Let's Talk Instagram Marketing!

    As a state titleholder, part of my job is creating an online presence that furthers the national brand of the Miss Volunteer America Organization. Being part of a growing organization, I’m also faced with the responsibility of recruiting girls to compete in our state competition. I’ve found that one of the best tools for finding new recruits is Instagram. One of the prime demographics on Instagram is 15- to 35-year-olds, so I use various methods to extend my reach.

    Did you know that Instagram has a professional dashboard for your profile? This is one of my favorite tools for seeing the performance of my posts. Once clicked, you can immediately see the number of views and interactions on your page, as well as the total followers. From here, you can click each category for a deeper understanding of your reach. Each section shows the content that receives the most views or interactions, as well as the percentage of followers and non-followers responsible for these numbers. For my state titleholder page, 45.3% of my views come from non-followers through Reels. While the views are great for reach and awareness, I’ve also found that 59.9% of my interactions come from followers on my posts. With this information in mind, I can choose the proper format for a post based on whether I am looking for interactions or views. Another piece of the dashboard I consistently use is the audience section, which indicates the cities, countries, ages, and genders of those interacting with my page. By knowing the audience currently receiving my content, I can ensure my posts are reaching my target audience. Overall, I find the professional dashboard to be my best friend when working to grow my page on Instagram.

    Since Reels are where I’ve been able to gain the most views, it’s become an area of focus for me as I work to grow the Miss Ohio Teen Volunteer page. Did you know that people watch videos longer on Instagram Reels than on TikTok? People are more inclined to stick around and watch your reel when it appears on their For You page, which means this is the perfect niche to extend your reach. When creating Reels, you need to ask yourself two questions: What message do I want to spread? How long do I want my video to be? Both of these answers will determine how you approach creating your Reels. If you’re looking for a short compilation video filled with pictures and videos, editing platforms like CapCut are great options. Oftentimes, I’ll use those platforms to edit my videos and then research trending audio on Instagram that correlates with the post. By using popular audio, there’s a stronger chance your video can show up on someone’s For You page. While these are two key ways I craft shorter videos, sometimes you may want to share a longer video. Here, I find it’s best to start with an opening that grabs the audience’s attention. Whether it’s asking a question, using an eye-catching picture, or sharing a statistic, you want to find something that leaves people wanting to hear more. These videos typically don’t gain as much traction, but it’s all about the message you’re trying to share.

    Those are just a few of the key ways I’ve learned to market through Instagram. Feel free to share any strategies you use below, as I’d love to learn more!