5 Tips for Using Instagram in Promo

1

Plan Content Around Your Goals

Perrin-Savoy recommends planning out your SMART goals, then reverse engineering your social content around them. Figure out what you really want to get out of your Instagram presence. Is it purely to gain followers or are you hoping to get inquiries from prospective clients? Are there particular products you want to be selling at certain times of the year? “We take a bird’s-eye view,” she says.

Though Moore & Moore Merch plans much of its content ahead of time, Perrin-Savoy leaves some room for spontaneity on her feed – responding to events and trends that are relevant to the business. “You don’t want it to be too cold and sterile,” she says.

2

Do Your Research

Figure out whether your target market is on Instagram. Is there a company account? Or is there an individual employee’s account, perhaps the marketing director? Engage with those accounts before reaching out offline to help warm up leads. Make sure your messaging matches the type of client you’re targeting. “It can be a dig to get that info, but it’s worth it in the long run,” Perrin-Savoy says.

When it comes to posting, Moore & Moore Merch focuses on quality, rather than quantity. It’s not about going viral, but rather about being laser-focused. “Even if our posts fall a little flatter, we did what we had to do before and reached who we wanted to reach,” Perrin-Savoy says.

3

Optimize the Link in Your Bio

Traditional posts on your Instagram feed don’t allow for links in the caption, so most users will direct their followers to their “link in bio.” Instead of simply sending people to your website, consider building a mobile-optimized custom landing page to funnel people into your pipeline or highlight specific projects. Apps like Milkshake, Campsite and Linktree are a few simple services that can help facilitate such pages.

Moore & Moore Merch includes a “Let’s Work Together” link in the company bio, which directs people to a detailed questionnaire and consult scheduler. It’s a passive, but powerful, way to explain the company’s ordering process and available services, but also glean valuable information from prospects. “It’s another way to educate the client before meeting with them,” Perrin-Savoy says.

4

Keep the Quality High

That means posting professional-looking photos and videos. Though many advocate to make Instagram feeds more human and imperfect, a photo that’s out of focus or has bad lighting “doesn’t land the same,” Perrin-Savoy says. Consider that the promo industry is a creative one, and your clients are looking for certain standards when they scroll down your page. Quality also means interspersing informative, educational content along with product pics. For example, Perrin-Savoy has noticed a high return, with many prospects requesting more info, when she explains things like the cut-and-sew services Moore & Moore offers.

5

Collaborate With Influencers

The key to raising your profile on social media is to get other people talking about you in a positive way, and an easy way to do that is to work with relevant influencers and collaborate with like-minded organizations. “Collaboration is one of the easiest, coolest, most fun ways to get engagement,” says Perrin-Savoy, “and to get other people excited about what you’re doing.” A few years ago, for instance, Moore & Moore Merch sponsored good-quality jute totes for a conference run by District Motherhued, a social organization for millennial moms of color. The nonprofit filled the bags with beauty items and influencer products. “That bag really took on a life of its own,” Perrin-Savoy says. “Even to this day, I would attribute so many clients from just that activation.”