beginners for Instagram marketing.
Instagram has grown tremendously since its launch. It has now reached over 1 billion users and seems set to challenge even Facebook, the world’s largest social media platform
It is only fair to view Instagram as a great place to market your business with numbers like these.
However, it can seem unclear when looking to market your business on Instagram for the first time. Where do you even start?
Luckily you’ve found the right post to guide you through the ups and downs of Instagram marketing. Lets dive in!
What is Instagram Marketing?
We will go through the following steps to breakdown how Instagram marketing works:
- How to build your Instagram Business Profile
- How to gather and grow a following
- Using Instagram insights to track performance
I don’t know about you, but I’m excited to begin!
Let’s go!
Defining instagram marketing.
Think of Instagram marketing as a type of social media marketing where you will use the Instagram platform to find leads and customers for your business.
Note that you can use Instagram marketing and promote your business in two main ways:
- Using paid methods such as influencer marketing and advertising (boosting posts).
- Or organically through unpaid methods, e.g., blog posts, commenting, hashtags and Instagram stories.
The goal of being on Instagram for you will often be selling services and products, creating good relationships with future customers, and gaining a following.
Later on, we will find out exactly how you can do this.
But first, let’s talk algorithms.
The Instagram algorithm.
If you have had an interest in digital marketing, you may have likely come across the term algorithm. Note that you don’t have to have an in-depth understanding of how it works.
However, if you want to be one step ahead in your Instagram marketing, it is good to have a basic understanding of how it works.
The goal of the Instagram algorithm is to provide relevant helpful am helpful content to users. As a result, it is an excellent ally to have on your side regarding marketing.
The algorithm will suggest content to users based on their previous actions. With this in mind, your aim should be to provide users with quality content that is useful and actionable.
Never create content for the sake of it, and always make sure it adds value to users. Some content you may want to consider include:
1. Organic Content
Organic content refers to videos, blog posts, and stories that are unpaid. Creating such content keeps the audience engaged, entertained, and interested.
2. Instagram ads
For a more direct marketing approach to make sales quickly, you will want to consider Instagram ads. These can include shoppable, video, image, carousel, and story ads.
For a more direct marketing approach to make sales quickly, you will want to consider Instagram ads. These can include shoppable, video, image, carousel, and story ads.
The Image and Video Ads feature an image and video, respectively. They appear in the user’s feeds and often have a call to action such as shop now, learn now, book now, watch more, listen now.
Carousel Ads
as shown below, have more than a single image or video, each of which can have a link. let’s assume you have an online store, you can show a few items on sale on the carousel ad with a link that takes the user to your store. Carousel ads will also appear in the user feeds.
Story Ads
are considered one of the top and best ways to market on Instagram. Here you will create immersive ads that allow you to play with your creativity. As the name suggests, story ads will show up between Instagram stories. They will come with a button to activate and sponsored tag at the top right. Take note that story additions must immediately capture the reader’s attention. This allows you to capture users who are browsing Instagram quickly.
Shoppable Posts
allow Instagram users to buy items without having to leave Instagram. You can tag products on your Instagram account, and when users click on it, they are taken directly to the shopping page of your website.
Influencer marketing.
The third primary way to advertise your business on Instagram is via influencer marketing. It is trendy. Influencers have already gathered a following based on their content and niche. They exist in every place, from tech to finance to fashion. Influencers can help give your brand a massive boost in recognition. Note that you must find the right influencers. Now that you are aware of the different ways to market your business on Instagram, let’s get to the meat of it,shall we?
Start by creating an Instagram account. It is ideal to use your business or company name to brand recognition.
A company’s Facebook business page. Instagram requires this for verification purposes.
To create your Instagram business account:
• Log into your Instagram account.
• Go to the bottom right corner and tap the circular icon.
• Click on settings.
Once you are on the settings page, scroll until you find the “Switch to Business Profile.”
Finally, you will be asking. To link your Instagram account and your Facebook business page. You will then need to update its information, such as its phone number, email address, and location. Make sure you don’t include any private information because it will be visible on your Instagram profile.
how to create a top-notch business profile.
To begin, be consistent. It entails thinking about the colours, fonts, and images you use on your website. It improves your company’s visibility.
You need to focus on two main elements of your Instagram business profile. These are your photo and the bio.
Using your brand or company logo for the shot is always a fantastic idea. Users will recognize the brand far more efficiently due to this.
Now to the bio. Firstly, always make the bio about your customers and for the business. Instead of stating what the company offers, I say what the customers stand to gain.
You can promote it in your bio if you have anything to give. Remember to focus on the benefits that clients will receive. You could, for example, promote an online course on how to establish an online business.
You can also use your bio to encourage users to interact with your company and brand. You may, for example, offer them to share their ideas in exchange for a chance to be featured on your website.
The bio also adds a link allowing customers to explore your brand. It can be a link to a company website or content or a sale.
Finally, including emojis in your bio is a fantastic idea and a great and quick way to get the point across.
Note that you have just 150 characters to play with, so make use of them wisely!
Instagram features for Business that you should use.
Instagram offers a variety of marketing features and tools that you can use to enhance engagement with users.
Let’s look at a few of these that you should consider.
1. Instagram Hashtags
It’s not even a new concept; hashtags have existed for a long time. They appear to be used all over the internet these days. The main advantage of hashtags is that they allow you to notify users that you have what they need quickly.
Many web users will solely rely on hashtags to find content and even purchases. It’s for this reason that it’s such an effective marketing tool. If you have material that you want to market, utilize hashtags to make it simpler for people to locate it online.
2. Instagram stories
Over half of Instagram users make use of Instagram stories. The popularity of this tool makes complete sense. Stories are an exciting and engaging way to connect with your followers. Instagram stories last for just 24 hours and are only 15 seconds long.
They offer businesses an opportunity to relay more in-depth or more timely information. There are several ways to utilize Instagram stories, such as;
• Show behind the scenes content
• Answer common and popular questions
• Promoting a contest or giveaway
• Letting an influencer or an employee post content for a day
• Promoting content such as an online course or an eBook
3. Instagram Live
This tool or feature lets you broadcast live for live interaction with your followers. It is an excellent feature to utilize when promoting something or relaying timely information.
With Instagram Live, you show up first in your flowers feeds. When they open the app, they will also get the notification that it is happening.
With Instagram live, one thing to note is that you should only use this feature when you have great content to promote. Otherwise, you risk losing followers if you waste their time.
How to create a successful marketing strategy on Instagram.
Several factors combine to result in a successful Instagram marketing strategy.
First off, you will need to make a clear goal. You will also need to develop strategies to help you achieve that goal.
Finally, you need to evaluate those strategies to see the progress and make changes and tweaks where necessary.
1. Identifying your goals
Your business goals will determine the type of marketing strategy you choose. To determine your goals, the old business acronym SMART comes in handy.
Specific – you should figure out precisely what you want to do and how to accomplish it. Numbers and figures are available.
Measurable – The goals themselves must be measurable. You should be able to track them as you progress.
Attainable – it is good to be realistic. You will likely not get to a million followers in a month.
Relevant – the goals should be in line with your industry and business
Time-bound – create a schedule and timeframe in which you intend to achieve your goals.
Now that you have set your goals, it is time to create your Instagram content strategy.
2. How to create your Instagram content Strategy
We noted earlier the various posting options that you can use with Instagram. The one you choose will depend mostly on your audience.
You need, therefore, to understand who your audience is, what motivates them, how do they like being entertained and how they relate with different brands.
Note that you will likely not instantly have all the answers to the above questions. You will have them as you continue to understand your audience better.
The more you understand the audience, the better you will create successful Instagram marketing strategies.
A few points to keep in mind when creating an Instagram marketing content strategy include:
Ensure the content is in line with your business brand. For instance, if you sell men’s watches, ensure the images and content give off a sophisticated and elegant vibe. If your products and business is based on kid’s clothing, play with different fun colours. Sound about right?
– Snoop on your competitors
It is always a good idea to find out what other online businesses in your niche are doing. It can help provide you with valuable insight, ideas, and little-known tricks to get you ahead of the game.
– Create a content calendar
An Instagram content calendar can help you remain on track with your Instagram content strategy. You will be able to keep your content coherent and cohesive. With a content calendar, you can write down all the posts you need to upload within the next month.
– Make use of Instagram insights
There is no leaving this one out. It would be hard to develop a successful content strategy without Instagram insights. It offers you metrics on how customers are engaging with the brand. You can also access demographic information on your followers. It helps you identify a target audience to which you can then market.
How to grow your following on Instagram.
Perhaps one of the important questions that anyone starting on Instagram has is “how do I get more followers?”
The great thing is that there are tips and tricks that you can use to grow your following on Instagram.
1. Host a giveaway
You can partner with another business and host a giveaway or contest. The idea behind this strategy is that since both of you have a similar niche and audience, you will both benefit from the following. During the giveaway, request that those joining should follow or tag.
2. Give shoutouts
Shoutouts are similar to reposting. Here you will ask other businesses if they would repost your content, and in return, you would repost theirs.
Just make sure that you seek out partnerships that are willing to offer mutual value.
3. Repost other business content
An easy and innovative way to gain a following is to tag the content of other successful businesses in your niche. Chances are, the followers of such companies will notice and become followers of you.
Also, there is a chance that the business may notice and tag you, giving you more exposure. Sometimes, the companies will also follow you.
While you can repost manually, it is much more efficient to use apps such as Repost for Instagram.
4. Create great captions
Most Instagram users will scroll through the feeds when looking for entertainment or just as part of their daily routine.
You can capture such users and turn them into followers by creating tremendous and moving Instagram captions.
Note that the aim conveys the feeling behind your image or your video.
If the image or video is a product you are selling, explain why people care about the product. The caption should spark interest and explain why people engage with the product.
5. Reach out to an influencer
Here the goal is to reach out to a famous influencer in your niche or industry. The benefit of this method is that it exposes your brand to the influencer’s following.
A great way to find the right influencers for your business is to join influencer marketing platforms. These platforms make it much easier to find and vet influencers. Subsequently, this makes it much easier to develop relationships with the influencers.
The Best Instagram apps for marketing.
When you are just starting, you can use Instagram features for marketing your business. However, if you want to take your marketing to the next level, you may consider Instagram apps.
While there are many apps to consider, the best ones to use will make your posts memorable and sharable. The apps will help you grab your audience’s attention much more efficiently.
Let’s look at the essential marketing apps that Instagram businesses should have.
This one is a scheduling app also available on iOS and android. Its primary function is to help you schedule the best time to post. Access your phone’s media content and select an item. Upload the thing into Later’s dashboard.
When the scheduler pops up, adding captions tags will help the content be discoverable.
Hootsuite
It is yet another app that can assist you in scheduling when to post content. It gives you the option of manually scheduling the content, saving it as a draft, or putting it in a queue.
You can also use Hootsuite to learn about marketing metrics like follower growth and performance.
It is one of the most popular Instagram story apps, and for a good reason. It provides users with many options to experiment with, such as changing stylish features, templates, and even colours for your stories. Many of these options are of filmic quality.
Layout
The layout is another popular Instagram story app. It has a highly smooth image mixer. You can combine up to nine pictures in a collage.
You can either capture photos with the inbuilt image booth or use the content and images on your phone.
How to make money with Instagram marketing.
Once you have gained a decent number of followers, you should make money on Instagram. Now that you’ve learned how to do Instagram marketing, there are several options that you can consider to start making an income on Instagram:
-Selling your products
-Being an influencer (yes, even a small following can be a micro influencer)
-Joining an affiliate program
Or just keep doing you. If you need any help please contact us.