Whether you’re marketing for a business or nonprofit, most organizations can benefit from a social media presence. Generally speaking, both Facebook and Instagram are good options. But when it comes to engaging, visual content, Instagram is going to be more beneficial.
On Instagram, there is a lot to be learned from the example of BANGS Shoes. They are a small online shoe store that puts 20% of net profits into helping entrepreneurs. So far, they have invested in 4,000 entrepreneurs within 70 countries!
BANGS Shoes isn’t just a small business; it’s a community, and they know exactly how to utilize Instagram to their advantage, all while building a fun, creative environment.
Let’s take a look at nine lessons you can learn from BANGS Shoes on Instagram.
1. Post daily
BANGS Shoes posts every day, and they do it more than once. They are consistent about posting photos and stories, which is extremely beneficial in the digital marketing realm because it keeps people interested and makes it harder to forget Bangs.
As a rule of thumb, the more you post, the more people are going to interact. Posting once a month isn’t often enough on any social media platform and could actually cost you followers.
2. Interact with your community
Whether it’s a reply to a story post, a comment, or a DM, BANGS Shoes interacts with their followers. They love interacting with their community, and they manage to do it with over 200,000 followers!
Interacting with your followers lets them know you’re a real human rather than a robot, and it creates a closer connection. At the end of the day, people are more willing to stick around if you communicate and interact with them.
3. Feature your community
Not only do they interact with their community, but they feature their community. They post photos and stories of people who are wearing their shoes, and they will share interesting facts about the person or even use their photos for promotional, informational, or fun posts.
People want to be featured! It creates a fun, entertaining Instagram environment. It also secretly promotes both the shoes and the person being featured, and it’s inclusive of everyone.
4. Cultivate ambassadors
Many organizations have brand ambassadors, and BANGS Shoes is one of them. The ambassadors are not paid, but they do receive a great discount on shoes. Not only do you get a good deal, but you get to be part of a great community for a great cause and have access to other exclusives.
They have a completely separate page specifically for ambassadors, and it’s called BANGS Ambassadors. It’s where they post things exclusively for their current and future ambassadors, such as Blitz Day themes and dates, which leads me to their next lesson.
5. Create opportunities for engagement online
Blitz Day is probably the best part of this organization. It only happens once a month, and it’s when the community comes together and posts photos that include the shoes. That’s not even the cool part. Every month, there is a different theme, such as “Cozy Up,” “Celebrate Your Favorite Things,” and more, which is a lot of fun.
The community comes together on Blitz Day to show creativity, provide entertainment, and promote the shoes. They feature their ambassadors’ Blitz posts, interact by liking and/or commenting on their posts, and celebrate with everyone.
6. Create opportunities for engagement IRL
As part of their interactive process, BANGS Shoes does different challenges that the community can participate in. They have had a challenge where you had to visit as many coffee shops as you can, take a photo, and whoever visited the most would win a pair of shoes, a beanie, t-shirt, etc.
These challenges they create bring the community together outside of Blitz Days, and it’s a great form of entertainment. It’s a fantastic way to engage their community IRL—in real life.
7. Utilize Instagram highlights
BANGS Shoes’ Instagram page has a ton of different highlights that you can view. It’s a place where you can find more information about the organization and Ambassador Program, view their challenges, learn more about their shoes, have a peek into the factory, and more.
Highlights can be a quick way for people to find out more information or get involved, and it’s even better when they’re organized and labeled the way they do it. Quick and simple is better when it comes to curious visitors.
8. Conduct giveaways
Another reason why BANGS Shoes is so successful is because they do giveaways. They do this by creating adventure challenges, “Like, Comment, and Share” contests, and more. Sometimes, they team up with other small businesses, and they both give away free products.
Who does’t love free stuff?!
9. Have a clear CTA
Having a clear call to action lets people know what your organization is about. It’s about being clear and concise, while capturing the attention of a potential customer.
Whether you visit their website or social media platforms, they have a clear call to action. On their Instagram page, their bio says, “Canvas everyday adventure footwear” and “Every purchase helps a new entrepreneur.” It doesn’t get much clearer than that.
BANGS Shoes is a fantastic community that knows what they’re doing on Instagram. They know how to bring people together and have fun, all while promoting their shoes and cause. They are a great influence to organizations with their knowledge, tactics, and personality. Don’t miss out and let these lessons go unlearned!