Let’s face it, it’s pretty tough trying to compete on Instagram as a brand. Whilst you know it’s a great tool, when it works well, how do you cut through all the noise? How do you come up with creative Instagram content ideas that attract new audiences and keep your followers engaged?
Any piece of content you post should inspire, inform, educate, entice, or entertain. Put yourself in the shoes of your audience and ask yourself, what would they want to see? And, to go one step further, what would they want to share?
Be a tease💅
People always want to know more. Think about it. Someone tells you they have an exciting piece of news to share, but won’t tell you what it is right there and then. Even if it ends up being a total anticlimax, you’re still dying to know, what you don’t know. Use this theory on your Instagram and keep your audience guessing. Instead of just posting about a product or service when it launches, post some teaser content first.
If you’re opening in a new location, for example, take some creative photos and videos around that city and ask followers to guess where it is. Or, set up a guessing game with hints about a new product using Instagram stories: use the Question feature and you can even repost people’s answers for extra engagement. Maybe even offer the first 5 people who guess the correct answer a free taster of the product.
💡Inspo:
Starbucks are one brand who kill it when it comes to teaser content. They always find ways to generate excitement by hinting to fans about new or returning menu items.
Jump onto hashtag trends#️⃣
Let’s expand by taking a look at some examples from the recent #BottleCapChallenge.
Celebrities and athletes have probably been roundhouse-kicking their way in your feed as they try to remove a bottle cap with their feet. Some quick-thinking brands have joined in the challenge in unexpected ways — like Audi Germany, who posted a video of a bottle cap being popped off by the force of a car exhaust; or Lego, who took on the challenge with an animated Lego ninja. Both videos have had upwards of 250,000 views.
Getting in on the action of hashtags like these has two major benefits. Firstly, it can get your content seen by new audiences. And secondly, it shows followers that your brand has a finger on the pulse of what’s culturally relevant and isn’t afraid to have a little fun.
Share product origin stories📒
You might not think your customers care about the specifics of your production process, but: millennials in particular are said to be “looking past the quality of the product itself and becoming more conscientious about the quality of the process that manufactured it”. As well as quality, ethical and sustainable production is something many consumers care about, so why not use social media to showcase your brand values in action?
Product origin or product creation stories work great on all areas of Instagram, whether it’s regular posts, stories, or IGTV. Sharing BTS content is something exclusive to your brand – so make the most of what you have and show your followers something they can’t find anywhere else.
💡Inspo:
Here’s an example from LetterFolk, who use a collection of Instagram stories called “How It’s Made” to demonstrate the level of care that goes into producing their premium notebooks and homewares. Get wordy with quotes, quizzes, memes, and more🤓
One way to mix in some different Instagram content ideas is to create text-based posts like quotes, questions, tips, facts, stats, or memes. What you choose will depend on your brand—it could be something serious and informative, or something humorous and viral, the important thing is to be consistent with your brand’s personality and voice.
Don’t forget that these can temporarily light up your Instagram Stories if you don’t feel they fit as permanent posts.
Lilybod is a great example of how to give a brand personality using quotes and memes. For every 4-6 posts about their product they throw in something textual, that’s funny, relatable, and shareable.
Questions are another great way to get creative and generate engagement. They can be purely-for-fun hypothetical questions (like “what would you do if…” or “would you rather…”), questions about issues that prompt thoughtful discussions or self-reflection, or even questions for market research.
Go for graphics and visuals📊
Think decision trees, Venn diagrams, and flowcharts are the stuff of boring reports? Think again. These things exist for a reason: visual cues aid in comprehension, make abstract concepts more tangible and stick more easily in memory. They can also be surprisingly fun.
Infographics have boomed in popularity for exactly these reasons. If you have a bit of graphic design flare or can hire someone who does, it’s well worth experimenting with different types of graphics in ways that fit your brand. If you can’t do either of these things, try a platform like Canva, which can help you create your own. Check out this example from The Equality Institute, which frequently use visuals to present meaningful issues in lighthearted ways:
Or this one from ClassPass, who do a great job of mixing simple, visually-attractive and fun graphics into their account:
As these examples show, graphics and diagrams don’t have to be dry.
Ready to get out of your content rut?
We hope these Instagram content ideas have sparked some “aha” moments for you and helped you to work out what’s lacking from your brand’s account. The key is to experiment with different types of content—that way you’ll gain a deeper understanding of what works and what doesn’t for your specific audience.