Background:
The client is a leading international organization dedicated to providing top-tier coaching and support services to sailors around the world https://www.instagram.com/
Objective:
The primary objective was to enhance their Instagram followers to foster a larger community, thus raising brand awareness, improving engagement, and drawing more sailors to their programs.
Strategy and Execution:
1. Content Strategy: I concentrated on their core service offering – sailing coaching and support. I advised them to share content such as real-time sailing activities, behind-the-scenes shots, training drills, glimpses of beautiful locations,success stories, and professional tips. The goal was to create visually compelling, educational content that resonated with their target audience, thus humanizing the brand and making followers feel more engaged with the organization.
2. Hashtag Strategy: To increase the visibility of their posts, I used a mix of popular and niche hashtags related to their activities and location, like #sailing, #malta, #lasersailing, and more. This strategy amplified the reach of their posts, connecting them with the relevant audience.
3. Tagging Strategy: I identified sailors participating in the organization’s activities and tagged them in relevant posts. Additionally, I also included tags for relevant organizations sponsoring the sailing events. This approach not only celebrated the individual sailors and acknowledged the sponsors but also extended the reach of these posts to the tagged individuals and organizations followers, creating a domino effect.
4. Trending Music: Leveraging Instagram’s music feature, I incorporated trending music into their Instagram stories. This made their content more engaging and entertaining, thereby enhancing follower interaction.
5. Instagram Ads: Lastly, I supplemented the organic efforts with paid advertisements. I ran follower and engagement ads to enhance the reach of the content, targeting demographics that closely matched their ideal customer profile.
Results:
The concerted efforts led to an exponential increase in their Instagram followers, from 2,000 to 12.8K followers, marking a growth of over 500% in 3 years span of time. Engagement rates soared with likes, shares, and comments, marking their Instagram handle as a hub for the sailing community.
Furthermore, the use of Instagram Ads helped in reaching a broader audience, with increased visibility resulting in higher engagement rates. The website traffic also saw an uptick, leading to more inquiries about their coaching programs, thereby positively impacting their business.
This case serves as an example of how a strategic and integrated approach to social media can help build a robust online community and drive business growth.
