Marketing strategies for Instagram in 8 easy steps

 

On average, the user spends 53 minutes per day on Instagram, which makes the platform the second most visited after Facebook.

Instagram offers a spectacular reach for brands that increases day by day.

Additionally, 90% of Instagram users follow at least one business. When researching new products or services, the conclusion is that more than 36% of professionals with responsibility for making B2B decisions use Instagram.

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These data show us that using marketing strategies on Instagram are very beneficial for companies.

Now, the big question, how can I use Instagram for my marketing strategy?

1: Design Instagram posts to align with your marketing plan and goals

 Your business's marketing strategy should include Instagram as a key component, working in tandem with your content, email, and other social media marketing initiatives. To create an effective Instagram marketing strategy , start by reviewing your company's marketing calendar and brainstorming relevant content to post on Instagram for each initiative.

Planning a seasonal event or product launch? Plan Instagram content for every action, from teasers to ads and collaborations. You can design an Instagram calendar in a place that is accessible to your team, on a whiteboard, spreadsheet, or collaborative platform.

As you add content ideas to your marketing calendar, keep in mind the purpose of each post. That way, you can make sure you align your Instagram strategy with your marketing goals. For example, your goals might include:

• Increase awareness of your company or your offerings
• Get people to engage with your content
• Get website clicks from your Instagram bio or stories
• Selling products from your Instagram store or website

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2: Adjust the timing of your Instagram posts as you grow

Do you need to update frequently, sporadically, or infrequently? Choosing the ideal publishing schedule is essential to your Instagram strategy. Naturally, you'll want to post enough content to get results without overwhelming your audience or receiving negative feedback .

According to research by Later, the size of your account determines the correct posting frequency. In general, small accounts are better off posting a few times a day, while large accounts with 250,000 or more followers are better off posting once a week.

The moment you publish content also makes a difference. While you publish content when your target audience is online, they are more likely to view it and engage with it.

Tap Total Followers in your Instagram Insights to see when your followers are online.

The most widely accessible content is at the bottom of the page.  Then add those time slots to your regular posting schedule.

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While you can post right away, you can save time by scheduling Instagram content ahead of time. Both Facebook Business Suite and Creator Studio let you schedule content so you can always post at the right time.

3: Modify your organic content to reflect the changing demographics and preferences of your audience

Once you have an idea of ​​the type of content you should post, the next step is to determine how to position it effectively on Instagram. It is important to make sure that the content you publish empathizes with your audience so that you can achieve your goals.

To learn more about your audience, open the Instagram app, tap the info panel, and select Total Followers. You can see breakdowns by gender, age range, city, and country, providing a complete picture of your account demographics.

If you've already posted content to Instagram, you can check the Insights dashboard to see who's been viewing your posts in your feed. To view a demographic breakdown and have a better understanding of your audience, tap Accounts Reached. Keep an eye on this breakdown to make sure you're always creating content that resonates with your audience.

Even if you're looking for new content ideas, you can use your previous posts to see what worked best or what to avoid in the future. Scroll to the bottom to see the content with the greatest reach. Then tap Accounts Involved and scroll to the bottom to see the top content based on likes and replies.

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Take note of the types of posts that performed best. Which type of photography did your audience prefer—lifestyle or product? Did they react to feed posts or stories more favourably? What type of copy generated the most likes or comments?

Instagram may have launched as a photo-based platform, but the social media app is much more than just news posts. When you want to maximize your Instagram reach and optimize your results, it's important to explore all the options that Instagram has to offer. Include these types of content in your Instagram strategy:

Photos – From single images to carousels with up to 10 photos, you can create engaging news posts .

Videos – Now that Instagram has retired IGTV, you can upload videos to your feed that are anywhere from a few seconds to 60 minutes long.

Reels – As an Instagram short-form video option, Reels are ideal for sharing authentic content that is posted to a dedicated tab on your profile.

Live - You may go live from the Instagram app or arrange a live event up to 90 days in advance to engage with your audience directly.

Stories – They're only 24 hours long, but stories are great for sharing exclusive behind-the-scenes content or reruns from your followers.

Featured Stories – You can save stories to your profile by creating a featured album that is permanently pinned to the top of your Instagram feed.

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KEEP A CONSISTENT STYLE AS YOUR CONTENT CHANGES

Since Instagram is a photo and video-based social media platform, establishing a visual style is essential. In addition to defining your brand, a consistent style makes it easier for followers to identify and interact with your company's content.

There is no need to create a completely new look for Instagram. Instead, your brand style on Instagram should reflect your visual identity on your website and in the rest of your marketing material.

For example, your Instagram style may include a certain set of fonts, colours, perspectives, or aesthetics. You can even apply the same filter to your content for consistency.

As the example below illustrates, it has a unique graphical style. From photos to videos to Camera Rolls, all content incorporates bold colours and branded fonts. Posts are easy to distinguish so followers know they're engaging with your digital whiteboard's brand content the moment they see it.

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4: Keep your Instagram copy focused on your ultimate goal

No matter what type of content you post, visuals are only part of the equation. To get your audience to take action after seeing your content, you need effective captions, text overlays, and live scripts, collectively known as your Instagram copy.

How you write Instagram copy depends on your audience, your company's style guide, and your goals. Think about what your followers sound like, what your brand voice sounds like, and what you want to achieve. You can use calls to action (CTA) in the copy to entice your audience.

5: Amplify Instagram Reach with Hashtags

To drive discovery and increase the reach of your Instagram content, hashtags are essential. Instagram users can follow hashtags to see certain topics and can also find your content by searching for hashtags.

You can add up to 30 hashtags in posts and news reels and up to 10 in stories, giving you multiple options. So where should you start?

Get in the habit of adding at least one branded hashtag to your post to amplify your count. Then add the relevant campaign hashtags and a mix of your industry, descriptive, location, or viral hashtags.

You can find hashtags to use by typing ideas in the Instagram search bar and scrolling through the suggestions. The app automatically tabulates the total number of times the hashtag has been used so you can quickly see if it's popular.

To get more ideas, type a hashtag in the search bar and swipe left to see the main content. Then tap on some of the top posts to see what hashtags they're using.

Alternatively, you can use third-party apps to identify trending hashtags and assess virality over time. That way, you can make sure you pick the Instagram hashtags that are most likely to expand your reach.

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6: Complement organic Instagram content with influencers and user-generated content

You can create most of your brand's Instagram content in-house. But you don't necessarily have to produce everything. Instead, you can get high-quality photos and videos from other creators, including clients and influencers. Both user-generated content (UGC) and influencer content can enhance any brand's Instagram content strategy.

In fact, these types of content can be even more effective than the images and videos your team produces. For many consumers, UGC plays an important role in their purchasing decisions. That means adding UGC to your content strategy could completely transform your Instagram results.

If you want to post customer-created photos and videos to your Instagram feed, you need a workflow to collect and credit UGC. For example, you can monitor hashtags and brand mentions to find UGC and then direct message (DM) the original creators to get permission to share their content.

You can also share fan-created posts and stories directly to Instagram stories, seamlessly crediting the original creator.

7: Fast Results with Instagram Ads

In some cases, you may be able to achieve your Instagram marketing goals by using only organic content. But when you want to build your brand and generate revenue at a fast pace, Instagram advertising is a very good option.

You can get started by driving high-performing content right from the Instagram app. Use Instagram's built-in insights to find your best content, and tap Boost Post to increase its reach. Then choose from goals like more profile views, more website visits, or more MDs; create a target audience; and set a budget.

For more complex goals, like generating leads or eCommerce sales, use Facebook Ads Manager to create a campaign. You can run ads on Instagram, Facebook, and Audience Network, or customize creatives for high-performing placements like Reels and Stories.

If you're new to Instagram ads, consider starting with a small budget, like $50. Run a test campaign to measure average cost per thousand impressions (CPM), cost per click (CPC), and cost per result. Use these initial results as benchmarks, then test new creatives, audiences, or placements to see what you can accomplish with a larger budget.

8: Simplify consumer shopping with Instagram shopping tools

If your business does e-commerce, you should also incorporate Instagram's shopping tools into your content. To use them, connect your brand's Facebook Page and upload a product catalogue to Facebook Commerce Manager. Then open your account settings in the Instagram app and select Business. Tap Set up Instagram purchases to complete the process.

Once you set up this feature, users can access your eCommerce catalogue from the View Store button on your Instagram profile. You can also tag products in your photos and stories so customers can start shopping right away.

Do you want to encourage followers to buy from your business but you don't offer e-commerce? In addition to adding a clickable link in your bio, you can link from Stories. Create a story and add a link tag from the tag tray. Then use the text customization option to add a CTA to the tag to increase clicks.

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Conclusion

Whether you want to focus on paid or organic results, a well-thought -out Instagram content strategy is key to achieving your marketing goals. From planning your calendar, to choosing the right content and ad budget, you can follow these steps to create a successful Instagram strategy for your business.