Instagram had over 2 billion active monthly users in 2022, and was expected to reach 2.5 billion monthly active users by 2023. Infact, a study highlighted by the platform itself suggests that 95 million photos and videos are posted on Instagram each day. Which means that if the average person spent only a second looking at each photo or video on the medium, it would still take them over three years to go through one day’s worth of Instagram content. And the figures only keep on increasing.
This probably explains why brands, despite having hundreds or millions of followers, reach just hundreds of accounts. But on the other hand, creators, despite limited followers, reach millions and go viral everyday. Truth be said, it’s become a must for brands to adopt the creative mindset to succeed.
First, let’s address why the brand mindset doesn’t work much anymore. Imagine you’re meeting a potential client, who’s meeting you just before they sleep, or after having a tiring day at work. Would it work if you try to sell to them or show them your catalogue of products? Most likely not right? Then why do many of us still try to do that on social media?
For any creator, the audience’s attention is their real currency and is the real reason why they create content. The creators who have grown the fastest are the ones who had no hidden agendas and provided information of pure value. That’s it, it’s that simple.
Now give this a thought. If your brand was a content creator, what content would it produce? To get the answer to this question, ask yourself a few more questions. What is the audience liking on my feed? How can I connect with the audience better? How can I add value for viewers?
The simplest step is to study the creators / KOL (key opinion leader) in your industry. How are they generating unique and innovative content? What type of content has worked best for their audience? What perspectives and ideas resonate with their followers?
While a brand would focus on reaching out their product to the audience, a creator would divert their energies to reach to the audience themselves, and not their business. Take off your brand hat and start putting yourself in the shoes of your audience/consumer. Start looking at the type of content that is getting watched and engaged with the most both out there in the social universe, and also on your pages as well.
The easy way out would be to invest your resources in building a team which embodies a creator mindset. Look for individuals who are creative and have a deep understanding of how social media works. But above all – give before you take. Build relationships with your audience, foster trust, create meaningful connections, and establish credibility. And make sure you give any new strategy a chance to pay off. Don’t create one post and think you’re going to go viral.
In a world where all platforms are building more and more creator-friendly algorithms to help them grow, it’s clear that businesses need to ditch the brand mindset and adopt a creator mindset. The best brands today have creator mindsets, and if that’s not possible for you, hop on by leveraging influencers and creators to do the work for you.
At 3 Dots Digital, we are driven by experts who are passionate about the digital realm and have a deep understanding of how social media works. With their innovative ideas, and experiments with content formats, they bring fresh ideas to the table which help your brand grow. To view our work or know more details, visit https://3dotsdigital.ca/ or https://www.3dotsdesign.in/