In 2010, Instagram entered the world of social media as a platform where people could share selfies, pictures of their pets, and food. It’s 2021, and Instagram has become a marketing weapon to reckon with.
With millions of active users and double the amount of pictures posted every single day, Instagram is getting competitive by the minute. Influencers and brands are dominating this platform by harnessing its power to its full potential.
In this definitive guide, we will explore the following topics:
- Creating a business account on Instagram
- Instagram algorithm
- Instagram content strategy
- Best Instagram marketing strategy
- Exploring Instagram analytics
Read till the end to ace at Instagram marketing.
Table of Contents
How to create a business account on Instagram
One thing you must know about Instagram is that it’s all about staying relevant. This factor, combined with engagement, is what makes your profile strong. Your profile and feed need to be up-to-date.
Now let’s start with setting up an Instagram profile. First, you need to download the app from your app or play store. Once you’ve followed all the steps, switching to a business account is pretty simple.
If you are new to this platform, read our blog for a step-by-step guide on setting up an Instagram business account.
How does the Instagram algorithm works
Before constructing a strategy, you need to understand how the Instagram algorithm works.
The Instagram algorithm decides what appears on your feed based on your past search history and interests. The algorithm focuses on finding content that is right for you.
It looks for references based on the type of content you spend time watching, liking, and the content you post on your feed. As a marketer, there are ways for you to beat the algorithm and use it to your advantage.
Now that we know what the algorithm is and how it works let’s prepare a content strategy.
How to build an Instagram content strategy
To build a content strategy, you must follow the below mentioned best practices:
- Do an audit
- Create a content strategy
- Use Instagram features
- Boost your content
- Monitor your performance
If you include these key pointers in your strategy, you will definitely see a growth spike in your ranking and performance on Instagram. Please read the detailed version of these pointers in our 5 best ways to build a successful Instagram Content Strategy blog.
Let’s continue further to the next step – creating an Instagram marketing strategy for your brand.
Best Instagram marketing strategy
Let’s go straight to the point. Below we have jotted down the best marketing practices you can use on Instagram to grow your brand and business.
For an effective and successful marketing strategy, these are the steps you should consider following.
- Set a goal
- Find your target audience
- Check on your competition
- Create an editorial calendar
- Convert your followers into customers
Let’s explore these steps:
Set a goal
Before creating any content, you need to know your goal. What is your brand’s end game? What are you trying to achieve? If you don’t know the answer to these questions, all the time, energy, and creativity you’ve spent building your profile will go down the drain.
Start with setting an achievable goal and slowly aiming higher, which will help you in the long-run. Are you here to sell your products? Or to build a brand image? Or are you here to share your content?
You don’t necessarily need to have one goal; on Instagram, you can achieve all 3 together. But remember to keep measuring your performance on the platform from time to time.
Find your target audience
Once you’ve set your goal, it’s time to find out your audience. You can do an analysis to find out their age group, gender, location, and interests. Depending on your brand and audience, you can add more factors to this list.
You can also check the profile of people using your hashtags. And lastly, always look at what your competitors are doing. On Instagram, luckily, it is easy to find your target audience.
Check on your competition
Remember to always keep a tab on your competitors. Competitive analysis is an important part of any marketing strategy. But you need to draw a line when it comes to being obsessed or copying them.
Always take inspiration or work around the things that your competitors lack. You can use that to your advantage and stand out.
Create an editorial calendar
The importance of a calendar cannot be overstated. When dealing with any social media platform, it is vital to be organized and prepare a schedule.
It is a social media manager’s job to pin down how many posts will go live in a week, what hashtags should be used, etc. This way, you always have a record of everything you’ve done, and it will be easier to put in any trending ideas without having to run around at the last minute.
Convert your followers into customers
Now that you have covered a major part of your marketing strategy, it’s time to convert your followers into loyal customers. How do you do that?
You can hold promotions for your audience through discounts or giveaways. Don’t forget to mention a deadline and what they need to do to avail the offer. This will help you drive up your sales.
Holding online contests is another way to engage with your followers while turning them into customers.
Many brands support charities as a part of their social responsibility initiative. This generates goodwill for your brand among customers.
Through these practices, you will be able to convert your followers into a loyal customer base.
Exploring Instagram analytics
Unlike Facebook, Instagram doesn’t have an analytics platform. Once you set up a business account, you get access to basic analytics such as reach, engagement, impressions, and follower growth. You can access these in the View Insights option.
Using Facebook’s Ad Manager, you can track your Instagram impressions and engagement on ad campaigns. You can always run in-depth analytics on the metrics using apps available online.
If you don’t have the budget to use these tools, stick to the basic metrics to track your performance.
Conclusion
If you aren’t already on the Instagram marketing band-wagon, you need to hop in right away. People spend at least 30 minutes a day on this app, making it a happening place for brands to be at.
One impressive post from your brand could forever leave the best visual impression on a user’s mind.
Managing a platform such as Instagram is no joke, but the receiving end makes it worth it. This platform is easy and fun, so use it to its best fruition and get inspired to create more and more content.
