Charles Leclerc’s renown has grown so much within the last years that he became one of the most exciting talents to follow in the sport, and apparently a must-follow on Instagram.
Back in 2021, Leclerc and his communications team revised his Instagram account strategy and took profit from the emergence of Reels on Instagram to cultivate and grow a dedicated audience. This strategy has proved so efficient that Charles’ Instagram gained nearly 4M in 2022 only.
Which strategy lies behind? As simple as it may sound, Leclerc and his comms team’s strategy cheat sheet consists of 7 bullet points that any personality or brand can apply to themselves, according to their objectives.
- Defining your goals
Any (marketing) content strategy starts with a clear overview featuring the basics and specifying the objectives to achieve, so as to prepare the content accordingly. When it comes to Charles, his objectives are specific as he wants to share genuine and unique content with his fans over Instagram, so they can know him better and grasp some of his daily life – which revolves mainly around formula races.
Leclerc highlights that “connecting with the fans is really my main priority”. And this is what brands should be about. The strategy should revolve around the audience’s expectations, and also how to produce qualitative and unique content.
- Leaning into Reels
There are of course numerous ways to communicate on Instagram, but Reels represent a rich source of opportunities; notably in terms of audio, subtitles, and trends. Reels is an efficient piece of content that enables to reach a wider audience, and share an authentic life moment.
“I try to use my Instagram to show the person that I am for those who don’t know me personally” – Charles Leclerc
And this is something that static photos cannot necessarily capture. This type of short-form video content keeps the audience both informed and engaged, in a quick manner, and it creates this feeling of proximity. This is nowadays one of the most efficient trends on social media.
- Prioritizing engagement
Leclerc’s team makes it a point of honor to monitor the comments “for the first 24 hours after we post anything”. On his side, Leclerc also always goes through the comments, although he does not respond. This third step proves important so as to identify its audience’s expectations. “It’s through the comments that we identify white spaces of opportunity”, and this is how the team optimizes its strategy in order to keep sharing content that the audience actually wants to see.
- Diving into the data
This point is strongly linked to the previous one. Tracking data is key to continuing posting relevant content to a dedicated audience, expecting to see more insights and be part of an adventure (being of a brand or a celebrity): it helps oversee which content works the most, and which is not much appreciated. Key performance indicators (KPIs) and goals serve to ensure that marketing campaigns are meeting the initial set expectations.
- Sharing your whole self
Based on the example of Leclerc’s case, he is well-aware that his Instagram community looks forward to being brought into the fold. He does share personal stories and content he is comfortable with, and this is how he succeeded to create this unique virtual bond with his audience.
On top of this, it is also important to respect a consistent cadence, in order to keep the audience on the edge. Leclerc specified that “what I do every weekend is really cool and being able to share that with fans is an incredible feeling”. For instance, every Sunday night, Charles publishes race recaps: this is a weekly rendezvous that fans are longing for.
- Leveraging the creative tools
As mentioned earlier, Reels can reveal an efficient lever to keep your audience engaged. Besides, it is essential to surf on social media trends so as to maintain best practices, and to present innovative and new forms of content.
- Pushing the boundaries
It is fundamental to keep in mind that no strategy is set in stone: it is ever-evolving. Just as the practices, the objectives, the tools, and so on. The idea is to always push boundaries to find new ways to surprise the audience and keep them engaged, involved, through authentic and unique content – and keep attracting new people.
“I love being creative and finding ways to be different, and Instagram is a perfect tool to allow me to do that. When it comes to content, my style is to find ways to show very simple moments in a unique way” – Charles Leclerc
