Instagram is a powerful platform for businesses.
There are more than 25 million active Instagram business profiles and 2 million advertisers on the platform according to internal data. The Instagram audience is also incredibly engaged; 60 percent of users discover new products using Instagram, and more than 200 million visit at least one business profile per day.
As the platform reports on his blog: “As 800 million use Instagram every month to discover and follow their passions, more and more people use it to connect with businesses they love.”
Forbes supported this claim, declaring Instagram as “the new home for [brands] looking for an impact on social networks.”
Instagram marketing can also work for your business, if you use it correctly. An optimized social media marketing strategy can help you build a consistent brand, measure your target audience and increase potential customers and revenue.
Instagram tips for companies
Use these 10 tips to make the most of your Instagram presence and, in turn, increase your general business practices.
1. Create an optimized business profile
Unlike other social networks with many functions (such as Instagram’s parent company, Facebook), the mobile platform first has a relatively simple profile design. You can use your profile as the first step to a simplified brand presence on Instagram. Be sure to include the following fundamental elements so that your profile is the best possible:
Account name: your business name
Profile image: your company logo (remember that these images are circular and small, so a simple graphic works better)
Biography: 150 characters or less in your business / brand (think of this as your elevator speech, which can constantly evolve with your business and content calendar)
Website: a link to your main website, a landing page or an expandable link (only one link is allowed at a time, so choose wisely)
TIP: Be sure to use the right Instagram profile image size for your business profile.
The Starbucks profile is a perfect example of a company that uses its limited profile space well.
2. Use free tools (mium)
A good seller knows that the right tools allow you to work smarter, not harder. While there are countless third-party resources that can help you make the most of your Instagram presence, here are some valuable options that offer free subscriptions to help you level up your social media game:
Canva: This graphic design platform offers a free subscription that is quite solid on its own, especially used to create Instagram compatible graphics. Canva offers templates, inspiration and archive images, which are useful for companies that may not have many media or images of their own.
Linktree: This tool allows you to create an optimized landing page on the expandable platform using the link in your biography. If your company does not have its own landing page, this tool is an easy and effective way to generate more specific traffic from the platform and allows you to share publications at the best time to post on Instagram, even if you are not at work.
A programming platform: when it comes to planning your business publications, using a programmer is obvious as it allows you to free up time, plan ahead and make effective use of your content calendar. There are many options available, so check this list to find the best one for you.
TIP: Use social media management software to schedule your Instagram posts in advance.
3. Establish brand guidelines and standards
Brand guidelines help you ensure that your company’s design is standard throughout the content. Because Instagram is an advanced visual platform, it is important to establish a guide to ensure graphics, feel and aesthetics in the brand. The coherence of the brand keeps its messages, offers, design and perspective in line with the general objectives of your company. The effective brand helps raise awareness and build trust and loyalty with your customers or customers.
For smaller companies that don’t have a brand guide, using Instagram can be a foray into setting brand marketing standards that they can then use in all of their marketing assets. The deepest visual nature of the platform is pushing many design companies not traditionally to reconsider their brand approach for the better.
4. Develop a content calendar.
A well-developed content calendar (especially for Instagram) helps you with visualization, organization, consistency and reports. It can be as simple as using a social media programmer or a shared Google spreadsheet. Your content calendar guides your social media strategy and content exchange (and can also translate to your other content and marketing efforts).
While you should create an annual calendar to guide the overall strategy, it is recommended to revisit it quarterly so as not to miss important dates or holidays. In addition, social media activity is coordinated with other timely topics, such as current events and changes in the industry, and if necessary, you can add new and relevant information to your calendar when you visit again.
Many B2C brands, for example, adjust their calendars to match the purchase seasons. The lifestyle empire cultivated by HGTV Magnolia offers a master class example of a seasonally inspired calendar. Looking at his Instagram grid, see how his posts reflect the summer season (left) or fall (right).
5. Understand the algorithm (and work with it)
The Instagram algorithm changes with the frequency of the stations. While this may seem burdensome for marketing specialists and business owners, it forces them to keep up with the latest marketing practices. Understanding the algorithm can lead to a better understanding of the changing nature of your industry in other areas.
If you take even one afternoon each quarter to explore new algorithms and social media updates using online resources, you can stay ahead. For example, this Social Media Today report offers actionable data on frequency of publication versus commitment. To begin, try this guide on how to work with algorithms to maximize performance.
6. Align your social strategy with your business strategy
Everything you do to manage your business must be strategic. However, many business owners and managers are reactive and tend to handle things as they happen. Sprout Social confirms that almost half of all social marketing specialists say their biggest challenge is to develop a strategy that supports general business objectives.
Creating, adjusting and updating an optimized Instagram strategy is an opportunity to prioritize the overall objectives and goals of your business.
Tip: Do you want your business to look legitimate? Here is our guide on how to be verified on Instagram.
7. Use Instagram to level up your other content marketing
You can reach a broad and committed audience by publishing news or Instagram stories. It is the perfect place to try new content themes, themes and angles to measure interest.
For example, you can use the survey feature in Instagram stories to directly ask your audience about their preferences. It is a free and effective A / B test that you can use to come up with content for other marketing efforts of your brand, such as your blog or customer service content.
8. Incorporate user generated content
User-generated content (UGC) is content that your audience publishes about your brand and that you can share again in your feed. For Instagram, (and all parts of your business) UGC is a goldmine. The big brands know and take advantage of it; Check it out on the chart below.
To use UGC, first look for images that your audience publishes about your brand, then republish them. Be sure to use a forwarding application to grant the appropriate credit. You can also create direct campaigns or contests, asking your audience to publish images using their products or services. This gives authenticity to its brand that social network users crave, and 86% of consumers agree that authenticity is important when deciding which brands they like and support.
This is especially true in today’s digital environment with a lot of publicity, where almost 42% of consumers think the ads are too aggressive and 18.6% even find them creepy. UGC is like an organic advertisement for your business from a reliable source, so it is unlikely to be aggressive or creepy.
9. Interact directly with your audience
Instagram offers a unique space to interact and interact with your audience on a personal level. You can have conversations with your clients or clients through direct messages, replies, comments on Instagram stories and republish. Think of it as a low cost, low effort and low stress market research where you can get more information about your demographic goals.
Boosting commitment also allows you to strengthen relationships with your target audience, customers and customers, which is essential to build a reliable brand.
10. Do not forget the final result
The use of Instagram opens up to countless potential new clients, as 200 million instagrammers actively visit a company’s profile every day. Two thirds of these visits are from people who still don’t follow that business. There is great potential to interact with your brand on Instagram, but don’t forget that your ultimate goal should remain conversions.
More than just an audience
28% of marketing specialists say that social selling is one of their top priorities for 2019, but only 16% admit that incorporating social networks into their sales process is one of their biggest challenges. Instagram can be used to reach a new audience and help your business strategy in many other ways, but don’t forget to close the circle.
For e-commerce companies, that could mean adding affordable tags to publications and stories, a recent and very valuable platform update. Whether it’s B2B or B2C, there are many ways to get Instagram followers in your funnel.
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