1. Your Instagram Posts are only being seen by people who’ve stayed with you in the past
This is simply how Instagram works. The posts on your main feed are only seen by your most engaged Instagram followers, and your Instagram Stories are only seen by your most engaged Instagram followers too. The latter has a direct impact on the former. No stories? Nobody is seeing your main feed posts. On Instagram, it’s very difficult to reach new customers using Main Feed and Story posts alone. Don’t get me started on Facebook…
2. Around 3% of the people who like your Facebook page see your posts, and they’ve almost definitely stayed with you recently
The Like/Follow function has been carefully hidden away by Facebook over the last year or so. As the platform slowly morphs from a social network to an advertising platform, Facebook followers aren’t as important as they used to be. What’s important in Facebook is understanding Facebook Ads Manager and the Boosted post function. These tools will help you reach new and old customers without worrying about highly engaging content or the dreaded algorithm.
3. Use Facebook and Instagram ads to target demographics with particular interests
Ads do work. You just have to get them right. Targeting 24,000,000 people in the UK who are over the age of 40 will not be the best use of your budget. Think about your different target demographics and break those down into separate advertising audiences. Aim for an audience size of 100k to 500k for the best results.
4. User-Generated Content is far more appealing than professional photography
It’s true! Think about it – when you see an advert on the telly for Jet2 Holidays, they’re not showing you a perfectly made hotel bed or an empty swimming pool. They’re showing you somebody who’s just like you, going on the brilliant holiday that you’ve been dreaming of! Social Media posts shouldn’t be any different, you’re selling the holiday after all. Also, after 1000+ Social Media consultations with multiple businesses around the UK – I can tell you first hand, photos with faces in always get more engagement on Social Media.
5. Instagram Reels are key to finding new customers and guests
Apart from advertising, posting Reels on Instagram is really the only way to reach new customers. Reels work entirely differently from Main Feed posts. Primary, they do not reach your users – instead, they appear in the Reels feed to users who have watched videos of a similar subject. This makes them a great way to reach travelers, hikers, mountain bikers, surfers, and more.
6. A smart remarketing ads strategy will be the best decision you ever make
Website visits from Instagram posts and profiles are insanely low across all industries – people are on Instagram to watch cute animal videos and post pictures of their breakfast. They’re not always looking to make a purchase or booking. This is where a smart remarketing strategy comes in useful. The primary function of all organic Social Media is brand awareness, and to gain this brand awareness you need to drive engagement, not website visits. Try creating an audience in Facebook Ads manager of all your most engaged Facebook and Instagram followers – you can target these people with more straightforward ‘make a booking’ ads to increase conversions, and leave your organic Social Media to increase brand awareness.
7. Canva isn’t helping you stand out online
Canva has its place in the Social Media world, and we recommend it to many businesses. It’s great for infographics, menus, recipes, and more. But simply adding the same border to your photograph that every other eco-yoga-retreat/glamping pod is using, is not going to help you stand out online. Stick with high quality photographs and videos instead.