Instagram: it’s a behemoth of the social media world, with a billion monthly users spending almost half an hour on the platform every single day. But wait – there’s more. Business is booming on IG, with 200m users visiting business profiles on a daily basis, 80% following at least one brand, and a third of the most-viewed stories coming from companies.
It’s no surprise, then, that our clients have shifted from asking us simply ‘’should I use Instagram for my clinic’’, to ‘’how often should I post on Instagram’’. In other words, our clients recognise the value of this seriously impressive platform – the question is purely how to maximise its potential through an effective digital marketing strategy.
Post rate
If you’ve found yourself asking ‘’how often should I post on Instagram’’, you’re not alone – it’s actually one of the most Googled questions about the platform, and not just amongst businesses (‘’Instagram’’ on its own is the 10th most popular Google search).
Just shy of 1,000 images are posted second-by-second on Instagram, and according to research, weekdays (particularly Wednesday and Thursday) show the most engagement, which makes posting during your clinic opening hours ideal. Using a location in your post can also boost engagement by a whopping 79%, and since many of your clients will be searching for treatments in their area, it makes Instagram incredibly valuable for location targeting.
Another great tactic for posting is to keep it regular – and the more often you post, the more likes and followers you get. In fact, one study showed that accounts with a daily post rate earnt more followers faster, than those who didn’t. Accounts can double their following with up to 6 posts per week, and can double it again by then moving to one or more daily posts.
Finally, if you find yourself wondering ‘’what is the best time to post on Instagram?’’, then you’ve come to the right place – we’re often asked about the best Instagram posting times here in the UK. As specialists in aesthetics and dentistry, we can advise on both. Statistics show that ‘’the most consistent engagement’’ on the social platform is on weekdays between 9am-4pm, therefore it follows that this could well be the best time to post on Instagram.
Types of content & ways to use it
We’re now moving on from the question of ‘’how often should I post on Instagram’’ to ‘’what type of content should I post on Instagram’’. Video content does exceptionally well on this highly visual platform – in fact, it gets twice the engagement as photos. That’s good news for the aesthetics sector, as you can tap into this through curated video content, such as tours of your clinic, before and after videos, treatment video diaries and more. Of course, most Instagrammers use photo content – and of that, photos with faces get 38% more likes. With many aesthetics treatments being facially-based, that’s ideal for this sector to exploit.
Hashtags are also a good tactic, as they help your content to be more searchable and can even be ‘followed’. According to stats, just one hashtag on a post generates 12.6% more engagement – and of all the hashtags in use, #Love and #Beautiful make the top 5, which suite in perfectly with your treatments and incredible results. The golden number of hashtags to use in a post? Apparently, 7.
Emojis are also big news. Love them or loathe them, they hold serious power, with half of captions and comments featuring them, and users able to search for content using emojis. Incredibly, incorporating them into an Instagram post can boost engagement by 48%.
Last but not least, if you have a skincare range at your clinic, it’s time to spread the word on social. 60% of users say that they like to discover new products on Instagram. Throw an influencer into the mix, and you could get a return of 6.5% on your spend.
In summary…
Keeping up with your social media accounts can seem time-consuming, but it’s a key part of your digital marketing strategy. Here are a few important steps to follow when being active on Instagram:
– Post high-quality content at least once per day
– Use Instagram Insights to pin down popular content
– Check your reach – your posts could be being seen by an untapped audience not yet following you
– Engage with your followers through liking and replying to their comments
– Don’t forget cross-posting (where you can share posts through other social sites)
How we can help
We use tools, data and software to inform every digital marketing decision we make and strategy we create – because the proof is in the numbers. From identifying how often you should post on Instagram to gain followers, to the best time of day to post, to the easiest hashtags to use to boost engagement, our experts tap into the unique power of social media to get your clinic’s name and treatments out there in your location, building brand awareness while bringing in more business.
Other Sources:
https://www.omnicoreagency.com/instagram-statistics/
https://www.convinceandconvert.com/digital-marketing/influencer-marketing-for-businesses/