How to Engage Millennials Using Instagram

How to engage millennials through Instagram

Millennials comprise nearly 22 percent of the United States population — a larger portion than any other generation. According to Statista, Instagram has 2 billion monthly active users worldwide and 169 million U.S. users. With 62 percent of Instagram’s global users ages 18 to 34 and an additional 16 percent ages 35 to 44, millennials are particularly well-represented on this platform. This significant presence makes Instagram a powerful channel for connecting with millennial audiences.

Consider the following tips to engage this market successfully using Instagram as a social media marketing tool.

1. Demonstrate your brand’s passion on Instagram.

If you think you’ll cast a wide net with your advertising campaign and assume millennials will be pulled in, think again. If you want to build a brand that attracts Gen Z and millennial customers, you must convey genuine passion for what you’re advertising — whether it’s fashion, fitness, makeup, travel or luxury items. If you don’t believe in your content, neither will they.

Here are some tips for showing how passionate you are about your business:

• Narrow your focus: As you start gaining traction, refine your focus. For example, if you own a restaurant, consider what makes your establishment unique. Do you specialize in fine dining, exceptional desserts or local ingredients? Start posting broadly to attract a larger audience, then narrow your focus. This practice will capture dedicated followers who are especially interested in your niche.
• Use creative captions: Pair your posts with captivating captions that grab attention and encourage interaction. Consider using calls-to-action that invite your audience to vote, check out your product or share with a friend. Creative captions help showcase your passion while sparking conversation.
• Build brand authority: Instagram helps you establish yourself as an authority. When you’re passionate about a specific subject, you come across as an expert. This expertise will help you attract millennial followers who are interested in and engaged with your brand.

2. Create captivating videos for Instagram.

Eye-catching, high-resolution images usually catch millennials’ attention. However, video can make your content marketing strategy more effective on the social platform.

Here are some tips for using video on Instagram effectively:

• Make a big impression quickly: Capture attention within the first seven seconds of your video. A strong start keeps viewers engaged — increasing their likelihood of watching until the end. Follow up consistently with fresh videos to keep your audience engaged and motivated to stick around for the long haul.
• Show your brand personality through videos: Instead of shooting stiff, infomercial-type demonstrations, build brand trust through video. You can do so simply by showcasing your business’s personality. For example, show viewers how employees interact behind the scenes, share product usage examples and highlight your unique product creation
• Use videos on your Instagram stories: Millennials particularly enjoy Instagram stories — short videos available for just 24 hours. The time limit makes it easier to streamline your message. Plus, you can keep viewers’ attention longer by adding unique filters and hashtag stickers. Consider using live videos to tease new products, run contests and host live Q&A sessions with your employees.

3. Encourage user-generated content on Instagram.

Millennials can be less trusting of faceless corporations, and they like to be part of the action. For these reasons, encourage user-generated content (UGC) from your Instagram audience.

To encourage UGC, create a testimonial section on your website. You could also launch a contest encouraging followers to submit an image or idea with a catchy hashtag.

Famous UGC contests include the following:

• Dunkin’ Donuts: During the Halloween season, Dunkin’ Donuts encouraged users to decorate their cups to win a gift card.
• Four Seasons: The Four Seasons hotel chain ran a contest asking followers worldwide to snap pictures of specific landmarks to win prizes.

Involving followers in your content marketing strategy reduces the amount of content you need to create internally. Additionally, millennials tend to trust UGC more than other media forms.

4. Utilize trending topics on Instagram.

Millennials are engaged in and informed about world events and cultural trends. To take advantage of this, incorporate trending topics into your Instagram content.

There are many ways to incorporate trending topics, including the following:

• Share your opinion on a topic in your advertising and posts.
• Engage your audience by asking questions about a current trend.
• Turn a hot topic into a meme.

Rob Baiocco, co-founder and chief creative officer of The BAM Connection, cautioned that being selective about the trends you follow is crucial. “Pick one or two a week and create content that joins what I like to call ‘the digital line dance,’ then do your thing,” Baiocco recommended. “This gets you the hardworking numbers and regular presence because you immediately join an entire group of people already out there dancing, active and engaged.”

The key is to be engaging without going over the line. Avoid trending political or controversial subjects to prevent alienating audience segments. If you sense that a potential post may be seen as offensive, don’t use it.

5. Use the right tools on Instagram.

Attracting and keeping millennials’ attention can be challenging. Fortunately, you don’t have to go it alone. Several tools can help remove some of the guesswork:

• Iconosquare: Iconosquare is a comprehensive tool with a post scheduler, a post-approval and collaboration module. It also boasts analytics that measure real-time engagement and brand mentions. In addition, it includes two additional free tools: Twinsta, which captures screenshots of tweets to use on Instagram, and Instagram Audit, which will tell you if your Instagram account is optimized.
• Sprout Social and Hootsuite: Millennials demand engagement and constant content. Online tools like Sprout Social and Hootsuite help you stay on top of your posting schedule by creating and scheduling content ahead of time. This allows you to focus on running your business.
• Shortstack: Shortstack is a tool for running Instagram contests and using coupon codes to drive engagement.
• Keyhole: Keyhole analyzes your posts’ performance to ensure you hit your targets. It also shares insights on how to continue achieving those goals in the future.

6. Use Instagram to provide social proof to millennial buyers.

Millennials place a high value on social proof and trusted recommendations, especially when making purchasing decisions. Kim Murray, the founder of Virality Boost, explained that social media platforms — particularly Instagram — are essential for serving millennials credible endorsements. “Millennials love gathering information and often look to social media for ideas and help with their buying decisions,” Murray said. “Our top strategy for connecting with them is getting our clients featured with editorial publishers through listicles, how-to articles or buying guides.”

Murray said the company distributes these editorial articles using relevant influencers on social media sites, including Instagram. “The results have been amazing — not just with high engagement and 100 percent positive sentiment scores, but also in driving traffic and sales,” Murray explained. “Some clients have even seen double-digit growth from just one campaign.”

Instagram mistakes to avoid

Like any social platform, Instagram has unwritten rules and best practices for engaging consumers, including millennials. Avoid the following pitfalls on Instagram to ensure you don’t go viral for the wrong reasons:

• Posting low-quality content: Instagram is primarily a visual medium. For this reason, all images and videos should be top-quality. Don’t post low-resolution, blurry, or otherwise confusing or unattractive images. Instagram users expect beautiful photos and well-produced videos. Your text should be understandable and free of typos and misspellings. Anything less will not generate likes.
• Forgetting the hashtags: Instagram users can tell immediately if a post interests them by looking at its hashtags. Additionally, hashtags help other users find your posts and help you track engagement. Use hashtags to describe a photo’s subject, give more information about it, call out interested communities or industries, and add to your branding. (You can use up to 30 hashtags per post; three to five hashtags are recommended.)
• Not optimizing your Instagram bio: While much of your Instagram activity is fleeting, your Instagram bio endures. Optimizing your bio allows you to convert a casual follower into a more serious prospect or lead. Include your company’s full name, a description, a link to your website, bullets, emojis and your brand’s hashtags.
• Not utilizing IG Stories: Stories are a powerful tool for capturing attention and engaging followers. Use them to share company news, promote products, and run quizzes, polls and surveys. Stories are also great for “behind-the-scenes” glimpses, employee interviews and customer testimonials, all of which add the authenticity that millennials value.
• Winging it: Like any other marketing vehicle, Instagram requires a strategy and focused effort to achieve specific goals. A “seat of the pants” approach will be evident to users and can hurt your brand. Be prepared with an on-brand visual and written style, brand hashtags, brand differentiators, relevant content, and unique selling points for your company and products. Know what you want to accomplish and track your progress. Use data analytics to tweak content so it performs better.
• Broadcasting instead of engaging: Instagram is a social platform; users expect interaction from the brands they follow — not a one-sided stream of content. Instead of just pushing out posts, focus on responding to comments and engaging followers personally. Ignoring followers can cause them to lose interest and potentially move on to competitors. If you want users to engage with you, engage with them in return.
• Spamming: Paying attention to your followers isn’t enough — your communication should offer genuine value. Empty or overly generic comments like “great photo!” or requests for follows don’t show real interest. Instead, focus on thoughtful, meaningful comments that show you care about your followers, not just what they can do for you.
• Posting inconsistently: Build a content calendar and maintain a steady posting schedule; this way, followers know what to expect. Aim for a consistent flow of content each week. If your social media manager goes on vacation, have pre-scheduled and pre-designed posts ready to prevent any gaps. A sudden drop in activity can make followers question your relevance or assume you’re no longer in business; such trepidations can lead them to unfollow you.
• Being too salesy: Ronan Walsh, managing director at Digital Trawler, warned that overly salesy content is a huge turn-off for millennials. “Create content that informs, entertains or inspires your audience,” Walsh advised. “Customer stories, UGC, or tips related to your stuff set a foundation of trust and make your business into an entity rather than simply a product to buy.”

Engage millennials where they spend time

Millennials spend a significant portion of their time online and engaging with social media platforms. Their social interactions often inform purchase decisions and brand perceptions. Get your business in front of millennials by creating an Instagram business account and filling it with carefully crafted and engaging content. You could see striking results.