Guess what? Over 200M+ businesses connect with people every day on Instagram! It’s huge, right? Instagram has evolved far beyond sharing memories and likes – it’s now a thriving community and a key platform for social media marketing. Even pets have their Instagram accounts, sharing ‘vlogs’ about their lives. No kidding! Instagram might be competitive but with the right strategy, you can excel in Instagram marketing. The best part? It’s inclusive, whether you are starting small or already established, Instagram caters to everyone. We are here to guide you in kickstarting your Instagram marketing journey. Let’s not waste any more time and dive in!
Table of contents
- Why Should Businesses Do Marketing on Instagram?
- How to Create an Instagram Marketing Strategy
- The 3C’s of Instagram- Why Are They Important for Business?
- Types of Instagram Marketing
- Tips for Instagram Marketing
- In Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions
Why Should Businesses Do Marketing on Instagram?
It’s a question that has probably crossed your mind countless times! Well, here is the answer: 90% of people follow at least one business account on Instagram. And a survey found that 70% of viewers have made a purchase after watching videos on Instagram.
You might also have come across a video of your favourite influencer who smoothly promotes products in their own way right in the middle of their Instagram videos. Well, that’s influencer marketing and it’s a fascinating topic on its own. But that’s not all; Instagram offers a variety of benefits for your business that allow you to reach your products or services effectively. Some of the benefits are:
Increased brand visibility
Instagram has over two billion monthly active users, making it one of the world’s most popular social media platforms. People nowadays prefer visual and ‘short’ content, making Instagram an ideal platform; and with tools like hashtags, stories and reels, you can reach a diverse audience for your brand and products.
Improved engagement
Posts on Instagram often have 23% more interactions than those on Facebook, suggesting that Instagram tends to have greater engagement rates. Instagram offers engaging features such as polls, quizzes, stickers and live videos, encouraging users to interact with your business. By creating content that resonates with your audience you can increase engagement rate and build trust and authentic connections with your followers.
Increased sales
You can increase your sales through Instagram marketing because on Instagram, people willingly purchase products, and 35% of the audience makes a purchase on Instagram which is a great number to sell your products or services to the audience. You can even try Instagram shop for your business to sell your products
Authentic audience growth
Finally Instagram allows you to build an authentic connection with your audience. You can show your brand’s personality, values and stories, or direct messages, comments and mentions to communicate directly with your followers. By building such authentic relationships, you will not only satisfy your followers but also build a community.
Now that you are well aware of the benefits Instagram offers, you might wonder where to begin and how to build a fantastic Instagram marketing strategy for your business. Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered in the following section. Just scroll down, and you’ll find all your answers.
How to Create an Instagram Marketing Strategy
When you think about it, Instagram is like the face of your brand – it’s the first impression anyone gets. Just like a website’s homepage sets the tone, your Instagram profile speaks volumes about your business. Here is a step-by-step strategy to supercharge your Instagram for marketing:
Clarify your goals
Your goals will decide everything you do on Instagram. They can be short-term or long-term. Decide yours. Is it to increase followers, enhance brand awareness or build a community? Your goals should undoubtedly align with your business needs.
Set your target audience
Finding your target audience is a crucial first step; without it, your entire business plan will fail. Find out the age, gender, occupation, region, income level and other characteristics of your target audience. Creating a make-believe persona is a big error to avoid here. Use a data-driven strategy rather than guesswork.
Competitor analysis
Look through the accounts of competitors to gain a sense of Instagram marketing. Learn about their background, the kind of content they share, and their interactions with their followers and other brands. Try to pay attention to both the strategies that work for your competitors and the things that they could be overlooking. This will assist you in developing new and successful strategies for promoting your brand.
Optimise your account
To optimise your account start with converting it into a business account, then add a catchy and short bio for your business. See the examples below on what a good business bio looks like
Lastly, update your profile picture so your brand is instantly recognisable for visitors when they land on your business profile.
The 3C’s of Instagram- Why Are They Important for Business?
The 3 C’s of Instagram are content, consistency and creativity. Content is the ‘heart’ of Instagram, but what should you post? That depends on your content ‘type,’ decide how you want to present yourself and be perceived. There are many content brackets from which you can choose, some of which are:
- Testimonials
- Behind the scenes
- Fun-facts
- Promotional posts
- Giveaways
- Feature posts
Choose one or mix and match according to your business goals.
Next, get creative with your content. Whether it’s the design, visual elements or written text because Instagram users are picky when it comes to the platform’s content and visuals.
Consistency ties all together. Maintain a uniform colour scheme and font style to create a visually appealing profile. Your followers should recognise your content immediately. And remember, don’t vanish into ‘ghost mode’ after consistent posting. Sudden disappearances can disengage your followers, making them question the value of following your account, possibly leading to unfollows.
Types of Instagram Marketing
Social media marketing on Instagram doesn’t need to cost an arm and a leg, especially if you are using the free features of Instagram. There are two common ways to do Instagram marketing: Free and paid. Depending on your urgency for results you will likely use a combination of both methods.
Free marketing on Instagram
- Make trending content: Crafting trending content is your ticket! Think catchy captions, vibrant visuals and stories that resonate. Be in the moment, tap into what people love, and voila! You’re on the trending train, reaching hearts and screens everywhere
- Meme marketing: Who doesn’t love a good meme, right? Memes are more than just laughs; they’re a powerful marketing tool! Blend humour with your brand message, create relatable memes and watch your audience share and engage.
- Tag famous brands/accounts in stories or posts: Tagging famous accounts in your stories or posts increases the chance of your content being reposted, lending your brand authenticity and wider exposure for free!
- Get featured on the Explore page: You need to constantly have a location tag if you want to be featured on the Explore page. This also makes it more likely that individuals searching for your general location will see your content listed.
Paid marketing on Instagram
If you have the budget, you can also set up these marketing strategies to get the results you want sooner.
- Instagram Ads: Instagram gives you creative freedom with a variety of ad formats such as reels, stories and carousel ads. Data shows that 70% of viewers don’t mind watching. Plus these ads are attractive and cater to the audience’s short attention span.
- Influencer Marketing: Influencers today have the power to impact people’s purchasing decisions, therefore you should not miss out on influencer marketing. Finding an influencer whose voice, story or style is similar to yours is necessary to do this. If you are a beginner to Instagram marketing or business management, a reputable social media agency can assist you in finding, selecting and establishing contact with an influencer.
- Giveaway or contest: Promoting your online presence via giveaways, contests and promotions is another effective way. Host a contest by asking participants to follow you and tag as many people as they can in the comments to win a reward. Alternatively, offer promo codes or coupons for discounts.
Tips for Instagram Marketing
Choose a consistent aesthetic
A relatively simple yet effective branding strategy for your Instagram posts is to use a consistent colour scheme and fonts You can get advice from a social media marketing company on selecting colours that capture the essence of your brand.
Use hashtags
Instagram marketing relies heavily on hashtags as its connecting factor. A social media marketing company may find and use relevant hashtags that are strategically matched to your content to increase the number of people who see your material. Using thoughtful hashtags makes your post more visible, which promotes interaction and draws in new followers.
Track your analytics
Comprehensive analytics play an important role in social media marketing. They give you information about your performance on Instagram such as post reach, follower growth and interaction. You may improve your strategy by learning about the preferences, peak activity periods and content interactions of your audience.
Share your Instagram posts on Facebook
Instagram often rolls out new features, one such feature lets you rapidly share images and videos to Facebook. To enable the Facebook slider while posting your work, simply turn it on in the “Also post to” box. This will help you perform better on social media generally in addition to being practical and time-saving.
In conclusion
In the world of social media, Instagram stands as a powerful tool for businesses. With insights into profile optimisation free and paid marketing, we have talked about the keys to starting with social media marketing. Now, take the next step. Elevate your brand’s online presence. For guidance and expert support, email us at hello@florafountain.com Let’s craft your social media success story together!
Frequently Asked Questions
Vasim Samadji is a partner at Flora Fountain, where he leads the Business and Marketing Strategy divisions. In a world where everyone is used to sugarcoating, his directness is often considered rude. But that shouldn't be a problem if you like the no-nonsense approach. Because he is a seasoned professional...