Instagram is the new marketing frontier for businesses. At first glance, it might seem like little more than a place for selfies and snapshots, but Instagram actually has an incredible potential impact on your business if you’re savvy enough to take advantage of its features.
It’s no surprise that as social media platforms have proliferated in recent years – the likes of Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat all providing ample opportunity to create connections with consumers-Instagram may be one platform that many small or midsize companies are overlooking when considering how they can use technology effectively in their day-to-day operations. Social media experts say there is much room yet unexplored by those who don’t “get” what this world really means–and should mean–to them today.
In 2021, Instagram has become a vital part of the marketing puzzle for many businesses. Whether you think your company needs to be on social media or not, there’s a good chance your ideal customers are already using it and waiting to follow you and learn more about your services, products, or brand.
What is Instagram Marketing?
With over 1 billion users on Instagram, it’s no wonder that 90% of them follow a business. For any company looking to market and promote its brand, having an account is crucial! You could be missing out on so many opportunities if you’re not using it! The first step to successful marketing through Instagram would be developing an in-depth strategy. Once that’s done, you’ll also know what kind of content your followers want – whether they are looking for inspiration or just some entertainment while waiting at the bus stop – as well as how much time each post should take from start to finish!
How to develop an Instagram Marketing Strategy?
There is so much to consider when creating your Instagram marketing strategy. After all, the platform just released Reels. They already had Feed posts, Stories, Instagram Lives, Advertising, IGTV, and whatnot. Now Instagram guides are becoming more and more popular on ‘gram.
It might feel like there is always something new to learn & do on the application. And while that could be the case, you might want to create your Instagram marketing strategy so you do not lose too much time exploring new things that might not lead to results. So, here are six steps to creating an Instagram marketing strategy –
- Define your goal. Build connections? Get more email subscribers? Generate sales from Instagram? Determine what success would look like for you on the platform.
- Consider paid forms of promotion, like influencer marketing and/or ads.
- Create a plan to analyze your performance for you to see what is working and what’s not.
- Consider how you will grow your engagement and followers.
- Set up your account and make sure it is a business profile. This lets you have access to additional insights.
- Decide on a posting schedule. How often will you be able to post on Instagram?
If any of these steps felt overwhelming, do not worry. We have several different Instagram marketing hacks that you can use to create an implementable plan and support your strategy to make 2021 your best year yet on Instagram!
Instagram Marketing Strategy 101
For ease, let’s break the strategies down into seven different sections so you can find the best hacks to support your goals.
Content Creation Hacks
Content Calendar
Let us start with the most basic hack: Content calendar. A content calendar can be an excellent tool for planning your future posts in advance. It’s also important to have some sort of rhythm, like publishing on the same day every week or month. This way, you know when readers expect new material from you and will keep coming back to see what’s new!
At CrowdTamers, we create our content calendar at the start of every week. We use a defined pattern to help use create/post content. You can try out our calendar template here and use it as per your convenience.
Repurposing Content
As mentioned earlier there are many types of content within Instagram. It’s important to remember you don’t necessarily need to create brand new content for each sub-platform! Instead, try creating an IGTV video and then share it with your feed and Stories or other social media platforms like emailing the clip and uploading it on your website so people can enjoy it for a more extended period of time.
Follower Growth Hacks
Consistent Branding
One of the most important parts of your Instagram marketing is building up a following, and one of the ways to do this is by making it easy for potential followers to become actual followers. And the best way you can make that happen? Consistent branding on posts! When people visit your page, they want consistency in their experience, so be sure not to disappoint them with only generic content!
Cross-Promotion
So, we have talked about repurposing your content on other platforms to get the most exposure possible. For instance, you can promote your Instagram account on Facebook as well. Your trusted followers are likely to want to see more of what you’re doing, so share some new photos from Instagram via these social media sites too!
Marketing company “Marketing Moves” has its various social media platforms, including Instagram, linked to its Facebook page.
Hashtags
Hashtags can be a great way to grow your followers on social media. The key is figuring out the right hashtags to use and avoid using too many with millions of posts that will make you lost in between them all. A small but focused group or person should work best for you, so be as specific as possible when choosing which ones are appropriate for you! You’re only allowed 30 total tags per post, so mix it up by including both large and smaller types as well, as @entrepreneurshipquote has done.
Consistent Content
Believe it or not, one of the best ways to get people to follow you on Instagram is by posting consistently. It gives your followers a reason for sticking around, and when someone considers following you, they’ll see some content that tells them if they are a good fit.
You don’t have to post every day but make sure that there’s consistency in what you’re putting out because it’ll keep those who do follow engaged with your account!
Engagement Hacks
Optimize Your Stories
Instagram Stories has quickly become the best way for brands to connect with their followers and improve engagement. You can use stickers that prompt engagement, ask for DMs in response to a question or simply make quality content that will keep people coming back again and again!
Write Strong Captions
Captions are an integral part of Instagram, but many people forget that they still need to be thoughtful and compelling for them to have the fullest effect. Capturing your followers’ attention with a quick call-to-action will help you get more responses from those who might otherwise not engage, just like @madovermarketing_mom did.
Giveaways
A little creativity goes a long way when it comes to Instagram marketing. When your followers engage with your content, it shows that people see this as valuable and provides the social media platform an incentive to show you more of these users in their feeds if they keep following along. If you’re looking for ways to encourage engagement, one simple answer is by hosting Giveaways!
How? When followers engage in the giveaway, they show that people see your content as valuable, improving both our follower count and engagement just like @gelatissimogelato did.
Using Instagram For Business
Here’s some good news: in terms of setting up your profile, Instagram is relatively straightforward.
Optimize Your Profile
When you use Instagram for business purposes, it’s important to make sure your account is a “business profile.” This will give access to more information that isn’t available on personal profiles. To optimize this profile and convert potential followers into followers, include – a clear statement of who you are and what you do, an attractive picture with highlights if applicable; don’t forget the link so your followers can find out where they should go next, once they start following you! Ex: @cupsandthoughts
Instagram Reels
Instagram Reels
Imagine yourself at a live concert. You’re in the middle of hundreds of people, all enjoying themselves and living their best life as they dance to the beat or cheer for an inspiring message on the screen. Instagram Reels is like that experience brought into your phone; it lets you share moments just by capturing them from wherever you are—all with beautiful animations and overlay text! Reels can be 15 or 30 seconds long. The new Instagram feature has grown fast since its release, so now might be the time to give this social media setting a try if your business needs exposure.
IGTV
One of the best ways to market your business on social media is through Instagram TV or IGTV. This platform allows you to upload long-form video content that can be educational or show followers what’s happening behind the scenes. You can also repurpose YouTube videos for IGTV, but they should have a vertical orientation so as not to disrupt users viewing experience while scrolling their feed vertically. IGTV videos must be between 15 seconds to 10 minutes long. However, if you have a verified or larger account, you can upload videos up to 60 mins long.
Influencer Marketing
Strategy
With the introduction of Instagram in 2010, Influencer Marketing became one of the best methods for gaining followers, engagements, and traffic. Influencers have a large social media presence and can influence other users to buy products or follow brands on their channel by interacting with them personally. The best way to work with Influencers begins by creating a strategy list, which includes all potential people you think would be well-suited for your brand or company. You’ll also want to make sure they have an audience that matches up close enough with yours to ensure success. Once you’ve got everything ready, put this plan into motion and watch as these social media masters start working their magic on behalf of your business!
Sponsored Posts
Influencers are using their influence on social media to create sponsored posts that can be seen by thousands of people at once. Sponsored influencer marketing is a great way to promote your product or service without actually paying for advertising because the content will already have been created and posted by an expert in the field who has built up trust from followers over time. However, experts like @the.aesthetic.blend won’t commit unless they feel it’s worth promoting on behalf of your brand, which means you need them confident enough about what you’re doing so they’ll say yes!
Instagram Live
Live streaming can be a great way to promote your brand. Bring in an influencer on Instagram Live! Interview them about things related to your brand or industry. You could also get creative with it – what if they interviewed YOU live while filming themselves too? That would generate tons of shares from other people’s social media accounts when one person tagged another in the video.
Instagram Ads
Ad Strategy
Instagram Ads is a great tool for marketing on Instagram if you’re willing to put some money behind your content. To get started, all you need is an account and the willingness to spend some dough—Instagram offers many different forms of advertising that cater specifically towards niche audiences with specific interests or behaviors. Ads will also let users have active links no matter where they’re placed, so make sure it’s relevant!
Story Ads
One way to reach your target audience is through Instagram Story Ads. These are phenomenal because you can post native-looking advertisements that will be seen by many of your ideal followers, and it’s easy for them to scroll past without affecting their experience.
Carousel Ads
Carousel ads are a great way to showcase multiple photos within your ad, so it’s perfect for highlighting different aspects of one product or service. This makes carousels very effective at drawing in people by showing all the ways they can use and benefit from what you offer!
Tools
The best Instagram apps for businesses let you turbocharge your account to get more customers and make money. These tools will help set up the right strategy, reach out to influencers, run ads, design content, and provide marketing metrics. Here’s a list of our favorites:
From optimizing your profile to engaging with followers on Instagram, you must know what resonates best with customers. This means consistency and experimentation are key when perfecting a marketing strategy for this social media platform. However, we want to hear from YOU! Have you made any changes recently? What’s working for you on the ‘gram?
Let us know in the comments below, or drop me a message here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saumyasharma15/.
