10 Useful Tips to Improve Your Instagram Marketing Strategy
Instagram is now an inevitable part of every brand’s marketing strategy. But marketing on Instagram comes with its own set of challenges and creating an Instagram marketing strategy now needs focus on several minute aspects.
The enormous audience base on Instagram is surely a plus but it also brings with it the competition from other brands. An Instagram marketing plan now needs research on hashtags, competition analysis, content planning, and lots more.
Marketing on Instagram is heavily dependent on the content strategy you create for your brand. But sometimes even with everything in order brands are unable to make a mark on the platform. Being unique on the platform is difficult because every brand is now doing everything. So how do you set yourself apart from your competitors? The answer lies in effective Instagram marketing strategies .
The changes in the Instagram algorithm has now made it all the more difficult to even appear on the user’s feed. This means that brands have to work harder to get the desired visibility. The increase in the number of businesses on Instagram has also led to a change in audience behaviour.
The audience is now wanting more than just pretty images! They need to feel connected with the brands they are following and are constantly looking for something new and exciting.
Let’s face it, Instagram is quite addictive and brands can use this platform to the best of their advantage. However, not keeping the audience hooked can also force them to click on UNFOLLOW! Let’s look at how to market on Instagram effectively with Instagram marketing strategies.
Here are some useful tips to improve your Instagram marketing strategy
1. Set the tone of your Instagram content strategy
Creating a content calendar is the first step towards setting the tone of your Instagram presence. See what kind of content you want to post for your brand. Create an Instagram content strategy to maintain consistency on the platform. Most brands stick to images and short videos that promote their products and services. There are several other ways to curate content for Instagram like-
- Storytelling approach
The storytelling approach works the best for this platform because it keeps the audience engaged. Posts with a realistic touch are known to garner higher engagement too. You can share the history behind your brand name or the thing that inspired you to start with the brand!
- Behind the scenes
The process behind the making of a product always excites the consumers. Show the consumers what goes on when your brand is making a product. This will also help build a foundation of trust. Instagram posts in the form of a carousel (multiple images or videos) are perfect for such content.
- How-to posts or brief guides
Branded Instagram posts will obviously take priority over other content but something that gives the audience some kind of learning always has its benefits. Depending on your niche curate content that gives something to the audience. For instance, a makeup brand can have makeup tutorials which can indirectly also promote their products. A clothing brand can have a video on how to style a particular outfit and so on.
2. Keep a track of what your audience wants in your Instagram marketing plan
The success of your brand’s Instagram strategy depends on the audience too. No matter how good your content is if it does not resonate with your target audience then it may not get you the desired results. The Instagram marketing strategy should be in sync with your audience’s taste.
The best way to identify what your audience wants is to check the statistics of your posts. See which posts got you the maximum numbers and you shall know what works for your brand.
Another reliable way to identify your audience preferences is to opt for a social media analytics tool .
3. Focus on user-generated content as a part of your Instagram marketing
Audiences are quite done with the flashy pictures and witty captions. Moreover, they are also done being passive consumers of content. Instagram marketing strategies are gradually moving towards user-generated content or UGC. For this content strategy, you need to encourage users to share their content.
Further, this kind of content also allows for more visibility because the participants will want to share their post feature with their followers. This will help your brand reach a different audience too.
Check GoPro on Instagram to get an idea of how to go about user-generated content.
4. Take help from influencers for brand marketing on Instagram
Influencer marketing works best on Instagram and brands must use this strategy without any doubt. Collaborating with influencers is the best way to generate brand awareness. Influencers can also help you reach an undiscovered audience base through their followers. However, when implementing this Instagram marketing plan make sure to keep a check on the following points.
- Be smart when choosing influencers
- Check the influencers’ posts before you begin the selection process
- Keep a track on how their followers are engaging with the posts
- Check the frequency of posts
- See whether their content style matches your brand requirements
To get relevant influencers for your Instagram marketing strategies it is best to rely on an influencer marketing platform .
5. Use hashtags in your Instagram posts after thorough research
Simply filling up your post with hashtags will not fetch you anything. Brand managers often believe that more the hashtags the better. But sadly, it does not work like that. Hashtags that have a niche following are better to use because you can target the desired audience. Make sure you analyse what kind of hashtags your followers are using.
Additionally, also keep a watch on what hashtags your competitors are targeting in their posts. This exercise needs to be a part of all your Instagram marketing strategies.
Focus on hashtags that describe your brand, niche, and post.
6. Make stories a crucial part of your Instagram content strategy
Instagram is a versatile platform and allows you to experiment with content. The story feature of Instagram is highly beneficial for brands. With the help of stories, you can create content that encourages the audience to participate.
Create polls related to your brand or niche or simply ask questions to generate a response from the audience. Instagram stories are apt for generating engagement. Moreover, you can also use GIF stickers and clickable hashtags to get the most out of them.
Stories are also useful for when you want your followers to know about something but do not want to dedicate a whole post to it. Even if you are not curating posts regularly see to it that you are active with stories.
7. Don’t ignore the look of your Instagram grid when deciding the Instagram content strategy
Instagram is a visual platform and the look of your account also matters a lot. See to it that your Instagram posts are in sync and look connected. There are many ways to generate uniformity in content on Instagram like using the same set of filters, being consistent with the background, following a fixed colour combination, etc.
Take up any of the methods but stick to it. Even the style of your images can help you create that look. For instance, some accounts only opt for flat lays while others opt for colour blocking techniques.
8. Make the most out of IGTV when marketing on Instagram
IGTV allows you to host live sessions on Instagram. This can be extremely beneficial to engage with the audience too. The audience on Instagram is responding too well to the live format and brands can make optimum use of this. Audiences love live sessions because they build authenticity and trust. Additionally, it also means they can connect with the brand better because of the interaction it allows.
You can host live tutorials, Q&A sessions, and lots more on IGTV.
9. Keep your Instagram profile up-to-date
See to it that your Instagram profile is clear and gives all the necessary information. If you have a website make sure you have its link on the profile. Likewise, the profile picture of your account should be recognisable.
Also, don’t forget to make use of the Instagram highlights. With Instagram highlights, you can keep your stories preserved under different sections. You can keep different covers for your highlights and title them accordingly.
The highlights can indirectly say a lot about your brand. Moreover, it is a user-friendly way to find specific stories too.
10. Analyse the Instagram metrics to enhance your Instagram marketing strategies
All your Instagram marketing plans will go in vain if you do not track the performance of your Instagram posts. Apart from the number of likes and comments, there are many other aspects that signify the performance of the posts.
See to it that you keep your campaign objective in mind when measuring Instagram metrics.
Though Instagram native analytics give you information on your post performance, it is best to rely on an influencer marketing platform for in-depth insights.
These Instagram marketing tips will surely add value to your posts. However, make sure you time your posts well to attract maximum engagement. Let’s look at how Unbox Social can help you with marketing on Instagram.
Unbox Social
Unbox Social has three solutions that help brands scale up their social media game. The platform is apt for planning your Instagram marketing strategies.
1. Influencer marketing platform
The influencer marketing solution offered by Unbox Social is all you need to shape your influencer strategies. Right from finding influencers to evaluating them based on their engagement rate and other metrics, this tool allows you to do it all. The tool also has a smart search option wherein you can search for influencers based on mentions, hashtags, and captions.
Additionally, the advanced filters on the tool give you a list of influencers based on your specific requirements like platform, follower range, follower base, niche, influencer location, influencer age, follower age range, and lots more.
The glimpse of the tool below shows the Advanced Filters feature.
2. Competition tracking to improve your Instagram marketing strategy
You may have a killing Instagram marketing strategy but what if your competitors are a step ahead of you? Unbox Social’s competition tracking solution helps you keep track of your industry competitors. Measure your content performance and compare it with your competitors with the help of competition benchmarking. Decode the conversations around your competitors’ products and services with the help of Share of Voice.
Moreover, the tool also lets you conduct sentiment analysis to see how the audience is reacting to your competitors’ posts.
Further, the brand score tells you the effectiveness of your Instagram marketing plan and helps you identify the loopholes.
The tool not only helps you with Instagram but also lets you track competitors on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
The snapshot below shows the engagement rate of each content form for competing brands.
3. Social media analytics to help you curate effective Instagram posts
The social media analytics solution by Unbox Social will help you measure your brand presence on different social media platforms. See how your posts are performing on a given social media platform and what kind of audience is consuming your content. Moreover, also get details on their reactions.
This will also help you see whether you are attracting the right audience.
The tool also gives you in-depth details on Instagram stories!
The detailed analysis of your brand content tells you what is not working in your brand’s favour and whether you need to rework on your Instagram content strategy!
Additionally, the tool tells you about the best time to post on the platform to help you gain maximum exposure.
The snapshot of the tool below shows the analysis for sentiment by emoji for a brand’s content on Instagram.
The shift in consumer behaviour makes Instagram the most important channel for brand awareness. See to it that you curate content keeping in mind your audience!
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Originally published at https://www.unboxsocial.com on July 12, 2020.
