The transition of Instagram from a simple photo-sharing app to an ultimate platform for business marketing has overhauled the concept of digital marketing. A few years back, when you scrolled down your feed you could only find personal photos, pics of pets, foods or other travel staff. Fast forward to now, Instagram has become a hub for marketing. With business and marketing oriented features like Instagram posts linking to online stores, advanced analytics, traffic driven Instagram Stories and flagship video platform IGTV, it has set the tone for marketers to really get into their game.
As easy as it may seem on the surface, marketing on Instagram can get tricky at times, especially if you are new on the platform. It can be hard to define a strategy but no need to worry. We have got there 9 best marketing tips for Instagram that every Marketer should follow.
Make sure you have a business profile
A business profile on Instagram has tons of advantages compared to having a normal profile. First of all, you can use Instagram Analytics Tool to get insights into your reach, number of engagements, and the impressions on your stories. Secondly, your Instagram followers can just get click on the contact button on your Instagram profile to get in touch with you. You can also create personalized ads and use paid promotions to reach a broader audience and attract more followers. These free perks completely change the spectrum of marking as you can track your progress and set goals regularly. All you need to is just click settings and then choose “Switch to business profile” to get the most out of these features.
Don’t miss out on stories
Instagram stories are only alive for up to 24 hours but they pack a lot when it comes to Instagram marketing. They appear at the top of the feed so they catch your eye first as it is the natural starting position for your eye. Second there is just something about them, you just want to click on these icons. You include photos, short videos, rewind videos, boomerangs and even live videos to catch the attention of your audience. The amount of content that you can add to your stories is unlimited and the icing on top is that it is totally free.
Use Instagram Insight tools
Just like Facebook, Instagram Insight Tool allows you keep track of your reach, impressions and engagements over the course of two weeks. It also helps you in breaking down your audience in terms of their location, age, gender and even active hours. You can get valuable insight into which posts are getting more engagements, so that you can post that type of content. This totally free tool is amazing and is must-use for all the marketers out there.
Partner with other accounts similar to your niche
Many brands engage with accounts similar to themselves to get noticed in the large pool of competitors. You can partner with these brands or get new ideas from their marketing strategies as well. By engaging with these brands you will broaden the spectrum of your audience and are bound to get more interactions, views, likes and comments on your Instagram posts. You can increase your Instagram followers by reaching out to the partner brand’s audience.
Use sponsored ads on Instagram
Instagram also provides you the opportunity to reach out to the world with customized sponsored ads. In addition to your own followers, you can reach any target group of people depending upon the setting of the ad. You can use a photo or video in your ad depending upon your choice. You can also promote ads in the form of stories and unlock a whole new group of people. You can also use your top performing post as your ad as well.
Keep any eye on trending hashtags
In an era of social media, many things are getting viral on a daily basis. On Instagram, it is even more the case. Try to utilize these moments and find a correlation between your business and these occasions. For example, if there is a football world cup happening you can offer short promotions or prizes to the predictor of the score line of a match. By using these hashtags you will get on this viral ride and reap the rewards.
Your caption should tell a story
The whole purpose of a caption is to add meaning and detail to your posts and stories. Each caption should be creative, interesting and luring to get your followers to stop scrolling and start thinking about your content. It should lure the followers to engage with the post or story. It is even better to include a call-for-action whether in the form of question, tag-a-friend, share the post, link to your profile or using hashtags. Your Instagram followers judge you by whether or not you are offering value with your content.
Give sneak peeks and product teasers
Many marketers are now looking for new ways to market their product. Pushing your followers again and again to buy your product will do more harm than good. A great strategy is to give sneak peeks or teasers about your product to your followers. Not forcing them to buy but just giving them some to think about. By increasing the curiosity of your followers, you are increasing the chances of your followers to buy your product.
Know the right time to post
You as a marketer should know the right time to post and the right frequency to post. Many people get too annoying at times by posting too many times a day. You need to strike a balance and also find the right time to post. If your posting in the middle of work hours, your post is less likely to be seen as your followers will have to scroll a lot down when they open their Instagram. So search your audience and their online hours before deciding you’re posting times.
David Jimmy is a Social Media Enthusiast, writes about Facebook, Instagram and Twitter growth hacks. Apart from being Professional, she loves healthy food, cooking, and movies.