “luck” theme to launch a special St. Patrick’s Day contest. You can select a prize that’s connected to an Irish theme, or not — you already have the element of luck built in! Here’s a successful thematic contest run by small biz @petwantsocsouth in 2019:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BuwMGlenUES/

To learn more, check out our post on how to run a giveaway contest on Instagram.

4. Post fun trivia about Ireland and Irish culture

Did you know that the first St. Patrick’s Day parade was held not in Ireland, but in Boston? How about that there are more people in the United States who claim Irish origin than there are Irish people in Ireland? Or that the odds of finding a 4-leafed clover are 1 in 10,000?

Everybody loves a fun fact, and if you can find something that connects to your brand — even better.

You can simply post an Irish-themed image and mention the fact in your caption, but if you want people to see and respond, it’s best to include it in the image post itself. You can simply post it as text over a green background, or include some Irish-themed decorative elements.

5. Dress your staff in green

This is a fun and easy one that can work as a photo or video, and might be especially good for posting as a Story. Have your whole staff dress in green (even if it’s just you) and record a St. Patrick’s Day greeting. Extra points if some of you wear a green top hat!

Action Items:

  1. Go over the above list and choose 1 or 2 ideas that spark your imagination.
  2. Plan your content ahead of time and have it ready to post on March 17.

st patricks day social media marketing

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How Elise Darma Wins on Instagram in Just 15 Minutes a Day

We recently sat down with Elise Darma, Instagram Marketer & Agency Owner of Canupy. She shared her personal Instagram marketing insights with us and weighed in on how to kill it on Instagram – in only 15 minutes a day. Check out our conversation:

1. How do you define success on Instagram? What does ‘winning’ mean to you?

For me, success on Instagram is all about leveraging Instagram’s free built-in features – in accordance with the “season” that my business is currently in. Instagram is an amazing tool for all the main seasons a business experiences: 1) visibility 2) engagement 3) lead generation 4) sales 5) closing sales. No matter where you’re at in your business, you’re generally going to be experiencing one of these seasons.

elise darma

I know that I’m personally succeeding on Instagram when I’m creating content (Stories and video) that lines up with whatever season my business is currently in. Whatever the goal is – whether it’s to get more views, more followers, to engage with my current followers, increase my email subscribers, or tell my audience about a product – I know that IG’s features give me the ability to tap into my audience based on the season that I’m in.

When I’m in flow with the season that my business is experiencing – that’s when I’m winning on Instagram.

2. Do you think that IG Stories can be valuable for businesses and brands? Why?

100%! I would say that this has already been proven based on the thousands of students from various niches who have taken my course InstaGrowth Boss. We track the revenue that they’ve generated and we’re almost at $1M USD, just from Instagram! In my experience, it’s been proven that Instagram is an amazing connector tool for businesses and an easy way to close sales.

3. You say that you’re winning on IG in 15 mins a day – what’s on your list to-do during that short time frame?

If I only have 15 minutes a day to spend on Instagram, the place I’m going is Stories. Even if I don’t have time for my Feed – that’s OK! All I need to do is show up on my Story for 5 minutes in the morning, then another 5 in the afternoon and a final 5 in the evening. It can be me talking to the camera, sharing a graphic based post leading followers to my website, or sharing someone else’s content to my Stories.

That’s how I grow my business on Instagram and connect with my followers based on the season that I’m in. It’s simply about showing up on Stories 3 times a day. Every time you share a Story, you’re at the top of everyone’s feed. If you can do this consistently, you’ll have a much greater chance of being seen by your followers.

elise darma profile

4. Any other advice for businesses/brands looking to get better results with their Stories?

My biggest piece of advice for brands is to always remember the basics of storytelling. I find that many brands are apprehensive to show up on Stories, especially when it comes to video. Many brands also don’t create context for their Stories – oftentimes they just cut to the chase without really building up what their Story is about.

Always remember that Stories have a beginning, middle and end. Each Story should have 3 parts, with the first part being the set-up story. This part should give context to what your Story will be about and it should pique interest. After that, you want to share your main content: what exactly do you want to say? The third part of your Story should be your CTA, which can be as simple as asking your audience to send you a message. It should also give your audience an answer if you piqued their curiosity or teased some upcoming content earlier in the day.

Instagram’s algorithm loves it when people watch your Story and then take action. Use Instagram’s interactive features – like polls, question stickers etc. – as they are a great way to end your Story and make the algorithm work in your favor.

How Elise Darma Wins on Instagram

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