Content isn’t going anywhere and the more original and creative it is, the easier it is for others to share.
The Behind The Scenes technique (or ‘theme’ as we call it) is an exceptionally effective piece of content that can be created reasonably quickly, and with regular use they bring in a unique and extra human element to your marketing. We’ve outlined below why we highly recommend using Behind The Scenes shots, and ideas for how to make them a regular part of your online strategy.
What makes behind the scenes on Instagram so effective?
People buy from people.
People connect with people.
Showing your brand as human with real dreams, visions and aspirations and your motivations behind why you wake up everyday makes you so much more relatable.
Remember when the last time you saw your favourite brand share a little vulnerability and humility, or took you backstage at a new product that they were working on? It probably made you understand them a little more and see what type of culture is happening inside their business.
Exclusivity.
Think about your favourite movie, do you like hearing the juicy details that went on during filming?
Oooo, they almost chose a different actor for the lead part or they made it on a shoestring budget, and if you let me I’d watch movie bloopers on YouTube all day, they’re hilarious!
(Don’t tell me you didn’t watch the tin foil being put in Leonardo DiCaprio’s hair during the infamous ‘there is enough room for two on that door?!’ scene.)
Understanding the directors thoughts and passions bring an extra element to the movie so that when you’re finally watching it, you feel all warm and fuzzy that you know a little bit more than what others see and you’re (in marketing it’s also called creating exclusivity).
Inspirational ideas for your Behind The Scenes on Instagram shots.
A photo of you or your team at work.
If you’re freaking out that we mean a selfie, it doesn’t have to be. Get someone to take a few candid snaps of you in your work environment and talk about your daily routine, or what success looks like to you (which is going to be really different for everyone!) We recommend avoiding the stock standard inspirational quote unless you relate it back to WHY it’s important to you.
Emily from @thinkcreativecollective has a VERY new newborn and has started working from her laptop so she can spend more time with her sweet little offspring. This shot tells us about her environment, the type of products she loves having in her own home and changes to how she has been working lately – but she also connects big time with other working mums who have gone or are going through the same thing – talking directly to her target market.
Working on something new? Share a Sneak Peek!
We love feeling special.
Including your customers in your newest creation will always make them feel important, think of that ‘Exclusivity’ factor we talked about earlier
You’ve got a few options as Instagram stories are perfect for this, they disappear within 24hours AND they’re discoverable so you might tempt a few new people to swing by and check you out.
We love what Sheryl Cole from @sherylColeArt has done with this stop motion video, including her hands to make a human connection while sharing how much work goes into each piece.
Mentioning when your product is going to be ready for sale, or how many will be available followed up with an inspirational shot (showing how awesome your product is when being used in a real life situation!) helps creates a sense of urgency to keep following along with what you’re doing.
Including your hands (or legs!) adds another dimension to your posts and really show the human behind the scenes too. It’s so effective in fact, there’s even an entire feature account dedicated to @handsinframe (or use #handsinframe to get yourself featured!).
You can also take it one step further by asking your community to give their thoughts? Do they prefer particular colours, sizes or would they change anything?
Giving your followers the opportunity to contribute to your business will make them feel as though they’re partly responsible for the finished outcome – tying them emotionally to your product when it’s ready for sale!
READ MORE: Does video on Instagram actually work?
What do you do in your downtime?
Show your followers that you aren’t all work and no play (or not?!). Let them know what you do on your day off.
Are you curled up with a good book? Smashing a jug of fruity Sangria or cruising the coastline with your squeeze?
Showing yourself outside of the context of work is an excellent way to connect – just remember that these posts are still an extension of your brand, so if your brand wouldn’t be out partying til the small hours and slurring everywhere, probably best that it’s kept to SnapChat.
Take a Picture of Your Workspace
There’s nothing like getting a glimpse into someone’s workspace and seeing first hand where the magic happens.
Make sure all empty coffee cups and confidential information is cleared first and snap away.
Make use of relevant hashtags such as #deskgoals #workspacegoals or #isetups and post away!
How many Behind The Scenes posts should you use?
This is completely up to you, and what works best for your online presence!
The best way to find out is to test.
We recommend that you start out with one in 9 posts (one screenshot of your Instagram gallery), and then if you see your audience is engaging with your work and loving the sneak peaks, if yes? Then add more! Testing and making a mental note of your results will soon become a natural part of your week, Instagram is a marketing channel after all!
For example, one of our favourite pottery makers Totus (who has over 650k followers!) has an entire feed based on behind the scenes!
He originally started with a mixture of different themes, mostly posting his finished work (inspiration) and dotting around a few behind the scenes photos too.
– but Totus discovered the behind the scenes posts have performed much better and now dedicates most of his Instagram feed to these.
Now that you’re armed with knowledge on how to perfect the behind the scenes shot, we’d love to see how you use them.
This is exactly why we created Plann, our Instagram visual planning app so you can visually design and test what works in your Instagram feed.
Plann is available on iOS and Android (and includes tablets!)
Have any questions, thoughts on behind the scenes imagery or Instagram accounts to recommend?
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