Instagram marketing is one of the most famous social media promotion tactics. Every month, one billion people (one out of every eight persons on the earth) access the network, with 71% of users under 35. This channel is vibrant, interactive, and visually appealing. For some brands who want to use Instagram but aren’t sure where to begin, the platform’s huge size and visual focus might be intimidating. If you put effort into your post, your brick-and-mortar business can have a great Instagram marketing strategy. To increase your following, follow this guide.
Why is Instagram important for marketing?
Instagram may help you promote new products and raise brand awareness. One hundred thirty million Instagram users engage with commerce posts each month. Instagram permits you to market your business and goods in a nice, real way to your customers without being pushy. Instagram marketing is a wonderful way to raise brand exposure. Eighty-three per cent of users admit that this social media platform aids in discovering new items or services. Even better, people have a higher level of trust in the brands promoted on Instagram. 74% of people think brands with Instagram accounts are relevant, and 78% think they are popular.
Enhance brand exposure, increase website traffic and SEO rankings, save time, generate leads at low prices, promote content marketing, increase sales, give you a better audience, and legitimise your brand are just a few of the advantages of Instagram marketing.
Tips for growing your business on Instagram
Here are some ideas for using Instagram to promote your business.
Think about why you are using Instagram for business.
It’s critical to have objectives in mind when using any marketing channel. Instagram is no exception. “What do we want to get?” is a good question to address before investing time and money in Instagram marketing. Increased brand exposure, building a community, showcasing company culture and values, and selling products and services are common Instagram business aims. Please make a list of your goals and keep track of them. Consider your written objectives a formalised gut check. Because you can always look back and ensure everything you share serves those goals, it pushes your team and you to be more intentional with your Instagram.
Optimise your profile
First of all, ensure you’re using an Instagram business profile. If you’re using Instagram for business, consider your profile to be your homepage. Make the most of the 150 characters, one link, and a few action buttons you have to entice potential purchasers. Business accounts include additional capabilities such as the option to expand your profile, track content performance, and sell on Instagram.
Find your visual aesthetic
It’s all about the images on Instagram. Consider the aesthetic you want to display on your company page, then create branding rules to ensure consistency. Pay attention to the colour scheme you’ve selected. Some of the most famous Instagram accounts employ a limited colour palette in their images, which helps them develop a distinct style. However, what works for a company may not be appropriate for yours.
Engage with your community
You don’t need to convert your profile into a constant sales pitch when using Instagram for business. Instagram is a social networking platform, so get used to interacting with others. It’s critical to respond to someone who takes the time to express their views with you and demonstrate that you’re paying attention. Giving responses to comments on Instagram is a terrific approach to developing a strong community. Engagement prompts are often a great technique to get people talking. In Instagram Stories, experiment with interactive stickers like polls, questions, and sliding scale rankings.
Experiment with different content types
Instagram is more than a photo-sharing app. Video, Reels, Stories, IGTV, and other content are now available on the platform. It’s also crucial to offer various content kinds if you want to expand your reach and connection on the network. Each content has advantages, and everyone on Instagram has their tastes – some users favour Reels, while others only check Stories and don’t use the feed. So, if you want to increase your reach and engagement, using a range of content kinds is the best plan.
Analyse your results
Digging into your Instagram analytics is one of the best Instagram for business suggestions we can give you. You must track how your material performs to attract more followers, keep your audience engaged, and promote your brand on Instagram. Instagram Insights, Instagram’s built-in analytics tool, is a good start, but it’s only available on mobile. You’ll also have to view each post individually to check critical data like likes, comments, shares, and saves.
Make Your Creativity & Voice Count
Because of the “gold rush” mindset of making sales on Instagram, marketers are frequently up against the stiff competition. Brands that can carve out a niche or trademark are more likely to have a large following. And the more Instagram followers you have, the more chances you’ll have to sell something. It would be best to utilise ingenuity to break through the noise to succeed.
Couple Your Posts With the Right Hashtags
Hashtags and Instagram are inextricably linked. Brands attempting to spam them, on the other hand, don’t fully comprehend their function. Hashtags help new followers find your content and inspire others to share posts that are relevant to your business. For e-commerce brands, a brand-specific hashtag, for example, is a must-have. Fans can showcase their most recent Rifle-related purchases and projects by promoting their hashtag in their content and Instagram bio. On the other hand, branded hashtags aren’t the be-all and end-all for businesses. There are dozens of hashtags relevant to your target audience, including community and industry-specific hashtags.
Promote User-Generated Content
From a marketing standpoint, customer images are pure gold. One of the most affecting ways to promote your product and brand to Instagram’s audience is to fill your content calendar with user-generated content. It is feasible to find these photographs “by hand,” however it will take some time. Digging through hashtag mentions and manually requesting permission for each piece of UGC isn’t exactly efficient, especially if your followers regularly submit customer images.
Share Instagram Stories Along With Posts
Don’t limit yourself to simple Instagram postings. Instagram stories have grown in popularity, and they allow you to stay at the top of the page all day. Giving different employees access to the account to be an “Ambassador for the Day,” sharing updates at an event to let people know what they’re missing out on, and posting sale items and samples of the product to show people what you have to offer are all examples of how you can incorporate stories into your marketing. Even a well-designed graphic announcing a weekend sale can boost Instagram engagement and be just as successful (if not more so) as a static post.
Provide Real Updates About Your Business
Instagram users aren’t simply looking for advertising content. They like your brand and want to learn more about it; therefore, they follow it. Fill in the blanks! Post about your employees, go behind the scenes at your company and explain what makes you distinct. It makes your account more approachable and interesting than marketers who want customers to buy something after every post.
Tag Local Brands and Businesses That You Work With
It is a basic suggestion, yet it works. If you buy your produce from a nearby farm, make a note of it. Give shout outs to your vendors, partners, and neighbours by tagging them in your account. Not only will these accounts most likely order you in the future, but they can also share your post right now, allowing their followers to see your brand and follow you.
Use Instagram to attract Traffic to Your Blog.
Instagram can be a great traffic source for your brick-and-mortar store, but it can also generate traffic to your blog. Create a handful of monthly posts to promote your blog, and include a link to it on your page. Share an eye-catching photograph and a brief description of the material. This traffic can help you with your other marketing initiatives. Google can detect behavioural data such as bounce rate and time on site when more people are on your page. If these data are positive, you may observe an increase in your SEO ranks.
Tap Into Influencer Marketing
Consider hiring local bloggers, vloggers, and others with significant followings to promote your company if you have the budget to work with influencers in your area. They can tag you and encourage others to visit your store by recommending your products and seeing your business. It is a fantastic approach to reach out to new audiences and leverage the power of extremely credible word-of-mouth marketing.
Share Fan Photos and Tag Your Fans
You can start sharing fan content that people upload after your Instagram account starts to expand. To check if people are talking about your brand, look for location tags for your business and hashtags for your store. Share this user-generated content and thank your admirers for sharing it. It is a fantastic approach to use Instagram marketing to thank existing customers.
Offer Instagram Exclusive Offers
Post exclusive content that they won’t find on Facebook or Twitter and exclusive deals and promotions that are just available on this channel. It will offer you an indication of your Instagram conversion rate as well as the platform’s total value. Because you can count the number of redeemed offers in-store, you can easily track your social media success rate with these special incentives.
Conclusion
Instagram is dominant over the world of social media. With over a billion monthly users and visitors, it’s the go-to place for image sharing. Every day, billions of likes are distributed, and you must do your part to collect some of them. Understanding Instagram’s best practices and changing with the platform means making sure your feed stands out. If you follow the advice above or come up with new Instagram post ideas can help you increase interaction as you market your Instagram to new followers and consumers.
