Instagram has become an important marketing channel for many businesses: and for a reason. Because Instagram is a social network, the easiest way for a business to increase the reach and followers is with posts. That content should be as informative, engaging, authentic, and varied as possible. In this blog I share 13 original ideas for your Instagram posts that will make you stand out even more.
How do you provide original content?
Providing original content can be a challenge. If your content has at least a hint of authenticity, you are already on the right track. Think of your own photos instead of stock photos, for example. But you can also give a twist to the things you share. You can do this by:
- Providing surprising insights.
- Adding humor.
- Sharing a new perspective.
Ensure that almost all the content you share is relevant to your target audience. This means that the content should be tailored to the needs and interests of that group of people. Finally, make sure your content inspires, informs, entertains, or emotionally touches your target group. Content that connects with your target audience will result in more interaction and greater reach.
In the following tips, I will share a few more ideas to create original content.
1. Share your ‘why’
Why do you do what you do? Why is your business important to you? And why should your target audience be interested? In a series of informative posts, show your followers your “why” and share all your motivations.
Sharing your motivations not only builds a relationship between you and your followers. It also gives you the opportunity to interact with them. And that’s exactly what you want to achieve in order to build that bond of trust.
How do you do that? In your ‘why’ posts, ask your followers what is important to them, what they are passionate about, or feel free to ask them how they ended up on your profile.
2. Share your routines
People are always curious about the person behind a business. Let them get to know you a little better. You can achieve this with sharing a look behind the scenes, but in an original way. Share some routines from your life. Preferably about your work, but it can also be a post about a private routine. Think of a walk with your dog in the woods.
Let your followers see how you start your day in the morning. For example, post a carousel how you arrive at your office or workplace. Then show what the first thing you do in the morning is. Make a nice compilation of those steps, add an engaging piece of text, and your original and personal post is ready.
You can do this for other routines, such as afternoons or before the end of your working day. Always add a question. For example: what does your morning at work look like? When you ask a question, you immediately create more interaction.
3. Share some fun facts about your business
Did-you-know posts always arouse curiosity. Share a few facts about your business with your followers once in a while. It can be about anything: about the start of your business, about your mission, about the goals that you have achieved, about your developed product or service, about your sources of inspiration, and so on.
If, at the same time, you want to do something for more interaction on your posts, it’s fun to use a quiz. Share 3 to 5 facts about your business with one that’s false. You can then let your followers guess which one is false. This will generate responses, and you will immediately get a lot more reach as a result.
The great thing is that you can do this in many different ways on Instagram. It can be a regular post with a single image. But you can also turn it into a carousel or share it in a story. Creating a video or a Reel takes a little more time, but it is definitely worth it.
4. Share info about your most popular product(s)
Once in a while, it is advised to promote a product or service on your Instagram. But rather than a boring promotional post, create an original one.
Suppose you sell several products: it would be fun to share which products do well in spring, for example. Or with Christmas. Also, respond to current events. For example, share your best-selling product during the lock-down period.
Or go for a product of the month. Post a ‘product of the month’ post every month. Always make sure that you place catchy and engaging texts within the image and make sure it is not a promotional post.
You can, of course, attach a special promotion to the post. For example, you can indicate that the product of the month is available at a particular discount to Instagram followers for that entire month.
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5. Provide surprising images of your product or service
Suppose you sell bags. You can use normal photos of the bags or a model with a bag, or you can go for spectacular photos. For example, you can put them in front of a wall with a great background. Or hang a few bags in a tree and take pictures of it. In the latter case, these pictures will stand out much more.
Whether you sell a physical product or offering professional service, think of an original way to display it as prominently as possible. In the case of a service, you can think of a short comic strip, for example. Start brainstorming about this. Make sure the environment fits your target group and appeals to them.
Would you like more tips on how to create appealing images? Then also read this blog: https://www.365daysofsuccess.com/14-canva-hacks-for-great-images/
6. Make use of teasers
Are you working on a new type of service? Or are you working on a new product? Start creating a bit of curiosity and attention before you start selling it.
Make it exciting with a few posts in which you give a hint of the new product or service. Tell something about the benefits, about the specific features, or about the development process.
Count down to the reveal of the product or service. Make 5 posts, for example, and count down each day to the day you will finally reveal it. Ask your followers a question in each post to ensure some interaction. You can also let them guess what you are working on.
7. Share original before and after pictures
Everyone knows the famous before and after pictures. Think of haircuts, makeup, or makeovers. These types of posts perform very well on social media.
It is even more fun to come up with original before and after concepts. For example, share a picture of your messy workspace and then one of your perfectly tidy workspace. Or a picture of your garden (before and after) after you have worked on it. Or when you get a new workplace: share the old and the new one.
Preferably link with your company and your product or service. Suppose you make beautiful things with needlework: take a picture of some jumbled up wool and then take a picture of what you’ve made from it. You can really go all out with this: let your creativity run wild.
8. Use Boomerang
Research shows that short videos are very popular on Instagram and are often watched all the way through. GIF is an example of this. It is a moving image and, therefore, more attractive to viewers than an image.
The advantage of a GIF is that it takes less time to create, and they are also shared more often. Instagram has introduced its version of the GIF: the Boomerang.
The Boomerang has been somewhat forgotten by Reels (see the next tip), but it’s still fun to make one.
A Boomerang records a short sequence of photos and plays them backward and forwards in a loop. This creates an engaging short video with a repeated motion. Boomerangs are popular, stand out, and are fun to make.
9. Post tutorials in Reels
A regular short video is nice, but you can make it even better. For example, you can briefly explain something from your field of expertise within a short tutorial. Show your followers exactly how to use your product or name its benefits. Inspire your followers with surprising applications of your products or service.
Or choose a few frequently asked questions about your product or service and answer one question at a time in a Reel. With this kind of content, you offer added value to your followers. They know what to expect when they view your Reels. In addition, you actively work on your expert status, and you build trust.
10. Create infographics
Are you already using infographics? An infographic is an image on which you share information from your industry about a specific topic playfully and engagingly. This allows you to easily explain the most complex subjects.
With infographics, you visualize the information you want to share. To do this: you mix text, numbers, and fun and expressive images. Instead of a boring text your followers can see all your information at a glance.
Infographics are very popular and a great tool to use on Instagram. Canva, for example, has great templates for infographics.
11. Ask smart questions
You probably know that you should always include a call to action (=CTA) in the texts of your Instagram posts. Because you want to convince your followers to take action as much as possible: questions with a simple yes or no answer won’t help much, and it is far from original.
However, your questions should also not be too complicated or specific. Broadly formulated questions are more likely to get responses than specific questions.
Everyone knows the following questions: “What three things would you take to a deserted island?” This is an example of a broadly worded question. Try using these types of questions for your business.
Suppose you rent out holiday houses. Then think of a question such as: “What 3 things do you always take with you when you rent a holiday home?” Or, if you sell furniture, you could ask: “What three pieces of furniture should your living room be absolutely home to?” These are smart questions that are sure to generate interaction.
12. Provide book tips from your area of expertise
Do you read a lot of professional literature? You can certainly do something with that in terms of original posts. You can do this in many different ways. For example, you can do a short book review in which you share the most striking and interesting things from the book. You can do this in a post but also in a video.
In addition, you can collect, for example, 5 tips from each book and share them in posts, always indicating which book they come from. Ensure that you link the tips to your own product or service in the text. Don’t forget to ask your followers a question in every post.
13. Use your own sound
A very original idea is to use the same sound for your posts. Especially for videos, it is smart to use a particular music as a background. It makes your posts more recognizable, and it comes across as professional.
You can also record your own jingle. Use it at the beginning or end of your video. A familiar tune will stick in the memory of your followers, and it increases the recognition value of your brand.
Which of these tips appeals to you the most? Work on that tip today and start your original journey on Instagram. Good luck!
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>>365 Days of Instagram Success<<
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