For reaching audiences who like photographs, who like nature, and who like getting outdoors, there are few platforms as effective as the "Insta".
3 Ways to Build Relationships on Instagram:
1) Content, Content, Content.. In the very start of thinking about how to promote a business the question was always in my mind, how do you get people to follow you on Instagram, how do you find the generous souls? Well in short, you don't. You can't just find people, you have to actually have something to say and then just start saying it. Now of course there are ways to build a false following, bots, apps, and follow/unfollow schemes are all the rage on Youtube. But the Instagram algorithm has grown to be very smart and senses all these things and will drastically reduce your post reach. So at the end of the day, if you want people to see your page and like your posts then you just have to keep consistently posting strong, quality, good looking material. Definitely something I am working hard to continue to get better at every single day.
Gibbs Guides first feature post!
2)Be Part of the Community... Most real people on Instagram are there for interaction, to have their posts liked and commented on, to know people enjoy their content and to enjoy the content of others. Instagram fully recognizes this and will reward posts, and users whose content generates true interaction. Real comments that are original and well thought out help to promote how much a post is seen. So when your followers know that you like and interact with your posts they will do the same back. It's a very original thought, being extended to modern social media. It's known as making friends, I know, a revelation. So the more interaction a post receives the more likely your own followers are to see it. As well as sliding to the top of the hash tags and special interest feeds which they make available for you to follow now if you choose. Being part of the community can also mean reaching out to pages in the communty you are trying to be a part of through the "DM". Social media influencer and marketing guru, Gary Vaynerchuk says, "it all goes down on the DM." For me, I think the key here is to be short, very concise and super polite. Tell them what you like about their feed and what kinds of things you think you could do together. Like anything else, just spend your time adding value to others and good will come from it.
This is a feature of one of my photos shared by New_Hampshire_Living, we actually connected through using hash tags and tagging of my photos. I had seen there site and had been liking photos and making a comment here and there. On some of my posts that were similar to theirs I would add a #new_hampshire_living hashtag and then also tag them in the photo. They liked this one and decided to share it on their page giving @thegibbsguides the PC or photo-credit. Some pages will reach out to you when they find you, some like the hash tagging and tagging method and some will allow you to send them a DM. In these cases absolutely give gratitude to get gratitude.
3) Use Your Hashtags... If your goal is to increase your following and the size of your Insta community then even in the newest form of the algorithm the best way to grow is to have a post go viral. The hashtags, and Instagram allows you to use thirty of them are each a shot at the lottery. Now there are varying theories about how to go about maximizing your reach here, but I say use most of your chances, almost all thirty each time. But it is key that you don't use the same one's over and over. Do your research here, what are the hashtags that other similar posts are using, and theme them to your current post. Use hashtags of sites who are likely to repost your content and tag those same sites in your post as well. Be creative here, spend time thinking about the audience you are trying to reach. I think about the types of hashtags that outdoor hiking oriented folks are looking at, and by focusing on the dog/dachshund and hiking angles at the same time, I came upon my favorite feature so far. A review of the Andrew Brook Trail on Mt Sunapee in central New Hampshire, posted by a very cool page named Best Dog Hikes that are featuring pups with hiking reviews from all over the country. They were really fun to work with! I hope you'll follow both of us on Instagram today...
Enthusiasm, content and consistencey seems to always win the day on Instagram and being genuine and adding value to the community are always the best drivers of growth. If I leave you with anything that I have learned so far, it is just that authentic interactions is the best way to be a positive influencer. Hope this helps a little. See you o the trail!