Instagram with over 1 billion users offers a huge opportunity for businesses to reach out to their audience. Needless to say that these 1 billion users can positively impact your business fortune. Instagrammers are eager and ready to engage with the businesses both within the app and beyond. But, Instagram is a little different than the other social media platforms and it requires the right Instagram Marketing strategy to get it right.
Numerous brands are already using Instagram marketing to reach and connect with their audience. Around 80 percent of Instagram users follow one or more brands.
Also, Instagram is great for SEO because it allows you to add up your website links on the profile.
Your followers on Instagram can visit your website by clicking on that link.
Hence, it is a good way to drive Instagram traffic on your website.
Let’s see how you can get your Instagram Marketing right and connect with your target audience.
Connect with Real People
It’s important to connect with the real people on any social media platform and especially on Instagram. By real I mean the right audience for your business.
Since Instagram is about the followers, but it won’t help you in any way if you buy Instagram followers. Because it is not going to translate in real business anyway.
Even there are known bots that can increase the views and likes on your Instagram post in a couple of hours but is that going to help your business?
Of course not. Unless you build a relationship with the people who are really interested in your niche and engage them on Instagram with your content you can’t have any revenue for your business from this source.
The key to success with Instagram marketing is that you should know your audience.
Obviously, you need to create your buyer personas first and then start your Instagram Marketing to attract those people who are valuable for your business.
Though Instagram is an App only platform and people do scroll their screens really fast. So you need to have content and image to really catch their eyes.
You need to create powerful content that provides a meaningful way of building followers on Instagram.
Set SMART Goals for Instagram Marketing
To connect with the right audience on Instagram you need to have clearly defined SMART Goals.
Setting SMART goals forms the foundation of the Instagram marketing strategy.
Whether you want to generate leads, create brand awareness, support your SEO activities, or connect with the influencers in your niche, you should set your goals.
Keep in mind that your goals should align with your business goals.
For instance, if you want to create brand awareness on Instagram you would need to have a lot of images, short videos, and content around that.
You would post that content on a regular basis and track your reach by the number of views and likes.
Have a Good Instagram Marketing Strategy
It’s important that you have a good Instagram marketing strategy in place to get the ROI from this platform.
Unlike other platforms, you need to have a lot of eye-catching images and videos which represent your brand and messaging correctly for Instagram marketing.
Keep in mind to have images in 1080×1080px, because posts on Instagram are always shown in the square.
So it’s better that you choose a square and good resolution images for your Instagram marketing.
Similarly, you need to have short content of up to three lines so that the viewers can read it.
Also, don’t forget to add your logo to the images for consistency and easy identification by your followers.
Keep an Eye on Your Competitors
Always keep an eye on your competitors what they are doing on Instagram.
By that, you could know what kind of realistic following you should expect.
It would also help you understand what kind of content would work for you, how frequently you should post content, key industry hashtags including branded hashtags, and much more.
You would also know how other businesses interact and engage with the audience that you are trying to reach. You just don’t have to copy them.
Rather you need to create better content to stand out and attract your target audience to follow your business.
Create Purposeful Content for Instagram Marketing
You can tell a compelling story to your audience in order to attract them by using images and content.
All you have to do is create purposeful content and serve it to your audience when they are more likely to engage with your brand on Instagram.
For instance, you can share some inside information about your products, behind the scene videos or images, customer testimonials, or anything which would be interesting for your audience.
Content creates engagement when there is a purpose behind it. If your audience would love your content they would also share it with their connections.
And that would open the doors for more people to follow your brand on Instagram organically.
Use Relevant Hashtags
Instagram users mostly follow 5-10 hashtags.
If you use right hashtags in your content it would be discovered by the users easily and they would surely engage with your content and pictures.
Research for the relevant hashtags in your industry niche and use them in your content.
You can also use branded hashtags in your content for building up a more loyal fan base for your business.
Show your creativity with the hashtags.
Also, be careful not to use gimmicks in hashtags that would keep you away from meaningfully engaging with real people.
Don’t use all possible hashtags in your post but use only which are most relevant and meaningful for your brand and content requirement.
Consider Cross Promotion
In order to make your Instagram Marketing strategy more effective and acquiring more followers, you should consider cross-promoting your Instagram on other social media channels you use.
For instance, if you use youtube you can ask your youtube viewers to follow you on Instagram by mentioning your Instagram handle.
Similarly, you can do that on Twitter, Facebook, your business website, newsletters you send to your customers and prospects, etc.
Incentivizing people to follow your brand on Instagram is one of the best ways to build up your Instagram following.
For instance, you can offer them a coupon or promo code to shop from your website if they follow your brand on Instagram.
Conclusion
Undoubtedly, Instagram is a good platform to connect with your audience.
All you need is your buyer persona carved out correctly, SMART Goals, right content, and right Instagram marketing strategy.
By promoting your Instagram on other social media channels, websites, newsletters, email signatures, business cards, etc., you reach out to more people who can follow your brand on Instagram.
Ultimately, how much advantage you get from Instagram depends on your capabilities of using the platform correctly.
