How Do Businesses Use Instagram For Marketing
The highest-paid Instagram influencers can earn as much as $1 million for a single post.
Even if you're not Kylie Jenner, there are still opportunities to grow your Instagram following and turn your posts into serious cash. But first, you'll need to build a noticeable presence that will place a higher value on your influencer status.
With the right content and Instagram marketing strategy, you can build a following and become a successful influencer. Read on for our top 17 tips for Instagram marketing.
1. Find Your Target Audience
Before you start your Instagram marketing (or any marketing for that matter), you'll need to define who your target audience is. For example, if you want to focus on travel, then you'll need to pinpoint the Instagram users who share that interest.
A great way to do this is by using Instagram's search function to locate pages that are similar to yours. This will help you get a good idea of what content gets the most engagement from your chosen niche. You might also find a great deal of inspiration, too.
2. Focus on High-Quality Content
One of the most important things you can do for your Instagram marketing is building a great body of content. This will hook people when they visit your profile and make them more like to follow you. Plus, it makes them more likely to engage with your posts.
Make sure you're taking good pictures: this is crucial to building a real following instead of just gaining visitors.
Here are a few tips for taking great pictures:
Get the lighting right; natural light is best, but you can also use a ring light or warm light source
Allow some room for negative space around the subject
Try placing the subject off-center
Use symmetry in your composition to make it more visually pleasing, such as balancing a subject with objects on either side or placing the subject near a mirror
Use natural patterns and parallel lines to create visual interest, such as standing in front of a brick wall or capturing a landscape with a straight path
In addition to this, you can use programs like FaceTune to naturally enhance your photos. Filters are good to use, too, but keeping them subtle is often a better move.
3. Take Pictures of Real People
Research on Instagram content found that pictures with human faces were 38% more likely to receive a like and 32% more likely to get comments. The Instagram marketing stats don't lie: people want to see pictures of other people, not just inanimate objects.
Be sure to take lots of photos of yourself for your Instagram. This will help your followers build a deeper connection with you, even if they've never met you. As a result, they'll be more likely to engage with all your future content.
It's also a good idea to feature your friends in your pictures, or even fellow influencers if you encounter them. Be sure to tag them in these photos so their followers will be more likely to notice your profile.
Of course, you can still take pictures of food, landscapes, and other subjects that are relevant to your niche. It's just important to mix things up and post pictures of people regularly.
4. Engagement is Key
Obviously, the size of your following is important for your Instagram marketing. However, it's important that you don't focus exclusively on that number. The amount of engagement your posts receive is of equal (or even greater) importance.
You'll find services that allow you to purchase 1,000+ followers at a time, but don't fall into that trap. A lot of the followers you get will be bot accounts, who aren't logging in and engaging with content on a regular basis.
Many brands will use your follower number to gauge whether they want to work with you, but most will also check out the amount of engagement your posts are receiving. Bots might make for impressive numbers, but they don't represent actual consumers who will support the brand.
Most brands realize this fact: fake followers cost brands an estimated $1.3 billion in 2019 alone, and they're not looking to throw away marketing dollars on a bunch of bots.
In other words, if you have 5,000 followers but only average 100 likes or comments per post, then you're much less likely to score brand deals. The best way to get the attention of advertisers is by building an organic following of real people.
5. Follow Other Accounts
Following other Instagram accounts will send your name right to that person's notifications, which may lead them to check out your profile. They might follow you back if they're interested in your content. Either way, they'll be more likely to notice you in the first place.
6. Engage With Other Influencers in Your Niche
One of the key Instagram marketing strategies to remember is this: find other successful influencers in your niche and use their platform to get noticed. After all, they've cornered your target market and their followers are likely to be interested in your content as well.
Once you've found some of the key influencers in your desired niche, make a point to engage with them on a regular basis. If you play your cards right, they'll notice you and may even follow you back or mention your page on their profile.
To stay on top of the posts from your favorite influencers, you can turn on notifications to let you know whenever they post. That way, you'll be able to add a like or a comment earlier, which could make you stand out.
Another benefit of doing this is that their followers will see you and might even check out your profile. If you've built a good bio and body of images, then they're likely to follow you, too.
7. Come up With a Memorable Name
A snappy name for your account will make you stand out more. It also will make you more memorable and easy to search for, which works well for Instagram marketing.
Choose something that's short, sweet, and easy to spell. If you can tie in your content, that's even better. Check out other accounts in your niche if you need some inspiration.
8. Build a Brand
Once you've got your name and your target audience picked out, you should start brainstorming ways to put your personal spin on your content. What will make you stand out against similar accounts?
People are more likely to follow accounts that aren't generic, so you should find a way to make your account unique. For instance, if you're an aspiring beauty influencer, try to create makeup pictures that no one has seen before. Pets are also a great thing to feature on your page when you're looking to build a brand (think of them as a mascot).
There are lots of ways to build your brand for your Instagram marketing strategy. If you're not sure where to start, just be yourself. A lot of the time, your unique personality traits will be reflected in your posts, making your content more unique and authentic.
9. Use the Right Hashtags
Hashtags are a crucial element to Instagram marketing. These will make your content come up on Instagram's search function.
To get an idea of the most popular hashtags, try searching for your subject on Instagram. This will pull up a list of hashtags and which ones are the most popular. Feature these in your posts, but don't use a ton of them (it can look cumbersome and distract from your caption).
Try to avoid cheesy hashtags, such as #followforfollow or anything similar. These can make your posts seem inauthentic. With the right Instagram marketing strategy, you won't need to go there.
10. Create Your Own Hashtag
Creating your own hashtag can also be great for your Instagram marketing because it gives you a one-stop method to direct newcomers to your content. For example, if you post on other social media, you can advertise your personal hashtag. There's also a chance that someone might end up searching for it and stumbling across your content by chance.
11. Get Creative with Captions
Your captions are almost as important as the pictures they accompany. If they're just a generic phrase or a list of hashtags, they won't be as likely to attract followers. As with a lot of Instagram marketing, putting your personal touch here is key.
12. Use Location Tags
In addition to hashtags, you can also use Instagram's location tags to boost the visibility of your posts. Try tagging the city you live in, or whatever location you're visiting. This will attract local users and people searching for pictures of those locations, too.
13. Time Your Posts Right
Posting Instagram pictures at certain hours tends to yield better results. By scheduling your posts when more people are active on Instagram, you're more likely to get noticed.
Typically, business hours are more active times for a lot of people. Avoid posting early in the morning or late at night when fewer users will be browsing.
You can also get a better idea of when to post by looking at the stats of your current posts. Pay attention to which posts get the most engagement and what time of the day you posted them.
14. Work Towards a Feature in Instagram's Explore Section
Getting on the Instagram "Explore" section isn't easy, but you can gain a ton of followers if you're able to snag a spot.
Here are a few tips for getting featured on Instagram's Explore Section:
Post at the top time slots that get the most engagement from your followers
Post compelling and unique photos that are consistent with your brand
Search for similar posts on Explore to see what made them successful
Pay attention to which type of posts on your page get the most engagement and aim to do more of them
While not everyone is able to reach the Instagram Explore page, it can do wonderful things for your Instagram marketing as well as your follower count and post engagement. If you're not able, don't sweat it, there are still plenty of other ways to gain followers.
15. Do Instagram Giveaways
Everyone loves a giveaway! These will help you not only gain more engagement with your current followers, but also gain new followers as well. If it's in your Instagram marketing budget, it's certainly worth the investment.
First, decide on your prize. Make sure it's consistent with your brand. For example, if you're running a cooking page, you could give away a new kitchen tool or a set of cookware.
Then, decide on your criteria. A good method is to require your winner to be following you and to tag a friend in a comment. That way, you'll be attracting even more viewers to your profile.
16. Encourage Your Followers to Tag Friends
Having your followers tag their friends will lead new people to your page. If they like your content, then you'll gain them as a follower.
A good way to do this is by posting something relatable and using the phrase "Tag a friend who (insert scenario here)." For example, if you're running an interior decorating page, you could post a picture of a room and caption it with "tag a friend who would live here" or something similar.
Or, you could post an inspirational quote and say something like "tag someone who you admire."
The key here is to do this once in a while. That way, you'll avoid sounding like you're trying too hard.
17. Carry Your Instagram Marketing Throughout Other Social Media
If you're active on other social media platforms, make sure you're mentioning your Instagram on these accounts! Mention it in your bios as well as your posts. That way, you'll be bringing all your followers on those platforms over to your Instagram.
If you have a separate website, this is a great place to advertise your Instagram, too.
Start Building Your Instagram Following Today
Regardless of celebrity status, you can still enjoy success as an Instagram influencer if you follow the right strategy. Now that you know our top tips for Instagram marketing, start building your following today!
Contact us now for assistance in reaching your Instagram marketing goals.
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