Instagram is a treasure trove for user generated images, which will easily showcase your hotel’s personality and charm. Instagram currently has around 800 million users, 500 million of those being daily active users. Even more interesting is the fact 71% of businesses are using Instagram. Let’s walk through five simple ways to grow your followers and increase your engagement.
Tell a Story by Choosing a Theme
Unlike Facebook and Twitter, Instagram presents you with the unique opportunity to fashion a visual story about who you are as a brand. By choosing a theme for your account, you can provide your followers with a more cohesive tapestry. Here are a few ideas for themes.
Consistent Color Palette
Stick to a consistent color palette when posting photos. This does not mean all of your photos need to be the same color, but each photo could include elements of those colors to tie the entire story together.
If your hotel is located by a beach, blue or light brown would be excellent colors to consistently incorporate. If you are located by a lot of nature and wildlife, perhaps green.
Visual Motifs
Establish an ongoing visual motif with your Instagram account by posting content that consistently aligns with your hotel’s identity, brand, and/or location. It is best to avoid including content that is too diverse or deviates from the overall feel of your account because it detracts from your curated user experience. A good rule of thumb is to have about 80% of your content fall into your theme while the remaining 20% can be more varied.
If your hotel is located in a big city, showcasing photographers’ work of the area is a great way to create a theme. Also, if your hotel is dog-friendly, you have an excellent opportunity to create some dog-themed content. This does not mean you have to abandon photos of your hotel. Those should be sprinkled in as well. Remember, you want to draw people to stay at your hotel when they visit the area, but also catch their eye.
Here are a few more examples of fun themes to play with to give your account that extra boost.
Finally, consider using a consistent Instagram filter for photos. This separates you from other accounts in the mix, making your brand’s content more interesting and visually appealing. To achieve this, you can either use a filter provided by Instagram such as Gingham or Inkwell, or you can play with the editing options, creating your own!
Build a Network of Engaged Followers
Always follow relevant accounts and tag users whenever you use their content. They will almost always interact with you, and it may also help you gain a follower or two. In the below example, we tagged the photos of each guest and created a collage. We received a regram from one of the tagged guests and therefore doubled our exposure.
Communication goes two ways, and when your audience comments on a post or tags you, it is crucial that you respond. Users will begin to drop off from your account if you are not present.
Make Use of User Generated Content
Picodash is an invaluable social media tool, not only for Instagram, but for other social channels as well. With so many search options, you will have access to a plethora of excellent user generated material.
Use Hashtags
Instagram posts with at least one hashtag perform 12.6% better than posts without one. Utilizing hashtags is one of the best ways to help your content really shine. As you continue to follow relevant accounts, pay attention to the hashtags they use. You can also explore Instagram to see which hashtags are the most popular and will have the most impact.
Most Importantly, Have Fun!
Instagram is a place to browse and be inspired. If your account looks just like everyone else’s, people will lose interest. You have the perfect opportunity to make your Instagram account whatever you wish, from theme to tone. Do not be afraid to try new things or switch it up if what you are doing is not working. Of all the social channels out there, Instagram was originally created for fun, so have fun!
Time to be #Instagreat
It is time to ask yourself, why only be #instagood when you can be #instagreat? Just remember to be authentic and consistently provide creative, quality content. Sign up for our email list to stay on top of all the latest news in digital marketing!
