While online ads can make a huge difference in your digital marketing efforts, you may not be willing (or able) to put dollars behind this sponsored content. Another option, then, is to focus solely on your Instagram profile and boost your posts to increase your engagement, reach, and brand awareness.
In today’s blog post, let’s talk about how to strategically boost your Instagram posts.
To start, boosting a post simply means that it will appear on the feeds of users who don’t follow you. It may also appear in the Explore page or in Stories. It is a type of social media advertising that allows you to target your audience by location, interests, and more. The three primary benefits of a boosted post include:
- reaching a larger audience
- increasing engagement (likes, comments, and shares) on your post
- gaining new followers
Plus, you’ll be able to gain insights into how your content is performing and who is interested in seeing it outside of your current audience.
When you boost a post, you’ll select the Goal, Audience, Budget, and Duration. As little as five dollars per day can have a big impact! Before you hit “Boost post,” you’ll be able to preview your efforts. Instagram will provide you with an overview of your settings as well as an estimated reach. After your boost is approved and shared, you can hit pause at any time.
Now, for the tricky part: How do you decide what Instagram post to boost?
Design plays an important role in any ad. For a boosted post, you have a small space — a smartphone screen — to capture the users’ attention. Take a minimalist approach with an image, text, and one or two design elements if needed. Use your caption to really dig into the topic or product. Grab the brightest color from your brand kit to make your post stand out as people are quickly scrolling. Finally, make the purpose of your post very clear! For instance, If you want people to visit your website, be sure to send them to the link in your bio, making it easy for them to take that next step.
It’s important to show off your range too. Instead of sticking to just a single, static post, boost a Reel or carousel. Even just a burst of movement at the beginning will help your post get noticed. If you opt for different types of boosted posts for the same promotion, be sure to use a cohesive message to tie it all together.
At Carlisle & Co., we follow a specific strategy when it comes to boosting our client’s Instagram posts.
Think of the boost as enhancing the engagement that you naturally get from posting to your feed. For best practice, wait a minimum of one week after you hit publish on a post so you can get a realistic sense of the organic interactions. Much like a social media paid ad, you can target a specific audience to reach users who aren’t currently followers of your account but show similar interests.
While it still costs money to boost a post, it’s at a much lower price point than ads, making this feature a great tool for A-B testing. If you have two separate audiences (say one that listens to your podcast and one that doesn’t) or a broad target audience with different specific interests, you can slightly tweak your boost settings and then compare the outcomes.
If you’re looking to develop a digital marketing strategy and expand your online reach, please reach out to our team today.
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