Instagram stands out as a wonderful tool available for countless businesses to build a brand. This includes food bloggers. In fact, food bloggers can easily use Instagram in their brand and traffic strategy.
But, how can Instagram work?
Here are the things that you absolutely need to know if you want to promote a food blog on Instagram.
Why Instagram?
First, let’s understand why Instagram is so important for the food blogger.
We are talking about a social media network that is unique. It is not that great when it comes to getting traffic though. Links can only be added to Instagram Stories and the profile section. So, why should you even consider it?
Instagram allows you to build engagement and strengthen a brand’s loyalty and recognition. You can do this in different ways.
How To Use Instagram To Promote Food Content
The most important part of your Instagram strategy should be to get your content seen by as many people that would be interested as possible. To do this for a food blog, consider the following vital tips:
Post Consistently
You cannot just post on Instagram once per week and expect great results. Just as when you post on a blog, consistency is key.
Obviously, we are talking about a social network so make sure that whenever you post, your captions are descriptive and helpful. At the same time, photos have to be on-brand.
Want to know how often to post on Instagram? Read:
How Often Should I Post On Instagram?
Use The Right Hashtags
On Instagram, you need to properly use hashtags. This is a skill that you master in time and you will get better with it.
Hashtags help because they put your content in front of people that do not follow you.
As a food blogger that wants to use Instagram, the first step here is to track the common hashtags that are used in your industry. After that, when you post, look at the list and use the hashtags that are 100% relevant.
A great trick to find great hashtags is to see what other food bloggers use. At the same time, you want to create your very own hashtag, one that is branded. This encourages followers to use the hashtag.
Want to learn more about how to use hashtags? Read this Hootsuite guide:
The 2020 Instagram Hashtag Guide – How To Use Them And Get Results
Create Quality Content
The content that performs really well on Instagram always looks different. This is because the social network is all about very high-quality content. With this in mind, all your Instagram posts have to be engaging and eye-catching.
Think about creating a theme. This tends to be very effective. As you plan the Instagram content, think about day, holidays, and season.
As an extra tip, add a recipe or tips inside the caption of the photos you share. This encourages post saves and comments.
Use Instagram Stories
This is something that you can do when you have some following. It will not help much if you have just a bunch of followers.
The trick is to tie the Instagram Stories and posts. As an example, a photograph can be shared of a great recipe and inside the caption you can add a mention of a new Story you created in which you show how the recipe was made. This is very easy and effective.
The great thing about using Instagram Stories is that it can help generate traffic to your blog. This is why you want to use them.
Optimize Your Profile Links
You can only add one link to Instagram. This makes it quite difficult to get traffic or increase your food blog’s awareness. Fortunately for us, there are different options you can use. Just keep in mind that most are paid. Start with the following:
- Link In Profile – This is very effective because it allows users to add links in the feed content of Instagram.
- Linktree – This simple linking too allows you to add a bio link that would highlight the content that is the most important. You can practically point to several links at the same time.
- Smart.Bio – This is free and very effective to drive extra traffic.
As a related tip, make sure that you keep the tools that you use updated. Also, when you link content, make sure that you add the most popular posts. This is really important so that new followers can get to see your very best food-related content.
Instagram’s Swipe Up Feature
When you have an Instagram business account (you should anyway for your food blog) and you have over 10,000 followers, the Swipe Up feature is activated. Whenever you talk about a product, a post, or a link through an Instagram Story, Swipe Up allows you to add a direct link that can be accessed through a simple swipe up feature.
As a food blogger, this feature can be used in countless ways. A recipe can be previewed and then a direct link can be added. You could share a small video in which you talk about an ebook and you can add a link pointing to a purchase page.
Just get creative. You want to promote some Instagram content and your blog at the same time.
Conclusions
On the whole, Instagram stands out as a very beneficial social media platform if you are a food blogger. It is not a huge traffic driver but it can do wonders when it comes to building an audience, fostering engagement, and increasing brand awareness.
You just need to be strategic about your approach. Think outside of the box and you will quickly figure out that Instagram can bring you tons of traffic that is highly-targeted and that can help you with your branding.
DvukyIwrAOWfGiLl