Instagram is continuing to expand, in contrast to Twitter and Facebook, both of which have recently exhibited symptoms of slowing off. Usage data for Instagram is mind-boggling. Each month, more than a billion users access the service.
When used as part of a comprehensive social media marketing plan, Instagram may help nonprofits reach their target demographics and establish a strong online presence through a visual medium. Instagram stories, advertising, and posts are all visually appealing and easy to click.
Instagram is particularly well-suited for fundraising for many NGOs, and it is also used for successful brand-building.
Whether your organisation’s Instagram objective is to boost engagement or donations, or both, these guidelines will help you maximise its potential.
Make use of Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories are the primary reason people use Instagram. Instagram Stories’ daily user count increased from 400 million to 500 million during 2018 and 2019. That means that every single day, almost 500 million of Instagram’s monthly 1 billion users either watch or make Instagram Stories.
Instagram’s parent company, Facebook, only just made it possible for 501(c)(3) organisations to collect donations directly within Instagram Stories. Donating is now a breeze with the help of Instagram’s new donation stickers.
You must join up for Facebook’s charity giving facilities before you can use Donation Stickers; if you’re already set up with Facebook Payments, you can skip this step. You’ll furthermore need to switch to an Instagram Business Account or create one.
In order to maximise your use of Instagram Stories, consider the following recommendations.
Consistent posting will increase interaction and expose your Stories to more Instagram users.
Place adverts on Instagram Stories. Make an Instagram Story advertisement with the help of the Facebook Ads Manager.
To generate more attention, you could include Instagram Live videos to your stories.
Get your Donation Sticker out on Instagram and have your supporters share it with their followers.
In addition to these methods, you should keep in mind the same overarching rules for Instagram Stories as you do when making other advertisements and appeals:
- Make your contribution pitch more compelling by pointing to hard numbers.
- Put in some bright, interesting pictures.
- Tell moving tales that highlight the impact of donors’ generosity.
Make Instagram commercials
Advertisements made for Instagram may be seen by users everywhere on the service. Similar to Instagram’s Donation Stickers, your Facebook company page is where you should begin. While an Instagram account is not required to create Instagram advertising, having one makes interacting with your audience much simpler.
Donation rates may be significantly increased with the use of Instagram advertisements. To promote its MyMarathon initiative and reach a younger, female running demographic, the British Heart Foundation, for instance, ran ads on Instagram. Nearly one-fifth of all signups were the result of the promotion.
Make use of the labelling feature
Don’t forget to include your partners and sponsors in your Instagram photos when hosting an event in conjunction with other groups. By doing so, they will be made aware of your message, which may prompt them to spread the word. When the post appears in other users’ feeds, you’ll see a boost in user interaction.
Additionally helpful tags may be:
- Donor or volunteer of the week
- Your country’s parent group
- A separate branch of your organisation or an analogous charity
- The Press, whether it Local or National
- Tagging photos and videos on Instagram is like giving away free advertisements. Avoid going overboard, but don’t be afraid to use Instagram tags. One of the ways people may find each other online is through the use of tags.
Keep up with your Instagram page
Having an Instagram account isn’t enough on its own. Maintaining an accurate profile is essential. After all, it serves as your main landing page on Instagram. You may make it easy for Instagram users to get in touch with you by installing a “Contact” or “Call-to-Action” button on your profile.
Use an all-channels strategy when posting updates to Instagram and the rest of your social media accounts. Your brand’s voice and messaging should be uniform across all platforms, but it’s important to keep your contact information and other relevant details up to date.
Emails, websites, printed materials, TV/radio advertisements, and social media should all share the same visual identity and voice.
Caption your pictures and videos carefully
Remember that regular postings are one of the most effective forms of Instagram advertising. You can include a 2,200-character caption over three lines of text in addition to the photo or video.
Captions are a fantastic way to get people involved in your content. You can provide context for your article, ask for help, or just impart information you think your readers would find useful.
Instagram posts are shared with followers and become permanent parts of your profile.
Use hashtags to attract a wider audience
Hashtags are a fundamental aspect of Instagram’s culture, but they might be confusing to those who aren’t already familiar with them.
Instagram posts, advertisements, and Stories with embedded hashtags become clickable links. They aid in establishing your social media footprint and expanding Instagram’s visibility.
People’s feeds will be flooded with related content whenever they click on a hashtag. If you’re lucky, some of them will read what you’ve written and decide to follow you.
Using Instagram to grow your charity
Keep your tone and style constant while interacting with your followers on Instagram and other social media sites. The public’s impression of your organisation’s professionalism and responsiveness will be bolstered. To maintain cohesion, it’s best to have one person (or yourself) take care of all your social media engagements.
Following these guidelines, you’ll discover that interacting with your Instagram followers isn’t as difficult as you might have anticipated. When you feel more at ease posting on Instagram and communicating with other users.