“It took thirty-eight years before 50 million people gained access to radios. It took television thirteen years to earn an audience that size. It took Instagram a year and a half.”
Gary Vaynerchuk, author of Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook
It's no secret Instagram is like no other platform and if you want to become an Equine Influencer or promote your Equestrian Business, now is the time to get in on the action!
If you are someone who is trying to grow your follower's list and are tired of struggling, guessing, and hoping for it to happen. Well, these Top 5 Tips are perfect for you!
I too have been where you are and now, @ChelseaLizPhoto has a follower account of over 7k and growing daily!!
You can do this too, you don't have to be a big equine business or a famous Olympic rider, you can just be yourself and follow these tips!
The 5 "Mane" Tips for Boosting Instagram Engagement
You need to know your ideal client. What I mean by that is who are you trying to attract as followers, customers, clients...? If you don't have an answer or it's rather vague, that's alright but knowing your ideal client is the key to growing your business. So really give this some thought and create an "identity". Someone who represents the ideal client you want to attract. Examples: You, Train your horses at Liberty and often share photos of your experiences training and playing with your horses, hoping to inspire and educate others. Your ideal audience might be: female, 14-30, who practices Natural Horsemanship. You, are a Farrier in St. Louis, Missouri, you share before and after photos of your client's horses's feet, hoping to gain clients and educate them about the importance of proper hoof care. Your ideal audience might be: female & male, 18-50, who own horses in Missouri. You, compete in a lot of horse shows, and share lots of photos of your training behind the scenes, the relationship between you and your horse, and of course pictures of your trophies and ribbons from all your successful competitions! You hope to network and connect with other horse lovers, peers, and catch the eye of some of your FAVORITE Equine Brands so you can become sponsored! Your ideal audience might be: Female, 18-45, who ride your discipline and enjoy the same equine brands you love. (Horseware, Thinline, Ariat, etc.)
Accounts that post relevant content to their brand will attract the most loyal followers, that engage with their content, and look forward to your posts! So if your a horse trainer don't post a photo of your flat tire, or what you had for dinner. People follow you because you are a horse trainer and love seeing your progress posts & tips! Keep your posts on topic!
Give your followers & those you engage with, VALUE! Value can be anything from inspirational quotes, to tips, from how-to guides, and positive feedback. All those massive Instagram accounts have one thing in common and that is that they give their followers Value. Remember, you do not always need to be selling! Giving back is a great way to reward your loyal followers and attract new ones!
Define your brand & your content! This is your chance to showcase your brand's personality through a visually inviting layout that attracts followers from just the way your content looks! It's a fact people who post regularly & have a consistent theme, usually rank higher in the algorithm! Create easily recognizable content with tools like Canva! Use templates and scheduling apps like Later to assist with the planning of your Instagram content and save time so you can focus on what's important!
ENGAGE with OTHERS. Like, comment, and share, other's content. Social media is about being social. It's important to make sure you are taking the time to respond to each of your comments and build relationships with your followers. It will help you get to know your audience better and build trust with the message you want to convey. Do not just engage with others on your content but spend time each day liking and commenting on your follower's posts and show interest in the community that supports you! The more you give the more you shall receive in the social medial world. Be genuine and avoid spam-like comments. The more real you are the more people will be attracted and feel a connection with your brand.
You will start to notice a HUGE difference once you start implementing these key tips to your Instagram!
Do you have any tips you would like to share? Let me know and share them down below!