When is the last time you visited a company or brand’s Facebook or Instagram page (that didn’t lure you there through a sponsored ad or promoted post)? What did you see?
When we bring on a client at DealerKnows, I generally Like or Follow their dealership/organization on Facebook and Instagram, just to keep aware of their messaging to potential shoppers. Quite often, though, I see the exact same content across those platforms.
This is not how to delight your followers.
There is a simple rule to understand what you should be posting on Facebook vs posting on Instagram. (Let it be known, I’m stealing this quote. We have the privilege of working in the hot tub and spa industry, and while discussing social media with two marketers of a prominent spa retailer in France, they told me their method, and I’m now sharing it with you.)
“Facebook is about what you’re doing. Instagram is about making people dream.”
My eyes opened at how simple this was. Sure, Facebook and Instagram advertising will usually deliver more traffic to your site than a random post, but not always. If you ever wonder what your audience hopes to see on your social media wall, it can’t be simpler than the quote above. Your posts cannot be all “me, me, me”, but instead needs to be “you, me, us, and it”. “Me” are posts about you. “You” are posts about them. “Us” are posts about the community. And “It” are posts about the product. (Did I confuse you? I told you the two French women said it better than me.)
On Facebook, share with your followers what your dealership is up to. What you’re involved in. Tell them about yourself and your team. Make offers, give incentives, and reward them with specials that benefit them. Show them a day in the life. Celebrate your customers. Endear yourself to your shoppers and highlight every chance you can how care for them and your community.
On Instagram, make your audience dream. Your imagery should look like art. Like a screensaver. Show them something they aspire to own. Where they dream of driving or living or soaking. And leverage the (up to) 30 hashtags Instagram allows to attract those eyeballs. Put your product on a beautiful pedestal that they yearn to make a part of their lifestyle.
As you can see, these are two entirely different content strategies when it comes to what you post. Certainly, a warm, bubbling Dimensions One Spa attached to a chateau on a mountainside overlooking a small hamlet is more visually-appealing than a new Toyota Corolla on a concrete dealership lot, we know. But a keen photographic eye, an understanding of lighting, and an exploration of image filters can go a long way to making your product a star no matter the situation.
Look at what you’re sharing across Facebook and Instagram, just from a content posting strategy, always keeping this quote in mind, “Facebook is about what you’re doing. Instagram is about making people dream.” Embrace this simple methodology and you’ll deliver your audience what they hope to see from you.
Read another social media best practice I learned from my friends and clients in the hot tub industry.
