Inspire customers online to encourage them to put horses in training with you. Here are six tips to maximizing Instagram without extra cost.
By Christina Erb LoVullo
“Instagram is one of the most effective ways to market businesses,” says Kelly McCabe, a marketing consultant in Colorado. “There’s no better platform for inspiring and engaging customers.Instagram is constantly evolving.”
1. USE HASHTAGS.
Hashtags are a type of metadata tag that makes it easy for users to find specifically themed content. #Reining, #EquineLife, and #HorseLove are existing tags with large curated followers. Decide what hashtags best represent your business, and add at least one to each post. Instagram posts with at least one hashtag have more engagement than those without.
2. ADD GEOTAGS.
Geotags add geographical identification metadata to your posts, allowing users to search a city, or state for posts. When you share a post on Instagram, you’ll see an “Add Location” option. Use it.
3. TIMING IS EVERYTHING.
Post when your audience is online. Generally speaking, Instagram users engage most on weekdays early in the morning or late in the evening. Post around 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., continuously adjusting the timing to when you see the most engagement from your users.
4. FOLLOW THE 80/20 RULE.
Eighty percent of your content should focus on educating, inspiring, or engaging your audience, while the remaining 20 percent should be promotional—this includes posts for your sponsors. Not the other way around. Share photos of your horses, training tips, and event results. Inspire and educate users, and they’ll want to hire you as their NRHA Professional.
5. SAY CHEESE.
Instagram photos that feature faces get 38% more likes than those without. (Yes, this includes horses.) Faces have the ability to powerfully convey emotion. The thrill of a client winning his first big show. Inspire your target customer base.
6. PRETTY PHOTOS EVERY TIME.
No one likes red eyes or blurry photos. You don’t need to hire a professional photographer to take pretty photographs. You just need to follow three basic rules: Shoot in the golden hours around dawn and dusk, clean your lens with a microfiber cloth before each shoot to avoid spots (even if you’re shooting with your phone), and always shoot with the sun directly behind you. Take advantage of free photo-editing software to adjust brightness, shadows, and highlights or choose a simple Instagram filter.
