Instagram marketing is one of the most lucrative elements of the digital marketing landscape right now. Thanks to an ever-growing public fascination with influencers and online celebrities, it’s one of the that has quickly become home to one of the most diverse audiences on the web. Moreover, people are often very happy to engage with new and exciting brands. It means there has never been a better time to consider Instagram marketing for your business profile.
Don’t just take our word for it. According to recent statistics , 200 million Instagram users check out at least one company profile every day. A staggering 81% of people on the platform use it to research goods and business services.
If that weren’t enough, marketing on Instagram is becoming easier and more effective thanks to the introduction of paid ads and e-commerce options for businesses. Company profiles boasting over 10,000 followers have also recently been granted “Swipe Up” links. These can be added to Instagram Stories and are designed to send followers directly to the relevant business site.
How to optimize your Instagram profile and get noticed
Setting up a business Instagram account is relatively easy and takes only seconds. All you need to do is fill out relevant information about your product or service, write a brief description peppered with relevant keywords, and select a profile picture that accurately reflects your brand (a logo is a safe and smart option). However, building a loyal following is much easier said than done. Here is our quick guide to marketing for Instagram novices:
1. Use hashtags in your business profile description
Instagram’s algorithm loves hashtags, so try to make the most of them. All you need to do is enter ‘#’, followed by a relevant keyword or phrase, just as you would with any social media posts.
2. Post high-quality photos
Potential customers are instantly put off brands that use shoddy photographs. If you’re struggling to take well-lit, attractive images of a product, don’t be afraid to enlist the help of a professional photographer. It could work wonders for your brand image and end up driving sales and improving your marketing strategy. Based on Instagram research, it appears that “Lux balances the exposure and provides much needed brightness” to photos and resonate more with brands followers.
According to a recent study , users also prefer lighter pictures over darker ones and have a special penchant for images with plenty of white space. Followers prefer images involving significant amounts of blue are generally better than those with lots of red tones, so try to keep your colour palette cool if possible.
3. Set up a competition
Competitions held on Instagram are a great way to drive engagement and garner interest in new products and brands among your target audience.. You could, for example, run a caption contest or encourage people to follow your Instagram business page to be in with a chance of winning a prize. If you already have a decent following, you may want to think about running a photo competition asking users to submit their original posts with photos or videos.
4. User-generated content (UGC)
Even though brand rely more on their own original content, you can gain a lot from your fans and take advantage of user-generated content. If you feature your followers on your Instagram account and encourage them to post using various offers and contests, you might get a much more loyal audience. As a result you will get more engagement with your brand and help followers feel special and appreciated.
How to create a content strategy for your Instagram profile
An important part of Instagram marketing strategy is creating a steady stream of different types of content to engage your customers. Here are a few smart ways to do this:
1. Use the ‘Stories’ function
This allows you to post a steady stream of images related to your brand that, as the name suggests, tells a story about your brand to your target market.
2. Use video and GIFs
Moving images are more likely to catch the eye of casual Instagram followers, so don’t be afraid to short, striking snips of video on your account.
3. Make use of paid advertising
Paid Instagram ads allow you to make your way into the feeds of people who may be interested in your content. They are a great way of generating interest if your business is relatively new and unknown.
4. Create snappy captions
While Instagram users certainly feed on beautiful images, they also love catchy content. Try to use compelling captions full of and calls-to-action to drive engagement with your brand.
5. Create posts regularly
This is one of the most important rules. Posting regularly will ensure engagement with your profile stays high and is the only way to ensure your follower base continues to grow.
How to make the most of influencer marketing on Instagram
Last but certainly not least, we come to influencer marketing. With 67% of social media professionals already using this strategy for promoting products, it has proved itself to be the single most important element of marketing on Instagram. Don’t avoid it!
Influencers are essentially well-known, independent Instagram users who have built up a strong following of fans thanks to their engaging posts, stories and videos and endearing personalities. Asking them to get involved with your promotional efforts is a quick and effective way of tapping into their broad base of fans and boosting trust in your brand.
Of course, you will need to approach influencers who will chime with your target audience. If you run a fashion brand for young women, for example, you will need to find an influencer who creates a steady stream of content about clothing and enjoys a wide reach.
Start your Instagram journey today
As you can see, successful marketing on Instagram requires a combination of high-quality content, customer engagement, and smart use of influencers. If you are unsure about how to start planning your Instagram marketing strategy, Allsopp Media can give you a jumpstart. Just send us an email and we can schedule a call to go through the important steps with you.
