How to Create a Genuine Connection With Your Instagram Audience

Social media platforms often carry a stigma of superficialness. Many business owners serious about growing their brands sometimes shrug off Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook. They do this because they don't believe these platforms fully represent their business. And, to a certain extent, they may have a point. After all, if you’ve ever scrolled through more than one social media app for a minute, you may have noticed a lot of noise and very little substance.

However, it doesn’t have to be like that for your brand. If you have value to offer, you will find an audience on social media, especially Instagram. With over 2 billion active users every month, a little effort on your part will ensure you find your tribe.

Keep reading to discover how to find your community on Instagram and create a genuine connection with your followers.

Don’t Remove the Truth From Your Instagram Storytelling

As a child, your parents probably read you bedtime stories. Remember how exciting that was? Every night, you would hear about princesses, pirates, fairies, and knights. You probably even decided to have your own magical adventures when you grew up.

Now that you’re an adult with your own business, the magic of stories can still inspire. Use Instagram to tell your audience your story and why you do what you do. Tell them what motivates you. Let them know what your aspirations and dreams are for your brand.

Most importantly, don’t remove the truth from your stories to make them prettier for Instagram. If you struggled for ten years before becoming successful, be honest. If your business is going through a rough patch, don’t hide it. Authenticity resonates with people, on and off social media. This is what makes you relatable to people you’ve never met.

Weave your personal experiences into your Instagram content. Use captions to express your brand’s progress. Find hashtags that reflect your current mood and use them to the fullest. The more you humanize your brand, the more genuine your connection with your audience will be.

Keep Communicating

Sticking to the truth may inspire others to tell their stories on your feed. Truth gets conversations going. Communication keeps relationships going, and it's no different on social media. If you want to strengthen the connection with your followers, it is critical to have open communication lines at all times. When you notice people leaving comments detailing their own struggles, respond to them. Should you receive an influx of direct messages, promptly get back to the senders.

When you open Instagram and find positive reviews flooding your feed, thank each person directly. If you see a complaint or criticism in the mix, always resolve the issue empathetically.

Constantly engaging with your audience will help your followers feel valued and allow them to see how much their input matters.

Don’t Confuse Your Audience

When you start sharing your authentic stories and content with your audience, ensure you use a consistent brand voice. If you keep switching up your brand identity, your audience may be confused. You will also make it less appealing for them to communicate with you because they won’t know what to expect.

Choose a brand voice and identity you will feel good about in five or ten years. Both should reflect your brand’s personality and values. Choose a tone you want to communicate in, whether witty, inspirational, or informative. When your audience instantly recognizes your brand tone and voice, they will connect better with your content.

Allow Your Audience a Peek Behind the Curtain

Make your audience a part of your creative process. You can share photos of your content calendar to create hype for upcoming posts or events. Take a video of your working processes or share candid moments you happened to capture. If you manufacture products, you could share behind-the-scenes glimpses of the manufacturing process. This type of content makes an audience feel like a part of your brand’s bigger picture.

Don’t Give In To The Sales Pitch Temptation

When you’ve established a great Instagram community and connected with them, don’t scare them off with constant sales pitches. If you start turning every new post into a CTA for your products, you’ll quickly lose that connection it took you so long to build. Always resist the urge to sell, sell, sell.

Instead, focus on making your posts informative. Tell your audience how your products and services will solve their problems. Educate and entertain them. Never bombard them with special offers, limited-time sales, and bulk discounts. These things are all great when used sparingly. But the majority of your content should be sales-pitch-free.

Come Full-Circle With User-Generated Content

Now that your audience knows your brand’s backstory, struggles, and triumphs, it’s time to invite them to become an even larger part of your social media presence. Encourage them to create their own content featuring your brand or product. Think of it this way, you have an Instagram community that rallies behind you, win or lose. It’s only fitting that they share their personal experiences with your product or service.

For instance, if you have a new product and you’re unsure how people will react to it, you could ask for UGC to gauge the initial response. UGC is a fantastic way to measure product success and tweak your strategies where needed.

This type of content helps deepen the genuine connection between your brand and your audience.

Maintain the Quality and Integrity of Your Instagram Content

To stay connected to your audience, you must communicate with them consistently. Also, you must maintain the quality and integrity of your Instagram content every time you post something. Use only high-quality visuals and stay far away from anything potentially offensive. Keep all your communication professional, even when you relate personal anecdotes. Never blur the lines of professionalism on Instagram because it can hurt your brand and reputation deeply.

Get Started On Building a Genuine Connection With Your Audience

In an increasingly digital world, a real human connection with an online audience is more crucial than ever. Using these strategies, you can build a humanized online presence and set your brand apart from superficial social media noise.