With more than 500 million daily users on Instagram alone, it’s pretty easy for your brand to get overlooked and lost in the mix. In addition, people don’t like to be sold to and Instagram’s algorithm makes it tough for brands to get the attention they’re seeking. 

So how are the big players doing it?

The simple truth is, big brands have big budgets to support their growth. However, in this article, we’re not focusing solely on paid advertising. This is about the content used to drive massive growth using both organic results and paid advertising. 

Quantity is key ‍

Social media, just like traditional marketing, is a numbers game. If you post once a month, nothing is going to happen. To really get in front of your audience, your brand needs to be putting out multiple pieces of content every day on each platform.

For example, imagine half of your audience only goes on Instagram in the morning and the other half only goes on in the evening. If you only post in the morning, then you’re basically invisible to half of your audience.

Putting out more content is not only going to help your brand get in front of more people, but it will also help reinforce brand awareness when highly active people see your content more often.

Quality is queen

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, if content is king then quality is queen. Sure, you can post 100 times per day, but if all your photos are blurry and boring, then no one is going to stop scrolling long enough to see your message. In fact, low quality content can go a step further and actually tarnish your brand!

With social media, you’re building a relationship with prospective customers. You want your audience to trust your brand, and high-quality creative content adds a level of quality and care that non-professional creative just can’t do.

The “wow” factor

People scroll through their feeds quickly and if something doesn’t catch their eye instantly, they won’t stop scrolling. This is why Facebook and Instagram launched their popularity algorithms in place of the old chronological feed. So think about it… Is your content striking enough to make someone stop scrolling and engage with your post?

Think of it like this, thousands of organic posts each have a photo or video and a caption. Sponsored posts can also have a headline and description. If the image in your post doesn’t jump out amid the clutter, nobody will stop to read what you have to say. 

Mixed-message mistakes

Mismatched copy, objectives, offers and/or landing pages are often overlooked concepts. When creating content, especially for smaller brands, it’s essential to match your content to the overall objective of your post. That way, when someone does actually stop scrolling to see what you’re saying, everything about your post will match up and ultimately meet their expectations. 

For example, if you are pushing out a specific collection of products, then your content needs to showcase that collection. The description and headline must support that collection, and your landing page should reflect that collection as well. The goal is to keep things streamlined and easy. Don’t confuse your audience by making them search for the product that caught their eye in the first place.

Create an emotional connection

This is another creative concept that is too often overlooked. As you create content, make sure to showcase your target audience. You want viewers to be able to imagine themselves in your photo or video. Making that emotional connection is what drives prospective customers to take the next step and purchase your product to fulfill their desire.

For example, if your brand is a men’s swimwear brand that caters to the dad driving the boat, BBQing, and cracking open a few cold ones on the weekend, you probably shouldn’t be using Calvin Klein models in your ads. Those young guys with the washboard abs aren’t necessarily in your target audience, and the dads (and their wives) who you’re trying to sell to won’t be able to see themselves (or their husbands) in your swimwear. Make your posts relatable by featuring photos of real, everyday men sporting your product and make a connection that translates to sales. 

Action items

Before drafting your next post or product campaign, take some time to plan out your strategy and create content that falls in line with your bigger marketing objective. Plan for quantity, dedicate yourself to quality, and wow your audience with relatable images that create an emotional connection. You need to have creative content to post online, you might as well take a little extra time and effort to make it the right content.

As you go through the development process, analyze data from past posts and campaigns to see what has performed best, then create new content incorporating those elements. For example, if studio shots with bright backgrounds performed well for your brand, then use that style of photography to support your new marketing goals. 

If you’re not sure where to start or what your next step should be, we’re here to help! 253 Media is ready to help take your brand to the next level with carefully crafted social media campaigns rich in quantity, quality and emotion. Reach out today!