If you are keeping tabs on the Instagram marketing trends, then you know that it is essential to use direct messaging to increase engagement and grow your following. But you may be asking yourself, “ Am I supposed to message random people asking them to buy from me?” The simple answer is “heck no!”
You wouldn’t walk up to a random person and ask them to buy your product or service without knowing whether you want them to be a customer. So why do that on Instagram? Get to know your followers on a deeper level and create meaningful connections to get loyal customers. You will not only increase your conversion rate but you will have fun doing so. With many people across the globe in isolation, they’re turning to social media networks to entertain themselves and stay connected.
Use this step-by-step guide to connect with your dream customers. With consistency and commitment to your business and followers, you will see your business flourish.
Follow relevant hashtags.
The best way to hang out where your avatar hangs out is to think like them and follow hashtags they would follow. Think about what they would be searching for on Instagram and follow those hashtags. Engage with these hashtags daily.
Don’t forget to also use these hashtags in your content including stories. Hashtags serve as a way for people to search for content that they want to consume and follow.
Keep your hashtags fresh by rotating them every few posts and stories.
Comment on your ideal clients’ posts.
Set a reminder once a day to engage with people who engage with these hashtags. You are invisible if you aren’t “speaking up.” Don’t be a fly on the wall. Be heard, be seen.
Post a meaningful comment that can spark a conversation. Don’t spam them with one emoji comments.
Set a timer to STOP scrolling and engaging after 10 minutes. You want to increase your engagement and sales but you don’t want to do that at the expense of wasted time. Don’t go down the rabbit hole.
Engage with ideal clients’ stories.
Now that they (and their followers) see you engaging with their posts, start engaging with their stories. If they have a poll, vote on it. If they have inspiring quotes, send a quick emoji reply. These responses open up an opportunity for a conversation and will allow them to respond via DM.
Once you have replied to polls and other interactive stickers over a period of a few days, send them a sincere, personalized note. It will come across more genuine because you have been commenting and engaging with their posts and stories the past few days. It won’t be like “Whoa, stranger! Where did you come from?”
Continue the conversation on DMs to get to know them and see if they are a good fit to be your client.
Don’t forget to have a plan for new followers and know what action you want them to take. If you want them to download your newest freebie, make sure you have an email series set up to continue to cultivate the relationship off of social media.
For a fun exercise to practice this strategy daily, download the Insta-Bingo Card! With as little as 10 minutes a day, you can grow your followers to 10K! No longer feel the stress and pressure of trying to figure out what to post. This fun marketing tool will prompt you what to post each day on Instagram. Sit back and enjoy engaging with new followers!
