10 Helpful Instagram Marketing Tips
Nearly 80% of small businesses use social media marketing to keep their customers engaged. If you’re not using Instagram marketing, you’re falling behind the times. Your competitors could start attracting customers before you get the chance.
Don’t let that happen! Instead, use these 10 easy social media marketing tips. These Instagram marketing tips can help you boost engagement and build your following.
You can stand out from the crowd, remain competitive, and start generating more business.
Give your social media marketing strategy a boost this year! Set yourself up for success with these 10 helpful tips today.
1. Establish Your Goals
Before developing your Instagram marketing strategy, it helps to take a moment to establish your goals. Establishing your goals will help you accomplish your goals. You can determine which Instagram tactics will benefit your brand most.
Otherwise, you could waste valuable time, money, and energy on tactics that don’t suit your target audience.
Establishing your goals can keep you on track, too. About 3% of Harvard graduates who wrote down goals earned 10 times as much as the other 97% of students. Setting goals could benefit your business in the long run.
Make a list of what you want to accomplish through your social media marketing strategy. For example, you might want to:
- Boost brand awareness
- Generate recognition
- Generate website traffic
- Gain new followers
- Increase likes and comments
- Generate leads and conversions
- Improve your ROI
Once you determine your goals, make sure they’re SMART. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-Driven, Timely goals are more precise. You’ll have an easier time determining how to accomplish your goals as a result.
For example, you can strive to generate 20% more followers on Instagram by posting a live video every week.
Once you determine your goals, establish key performance indicators (KPIs) for each one. KPIs will help you measure your results.
Break your larger goals into smaller benchmarks. Then, set a deadline for each one. If you’re not meeting your benchmarks, you’ll know it’s time to make adjustments to your plan.
Here are a few social media marketing goals you might want to keep in mind.
Generating Awareness
Consumers won’t shop from your business if they don’t realize your brand exists. Even if they find you online, they need a reason to trust you. You can use social media marketing to boost brand awareness and recognition.
First, consider your unique value proposition. What can you offer that no other business can?
Highlight your value within your posts.
To boost brand awareness using Instagram, focus on unique, branded content.
For example, you can introduce members of your team. You can focus on your brand’s value and personality, too. Your personality can further set you apart from competing businesses.
Make sure your branding matches across all marketing channels. Consistency can boost revenues by 23%. It can make it easier for consumers to recognize you online, too.
Generate Website Traffic
As you start creating content, think of ways to push social media followers to your website. Then, you can convert those site visitors into leads and customers.
For example, you can tease your latest blog post on social media. Focus on the value you’re offering customers. Maybe you have a list of tips and tricks they can use.
Maybe you’re hosting a contest on your website.
Do you have an eCommerce website? Use social media to show off your latest products.
You can use social media marketing to encourage people to explore your site. Then, you can start generating leads and boosting sales.
2. Understand Your Audience
Before you can use these Instagram marketing tips, you need to consider who you’re trying to reach. Otherwise, consumers might not care about your content.
Instead, you can build your Instagram marketing strategy with your customers in mind.
If you have a broad target audience, segment it into smaller buyer personas. You can segment each group based on:
- Age
- Gender
- Location
- Marital status
- Language
- Education
- Career
- Household income
- Buying behaviors
- Interests
- Pain points
Creating buyer personas can help you create personalized content with each group in mind.
About 74% of online consumers get frustrated when content has nothing to do with their interests. Over 50% will switch brands if a company doesn’t personalize communications.
In fact, another 50% would pay more if brands provide personally relevant content. Personalization can deliver up to eight times the ROI on marketing spend, too.
Look for ways to personalize your social media marketing content. Create an emotional connection with customers. Show them you care about their wants and needs.
You could have an easier time drawing in followers and shoppers as a result.
3. Research the Competition
You can strengthen your Instagram marketing strategy by taking a peek at what your competitors are up to. What content are they creating for their target audience?
Consider the different types of content they’re creating. For example, are they using Instagram Stories and Reels? How often do they post on Instagram?
Then, look at the likes they’re generating. Which posts generate the most engagement?
You can use this data to inform your own social media marketing strategy. Keeping up with your competitors can help you remain relevant, too.
Don’t copy what your competitors are doing. Instead, learn from their mistakes to optimize your own marketing strategy. You can find new ways to engage and excite customers.
4. Schedule It Out
Social media marketing can become time-consuming. You’re busy enough trying to develop other marketing strategies. Don’t waste valuable time.
Instead, maximize your productivity by using a scheduling app. Scheduling your posts ahead of time can help you remain organized. It can help you recognize gaps in your content, too.
Once you start posting, take the time to review your data. If you’re losing engagement, it’s possible you’re posting too often. Consider leaving a few days between each post.
Use your data to determine the best days and times to post, too.
5. Create Your Content
In order to develop a strong social media marketing strategy, you’ll need to produce high-quality content. Use your research to determine what type of posts your customers already enjoy. Then, create your own, branded content to draw in customers.
You can use your blog posts to create fresh content for Instagram.
For example, you can redesign a blog post that’s full of statistics into an infographic. You can use a carousel to offer tips and tricks. Consider creating a short video to tease your content, too.
Experiment with different forms of content, including images, videos, Reels, and Stories.
Stories can help you leverage the fear of missing out. People will want to see your content before it disappears.
Don’t neglect videos! Videos are gaining in popularity. In fact, Instagram users spend about 70% of their time watching video content.
Try creating behind-the-scenes content they can’t find anywhere else. You can create product demos and tutorials, too. Otherwise, try testimonial videos to boost your credibility.
Give these tips on promoting IGTV videos a try, too.
6. Engage Your Audience
About 90% of marketers say the number one benefit of using social media is gaining online exposure. It’s not enough for consumers to see you online, though. Instead, bring your brand to life by interacting with your audience.
You can boost engagement by posting polls and quizzes in your Stories. Polls and quizzes can help you learn more about your customers, too. For example, you can ask them what type of content they want to see more of.
Then, you can use that information to better inform your Instagram marketing strategy.
As people comment on your posts, comment back! Use social listening to make sure you never fall behind.
7. Work With Influencer
You don’t have to develop your Instagram following alone. Instead, consider working with a social media influencer. An influencer with a strong following can help you boost brand awareness.
They can spread the word about your business, helping you appear in front of a broader audience.
An Instagram influencer can help boost your brand’s credibility, too.
Look for an influence your target audience already knows and loves.
8. Choose the Right Hashtags
As you start posting your content, it’s important to use the right hashtags.
First, create a unique, branded hashtag for your business. If people post using your hashtag, you can share the user-generated content (UGC) they create. UGC can help boost brand trust and loyalty.
Sprinkle a few relevant hashtags into each post. Make sure the hashtags aren’t already overused, though.
9. Keep Track of Trends
As you use these social media marketing tips, don’t forget to keep track of the latest trends. For example, you can use:
- Live streams
- Stories and reels
- Virtual reality
- Augmented reality
- Social e-commerce
- Inclusivity
- Authenticity and transparency
Experiment with different trends to determine what best appeals to your audience.
10. Analyze and Make Adjustments
Once you start posting, take the time to analyze the results. Which posts are generating the most engagement?
Use your data to make adjustments to your Instagram marketing strategy in the future.
Staying Social: 10 Effective Tips for Wow-Worthy Instagram Marketing
Give your business the boost it needs! With these Instagram marketing tips, you can increase brand awareness, followers, and more. Keep your followers engaged with these easy tips today.
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Trevor Anderson wrote this article on behalf of FreeUp. FreeUp is the fastest-growing freelance marketplace in the US. FreeUp only accepts the top 1% of freelance applicants. Click here to get access to the top freelancers in the world.
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