The “Explore” section of Instagram is an extremely powerful tool to give more visibility to your branded publications with relatively little effort. Showing your photos/videos in this part of the app seems like a real challenge, but it’s not as complicated as it sounds. Throughout this article, I will explain in detail what the “Explore” section is, how it works, and why it’s important to your brand.
Here’s how to access the “Explore” section on Instagram:
The “Explore” section of Instagram is different for all users and is based on the photos you liked but also the people/brands you follow. This is good news for your company because when your subscribers like your publications, it may appear in the “Explore” section of their subscribers. If you post a great photo with lots of interactions, it can cause a real network effect and make your viral publication on Instagram.
Why is it important to appear on this topic?
Appearing in this part of the application will not only help you to get more interaction on your publications but also develop your brand awareness to sell more of your products & services.
Through this topic, you will have the opportunity to reach new audiences of potential customers because the algorithm constituting this page is based on the interests of each individual. And the best part of all this is that it will not cost you a cent.
You have to think of the “Explore” section of Instagram as a marketing conversion funnel: you get brand awareness by simply appearing on it, you capture users’ attention with beautiful photos/videos and they can click to know more.
After clicking, they will see the name of your brand, your biography and even follow you! Then, it’s up to you to use your Instagram account to inspire and educate them about your products.
How does the “Explore” Instagram section work?
If you post a photo on your Instagram account and an account with several tens/hundreds of thousands of subscribers comments on it, chances are your publication will appear in the Instagram “Explore” section of all its subscribers or a large part.
This network effect can have an extremely strong impact and make this photo viral on Instagram, because the more interactions you get, the more likely you are to increase the visibility of it.
There are several reasons why a photo/video may appear in this section:
- “Similar to the accounts you interact with”
- “Depending on the publications you have saved”
- “Based on the people being followed”
- “Based on the pictures you liked”
Step 1: recruit the right subscribers to your account
When you sign in to Instagram, the content you see in the “Explore” section will be determined by what other people in your network consume, and the interests expressed.
This means you need to know what your potential customers are looking for when they browse their news feeds.
With that in mind, ask yourself:
- what does my target audience look like?
- what are the things that this one appreciates?
- who are the people most of whom are followed by this audience?
- what types of content post these people?
Step 2: The crucial role of Instagram Live
More than 250 million people use Instagram Stories every month. These are therefore key territories for brands in the coming months.
Since live video broadcasting is emerging as a popular method for sharing experiences, it makes sense to integrate this communication lever to generate more interactions with your subscribers.
Instagram highlights the best live streams on the “Explore” section, which can be a great opportunity for your brand.
You do not know what to publish? Here are some ideas:
- upcoming sales and announcements
- question and answer sessions
- backstage sharing
- collaborations and takeovers of the account by influencers
- returns on events
Step 3: Use location identification tools and hashtags
Hashtags are among the most useful tools and are particularly easy to access. They make your content more easily “discoverable” by people who are not subscribed to your account.
I invite you to read my article on ” Finding and choosing the right Instagram hashtags ” for more practical information.
Step 4: post the right content at the right time
Regardless of the social network occupied by the company, the main condition for success is to publish high-quality content. The timing of publication is however extremely important.
There are 5 ways to know when to publish on Instagram:
- 1) Use Instagram stats to know when to post to Instagram
- 2) Use an external tool
- 3) Analyze the competition
- 4) Test the schedules proposed by the Latergramme study
- 5) Use a planning tool
Step 5: interact and involve your subscribers
To increase your chances of appearing in the “Explore” section of Instagram, you’ll need to add more heart to your content production to maximize engagement.
For example, ask your subscribers to double-click on your posts to quickly like a photo or use your captions to ask a question.
You can also ask your followers to identify their friends in the comments to boost the reach of your new content.
The more comments and likes you get, the more likely you are to appear in Instagram’s “Explore” section.
What’s also good is that good interactions help build brand awareness and loyalty.
Step # 6: Leverage the potential of influencer marketing
Finally, while you may simply identify influencers in your publication to amplify your reach, it is usually more appropriate to create authentic connections with the people your consumers care about.
Instagram is an incredible place to build relationships with recognized influencers.
These will allow your company to give an immediate boost to your notoriety, perfect to solidify your presence on the social network.
To inspire you, here are some ideas of brand operations in collaboration with influencers.
Conclusion
With so many opportunities to connect with potential customers, accessing the “Explore” section could allow you to significantly increase your brand’s brand awareness on the social network.
The most important thing is knowing when to publish the right content to the right audience, at the right time.
