With most of the world in lockdown, people are consuming more social media content than ever before. It’s important to keep your followers engaged so that when things eventually return to normal, they will be inspired to dive with you again. Check out these four ideas to see how you can boost your engagement during these times.
Instagram TV (IGTV)
Instagram TV, also known as IGTV, is an app that was launched in 2018 for watching long-form, vertical video content. Although IGTV has its own App, it can also be accessed directly through the Instagram App. Similar to YouTube, IGTV consists of various ‘channels’ which are created by users. It is a great place to repurpose old video content that you may have already posted on other social media platforms, like the PADI How to Series. Or, if you have time, why not create some new video content specifically for IGTV? Try creating your own ‘how to’ videos with topics like ‘how to clean your scuba equipment’ or ‘how to defog your mask before your next dive’. 
Instagram Story Highlights
Instagram Story highlights are the Instagram stories you choose to feature front and centre on your profile to showcase your dive centre. You can create new content or repurpose old stories from your archive. It’s a creative way to give your dive centre personality and show them what it’s like completing a course or doing a fun dive with you. When creating your Instagram Story Highlights, it’s a good idea to create a cover image for each highlight using a design program like Canva. This will help keep the look at feel of your profile consistent with your overall Instagram aesthetic. Your highlights could include a ‘learn to dive Q&A’, ‘equipment reviews’ or ‘staff working from home’.
Hashtags
Hashtags are a huge part of marketing and knowing how to use them correctly can help boost your engagement. Think of hashtags as a way to connect social media content to a specific topic, event, theme or conversation. When using hashtags don’t overdo it, stick to about five to nine per post and make sure they are separated from your caption.
As hashtags are a great way of being seen by new users, it’s crucial that you use both diving and non-diving related hashtags. Incorporate hashtags with your location, trending topics, scuba related keywords and even marine life species. Make sure to keep switching up your hashtags to avoid being marked as spam by Instagram which can affect how high you appear in your followers feed.
Some examples of COVID related hashtags you could use are #PADIatHome or #WorkFromHome. These hashtags would work well with a post on how staff are working from home. You could also try #DiveLocal if you have a strong local community and your government is still permitting you to dive. Or, if you aren’t quite open yet, use this hashtag to promote eLearning and your business. Remind your customers that they can come and complete their course with you when they are permitted to do so.
User Generated Content (UGC)
UGC is any form of content that has been posted through online platforms such as social media. It is as genuine as it comes as the content is from real user experiences, views and opinions. It’s a great form of content to tap into as you don’t have to spend time creating content yourself – just remember to ask permission from the photographer before you share anything. When asking for permission to share UGC, you can send the photographer a message on Facebook or a direct message on Instagram saying you love their photo or video and that you would love to share it on your social media pages with credit. When posting their image, make sure you @ tag their Instagram or Facebook page in the caption.
A great place to find UGC is Facebook groups. Try browsing one of our Facebook groups such as ‘Divers around the world’ ‘Dive Travel’ or ‘Learn to Dive’. You could also look at community groups like ‘Girls that Scuba’ for some inspiration. Another place to find UCG is to search hashtags. A great place to start is searching the hashtags mentioned earlier in this blog or #PADI.
If you want more examples of how to use all four if these engagement ideas, head to our Instagram or Facebook page and see how we do it! Remember to make sure your content is positive, sensitive and relevant in these current times.
