Hey there, Instagram lovers! I am thrilled to be your guide in this exciting world of Instagram. As an experienced content creator, I know just how important it is to show off your brand, promote your products, and connect with your audience in a fun and engaging way.
And where better to do all that than on Instagram, the fourth most downloaded app worldwide?
The Power of Instagram
With over 1 billion users, Instagram is undoubtedly the perfect space for businesses to grow their brand and connect with their customers.
And the best part? Instagram is the ultimate source of entertainment! From funny memes to jaw-dropping reels, there’s never a dull moment on this app.
The Secret Sauce
Did you know that more than 58% of people become interested in a brand or product after seeing it on Instagram stories? That’s why Instagram has been rolling out new features to help businesses and creators boost their presence and revenue on the app.
It’s all about capturing the attention of your audience with entertaining and valuable content that aligns with your brand’s values.
The Instagram Business 101
Are you ready to take your business to the next level on Instagram? Then buckle up, buttercup, because we’re about to dive into the basics. From setting up your account to crafting the perfect post, we’ve got you covered.
By the end of this article, you’ll have all the knowledge you need to elevate your Instagram game and win over the hearts of your audience.
Connect with Your Audience
Having a presence on Instagram helps businesses connect with their audience. Did you know that 90% of people follow a business on Instagram? That’s a lot of potential customers waiting to interact with you.
Free Platform with Big Benefits
And the best part? Instagram is a free platform that businesses can benefit from to reach their audience, increase awareness, create brand recognition, and build reputation. It’s a win-win situation.
Benefits of an Instagram Business Account
But wait, there’s more! If you’re not convinced yet, let me tell you about the benefits of setting up an Instagram Business account.
1. Add More Details to Your Profile
You can add your brand’s industry, business address, and a contact button. Don’t leave your potential customers hanging. Give them all the information they need to reach you.
2. Account Analytics
Access your profile insights and learn more about your audience’s demographics, content interactions, and what performs best. Analytics are a game-changer, and Instagram has got you covered.
3. Add Links to Stories
Very helpful to tag every product you feature on Stories, as well as to redirect your audience to your website easily. Make it easy for your audience to find and shop your products.
4. Access to Instagram Ads
Get better reach by putting some extra spend behind your posts. You can also create ad campaigns on Facebook and Instagram through Business Manager. Don’t miss out on the power of ads.
5. Instagram Shopping
A must-have if you sell products or services online. You can create a store on the platform so your audience can shop directly from the app. Make it easy for them to buy from you.
6. Content Formats Available
Now that you know why Instagram is essential, let’s talk about the content formats available.
7. Static Posts and Carousels
The original content format and the one we shouldn’t forget. They’re perfect for showcasing your products and services.
8. Reels
Short-form video up to 90-seconds long. Instagram has been pushing Reels a lot lately to compete with TikTok. It’s a great way to showcase your brand’s personality.
9. Stories
They only have a 24-hour life span, but they allow the brand to engage further with the audience by using polls and stickers. Also, you can later save them on your profile highlights so your audience can still see them past the initial 24 hours. Make the most out of this feature.
10. Live
Live broadcasts can help the brand get closer to its audience by showing in real-time what goes on behind the scenes. Show your audience the faces behind your brand and build a connection with them.
The Social Media Strategy Master’s Guide
Welcome, young grasshopper, to the world of social media strategy. Are you ready to become a master in the art of online presence? Great! Let’s get started.
The Importance of a Cohesive Social Media Strategy
First things first, you need to understand the importance of a coherent social media strategy. You don’t want to be all over the place, do you? Of course not! Your content needs to be optimised for each platform to ensure you achieve the best performance possible.
The Benefits of Having a Social Media Strategy
Having a strategy in place will save you time, as you’ve already set the guidelines for your content. But that’s not all. It will also help your brand achieve your goals more easily, whether you want to generate brand awareness or increase brand engagement. Who doesn’t love making their life easier?
The Fool-Proof Steps to Create a Social Media Content Strategy
Now, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of creating a social media content strategy. Despite your industry, you’ll have to follow these steps:
Step 1: Set the Goals
The first step is to set your goals. They should align with your business objectives. Maybe you want to create awareness, grow your audience, generate engagement, drive traffic to your website, or get leads and sales. It’s important to have a clear direction.
Step 2: Know Your Target Audience
To know what content to share and your tone of voice, you’ll have to know who you’ll be talking to. Therefore, you’ll need to do some previous target audience research to know what your audience is interested in and engages with. Trust us, it will make all the difference.
Step 3: Choose Your Platforms
As we said before, you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket, but you have to be smart and optimise content for each platform. However, ensuring a cohesive social media strategy across all platforms is important so your audience can easily identify you. Don’t be all over the place, be strategic.
Step 4: Set up Metrics Tracking
According to the goal you’ve chosen, you will have to set some KPIs to measure how your strategy is doing and where you need to put some extra effort. Maybe you’re looking for reach, clicks, engagement or even brand sentiment. It’s important to keep track of your progress.
Step 5: Create the Content
The fun part! Maybe you have some existing assets you want to repurpose and optimise for Instagram, or maybe you need to create from scratch. We always recommend putting your content into one of our four content pillars to ensure you’re delivering variety to your audience: entertain, promote, inspire and educate. Let your creativity flow.
Step 6: Schedule the Content
Planning in advance will save you a lot of time, as you can schedule content ahead of time and also keep in mind key dates you want to create special content for. No need to stress about last-minute content creation.
Step 7: Measure and Improve
As we previously mentioned, the Insights provided by the platform itself can be very valuable to see how your audience is reacting to your content and what they enjoy the most. Use this information to improve and tweak your strategy. The key to success is continuous improvement.
The Benefits of Influencer Marketing and User-Generated Content
Hey there, fellow social media enthusiasts! If you’re looking to boost your brand’s online presence, then you might want to consider implementing influencer marketing and user-generated content (UGC) into your strategy.
The Power of Influencer Marketing
Did you know that 93% of marketers have used influencer marketing? That’s because it’s a rising trend that has proven to be effective in reaching wider audiences and building trust with consumers.
With social media becoming a hub for opinion leaders and experts, why not take advantage of their influence to benefit your brand?
Types of Influencers for Different Goals
Now, let’s talk about the different types of influencers that will work best for your marketing goals.
Nano and micro-influencers are great for engagement and conversion campaigns, as they have higher engagement rates. On the other hand, macro and mega-influencers are better for awareness campaigns due to their wider reach.
The Authenticity of User-Generated Content
Don’t underestimate the power of UGC! Did you know that UGC is perceived as 2.4x more authentic, genuine, and organic than content created by brands?
One effective way to get more UGC is by creating a branded hashtag that consumers can use to share their pictures. You can also work with content creators to generate more authentic content for your brand.
Best Practices for Using Hashtags
Let’s dive into the best practices for using hashtags to boost your brand’s online presence.
Choosing the Right Hashtags
Choosing the right hashtags can help you reach your niche audience and boost your content’s visibility. Here are some tips for choosing the right hashtags:
- Find topics that your audience is interested in that also represent your brand.
- Use a hashtag generator to come up with relevant hashtags.
- Check on Instagram if those hashtags are active.
- Use a mix of broad and niche hashtags. We recommend using 3-5 hashtags on feed posts and 3-4 on Instagram stories.
- Don’t use the same hashtags repeatedly, as the Instagram algorithm will notice and stop pushing your content.
Checking Your Insights
No matter how good your Instagram strategy is, it’s important to check your content’s performance and make any necessary changes.
Utilizing Your Insights
The insights section on your profile can give you valuable analytics about your audience’s preferences and engagement levels. Use this information to create more of the content your audience wants to see.
Additionally, use your insights to track any performance on tests you might be running, whether it’s a new feature or content format.
Staying Up-to-Date with Instagram Changes
Lastly, it’s important to stay up-to-date with any new features and changes happening on Instagram, as they could benefit your business even more.
Whether you create your content marketing strategy yourself or hire a social media marketing agency to do it for you, staying on top of Instagram’s updates will keep your brand ahead of the game.
Thanks for reading and happy Instagramming!
