Instagram is the second-largest social media platform after Facebook. Millions of users use Instagram to glimpse their daily life activities. Instagram has all kinds of audiences. You will not be amazed to know that they have individual accounts and pet accounts on their platform. No doubt, you can also create an account for your pet if you have one.
Here’s an interesting fact for you. According to Oberlo, almost 71% of businesses use Instagram to promote their business or sell their products. Should you also create an Instagram profile for your business? Absolutely, yes. According to a report by Instagram, 90% of Instagram users at least follow one business account. It means there is an opportunity for your business.
Every business wants more sales and conversions. But, nobody shares perfect strategies to grow on Instagram. Growing on Instagram isn’t that difficult if you follow the right approach.
Today, we will be sharing the best Instagram marketing strategies with you all. Trust us; these strategies are powerful if you follow them correctly and consistently. These Instagram marketing strategies will help you achieve your Instagram goals faster.
So, continue reading ahead and look at the best Instagram Marketing Strategies for best results.
Why To Market On Instagram?
Before heading forward, it is essential to know why to market on Instagram. Whenever we think of marketing on Instagram, we always look for why. Why should we promote our business on Instagram only? We can promote our business on other social media platforms, but why Instagram? There are plenty of platforms, so why Instagram? Now, the figures and facts will answer all your doubts regarding this.
Instagram is the top-second and most used platform. It has over one billion monthly active users, with 500 million stories uploaded daily on Instagram. Instagram has each kind of audience; you just need to find your niche and target them with compelling content or advertisements.
According to a report by Hubspot, 83% of users have discovered a new product on Instagram. This proves that Instagram has enough potential to get you more sales or online visibility. Instagram is one of the favorite platforms for advertisers, brands, and consumers.
The primary advantage of Instagram is its visual nature. It lets you showcase your products in the best manner possible. You can use stories, carousels, story highlights, even reels to display your physical product. It supports different types of content, and we just need to figure out which is best for us.
To help you in this, we have come up with the best Instagram marketing strategies for you. So, give it a read and achieve your business goals with Instagram.
Best Instagram Marketing Strategies
Here are the top Instagram marketing strategies.
Use Instagram Business Account
Instagram is not a personal platform anymore. Businesses all over the globe use Instagram to boost their online business visibility. Instagram Business accounts are somewhat different from other account types.
By default, Instagram lets you create a personal account. Later or in between the account creation process, you can choose the type of account you want to make. You can choose between Personal Account, Creator Account, and Business Account.
Instagram business accounts offer many advanced features that aren’t present in other account types. With an Instagram business account, you get these abilities:
- You can boost your post impressions with ads.
- It offers you an analytical dashboard to keep an eye on the performance of your account.
- You can embed links to your Instagram store with some conditions applied.
- It gives you features like Shoppable posts. You can directly sell on Instagram with your posts.
- You get the ability to partner with different brands and influencers.
- It offers you potential verification options.
- You also get the right to add clickable call-to-action to your posts.
There isn’t a single drawback of converting your personal or creator profile to a business profile. A business account comes with many more advanced features to help you grow your business. This will help you understand your audience and build strategies accordingly.
Clearly Define Your Goals Before Starting Out
What are your goals? What do you want to achieve with Instagram marketing? Are you marketing on Instagram to get more sales or more application downloads, etc.? Using Instagram for marketing without clear goals won’t take you anywhere.
You have to set clear and measurable goals before starting. You all will have different plans. For instance, some of you might be looking to get more conversions, while some are using Instagram to get more app downloads. Yet, these are the most common goal types.
- Looking for brand awareness;
- Looking for more sales;
- More application downloads;
- Promote products directly;
- Getting more followers;
- Many more
Remember. Your goals should be specific, measurable, and attainable. If you plan to market on Instagram, you have to clearly define your goals. Otherwise, you won’t be able to achieve much. Without having clear goals, you can’t draft a perfect winning strategy.
Let’s understand this with an example. For instance, your primary goal is to increase brand awareness and get more followers. First, define how many followers you want. Then, determine a period in which you want to achieve this follower count. After this, start planning how you are going to achieve this goal. E.g., you can start creating more content; you can use advertisements, and more.
Know Your Target Audience
Knowing your target audience is essential. To get started with Instagram marketing, you should know about your target audience. For instance, if your target audience is Health and Care, you have to learn about their age, location, gender, and other Instagram demographics. This will help you create an effective Instagram marketing strategy.
It is important to know what they like and dislike. You should know where they hang out on Instagram. What type of content do they like? Do they like Instagram reels or single posts? Ask these questions to yourself. After finding all of these, you can create a successful strategy for your Instagram marketing campaign.
Optimize Your Instagram Profile
Creating an Instagram profile isn’t only enough. The next step is to optimize our Instagram profile. Now there are a few things you should keep in mind. Instagram lets you write a 150 words bio. Your Instagram profile should have an optimized description to let users know about your business.
Your description should be short, well-structured, easy to understand, and readable. It should convey everything about your business in the shortest possible words. It should describe to people why they should follow your Instagram account.
After adding a compelling bio, you should have a high-quality, and good-looking display picture. Make sure the same profile picture is uploaded to other platforms so that users can identify your brands on another platform as well.
You can include keywords to increase your Instagram account visibility. Let’s understand this with a short example. Let’s say I’m offering Digital Marketing Services in India. So, I will write a compelling bio, including keywords. Here is a sample bio.
“XYZ Ltd. Is A Leading Digital Marketing Services Provider In India. We Help Businesses to Boost Their Brand’s Online Visibility. Let’s Take Your Business Online With XYZ Ltd.”
Here’s a great example by Inside Vancouver. Tourism Vancouver has added a perfect Instagram profile. Tourism Vancouver is an ideal source of all information related to tourism. They have added everything in their profile you need to do.
Use Instagram Stories to Promote Your Product or Content
Instagram stories are some of the most engaging content types on Instagram. It is an effective way to showcase your products. According to a report by Tech Jury, 70% of Instagram users watch stories daily. Here comes the exciting stat.
According to Tech Jury, 25% of Gen Z and millennials discover products and services through stories. In addition, Instagram now allows you to sell products through stories. This feature was rolled out back in 2018. You can add products to your Instagram stories and link them to the actual product page. You can add a website link. To increase your story reach, you can include hashtags with the help of the hashtag sticker.
Work On Different Post Types
Instagram is a visual platform. It is known for its visually appealing content. Instagram users, or we can say your target audience, also love to see the visually appealing content. It lets you choose from different post formats. On Instagram, you can upload single posts, short videos .i.e., reels, carousel (set of 10 pictures), and guides.
Instagram lets you publish these types of posts on their platform. This helps you engage and connect with your audience. Besides, you can promote your products and services through these content types. Each type of post works differently. Some get good reach, but some barely get some reach.
You have to test and figure out which works well for you in your niche. Currently, reels are one of the best features of Instagram. According to Growthoid, Instagram reels receive more engagement than normal video content.
Use Hashtags to Get More Impressions and Reach
Hashtags are an effective way to increase your Instagram posts and account visibility. It helps you reach your visual content to more users. If users like your content, they will eventually follow you for more interesting content. So, using hashtags in your posts is necessary for boosting visibility.
Instagram allows you to use 30 hashtags in the description of your post. Of course, it is not necessary to add 30 hashtags in your posts. According to Instagram, it doesn’t matter whether you use 3-5 hashtags or 30 hashtags. The engagement rate depends on your content.
We recommend you use 5-9 hashtags in your Instagram posts. You can also test this by using different numbers and sets of hashtags. To get the best results, always use hashtags that are relevant, specific to your niche, and have fewer posts.
TIP: Always search for low-competition hashtags to add to your posts. Low competition keywords help your post get more reach.
Write Crisp and Interesting Captions
Are you writing crisp and interesting captions for your Instagram posts? No? You are missing a lot.
Captions aren’t only the way to explain your products. It is also a way to engage and connect with your audience. Yes, Instagram is a platform built to share visuals. But, at the same time, we should not neglect its power of captions. More and more businesses are writing long and good captions in their posts.
According to Later, the average length of Instagram captions has doubled since 2016. Users are tapping the power of long-form captions to engage with their target audience. While writing Instagram captions, make sure that your text is worth the user’s time. They should know something or at least don’t think they wasted their precious time. The best way to engage with your followers is to convey your message in a story. This will hold them till the end.
You can write 138-150 characters of captions for organic posts. Whereas for paid ads, you can write a caption of around 125 characters. In simpler terms, Instagram captions are now like a mini-blog post. It could be the next big thing to help you drive more sales and conversion.
Here is an example of a perfect caption by Natgeo. National Geographic has set the classic example of writing long-form Instagram captions. They started the caption by giving credit to the photograph. Then, they explained everything in a story form.
Post Content Consistently
Consistency is the key. Consistency is the key. Consistency is the key. If you find yourself neglecting posting on Instagram, remember this quote. To grow as a creator or a business, you must post consistently on Instagram. If you post a single photo or video in a month, you aren’t consistent. Consistency doesn’t mean posting daily. Yet, it refers to posting content with a schedule.
According to a report by Revlocal, the top brand posts 1.5 posts a day, which is about 10 to 11 posts per week. And this helps them drive more sales and reach, which results in more followers. An effective strategy is to create content and plan the timing of the posts accordingly.
Don’t Always Sell Your Product.
What makes a good salesperson? His salesy behavior? No, not at all. A good salesman does not always focus on selling products. They also focus on building relationships with their potential customers. Pitching the products isn’t always their first step. To sell through Instagram, you also don’t need to be too salsey. Yes, your followers follow you because of your products. But, they don’t always want to hear a sales pitch or product promotion from you.
We know you want to drive more sales with Instagram. Yet, that doesn’t mean that every post would be related to promoting your product. This will frustrate your followers, and it could lead to more unfollows. What to post then?
You can post your workspace photos. In addition, you can also post pictures of employees with their achievements. Be relevant and connect with your audience. It will eventually lead to sales.
Respond to Your Posts Comments and Messages
Engaging with your followers is an essential part of growing on Instagram. When somebody likes your content, they leave positive feedback on your posts in the comments. But, most creators don’t engage with those comments; they just leave them as it is.
You should reply to your comments, and direct messages. It doesn’t matter whether they leave good or bad feedback. You should respond to them. Hence, it will improve your engagement rate.
It doesn’t only improve the engagement rate but also proves that you care about your followers. You are here to solve their queries as soon as possible. We know replying to each comment, and the direct message would be time-consuming. But it’s worth building good relationships with your customers.
Engage With Your Fellow Creators
Yes, you heard it right. This applies to most of the creators. Before getting into any industry, we research a lot. We learn about our industry. We keep an eye on the popular creators in our niche. It’s good to build connections with your fellow creators. You can engage with your fellow creators’ posts. You can like, comment, and share their posts on your stories. This will improve your engagement rate and their engagement rates as well. In addition, this will give a boost to their posts’ reach.
Promote UGC
UGC is better known as User Generated Content. We are sure you have already seen user-generated content by your favorite brands. You would have seen top brands reposting pictures posted by their customers on their social media accounts. This is known as user-generated content. It simply means you don’t need to create content. Your customers will. It is a kind of promotional technique brands use to promote their product. Here’s how they do it.
For instance, I’m conducting a workshop about ‘Everything You Need to Know About Photography.’ To promote this workshop, I run a campaign and create my own hashtag – #learnphotographywithab. After successfully conducting the workshop, I ask students to upload their best photos, use the given hashtag, and tag my Instagram account. The best photo will get featured on my Instagram page as a reward. This will encourage users to click adorable photos and get them featured on your page. As a result, it will also promote your Instagram profile and help you get more visibility.
Use Instagram Story Highlights to Boost Conversions
We all know Instagram stories disappear in 24 hours. Your followers can’t see your stories after 24 hours. You can see your Instagram stories in the Archives section. Another exciting feature Instagram offers is Story Highlights. Story highlights appear below your profile’s bio. You can create story highlights of your top-performing content or divide them into different categories.
Business owners can create story highlights of their products and link them to the product page, so users can check the products and purchase them. In addition, you can create custom covers for each story highlight.
Here is an ideal example of perfect story highlights by Sephora. It is a cosmetic brand offering a variety of beauty products. Sephora has used Instagram story highlights to showcase its products. They have created different categories like Makeup, Hair Care, Skincare, and others. When someone views the highlights, they get a swipe-up link that redirects users to their official website.
Go Live and Interact With Your Audience
Instagram offers many features to connect with our followers. And one of the best features is going live on Instagram. According to a report by Livestream.com, 80% of audiences prefer watching a live stream to reading a blog post. In addition, 82% of users like watching a live stream over seeing a social media post. Now, you might have understood the potential of live streaming. It is an effective way to communicate with your audience in real-time.
- Go live with your fellow creators.
- Offer live behind the scenes of an event
- Host live Q&A
- Invite your followers on live
Use Instagram Stickers
Instagram stickers are a great way to make your stories more entertaining and interactive. With time, Instagram comes with new campaigns. Instagram introduces new campaigns with new stickers. You might have seen the Support Local Business sticker on Instagram. Whenever someone creates a new story and uses a particular sticker. It groups multiple stories with that sticker and shows them to different users. This helps their business get discovered by other users.
Partner With Social Influencers
Influencer marketing has grown rapidly in the past few years. And it will continue growing in 2022 also. It is one of the favorite ways for marketers to promote any product online and reach out to their target audience. Many brands use influence marketing to connect with their target industry.
Social influencers are one of the best and most effective ways to promote your products and services. 92% of marketers have said that influencer marketing was a big success for their campaigns. That’s because social influencers have everything you need, which is your target audience. And your target audience listens to their recommendations.
Collab With Your Fellow Creators
This is the most important point if you are a creator and want to grow. It would be best if you collaborated with your fellow creators. Recently, Instagram has enrolled the collaboration feature for all users. You can use this feature to get recognized by your fellow creators’ followers and vice versa.
The primary advantage of collaborating with your niche creators is to get spotted by their followers and vice versa. Both creators will have the same audience with the same actions. This will help you both grow faster and together. You should remember that your content should be valuable to users.
Use Instagram Shop to Sell Products
Earlier in the article, we asked you to switch your Instagram profile to a business profile. In addition, we also said that it offers a lot of advanced features. And one of the advanced features is Instagram Shop. Yes, Instagram lets you create a shop and sell on the platform. If your business offers physical products, this is one of the most valuable features for you on Instagram.
It helps you sell your products on Instagram. Users can take a quick look at your product and directly buy your products on Instagram. In addition, it offers an immersive full-screen storefront view to our customers.
According to Facebook, over 130 million Instagram users tap on the shop button every month. This shows that users are keen to buy products from their favorite brands. The best thing about Instagram Shop is you can sell products as you sell on an eCommerce website. You neither don’t need to pay any additional penny nor need to build an eCommerce website.
Write Instagram Guides
Instagram guides are a perfect way of sharing recommendations and tips with your followers. Guides are somewhat similar to blog posts. Instead of sharing photos, you can now also write guides. You can write step-by-step tutorials, tips, and recommendations in an Instagram guide.
Instagram lets you create three types of guides – Places, Products, and Posts. For a business, products and posts would be beneficial for you. You can create guides and group all your products into one to offer a seamless shopping experience. Each form is created to suit creator requirements.
Run Instagram Targeted Ads
Instagram has a vast audience. You can’t reach all Instagram users by just posting the content. So, how can we reach everyone who doesn’t even follow our Instagram page? The answer is quite simple – Instagram Ads. Instagram advertisement is similar to other social media ads.
Instagram lets you run ads and reach your target audience with a small amount. You can do other things such as contests, hiring social influencers, and more. Yet, these strategies don’t always produce great results. You can use conditions like age, gender, and location to select your ad audience. In addition, you can even target the audience based on their interest and actions.
Post At The Right Times
What is the right time to post on Instagram? Work Hours? Or in the Night? Sometimes we publish content even when our audience isn’t active. Here comes the role of Instagram Insights.
Instagram Insights lets you see when your audience is the most active on Instagram. This will help you plan and schedule content to get more visibility. And this is one of the best ways to reach more followers.
Here are the best times to post on Instagram, varying the niches.
- Travel and tourism: Friday, 9 AM to 1 PM
- Media and entertainment: Tuesday and Thursday, 12 to 3 PM
- Food and beverage: Friday, 12 PM
- Retail: Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, 12 PM
- Professional services: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, 9 or 10 AM
- Non-profit: Tuesday, 10 AM or 4 PM
- Non-retail e-commerce: Thursday, 4 or 9 PM
- Pharma and healthcare: Wednesday and Sunday, 9 AM
- Personal care: Thursday and Friday, 1, 2, or 3 PM
- Technology: Monday and Tuesday, 2 PM
- Education: Thursday, 4 or 5 PM
Insights by Instagram is one of the best strategies to check the right time and find your top-performing content. Of course, not all posts get high engagement, and you can’t find it by yourself. But, Instagram Analytics lets you find that.
Use Instagram Insights to Know Your Audience Better
Instagram Insights is an in-built analytic tool that lets you see your business account performance. Instagram Insights gives a comprehensive insight into your Instagram account. With Insights, you can check accounts reached, accounts engaged, and total followers you gained in a particular span.
In the Account Reached section, you can see how many accounts you have reached, including the followers and non-followers accounts. Besides, it also shows the impressions your account got in a certain period. You can view insights for specific posts, stories, videos, reels, and live videos.
To check Insights, visit your Profile section tap on the Insights button. Now, you will see your Instagram account insights on the next screen.
Connect Your Followers to Your Facebook Page
You can connect your Instagram business profile with your Facebook page. Facebook acquired Instagram. Instagram and Facebook both have worked together and introduced new features. And one of the features is connecting your Instagram business profile with your Facebook page. It lets you easily sync your Instagram followers with Facebook business pages. In addition, Facebook offers more than 3,00,000 bots that you can use to interact with and nurture those users.
Don’t forget to check the latest Instagram marketing tools.
Conclusion
These are the best Instagram marketing strategies. In this article, we mentioned the best Instagram marketing strategies. These strategies work best if you follow them in the right way. Do let us know which strategy worked best for you. So, these are the best Instagram marketing strategies for you. That’s enough for this article.
