Instagram - nowadays everyone knows it. This unique platform permits to tell the story through visual content. Why is it such a powerful marketing tool? Why should you use it for your brand promotion? How to prepare a proper Instagram strategy? Below you will find everything you need to know about Instagram. First thing’s first, let us introduce you to some numbers. According to the Instagram report for the last year (https://expandedramblings.com/index.php/important-instagram-stats/), there is:-over 800 million monthly active users-more than 500 million daily active users-over 300 million daily stories active users-more than 8 million business accounts The statistics talks by themselves. Isn’t it the best tool to promote your own brand then? People are already there, the only thing you have to do is to know how to reach them.
1. Where to start with your Instagram Strategy?
Marketing is about knowing how to get to the right audience with the right product at the right time. Firstly, it`s important to set a clear objective of your profile. You need to ask yourself a question why you need it, what kind of content you want to put there and who is it for. If you spend a while for thinking it over at the beginning, everything will come easy later. Defining your audience and objective is a key to a good Instagram strategy.
2. Why is visual coherency important?
The essence of Instagram is an image. While scrolling an 'insta' feed it takes a milisecond to capture the picture; that is why if you want a potential customer to get interested in your profile, you need to be original. What makes your profile special are the details: coherent font, well-matching colors or original content. If you pay attention to each of them, the probability of being followed is much higher. Also, keep in mind, that bright photos, images with faces or videos are attracting a way more than any other content! Another thing to think of while creating an Instagram strategy is to keep the same theme. It’s really useful when a customer doesn’t know your brand yet but is looking for some good profile, related to the subject that interests him, to follow. When the customer sees well-matched pictures next to each other or some big picture made of the small ones, he/she might be intrigued and positively surprised ;) This kind of strategy is also a great tool to keep peoples’ engagement in following your profile.
3. What kind of additional tools are useful?
Instargam itself offers a wide range of additional tools which allow making your content more interesting, such as filters, boomerang or layouts. Additionally, you may try to use other special apps to build your Instagram profile.
a) www. foursixty.com
This platform allows you to sell your products on Instagram by linking them to their product page. Also, your customers will have an opportunity to add items to their carts, instead of having to browse the Internet for the website.
b) www. repostapp.com
This tool enables you to repost some content that you find useful and good matching to your own profile. It`s also a great way to show your respect for your clients by reposting their posts.
c) www.kapwing.com
Even if you don’t feel like professional video maker, with this tool you will definitely feel like it. You have various options to use: create a mem, add subtitles to your video, make a video collage, loop or resize your video and some more.
4. Prepare a good plan
You can predict your future (or at least a part of it) by planning it! This is really important, especially in social media reality. It has never been so easy than now. To meet a customer needs Postfity offers a whole range of tools to make your social media life organization easier. We have various features that help to prepare, plan and post a good content on your Instagram. If you don’t know how does it work with our application, have a look at this short video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAe_fJmN694
5. UGC – what`s that?
The definition itself is as easy as the full amplification of UGC – User Generated Content. This kind of content is created by people around your brand, business, product. Who can tell the story better than your customers themselves? The best explanation is always through exemplification, that’s why below you will find few brands, which are really good UGC users.
Airbnb
Every day they let customers share their photos from different locations and tell their story behind it. Everyone can post a picture with hashtag #airbnbexperience and the team picks those that seem the most interesting. Eric Toda (Global Head of Social Marketing) describes it like this: It’s our job to listen, understand why you travel, and tell your story back to the audience that’s following us.
Moment
Moment. “Photography gear, travel, and inspiration. You in?” – that’s how they describe themselves in bio section on Instagram. They are producing exceptional lenses for iPhones but they are also promoting their brand using UGC. The hashtag they use to collect people in their community is #shotonmoment. A number of followers and likes show that it really works!
Summary
As a summary, below you will find 10 tips that might help you to manage your Instagram and get more followers for your brand:
1. Before you start to post anything, define your audience and set your objective.
2. Stay coherent with your content
3. Use additional tools to make your Instagram more interesting
4. Make a plan and schedule your posts!
5. Try to engage your followers by using UGC
6. Set location
7. Choose right #
8. Diversify your content with videos
9. Think about quality, not quantity
10. Do not ignore Instagram stories
