Focus groups, polls, and surveys are not enough to keep up with ever-changing trends, but social media has enabled consumer discussions to evolve, providing valuable insights for businesses and brands.
When used correctly, Instagram can be more than just a place to post your business’s latest announcement. One of Instagram’s greatest aspects, which is often overlooked, is the innate ability to gather insights, feedback, and build relationships with consumers.
If you’re looking for new ways to conduct market research and to better understand your audience, consider the following tactics:
Monitor Your Inbox
There’s something about private messaging a brand or business that consumers prefer. In fact, according to research conducted by LivePerson, Inc., in the U.S., a whopping 90 percent of consumers “agree” or “strongly agree” that they’re more likely to do business with a company that can answer their questions immediately.
Direct messaging with brands is becoming increasingly commonplace and consumers like the way social media creates a direct connection to their favorite brands. This method of communication is particularly effective for small businesses looking to gather feedback from their community and build relationships with their audience. Taking the time to monitor and respond to messages gives you an understanding of what your audience likes or dislikes.
In addition to connecting with your audience via direct messages, establish a connection with them through comments and photos your business or brand has been tagged on.
Track Your Brand Mentions
Not all brand interactions happen on your profile. As we mentioned on our blog on the topic of handling negative engagement on social media, we recommend that you use a social media monitoring tool that tracks your business name, hashtags and keywords to ensure nothing slips through the cracks. Some social media monitoring tools that track Instagram include Brandwatch, Mention, Keyhole, and others. With social listening software, brands get an opportunity to research their target audience’s preferences and unfiltered feedback.
Make The Most Out Of Instagram Stories
Before Instagram rolled out Stories in 2016, Instagram’s co-founder did not see a reason as to why his team was pushing for the Snapchat feature on the app. In April 2019, the Facebook-owned company announced that 500 million daily users use Instagram Stories each day, giving brands and businesses a powerful feature to interact with their audience.
- Conduct a Poll. Instagram Stories stickers are the perfect tool for businesses to listen, gather ideas, collect feedback on new products or services, and understand the content your audience wants. There are two types of poll stickers – the standard poll sticker with two customizable answer options and the emoji slider. Don’t forget to share the results with your audience once the poll is complete. If your Instagram Stories drive change, let your audience know. They will appreciate knowing that their opinions are being taken into consideration.
- Ask Questions. Are you looking for answers? Ask questions! The question sticker invites followers to share their genuine thoughts with you. Try asking open-ended questions to encourage your audience to share their honest opinions with you.
- Drive Traffic To Your Website. Instagram Business accounts with over 10,000 followers are able to use the “Swipe Up” feature on Stories. This allows you to add a link to your Instagram Stories and drive traffic to a specific landing page on your website, whether it be further reading, a product, service, form, or survey. Teasing content and using a call-to-action guarantee your audience to swipe up for more information.
Social media platforms are low-cost, powerful tools for helping businesses gather customer insights. collect data, and connect with the community. After you’ve implemented the tactics we’ve laid out, make sure to learn how you can slay the Instagram Algorithm in 2020.
