Having a well-planned and researched Instagram marketing strategy can give your brand a serious boost. You may not have one in place just yet, but it’s never too late to get started. If you don’t know what to include in yours, use these tips to create a marketing plan that will put you on top.
1. Create Shoppable Instagram Posts
If you sell products online, take advantage of the tools Instagram has available for you. Tagging products on Instagram makes it much easier for potential customers to get the information they need in seconds. They no longer have to go to your website and look for the item they’re interested in just to see the price. Instead, a tagged post will show them that information and link them to the product if they’re ready to purchase.
If you’re not already using shoppable pins as part of your Instagram marketing strategy, you could be missing out on tons of potential sales. Another thing to keep in mind is that you want to be sure you’re using the best quality images to drive attention to your products. To get great images of these and attract the right attention to your shoppable posts, consider using mockups.
If you sell mugs, for example, using a coffee mug template means you can save time and money by forgoing a photoshoot altogether. Simply upload your design on to the mockup, download it, and it’s ready to post.
2. Use Stories to Capture Your Audience
Whether you run a personal brand or a small business, Instagram Stories for business are definitely worth checking out. It’s no secret that feed posts are on the decline thanks to the popularity of Stories. Influencers and big brands alike have resorted to posting less often on their feed and instead are spending more time posting to their Stories.
Since Stories are easy to post and allow you to get creative with your content, they’re definitely something you should include in your Instagram marketing strategy. On top of this, they also have great reach, which can help you attract and retain more followers.
Instagram Stories can be an image or a video, and both are easy to create. If you want to create video content but are scared you don’t have the skills to pull it off, you can use a quick video maker. Since these already have the right dimensions, you have one less thing to worry about when designing your content.
Instagram also has plenty of add-ons to make your Stories even more interesting. Feel free to play around with their text options, gifs, music, and stickers to make your posts more fun and aesthetically pleasing.
3. Use All the Space You Have
Instagram gives you tons of different spaces in which to post content. Your best bet is to make the most of each space. It’s true that Instagram Stories get lots of attention but the regular feed is still important! Be sure to post at least a couple times a week while creating content for your Stories. On top of this, you can also create longer-form videos for your IGTV. Instagram Live is another option you can use to reach your followers. This is great for events, behind the scenes footage, and Q&A type features.
Don’t forget about the power of ads as well. Using your Instagram business account, you can create ads for a couple of different spaces, so don’t limit yourself to basic posts.
As you get to work on your different posts, keep in mind that each space serves a different purpose. This means you should create different types of content for each one that makes sense for that space. For example, shorter videos are great for Stories while longer ones make more sense for IGTV.
Another thing to keep in mind is the size limitation each space has and the orientation of the video or image you want to post. Posting a horizontal image on Stories, for example, likely won’t have the visual impact you’re after.
4. Get Viewers to Interact With You by Adding Stories to Your Instagram Marketing Strategy
Getting your followers to interact with you on your feed posts may not be as easy as it seems. However, with the Stories option, this is way easier to achieve.
Stories offer tons of features that can help make posts more interactive, which makes it easier to get a response from followers. You can run a poll, ask your followers a question, post a quiz, include an emoji slider, and allow replies. All of this makes it easy for your followers to interact with you without too much commitment. If you do get replies from your followers, don’t just leave them hanging. Reply back to foster even more interaction.
5. Optimize Your Profile and Content
We all know that hashtags can help your posts get discovered more easily, but are you using the right ones? For the best results, use a combination of trendy hashtags as well as some with fewer posts. Since trendy hashtags may be full of tons and tons of posts, the smaller ones can ensure your content doesn’t get lost in the masses. Don’t forget to also add hashtags to your bio and your Stories!
Another thing to keep in mind is that keywords can also make a difference when used in your profile and in your posts. With the changes being made to the Explore page, it’s very likely that these will come into play. In the past, this may have looked like a jumble of posts, but there is now more organization to it. With the introduction of the categories on the top of the Explore page, optimizing your content is more important than ever.
[sc name=”smartbio-make-sales”]
6. Use Text-Based Images
Have you noticed brands posting images of tweets in their Stories and in their feed? These types of posts and those that feature memes are super popular. No matter who you are or what your brand is, there are bound to be some you can use to get more attention for your profile.
If you also have a Twitter account, you can use your mentions on Twitter to find the perfect content for your feed. A great example of this is Glossier’s roundup of Tweets that they post to their Instagram Stories.
Another way to tackle this is by using text-based images that are designed for your brand. Think more artsy designs and graphic, typography-based designs. These will often include a message that aligns with your brand and that reflects it through your use of color and imagery.
7. Design a Branded Feed
When it comes to Instagram, it’s important that you find your aesthetic and stick with it. By doing this, you can let viewers know it’s you at a glance. They shouldn’t have to look at the account name to know the post belongs to you.
To achieve this, you can stick to a color palette or a couple of different styles when it comes to the type of images and videos you post. Take your time to find your aesthetic so that it’s something that represents your brand perfectly.
For a branded look, try to stick to the color palette used in your logo. This is a better option than putting your logo on your images because you want them to look natural and not salesy. If you don’t have a logo yet, use an online logo maker to design a professional one that will take your brand to the next level.
8. Personalize Your Posts
We just mentioned that branded posts are the way to go. Beyond your color palette, you can also get creative with the design of your posts by adding some additional elements to them.
An easy way to create a unique look and an aesthetic that is truly your own is by creating a design that represents your brand. A lot of brands are achieving this through doodles they add over their images, personalized filters, or other artsy flairs that separates their posts from the norm.
9. Post User-Generated Content
User-generated content is always a great idea, no matter what social media platform you’re working on. If you’re not familiar with user-generated content, this basically refers to images, messages, art, and any other content that your users send to you or that they tag with your brand’s hashtags.
If someone has mentioned your brand in a funny tweet, if they’ve posted an image wearing your products, or if they’ve created a video reviewing your items, sharing this with your followers can be powerful. Of course, you first want to get permission to share this content. Your followers will appreciate it because they know you’re listening and are interested in interacting with them.
If you don’t have any of this, you can ask your customers to share images of themselves with your products using a certain hashtag or even run a contest on your profile to encourage them to share user-generated content.
10. Get Into the Augmented Reality Game
One of the biggest Instagram trends you shouldn’t ignore right now is AR. Augmented reality may sound quite serious, but it can offer Instagram users a fun way to interact with your brand even if they’re not a customer or a follower yet.
Examples of AR include those fun filters you’ve probably seen all over Instagram for a while now. If you’re a makeup brand, you can create a filter that allows people to see what they would look like with the different lipstick colors you offer. If you sell items like handbags, you can also create a filter that allows people to see what one of your purses would look like with their outfit before they commit to purchasing it.
11. Don’t Ignore TikTok (Develop it Alongside Your Instagram Marketing Strategy)
TikTok is known for being the social network that is basically an extension of Instagram. Instead of creating a curated feed that looks effortless and at the same time impressive, TikTok is all about production and doing the most.
Young people love it but TikTok isn’t just a trend for them. There are plenty of brands and bloggers who are jumping on the bandwagon and having fun with this platform. It’s also no longer just for individuals, so you can definitely use TikTok to take your brand further by including it in your marketing plan.
If you’re thinking TikTok has nothing to do with Instagram, that’s not quite true. TikTok style videos are hugely popular, so they’re definitely influencing the content being posted on Instagram. Don’t shy away from these trends. You can expect Instagram to include more features inspired by this platform sooner rather than later.
Master Instagram in No Time
With these tips, you’ll be more than ready to create your Instagram marketing strategy. Which tips are you most excited to try out? Share your thoughts and other tips that have worked for you with us in the comments!
[sc name=”cta-image-ultimate-instagram-planner”]
About the Author:
Roberta Camarena is a marketing professional with expertise in organic content creation. She is currently a content marketer at Placeit and has several years of experience in social media marketing and content writing. Her background in education and communications have led her to many diverse writing positions. On the weekends, you can find her at a neighborhood cafe getting some writing done and getting distracted by dogs.
