Making Your Client Insta-Famous

I have just completed two weeks of my internship with a small boutique PR consultancy. The majority of the work I have been given is social media based, which is excellent as I get to combine my web communications and my PR skills.

The knowledge of how to create an engaging and meaningful online presence is an essential component in a PR professional’s tool kit. Social media can have a hugely positive effect on a business, if its use aligns with client objectives and branding strategies. If used strategically social media can achieve the following:

• ·    Increase the client’s audience and reach of messages
• ·      Direct online traffic to desired domains
• ·      Increase the sell through of product or services
• ·      Increase ability to actively engage with consumers/users/viewers
• ·      Allow consumers/users to see transparency in business operations (gain trust)
• ·      Allow for a deeper perception of brand through consistent publishing of on-brand content
• ·      Allow messages to be sent instantaneously to a large, relevant audience
• ·      Break geographical restrictions of traditional media

Since its creation in 2010, some businesses have solely used Instagram to drive sales and communicate with target audiences. A great example of this is hair mask company Oh Hello Hair. This company sells a small collection of hair masks exclusively through its website. The only communication tool the company used initially, to amass an active audience of 371,000, was Instagram.

Image via @ohhellohair 

Through Instagram alone Oh Hello Hair were able to establish a brand identity, direct consumers to the website to purchase products, communicate and inform followers/consumers and engage with brand ambassadors, as part of a third party endorsement strategy. Utilising the platform in this way enabled the brand to thrive and it quickly began turning a handsome profit.

Image via @ohhellohair

For the past two weeks I have been creating social media plans, specifically for Instagram, for several different clients. The clients already have Instagram accounts but need assistance in making them more meaningful and on-brand. The clients are all from different industries making the objectives of their Instagram pages differ also.

https://www.instagram.com/ohhellohair/

The following is an overview of the five stages needed to create an engaging and effective Instagram presence.

STAGE ONE: RESEARCH

 To create a strong social media presence you have to know the following:

• Who is the current audience?
• Are they active or inactive?
• Who is the target audience? Know the demographic and sociographic and be specific.
•  When is the target audience most likely to be active online, so the posts get maximum exposure?
• Complete a statistical analysis of current posts. Which were successful, which were not? Why? 
•  Are all social media platforms branded and cohesive and do they tell the same story?
• Are they linked together?
•  Are the existing social media platforms a true reflection of the client? If not, why?
• SWAT analysis of current usage

STAGE TWO: PLAN

What are the key objectives of the Instagram page? Which of the following does the client want to achieve:

• ·      Generate sales or use of services
• ·      Increase active audience/ consumer/ client base
• ·      Inform
• ·      Educate
• ·      Entertain
• ·      Inspire

Different objectives on social media channels require different tones and voices. Unless you fully understand the objectives of the content you are posting, it won't be meaningful and will result in no objectives being reached.

Once the branding and objectives are understood, you should have an idea of what type of content to generate. As a guide, aim to post no more than twice per day. Any more and the meaningfulness of the posts are reduced and you risk flooding the feeds of active users. *Exception is live streaming/updates of exciting events or relevant breaking news.

• ·      Create a social media content plan for each month. Identify any upcoming significant dates, events and promotions that align with the brand or business. If you are working in-house, then it is this point you would be working closely with other departments in order to gain maximum exposure for the brand and its upcoming activities.

• Choose images to post and create copy to go with them. Images should be high quality and the copy should be snappy, with one point per sentence. Nothing should take up more than a few seconds of users time on social media, or it becomes obsolete. Use the few seconds of audience interest you have wisely. 

• Find relevant, popular and niche hashtags to go with images in order to make the image easily searchable.

State Three: Design

Each social media platform is suitable for different content types. Instagram is a visual medium, making the aesthetics of the page highly important. Plan how the client’s page will look, remembering to ensure it remains on brand. The best and most successful Instagram pages are consistent and tell a story or convey a theme just by one glance. Consider one of the following:

• ·      A colour scheme
• ·      To use the same border on each image
• ·      To use the same filter on each image
• ·      To use colour groupings

Stage Four: Generate Unique Content

Online audiences respond well to unique content.

• ·      Organise a photo shoot with the client and their products/services
• ·      Use props and environments that align with the client’s branding

Stage Five: Engage

It is crucial to engage and be responsive with followers:

• ·      Ask questions
• ·      Reply to comments and queries in a timely manner
• ·      Be interested in what the followers add to the presence
• ·      Engage with other relevant businesses in a similar field (steer clear of direct competitors)

Once the above is complete, the initial Instagram page should be up and running. The steps then repeat as a continuous cycle. Quantitative and qualitative research needs to be routinely gathered and analysed to ensure the Instagram page is effectively adding value to the client’s business and achieving desired objectives.

In addition to the above, social media strategies and campaigns can be planned using the Instagram page as the communication medium. Also, ambassadorships can be sourced to increase exposure. These act as second layer tactics to an already established Instagram page.

I'd love to hear anyone's tips on how they increase social media followings.