On my personal accounts, I am most active on Instagram. It’s not that I dislike the others, but I have found that Instagram has cultivated a number of truly wonderful communities in an organic way. For individuals looking to connect, it provides the warm-and-fuzzies that are sought “in real life.” As far as a brand goes, tapping into one of these communities can be invaluable for customer trust and eventual conversion.
Facebook is currently pushing “Facebook Groups,” private groups that people of common interests can gather and communicate. Twitter offers “Twitter Lists,” a self-curated list of handles. Instagram, on the other hand, has not created anything similar (with the recent exception of identifying “close friends” with whom to share more private Stories). Yet through hashtagging interests, sharing other people’s posts within your stories, messaging, and tagging, many communities have grown out of this platform.
Between my two accounts (@stoltzmates & @thedailygumbo) I’m rather integrated within the #DCDog, #chronicillness, #craftbeer, and #embroidery communities. The amount of personal support I have seen in these groups is inspiring. Unlike other platforms on the internet, trolls are rare and people are open to sharing positive feedback. Somehow, this visual-first platform has cultivated a “happy place,” fueled by selfie-filters and hashtags.
In my experience, these online relationships can eventually turn into real-life relationships. There are a number of local dog influencers that we have met because they geotagged and hashtagged their posts which led them to connect with us (Gumbo and me). I have also made friends with creative types from the fiber arts community and met up with them for drinks. I value what these folks post. If they recommend a new doggie-daycare, quality brew, or other product, then I am more likely to look into it than just being served an ad from the company itself. In short, I’ve built the relationship with them already and their word weighs heavier than an unknown ad.
As a brand, it’s important to understand that customers are more likely to trust their friends (IRL or digital) than an ad. Tapping into the Instagram audience of #Lifelonglearners for @TheGreatCourses has helped us grow in followers to over 17k as well as create curiosity for the brand. Engaging with fans encourages others to tag us in their studies so we may then share their learning journey.
@TheGreatCourses has tapped into the lifelong learning community and continues to engage and encourage fans to spread the word on what they’re learning. Stories with direct responses are shared and receive at least 30 responses within the 24 hour expiration window. Fans can relate to their friends’ curiosities which attracts more potential acquisitions. This is certainly a high-funnel exercise but it greatly increases the trust of new customers.
I’m clearly an Insta-groupie. But even for those who aren’t there is clear evidence that the top-funnel, content, and engagement play to consumers works to gain their trust and ultimately lead to conversions.
Julie C. Stoltz 