8 Essential Steps To Success In Your Instagram Marketing Campaign
Instagram currently boasts of over 1 billion users from different parts of the world. This population looks like a perfect platform for brand marketing and creating awareness to as many people as possible within the shortest time. There are thousands and thousands of businesses that take advantage of this platform to connect with their target audience. Why not you? This is your time to run successful Instagram marketing campaigns! Irrespective of the demographic of the audience's age, occupation, gender or anything, you are guaranteed to reach out to them via Instagram.
In order to achieve success in Instagram marketing, applying effective Instagram tactics will help you strengthen your brand & make sales. The following key steps are worth your consideration. The steps guide you on the entire process right from where you will get started to the end. Understanding each step is crucial so that you can easily know how to stand out among the millions of Instagram users on a daily basis.
In order to achieve success in Instagram marketing, applying effective Instagram tactics will help you strengthen your brand & make sales. The following key steps are worth your consideration. The steps guide you on the entire process right from where you will get started to the end. Understanding each step is crucial so that you can easily know how to stand out among the millions of Instagram users on a daily basis.
#1 Understand why you need to use Instagram for your business
This is the very first step for you to consider. By understand why you need Instagram, you will be able to come up with a killer Instagram marketing strategy for your business.
Instagram offers a crucial platform for businesses to engage with their target audience especially the followers. Using Instagram offers your business a huge potential for your business. The potential, however, depends more on the user behavior than the large number of followers or users.
According to Iconosquare, 70% of Instagram users look up for brands on this platform with 62 percent reported following brands on Instagram. Another important statistic that points out why you need to use this platform is Forrester which indicates that brands enjoy regular engagement with 4% of their total followers. This percentage is higher than all other major platforms like Twitter and Facebook that stand at 0.1%. This is actually the case despite the fact that only 36% of marketers today use Instagram, while a majority use other platforms like facebook that are less effective.
Instagram is part of the social media platforms that will enable you in influencing purchase decisions without using the hard sales pitch strategies. With many social media marketing trends coming up, you need to work hard to stay ahead of your competition and using Instagram can be such a smart strategy.
Instagram offers a crucial platform for businesses to engage with their target audience especially the followers. Using Instagram offers your business a huge potential for your business. The potential, however, depends more on the user behavior than the large number of followers or users.
According to Iconosquare, 70% of Instagram users look up for brands on this platform with 62 percent reported following brands on Instagram. Another important statistic that points out why you need to use this platform is Forrester which indicates that brands enjoy regular engagement with 4% of their total followers. This percentage is higher than all other major platforms like Twitter and Facebook that stand at 0.1%. This is actually the case despite the fact that only 36% of marketers today use Instagram, while a majority use other platforms like facebook that are less effective.
Instagram is part of the social media platforms that will enable you in influencing purchase decisions without using the hard sales pitch strategies. With many social media marketing trends coming up, you need to work hard to stay ahead of your competition and using Instagram can be such a smart strategy.
#2 Create an Instagram marketing strategy
After learning and understanding why your brand should be on Instagram, it is then crucial to consider creating a strategy that will help you in delivering the right message to the right audience at the right time.
A successful Instagram marketing strategy should be comprised of at least one main goal. Setting up clear goals will help you to remain focused on achieving them thus providing the right message to the target market. Remember that every brand has its own goals that help define their Instagram strategy.
For instance, while some brands’ main goal is to showcase their products and services, others want to build their community and others increasing brand awareness or advertising to their target audience. You can as well take your brand to Instagram to showcase your company culture and values, share brand news and updates or simply increase customer loyalty.
A successful Instagram marketing strategy should be comprised of at least one main goal. Setting up clear goals will help you to remain focused on achieving them thus providing the right message to the target market. Remember that every brand has its own goals that help define their Instagram strategy.
For instance, while some brands’ main goal is to showcase their products and services, others want to build their community and others increasing brand awareness or advertising to their target audience. You can as well take your brand to Instagram to showcase your company culture and values, share brand news and updates or simply increase customer loyalty.
#3 Create an optimized Instagram profile
Your Instagram profile is basically your landing page on the platform. On this page, you are required to share a little bit of your brand information for instance profile picture or logo, bio and link to the main website. In order to optimize your Instagram profile, you will have to consider the three points:
- Profile picture This may be comprised of your company logo, logomark (logo without words) or mascot. The above picture is a good example of the MoMa logo. This is a smart way to differentiate yourself from the rest and give your audience a reason to remember you.
- Bio
Your IG bio is often the first thing your followers see from you. By crafting a compelling bio, you can turn your Instagram from "blah" into fantastic. Every detail you share in your bio should, therefore, represent your business/brand and clearly elaborate to your followers what your company deals with. A good bio often comprises of the brand slogan, an outline of who you are and what you deal with.- Profile picture This may be comprised of your company logo, logomark (logo without words) or mascot. The above picture is a good example of the MoMa logo. This is a smart way to differentiate yourself from the rest and give your audience a reason to remember you.
- Link
Instagram is different from other social platforms in the sense that you can’t add links to every post; instead, you only have one link that you add on your profile. For better results, many brands use this link to drive traffic to their main websites. You may use this link appropriately to drive traffic back to your brand’s home page or other specific landing pages with the content you want the visitors to access.
#4 Creating a content strategy for your Instagram
Any social platform today relies mainly on the quality of content shared. With over 95 million videos and photos shared on a daily basis via Instagram, you have to step up your game as well. It is, therefore, crucial to lay down a content strategy to guide you on the type of content you want to share.
Many brands basically focus on sharing more about their products. Nike's branding strategy, for instance, uses their trainers and running equipment in their content shared out to the public while Starbucks has proven to be a branding expert.
Other brands focus on other aspects such as their community and culture. In this regard, it is upon a specific brand to choose their content strategy provided the shared content is of high quality and delivered in a consistent manner.
Quality content is essential in building your brand as you connect to more people on an individual basis with all your followers. Having quality content is key to successful Instagram marketing. Your content strategy should thus be aimed at achieving a one-on-one interaction with the audience.
Creation of hashtags also allows you to tell your brand stories that quickly get shared to reach a larger number of people. You must thus take advantage of the short form stories shared on Instagram to advance your Instagram marketing. Use of popular hashtags that are relevant to your photos or content will help you to gain more Instagram followers thus achieving your goals.
In order to grab the attention of your brand followers, you should be able to provide them with regular content including behind the scenes content, product demos, customer stories, team members takeovers, educational content, user generated content and culture-focused content among others.
Many brands basically focus on sharing more about their products. Nike's branding strategy, for instance, uses their trainers and running equipment in their content shared out to the public while Starbucks has proven to be a branding expert.
Other brands focus on other aspects such as their community and culture. In this regard, it is upon a specific brand to choose their content strategy provided the shared content is of high quality and delivered in a consistent manner.
Quality content is essential in building your brand as you connect to more people on an individual basis with all your followers. Having quality content is key to successful Instagram marketing. Your content strategy should thus be aimed at achieving a one-on-one interaction with the audience.
Creation of hashtags also allows you to tell your brand stories that quickly get shared to reach a larger number of people. You must thus take advantage of the short form stories shared on Instagram to advance your Instagram marketing. Use of popular hashtags that are relevant to your photos or content will help you to gain more Instagram followers thus achieving your goals.
In order to grab the attention of your brand followers, you should be able to provide them with regular content including behind the scenes content, product demos, customer stories, team members takeovers, educational content, user generated content and culture-focused content among others.
#5 Take note of your Instagram content plan
The following are the keys to creating amazing content that is cohesive to bring success in your Instagram marketing;
- Creating your Instagram style guide that ensures consistency across various marketing channels through each piece of content shared to the target audience.
- Working on the composition of the content by properly placing and arranging visual elements in a state of the art design that is distinct from the subject covered; Use of solid color background, extra space at the top or bottom of the text and focusing on the picture is part of the composition aspect.
- Selecting the right color palette will also come in handy in focusing and keeping your feeds consistent.
- Use of proper fonts that are consistent with your brand by ensuring the fonts are similar to those used on the main website. Use of filters, captions and hashtags is also another great way to advance your Instagram content plan.
- Creating your Instagram style guide that ensures consistency across various marketing channels through each piece of content shared to the target audience.
- Working on the composition of the content by properly placing and arranging visual elements in a state of the art design that is distinct from the subject covered; Use of solid color background, extra space at the top or bottom of the text and focusing on the picture is part of the composition aspect.
- Selecting the right color palette will also come in handy in focusing and keeping your feeds consistent.
- Use of proper fonts that are consistent with your brand by ensuring the fonts are similar to those used on the main website. Use of filters, captions and hashtags is also another great way to advance your Instagram content plan.
#6 Apply great Instagram designs that ensure your posts stand out
Instagram posts, whether pictures or written content need to be unique and thrilling. The posts, in that case, need to be uniquely designed to ensure the shared Instagram images stand out. This is the sure way to become a better brand marketer.
#7 Find your best Instagram frequency and timing
Your audience will be used with the frequency with which you will be updating your content. Consistency in social media marketing is crucial if you intend to remain on top of the game in your industry. You should, therefore, define your consistency and publishing frequency so that your audience will know when to expect new updates from you. This way, you will be able to maximize your engagement with the target audience and you'll be on the right path to Instagram marketing success.
According to a research study by Union Metrics, many brands on Instagram share an average of 1.5 posts per day. The timing of sharing content is also important to consider in this case.
According to a research study by Union Metrics, many brands on Instagram share an average of 1.5 posts per day. The timing of sharing content is also important to consider in this case.
#8 Use of Instagram takeovers
Growing your Instagram audience and getting new eyes on your brand is crucial and asking a celebrity or industry leader to take over your Instagram account would be very helpful. There are many tools to grow Instagram followers out there whether you want to automate your Instagram growth, finding influencers and more. Having an influencer marketing strategy on Instagram can be very helpful for your brand. In order to ensure success in your takeover, you need to consider a number of things:
- Identify your Instagram takeover goals
- Select the right influencer
- Work out the Instagram takeover plan and logistics including all the details and deadlines
- Create a personalized hashtag for your Instagram takeover to help you monitor the campaign as you track the performance of the campaign through the number of posts shared.
- Promote your takeover including cross promotion with other social platforms and pre-scheduling of posts to keep up with the consistency of publishing and posting the needed content.
- Measure results achieved.
- Extend your campaign after the takeover period
- Identify your Instagram takeover goals
- Select the right influencer
- Work out the Instagram takeover plan and logistics including all the details and deadlines
- Create a personalized hashtag for your Instagram takeover to help you monitor the campaign as you track the performance of the campaign through the number of posts shared.
- Promote your takeover including cross promotion with other social platforms and pre-scheduling of posts to keep up with the consistency of publishing and posting the needed content.
- Measure results achieved.
- Extend your campaign after the takeover period
So, what are the key elements to successful Instagram marketing?
Even if Instagram has its own particularities, this is still a marketing channel where you need to respect a plan if you want to be successful. Indeed, to run a successful Instagram marketing strategy, you need to know your audience, define a content plan, provide quality content and more. Following these key steps will guarantee success in your Instagram marketing campaign.At Growth Hackers, we help startups and entrepreneurs build their social media presence, help them with branding, including on Instagram. If you're looking for digital marketing experts, contact Growth Hackers today.
Stevan Mcgrath
I am a digital marketing professional who possesses expertise in brand design and development. I am passionate about utilizing my diverse skill sets for new and innovative online marketing strategies. I have worked as a freelancer and a contributor to Provenseo. Despite having a wide influential reach, I seek client satisfaction as his topmost priority. I also write blog posts on recent digital marketing trends. To know my work and more details you can follow me on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+.
4 Comments
Hi Stevan,
Thanks for including our research in this. We appreciate it!
– Sarah A. Parker
Social Media Manager | Union Metrics
Fine Makers of the Union Metrics Social Suite & more
Hi Stevan,
What an insightful post. Instagram is a powerful social media marketing platform. Many marketers have seen the potential to rapidly grow their businesses with Instagram marketing and have taken advantage of the platform.
And with the tips you provided, if implemented correctly, there is no limit to what one can achieve.
Thanks for sharing.
I appreciate the insight on Instagram as I am readily approaching my marketing strategy for this particular platform. I put out a lot of visual content via Twitter and love having my y site links clicked…so still a big fan. Visual content is key to user engagement and looking forward to creating my Instagram site!
Thanks for the great tips!
I am still weak in instagram marketing. hope these tips will help me to start with.