Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms for marketing. According to
Instagram’s own research, one-third of the most viewed stories are from businesses, more than 200 million Instagrammers visit at least one business profile daily, and 60% of people also say they discover new products on Instagram.
The Fitness industry is also attracted to this platform to create brand awareness, promote products, and generate new leads, however, growing your wellness business on Insta is often easier said than done. Fitness is one of the most competitive niches. That’s why as a dietitian you need to up your Instagram marketing game to stay a step ahead of your competitors.
In this post, we will share a few tips to help you generate more leads.
- Your Photos Need to Be Spot on
Let’s start with the most obvious tip. As you may already know, Instagram is a visual platform. In other words, you need high quality photos and videos to stand out from your competitors. Of course, having a professional photographer take your photos would be great, however, not everyone always has the budget for it.
Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/CC88eg5DO9g/
Fortunately, you can also take high-quality photos and videos with your Android or iPhone. Any decent smartphone would do, but you do need to take care of lighting, which is the most essential factor in Lifestyle and food photography. Make sure to take the photos in natural light as much as possible. You can also use a
DIY lightbox while taking the photos of foods.
Both Instagram and your phone also provide filters that you can use to improve the quality of your photos. Gingham and Clarendon are two popular choices for fitness and Nutrition photography on Instagram. Clarendon intensifies and highlights shadows in your photographs while Gingham adds a vintage effect to your images.
According to
Gramload, the top three Instagram filters for food photography ranked by an average number of likes per Instagram #food post are Skyline, Normal, and Helena. If you are posting images of foods, you can use one of these filters.
You can also use popular
photo editing apps for both iPhone and Android, such as Snapseed, Lightroom, and Facetune, among others. With these apps, you will be able to emphasize the primary color, capture decadence of darker shades, increase brightness, and decrease contrast of the images.
- Engage with Your Followers
Posting good quality images and videos alone is not enough. Like all other social media platforms, you need to generate engagement for your posts. Make it a point to respond to the messages and comments shared by your followers.
Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/CC88eg5DO9g/
Bari posts photos with delicious plates of nutritious and healthy food, however, she also engages with her followers by replying to as many of their comments as possible.
Another way to engage with your followers is regramming which is just like retweeting. You can repost your follower’s Instagram post along with the proper credits. As your followers get a personal shout-out from you through regramming, it is an excellent way to prove that you are paying attention to your followers and you like what they are doing.
A good caption can also help you generate engagement. You can describe a story or the idea behind your photo and pose a question, which will encourage your followers to comment or message. Be a storyteller and make your followers feel like they are a part of your story.
Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/CCyap1flFSZ/
- Consistency Is the Key
Like all other social media platforms, consistency matters on Instagram too. You not only need to post consistently but also need to have a consistent brand voice for each post.
Ideally speaking, you should post at least once every day. As a Nutritionist and fitness expert, you can share photos of your daily routine, breakfast or lunch Recipes, and any new fitness related activities. Just make sure you are not posting for the sake of it.
Each one of your post must be related to your Nutrition and fitness business. It also needs to provide value-added content to your followers. So, it is perfectly okay to post 3-4 times a week, but make sure it is high quality and relevant content. Choose a frequency that you can manage and also fits your audiences’ needs.
Instagram also provides business profiles with various insights like impressions, the number of people you have reached. You can also learn where your followers are located, and the average time they spend viewing your posts. You can leverage these insights when determining your publishing time and frequency.
- Share Freebies with Your Followers
Everyone likes free stuff. Your Instagram followers are no exception to this. Offering freebies through your Insta profile can help you build your email list and retarget these prospects with fresh offers.
Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/CC3WN3DA1nN/
From a free Nutrition guide or a salad recipe to a free
online yoga or workout session, you can offer a variety of free stuff on Instagram. You will also need to keep offering this stuff regularly to keep your followers coming back for more.
Clara Norfleet regularly shares free workout videos and nutritious Recipes.
- Use the Right Hashtags
The last, but the most crucial tip is to use the right hashtags to promote your content. When it comes to Instagram, hashtags act like keywords that your target audience will use to find relevant content.
You must take your niche into account when searching for the right keywords. For example, if you are a Nutritionist specializing in weight loss, hashtags like “#weightlossdiet or #weightlossRecipes” would be more relevant to your niche.
The best place to start your hashtag search is the Instagram’s search engine. Simply type the desired keywords starting with “#.”
Instagram will suggest relevant hashtags with the number of posts they are trending for.
You can also use one of the
online Instagram hashtag generator tools. These tools can help you discover relevant hashtags with just a few clicks.
Whichever tool you use, make sure to avoid using generic hashtags (used more than 500000 times) as they are highly competitive. Also, avoid using keywords used less than 5000 times as they will not increase your reach and engagement.
Instead, focus on the ones with less competition and more targeted reach. The platform allows you to use 30 hashtags per post. It is better if you can make use of this features to the fullest. More hashtags allow you to get wider exposure.
Conclusion
When used effectively, Instagram can play a major role in establishing your brand as a dietitian or Nutritionist. The only obstacle standing in your way is the extremely competitive nature of the fitness industry. Hopefully, with these five tips, you will be able to up your Instagram marketing game. Which marketing strategies did you use to promote your business on this platform? Feel free to share your experience in the comments below. We would love to hear from you.
Rob is the founder at FitClub Agency, a full service Fitness Marketing agency
specialised in helping Gyms, Fitness Studios, Personal Trainers and Sports Brands.
Connect with Rob on LinkedIn for a chat to find out how they may be able to help".
