There are few people who know Instagram better than the ones who use it the most: 21st century teenagers. Having grown up with the internet and alongside the boom in social media, they’ve figured out how to swiftly navigate the photo-based platform in record time. So how do they do it, and how can your business benefit from the social media strategies of teens? You’re about to find out.
The majority of teenagers on Instagram and social media use the abbreviations LB, CB, and FB, as well as the word First when responding to a post from a popular online personality. These strange little codes stand for like back, comment back, follow back, and like my latest post, respectively. Surprisingly, employing this strategy can help your company’s account gain followers. This is because Instagram recommends relevant content to its users instead of recent content for a more personalized experience. You’ll naturally collect more likes, comments, and followers this way.
Something teenagers can get away with that adults typically can’t is exaggerating and over-emphasizing their content. Their superfluous posts can elicit strong emotional reactions in their followers, immediately standing out and upping the chances of those posts being viewed, liked, and commented on by a huge number of people. If your company has remained neutral and seemingly uninvolved with its Instagram posts, consider stepping it up a notch every so often and creating content that will make your audience happy, sad, frustrated, or excited. Taking risks can pay off.
Instagram-involved teenagers rarely post unedited photos at random. Most of the time, they carefully analyse how their latest post fits into the aesthetic, mood, and theme of their account, and adjust the photo as needed to fit with the rest of their collection. This may seem unnecessary, but it can make for a visually satisfying profile and an overall seamless experience, which is clearly advantageous for a company looking to expand its online presence. If you haven’t quite got the hang of it yet, download an app that can help you out. Coherence is a key component of attracting new followers.
Although not all teenagers are completely on top of their friends’ Instagram statuses, they tend to keep an open line of communication and like or comment on a friend’s photo fairly soon after they’ve posted it. This not only reinforces the poster’s likeability and popularity, but also shows the poster that their followers care about the content they put out. Companies can copy this tactic by finding their own group of brands that will mention them in their posts and interact with their photos. Finding these brands through keyword searches on Instagram or through a reliable outside source is pretty easy, and most of the time, influencers are willing to cooperate.
No matter what your company chooses to do with its Instagram account, remember to maintain a polite and humble demeanour, never subtly or overtly disrespecting any group or individual. Follow in the footsteps of today’s teens and you’re more than likely to succeed.