Here’s how to include Instagram’s Close Friends lists in your digital marketing strategy
Close Friends is one of Instagram’s most successful features. It allows the average user to share stories with a select list of followers, and the account admin gets to decide who to include.
Though it’s a hit among personal profiles, Close Friends is also a valuable feature for brands to create a stronger bond with their audience and even monetize an account by offering exclusive content and rewards.
Want to know more? Below, we’ll talk about how to create a Close Friends list for your account and look at 5 ways you can use it to boost your business on Instagram. Check it out!
How to create a Close Friends list for your profile
Compiling your Close Friends list on Instagram is easy and will only take a moment. Follow these steps:
- Open your profile and tap the top-right menu;
- Click on Close Friends;
- Add profiles you follow or that follow you to the list by using Instagram’s suggestions (higher engagement followers) or the search bar at the top;
- And that’s it! After selecting and adding profiles, you can start posting content that only those on the list get to see.
- For more on this, read: Instagram’s Algorithm: How to use it to your advantage?
Five ways to use Close Friends lists to benefit your Business
While Close Friends is popular among personal Instagram accounts, it also stands out as a valuable tool for businesses to build relationships with their audience.
Many brands use Close Friends to monetize their Instagram accounts and offer their followers or clients exclusive content.
Below, we’ll take a look at five ways to use it to a business’ advantage, whether that’s monetizing, sharing exclusive content, or bringing a target group closer. Keep reading!
1.Offer rewards
Many businesses bet on Close Friends lists as a means of offering exclusive rewards to their high-engagement followers. These might be discount coupons, sales, or product launches.
That way, followers can find out what’s new firsthand and feel valued by the brand. To get started creating a close friends list, you can open a question box in your stories or publish a post that enables users to sign up, for example.
Because sales can change from one period to the next (and those interested in rewards, as well), some brands do this monthly.
2.Create a subscriber list
Much like our previous suggestion, a subscriber list for Close Friends is a way to get exclusive content to your audience if you aim to monetize your profile.
With a monthly subscription, followers gain access to in-depth content on the subjects you cover, information that goes beyond the content you share with your larger audience, and relevant tutorials on particular topics.
It’s worth mentioning, though, that if you do decide on subscriptions for Close Friends, it’s essential to deliver unique and original content. If not, your followers might feel they were tricked into paying to become VIPs.
3.Mentoring
If you work in education, a Close Friends list is a good way of providing mentoring for your students and potential students.
You can create a space for your students to ask questions about specified topics via question boxes. They can also test their knowledge and get ahead in their studies.
For potential students, you can open monthly mentoring groups to cover topics related to the courses and training you offer. That way, it’s easier to bond with those who are genuinely interested in your products.
- Be sure to read: How to schedule Instagram stories for free.
4.Share behind the scenes
Social media is growing as a channel that brings brands and people together, so nothing better than using Close Friends lists to share content that isn’t available to larger audiences.
Whether you use them to share what’s new, give spoilers before a product launch, or as a way for users to interact with the people behind the brand’s success, sharing behind the scenes is an excellent way of building relationships and trust.
This strategy encourages people to want to know more about your business and builds your public’s loyalty to your brand.
5.Internal Communications
You can also create a Close Friends list with members of your staff if the goal is to strengthen bonds with your internal public. In this case, stories should be interactive and less formal.
For example, sharing tips on well-being, entertainment suggestions, happy hour reminders, and using question boxes, polls, and tests to raise your team’s engagement.
Since we’re talking Instagram, your content should be less focused on work and more spontaneous to make the day-to-day atmosphere lighter and more fun.
Were these tips on how to use Close Friends lists to boost your business helpful? Then check out this article with 7 tips for increasing engagement!
