Making the Most of Instagram with Branch Up –
By: Phillip Archer
Making the Most of Instagram with Branch Up - Okay, so we try to be the experts here so that YOU don't have to, but perfection is a goal not a reality, right? I would LOVE to be able to tell you HOW your Facebook Page posts to Instagram, but all I can tell you is that it does and the same is true with the Reels function. There are a few things that I do know and that I want to share with you in this first article that can help you make the most of your Facebook and Instagram integration as it reduces work for you and increases your reach on social media.
The first thing I need for you to make sure you have done is connect your Facebook Business Page to your Instagram (or Instagram Business account). You can read the article HERE. Once you have your Facebook Business Page for your travel agency connected to your Instagram, your photo post will show up in your Instagram Feed as will your Reels. You can also allow people to respond to your posts via Messenger and I highly recommend that as well - it allows me to manage requests from both in my Messenger app, so I am not having to toggle back and forth.
Once you connect your pages, you need to remember that Reels and your "Story" are not automated. You must create that content. A quick and easy way for you to do that is to share your Branch Up photo posts on your Story - not all Branch Up posts are eligible to post to your story, but some are, and I usually find a couple each day. I also like to do at least one video update on the current state of travel each week - and that is a great way to start creating content for your Story or Reels. You can also do them on the holidays - those are always well received. Keep it 90 seconds or less - short and sweet - and packed with valuable information. Always end with a call to action - "if you found this video helpful, give us a call as we would love to help you plan your travel". I have to admit that when I found out we could cross-post on Instagram I was not blown away by the news - but once I automated my pages, I have seen a steady increase in my following on Instagram and I am also getting more contacts from WhatsApp - also owned my Meta and has some cross functionality with Facebook.
The most important thing I need to tell you about using Meta platforms for business is that there is a difference between keeping up with your school classmates via social media and building your business sphere - but they are all looking for the same thing - they want to have a personal connection with you. I am here to tell you that it is perfectly fine to post your lunch and photos of your dog. I encourage you to do that. They will get FAR more visibility than a post asking people to support your business. It is also okay for you to cross post to and from your Personal Facebook page. If I am making dinner for my family and I post about it - I do that on my personal page. If it turns out A-MAZ-ING and beautiful I will share it to my business page. You may say, "why?" What matters most in social media is "reach". Your "reach" is how many impressions your post may get. Obviously if you have 250 friends who see it and share it ... you may only have 250 friends on Facebook, but if they all have 250 friends and they share your post or even just like it ... you end up a lot closer to a LOT more people - probably far more than you realize.
The same is true the other direction. I don't share ALL my business posts on my personal page, but I try to share at least one or two a day. It is a great way to remind your friends that you have a business and a business page they might want to follow - a very soft sell. You should also not forget to ask people to Like or Share your page or posts.
Make sure you keep your posts informative and ask questions as much as possible to encourage a conversation ... "Have you ever been here? Is this on your bucket list? If you could go here, who would you take with you?" You should also track your responses and go back and either comment or like them. I typically like over 100 posts on my social media a day and respond to as many as I can. This is usually when people say, "how much time do you spend on social media daily?" This is the truth: I rarely spend more than an hour a day on social media and most of it is done while I am waiting at reception, sitting at a red light, on mass transit, or my most dirty little secret ... I don't have magazines in my powder room, I have a ledge for my iPad. There is a COST to the time you spend on social media so don't get distracted. Get in, do what you need to do, and get out and sell some travel. As a rule, my goal is to have at least three posts on each of my Facebook pages each day - and I try to post at different times of day to reach even more people.