Even though it was initially created as a photo-sharing platform, Instagram has turned into an essential marketing tool over time. Just imagine how many people use it daily. Yes, all of them are your potential clients and partners. In addition, the company has created numerous features, especially for brands that use their platform for advertising, so coming up with a successful strategy has never been easier.
Nevertheless, this also means that all your competitors are present on this platform, and they are all using these features to improve their visibility and reach and gain followers. Well, in this article, we are going to provide you with some tips that will help you to stay on top of the game.
Switch to business profile
This is the first thing you have to do, even before starting to design your marketing plan. This is a fairly new feature, and it is quite easy to change your current account into a business one. All you have to do is follow the instruction, click on a few buttons, and that it is.
As you can assume, this feature is created specifically for the brands and companies that want to incorporate Instagram into their advertising, so it provides them with multiple benefits. One of the biggest ones is that it easily lets your follower reach you via the Instagram page. Next, by switching to the business profile, you will have the opportunity to create ads, and plus, you will have an abundance of tools at your disposal. These will not only enable you to take your strategy to the next level, but you will also be able to follow the statistics of follower’s engagement.
Take advantage of free tools
We have already mentioned that by going for a business profile, you will unlock a lot of useful tools, so let us tell you more about these. Not only will you be able to see how many people have gone through your profile and stories, how many likes and comment you got, but you will also be able to breakdown these statistics. What are we talking about? Well, basically, these tools will enable you to get a clear insight into the demographics of people who follow you. We are talking about their age, location, gender, even the most active hours.
Surely you agree with us that this data is invaluable when it comes to marketing. Put in layman’s terms, it will be significantly easier for you to come up with the best types of ads, and what’s more, create them in a way to ensure that your target audience will see them.
Don’t forget about Instagram Stories
As soon as it became available, this feature became the most popular one. No, we are not saying that people aren’t interested in the accounts’ feeds, but we are simply stating that they pay a lot of attention to these short-lived posts. The great benefit of these, for any brand, is that you can post anything that you won’t. Since they stay on your profile for only 24 hours, you don’t have to worry about the quality of the images or videos, or on the other hand, whether or not they match your account’s overall style. In addition, these are great for promoting announcements, taking the follower behind the scene, or simply communicate with everyone.
How to reach customers?
Okay, this is the most crucial question that you have. After all, the whole point of using Instagram as a marketing tool is to attract followers and potential customers. Well, you have two effective options. Firstly, a lot of people opt for buying followers, especially at the beginning. This is pure psychology – by seeing that you have already built a community, people are more likely to follow you. It is all about the first impression, so visit the InstaShopGram to learn how to make the best one.
Your second option is to collaborate with influencers. This is the fastest way to reach clients because people are more likely to consider purchasing products they have seen on their favorite influencer’s profile. Naturally, you shouldn’t only partner with someone who has a broad audience, but you also have to make sure that their followers are your target audience.
Create an interactive hashtag
When it comes to social media platforms, hashtags are a must, and Instagram isn’t any different. Keep in mind that both you and your followers will be using it. Yes, it will be mostly you at first, but after some time, people will join in. Generally speaking, people love to share their experience with certain products and services via these platforms, and this is when your hashtag will become crucial. Not only will it increase your visibility and popularity, but other people will also use it to learn about your brand quickly.
Nevertheless, you have to be smart when creating it. It has to be completely unique, meaning that people will think about your brand as soon as they see it. Just think about Nike’s “Just do it,” or Red Bull’s “Gives you wings.” What’s more, it will significantly improve your marketing strategy because it will become a tool your customers use to advertise the company.
Choose the best time to post
You have created a new post, so all you have to do is add it to your account. It looks quite simple, doesn’t it? Well, it is not quite. The most common mistake that people make is that they tend to over-post. You would be surprised to learn how easily followers can become frustrated with some brands when they add multiple posts a day and even more stories. Trust us – this is the easiest way to lose the audience you have work so hard on attracting. In order to prevent this from happening, you have to limit your posts. This is something that depends on your line of business and company. Some opt for four, while others add six posts a week.
Finally, one more thing – figure out when is the best time to post. This time-frame is crucial because people usually follow hundreds of profiles, which means that your latest image can go unnoticed. Due to this reason, you have to understand the habits of your followers. When are they most likely to scroll through the feed? Early in the morning, before going to work, or late in the afternoon when they get home? These are called peak hours, and you can actually learn more about them via the Insight feature we have mentioned.