Instagram is currently holding the title as the most popular and engaging social media app on the market today. The social media app has over 25 million business accounts, 100 million photos and videos uploaded every day and has easily become one of the most effective ways for individuals to market their business and build their brand.
Studies have shown that the best way to market to millennials is through pictures, videos and by people they shadow, have like-minded interest and ultimately people they feel they can trust, aka Instagram influencers. With most Instagram’s users being millennials, it makes the social media app the perfect place to build a brand and market one’s business. With the right tools and strategies, Instagram can be the perfect place for successful social media marketing.
In today’s blog post, we will discuss the top Instagram Marketing Tips that will help your company get the best results. While these Instagram marketing tips will help you get a better grasp about how to run your business through Instagram, it’s always best to get help from the professionals. Contact us to get more information on how to take your Instagram Marketing to the next level with our skilled social media team.
Social Media/Instagram Marketing Tip #1: Switch Your Instagram to a Business Profile
First things first- you want your current and future following to know you are a business and make it easier for your Instagram following to get in contact with you.
Next, we’ll share some insight on why switching your Instagram to a business profile is beneficial in the long run:
- Business profiles have analytics tools that help you to see what background, age range, country, etc. your followers are coming from.
- You’re able to promote your posts gaining more exposure on your follower’s timelines.
- You can post Instagram ads without having to run through Facebook first!
Social Media/Instagram Marketing Tip #2: Create a Strong Business Biography
When setting up your profile, you want to make sure your Instagram is very clear cut on what your business does, the vibes of the company and the type of consumer your business is targeting.
A good rule of thumb is to make sure you have the basics listed below in your Instagram bio:
- A profile picture- you can go with a picture of your logo, product or anything relevant to your company.
- Username and name- you’ll want to make sure your username is as close to your company’s name as possible, this way, it’s easy for your customers to find your page!
- Bio- make sure you squeeze in as much important information about your company and its mission in this small section of 150 characters!
- Website- be sure you have your website link in your bio
Social Media/Instagram Marketing Tip #3: Engage with your Following
After setting up your business Instagram, the crucial step in Instagram Marketing is ensuring that you engage with your following. You’ll want to be sure you keep your Instagram following excited and eager to interact with you and your content to get the most out of your investment in Instagram Marketing! The best ways to engage with your Instagram following are:
- Get to Know Your Followers
- A key step in utilizing Instagram to market your business is to get to know your following so you can serve content they’ll want to engage with. The more you engage with your following and get to know what they like and dislike, the easier it will be for you to provide them with content they will interact with. You’ll want to know the demographic of your following (you can check this in the Insights section on your business account), see what kind of posts/stories they engage with the most (this may come with trial and error, if you choose not to call in the professionals that is) and make sure you reply to comments they leave or even reach out and comment/like photos and content they post to their own page! The more time you put in engaging with your followers, the more you will get back!
- Use Engaging Copy
- One simple way to get more engagement and to help get to know your followers is to utilize your copy (captions)! Think about it, if you post a picture of your puppy with a caption that says, “Cutest dog” it doesn’t leave much room for your followers to engage with you. Now, if you post the same picture with the caption, “I may be biased- but isn’t he the cutest?! Tell us what your favorite pet/animal is in the comments!” This sort of copy gives your following the opportunity to comment on your post which will get your activity up AND you get to know a new fact about your followers- double win! The more opportunities you give your Instagram following to interact with you, the more you’ll know about them and continue to get better at serving content to intrigue them!
- Stand out!
- Instagram Marketing is no secret to small and large businesses alike- you’ll want to make sure you set yourself apart from the competition and make your page unique. Share your own personal experiences/tips/tricks/struggles and what makes you/your business different! The more ways you connect to your Instagram following, the more your following will trust you and will then domino effect into your following being more likely to utilize your business!
Social Media/Instagram Marketing Tip #4: Post Stories
Instagram stories are a simple and efficient way to get extra content on your page without cluttering your followers’ feed. You can post a simple announcement on your Instagram stories or even link your web page so it’s easier for your followers to find a new product or a new post you created.
With the new features on Instagram stories, you can post questions and leave a blank field for your followers to fill in or even create a poll for your following to vote. Many influencers even use their stories to ask their Instagram following what kind of content they want to see on their page, a great way to see what kind of content your following is more likely to engage with!
Instagram also created a new “Highlights” section so you can even save your Instagram stories so your Instagram following can refer to it at any time.
Though Instagram stories technically don’t stay longer than 24 hours (unless added to your profile’s highlights), it’s a quick and easy way to get content to a wider range of Instagram users.
Social Media/Instagram Marketing Tip #5: Run Contests
Like we said before, engaging with your followers is a huge step in effectively marketing through Instagram. Recently, a popular way to do this has been running contests through Instagram! There are many ways to incorporate contests into your Instagram Marketing strategy, but we’ll discuss our favorite/most popular below:
- Like Contests
- This is probably the easiest way to run a contest on Instagram. All your followers are required to do is “like” the picture you posted on Instagram and that will then qualify them to join the contest and win your Instagram contest. This is a quick and easy way to increase your engagement while also getting your followers attention which can in turn, increase your engagement long term.
- Comment Contests
- Similar to a Like Contest- a Comment Contest will grab your Instagram followers’ attention and bring up your engagement. The Comment Contest will require your followers to comment on the picture you posted explaining/introducing the contest. This type of contest is a great way to get new followers as well by simply telling your audience to tag a friend! Since not everyone follows the same accounts, this could be a great way for you to get your followers engaged and spread the word to a wider audience on Instagram.
- Photo Contest
- Lastly, we introduce the Photo Contest. Just like we’ve mentioned above, this is a great way to introduce your profile/business to a wider audience. By creating a Photo Contest, you’re asking your followers to post a photo on their own page while tagging your business page and using a specific hashtag. This will give you exposure to your audiences following which can in turn, bring you more followers and engagement!
Social Media/Instagram Marketing Tip #6: Partner with Influencers
Instagram has quickly become one of the biggest marketing platforms there is and people known as “influencers” have taken full advantage! Think of influencers as a celebrity, people religiously follow them and take every tip, trick and product they use to heart. For example, if Jennifer Aniston posted about an Aveeno product for younger looking skin on her Instagram, you bet her followers are going to be racing to the closest drug store to stock up! Targeting specific influencers that can relate to your brand/business will give you great leverage on the Instagram Marketing playing field.
The key to using an influencer in your Instagram Marketing strategy is to find an influencer that is relevant to your business/product. You’ll want to make sure that the influencer can relate to your product as it’s likely their audience will also be able to relate to your product.
Influencers play a major role in your long-term Instagram Marketing strategy and are sure to help direct a wider audience and cliental to your business Instagram page while also boosting your sales.
Social Media/Instagram Marketing Tip #7: Funnel Sales
Using Instagram to sell products- yes, it is possible! Instagram is the perfect spot to not only market your business, but to sell your products as well. The best way to make sure you get the most out of your business profile on Instagram is to use the paid post feature so you can add external links to your Instagram posts!
Getting your sales higher is all about how you use your Instagram and market your business. The following tips are the easiest ways to keep your sales flowing!
- Be Active
- It’s very important to stick to a routine on Instagram when marketing for sales! You’ll want to make sure you log into Instagram daily- whether it’s to make a post, comment on your followers’ posts or even add to your story, you should be an active member on Instagram every day! Though this won’t be the quick fix to skyrocket your sales, it certainly helps in the long run to gain a great following and gain the trust of your audience on Instagram.
- Don’t Just Post Photos of Your Product
- While the main focus of your page is the product you are marketing/selling, your Instagram should include a variety of photos including real people, the lifestyle based around your product, and photos that reflect you company’s beliefs. The best part about Instagram Marketing is that you get to show your company’s vision and beliefs through your photos. It’s a great way to express to your audience what your goals are, what you want to achieve with your business and helps them to connect with your audience which will in turn, bring up your engagement and sales!
Social Media/Instagram Marketing Tip #8: Track your Metrics
Knowing what to look for on your Instagram engagement is a key step to improving your performance. Tracking the right metrics on Instagram can be one of the most efficient things you learn in this post! The metrics you’ll want to follow closely are:
- Engagement Rate
- Learning to measure engagement on Instagram (this includes your likes and comments on posts) is a great tool to give you an idea on what is working on your Instagram posts and what could be improved. Through engagement, you’ll want to make sure you look at the average percentage of engagement on your total followers and for each post to get the best understanding on what changes (if any) need to be made.
- Your Growth Rate
- Yes, we live in an age where people are able to buy almost anything they want, even followers on Instagram. But the real strong point to successful Instagram marketing and sales are true, authentic followers. While for some, this may take quite a while to achieve, it’s great to know how to follow and track your growth when it comes to followers. With this tool, you’re able to track how many profile visits you’re getting, what posts brought your new Instagram following and how your content and posting frequency is making a difference on your Instagram page!
- URL Clicks
- This feature is used to show you how many people go to your website from Instagram. Though, be cautioned that it will only work for the link in your bio (not from a story or post), but nonetheless, it shows you just how much traffic you are gaining from Instagram. This tool can really show you how well your Instagram Marketing skills are working or if it’s time to call in the professionals (like us)!
Social Media/Instagram Marketing Tip #9: Hashtag Strategically
Whether you love ‘em or hate ‘em, hashtags have incredible value when it comes to Instagram and social media marketing. Knowing how to use hashtags strategically is key to succeeding in Instagram marketing and you’re in luck because we’re going to spill two of the main strategies on getting the most out of your hashtags!
- Keep Your Hashtags Brand/Campaign Specific
- You’ll want to make sure you create a catchy, unique hashtag that promotes your brand. Something that’s easily remembered, ideally including your brand name or brand slogan.
- Hashtag’s Based on Content
- While these can be a toss-up, you’ll want to make sure you cater your hashtags to the content your posting. This will help get your content viewed by a wider audience and therefore, attract more attention to your Instagram page. Make sure you check the following on each hashtag, the more following per hashtag, the better!
Social Media/Instagram Marketing Tip #10: Creating your Instagram Content
Though this may sound like the easiest part of marketing on Instagram, but don’t be fooled, as it can be proven to be the most difficult! Some may think you just throw up a picture and write a funny caption and call it a day, but there is much more strategy behind creating your Instagram content.
For starters, you’ll want to first focus on the type of content you will post. Will you show behind the scenes of your brand? Will you show product production or just product and the use of it? Will you do all the above?! There are so many options when creating a strategy to the content you’ll post on your Instagram page. While there may be some trial and error at the beginning, make sure you stick with a general strategy and flow on your Instagram page and make adjustments as needed!
We’ve said it above and we’ll say it again- give content that promotes ENGAGEMENT. We can’t stress enough about how important engagement is in the world of Instagram marketing!
Don’t forget, you’ll want to keep your hashtag game strong along with your content, so make sure to refer to tip #9 during your content creation to keep everything flowing!
Social Media/Instagram Marketing Tip #11: Create Your Content in Advance
One of the many challenges you’ll face in Instagram Marketing is posting interesting, engaging content consistently. We know this may be a tough challenge to keep up with, that’s why we recommend planning out your content/posts in advance so when the time comes, all you need to do is copy, paste & share!
Just like running your business, planning is a key part of Instagram Marketing. You’ll want to keep in mind any special events that will come up in the month ahead, any holidays or celebrations, as well as any promotions you may be doing! You’ll want to make sure you have content for these specials circumstances ahead of time and craft your caption/copy in advance. This may seem tedious at first, but in the long run it will save you a lot of time and stress!
Social Media/Instagram Marketing Tip #12: Sponsored Ads & Cross Promoting
Instagram Advertising is a huge game changer for businesses trying to use Instagram and Social Media Marketing. Though some debate may say it’s just a phase, strong statistics show Instagram marketing and advertising is here to stay! With the strong presence of social media and Instagram marketing, there is no reason you shouldn’t be utilizing these outlets to promote your business!
Utilizing Ads on Instagram and Facebook is a great way to get your business marketed efficiently. For those who don’t know- Instagram and Facebook are connected, making every business owners life a whole lot easier when it comes to cross promoting on multiple social media accounts. Ads that run on Instagram are created through Facebook ad manager. You can do everything from creating the ad to managing the budget all through Facebook ad manager which links directly to your Instagram page!
The best part of using Facebook ads for social media/Instagram marketing is the ability to utilize not only photos but videos as well! The ads are a great way to promote your business as they’re hard to miss, they occupy a full mobile screen!
While Instagram marketing (or any social media marketing) can be a bit tricky to figure out, we hope these tips give you a better insight on how to navigate your way through the Instagram/social media marketing world! And if these tips weren’t enough, our experienced social media team is ready and willing to take on the daunting task for you! Contact us today to get your Instagram marketing business off the ground.