Instagram for Business: Find Your Target Audience

You started an Instagram for Business account, you have posted for a few weeks, you gained a few followers, and now you are ready to maintain an online presence to create brand awareness.  Great!

You are almost there.  The most important step is to identify your target audience – for most this is also your local audience on Instagram.  Now what do you do?  We keep it simple and have a few pointers to help you find your target audience and begin engaging with them to promote your business.

Research, Research, Research

• Who is already engaging with your brand?  Find out who is already engaging with you on Instagram by looking at your Instagram analytics. 

• Which posts do they seem most interested in?  Which content has peaked has done well and which hasn’t. 

• Who else are they following on Instagram?  Take a look at your clients and past clients profiles – do they use hashtags?  Which ones?  What kind of content do they post?  What are they saying about the value they are bringing to their clients? 

• Who is your competitor?  Check out your competition.  Which hashtags and content seems to encourage the most community involvement. Chances are that is what people feel will bring them some benefit.

Target Audience: Imagination Exercise

• Ask the same questions you would if you were marketing for your business traditionally.

• Imagine the “person” that has the traits and values that the majority of your audience would bring. 

• Who are they?

• Where do live, work, and play?

• What are their values?

• What are their goals?

• Why do they need or want your brand?

• What communities or hashtags do they engage with?

Engage with Your Audience

Now that you have found your target audience and have information about what kind of content they are interested in and value.  Now you need to put this information into action.  The next step is to decide which content you should post and when. Typically, this takes a bit more research – from hashtag research, finding your brand voice, and if you are going to use paid advertising.