How to build an effective Instagram marketing strategy

Instagram marketing strategy is a must-have in today’s world. Instagram is a place to be. With over one billion monthly active users (according to data from June 2018) Instagram is one of the most important social media platforms for companies big and small. That’s why having a sound Instagram marketing strategy is essential. 

How to do social media marketing on Instagram?

The critical question is – where do you start? The photo-sharing app can be a burden or a benefit for your company. It’s up to you to develop an Instagram strategy for your business that will help you attract new clients. In this post, I’ll present five techniques to find, attract and convert potential leads into loyal customers. Improving your Instagram reach can positively affect your bottom line.

Before you start

Instagram has spotted the opportunity it gives to businesses. It offers a lot of useful statistics and features you don’t want to miss.

To convert your account into the business profile, you need to connect it with your Facebook fan page.

In the Instagram app, tap the gear icon. Then click “Switch to Business Profile” and connect to Facebook.

Once you’re ready with the technical issues, add your contact information. You can put your phone number, physical address or email.

Your profile is also the one place on Instagram where you can put a link to your website or landing page. Creating a dedicated landing page only for your Instagram activities is a great way to measure the effects of your campaigns. You can track the numbers of visitors, time on site, bounce rate and many more via Google Analytics.

Instagram Hashtags

Instagram has popularised the use of hashtags. They are now one of the essential features of the platform. You can add up to 30 hashtags per post, and it’s vital which one you choose. There are three main strategies for selecting the right hashtags:

1. Use popular hashtags that are already searched on Instagram – there are general trendy hashtags that people are looking for, like #love, #instagood or #photooftheday;
2. Research hashtags specific to your business – you probably will gain fewer followers, but they will be more interested in what you have to offer;
3. Use hashtags that are designed to attract new followers, like #like4like or #follow4follow. I strongly advise you not to use this method. You might quickly build a vast followers base, but the users won’t engage with your brand. When it comes to making an Instagram growth strategy quality beats quantity. It’s better to have a smaller number of followers, but followers who are genuinely reacting to what you have to offer.

Develop an Instagram strategy to gain followers

Instagram is a social network, so your Instagram marketing campaign should reflect that. Forge relationships with other users by liking other people’s posts and leaving comments. Engage with other users because this will help grow your own followers’ number.

How to find new followers? There are a few useful tips and tricks to do that:

• Connect your Instagram account with Facebook. First, you will be able to cross posts photos and stories on both platforms. Secondly, you will see who among your Facebook friends are using Instagram. They will also receive a notification that you’ve joined the social platform, so they can instantly follow you on Instagram as well;
• Search for influencers and companies within your niche. Follow them and engage with their followers. If someone has already shown interest in a similar product, they will probably also be interested in yours;
• Follow industry-related hashtags. Instagram gives you an opportunity to follow not only profiles but also specific hashtags. Find hashtags relevant to your industry and try to engage with a community which is already interested in a given topic
• Participate in social campaigns. This Instagram strategy will help you not only gain new followers but also position your company as socially responsible. From a PR point of view, this is like winning a gold medal on the Olympics.

Create consistent Instagram content

Instagram is a visual platform that’s why you should pay utmost attention to the content you post. For Instagram strategy aligning your posts with your overall brand’s vibe is crucial.

Take a look at Starbucks’ profile. All the photos and videos go with each other. Their profile has a clear strategy, and all the photos are carefully curated. There is a ton of research done to determine the what makes a photo successful. Apparently, it’s:

• photos with human faces;
• photos of people using your product;
• light colours are preferable to dark colours;
• photos outperform videos regarding engagement.

Relevant Read: How to Up Your Instagram Game with Consistent Theme and Grid

Remember when I said that Instagram is all about hashtags? It is because we keep circling around the use of hashtags on Instagram. Part of the strategy should be the use of user-generated content.

First of all, it will take some of the burdens of creating content from your back. You will be able to simply repost some of the photos. Remember to ask for permission first!

Secondly, we all know that customers love to see brands out and about. Your users like to look at some practical applications of your product or just find some inspiration.

Why do we keep coming back to the importance of hashtag strategy?

They will help you find content relevant to your brand. Your little helper will be branded hashtag. A branded hashtag is a hashtag used only while referring to your brand. It doesn’t necessarily have to be your company’s name. Nike’s branded hashtag is #justdoit or #shareacoke by Coca-Cola.

Some social media monitoring tools, for example, Keyhole, will help you monitor the reach of your hashtag as well. Remember to use your hashtag as one of the keywords, and the tool will gather all the mentions. And what’s more important you can also monitor Instagram tags, which are easy to miss. Use “@” and your profile name and be able to react every time someone mentions your company.

Another benefit of user-generated content is that it has a higher conversion rate than your native photos. According to QuickSprout, a conversion is 4.5% higher than on usual posts, and 9.6% higher of the users engage with your content.

Post on a regular basis

Another eternal question of social media – how often should you post? There’s no right or wrong answer, but you should be able to find the golden mean.

On the one hand, you shouldn’t spam your followers with content. On the other hand, if you post once in a blue moon, you won’t get the traction you need to build loyal followers base.

Research shows that the top brands post about 1.5 times each day, which gives us about 10 or 11 posts per week. That seems like a reasonable number – high enough to be able to reach your audience, but at the same time, your followers won’t feel overwhelmed by the frequency.

If you much more content than that, share it on Instagram Stories. Your Instagram presence will be much more diversified, and you will get another chance to tell your story. That’s just another way to get some extra exposure on the platform.

Summary

Instagram is a one-of-a-kind platform that will help you showcase your company identity and culture in addition to the products and services you offer. It enables you to establish more personal interactions with your audience.

That’s why it’s vital to have a soundproof Instagram marketing strategy. Think about what kind of posts you will publish, how often you will do it, and, most importantly, which hashtags you are going to use. That’s, of course, just the beginning of the journey, but it should help you get your Instagram account started.

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