Photo : Souvik Banerjee via Unsplash
Introduction
Instagram is a highly utilized platform with over one billion monthly active users. That means your brand has the opportunity to reach a large number of individuals in your demographic range if you’re utilizing the platform appropriately.
So what types of tips and tricks are out there for Instagram users? It turns out that there are actually a lot of things you can do to promote your business on Instagram. Check out the advice below to learn what you could be doing to make the most of this social media platform.
Make a Business Account
Making a business account is not only something that Instagram requires, but it’s something that will help you run your Instagram account with more efficiency. There are so many analytics that you will be able to access once you’ve transitioned to a business account and these will help you track the impressions and impact of your campaigns. Creating a business account will also prevent Instagram from blocking your account, resulting in a loss of your hard work and followers.
“Business accounts on Instagram allow you to create sponsored posts, view analytic reports, and have access to so much more than a personal account would,” says Michelle Arnau, CEO of Rowan. “These analytic reports will help you make smart business decisions about future campaigns and goals for your Instagram page.”
Evaluate Peak Engagement Times
Did you know there’s a right and wrong time to post on Instagram? With so many brands competing on a platform that is also filled with a billion users, it can be a struggle to make sure your posts are seen. You can compete well on this platform by making sure you utilize peak engagement times.
“Do research and monitor your own posts to find out when you should be posting content,” says Selom Agbitor, Co-Founder of Mad Rabbit Tattoo. “While it’s convenient to post from 8-5 while your staff is on the clock, that may not be when your audience is using their social media account (because they’re probably at work too). Additionally, if you’re a brand that interacts with people across multiple time zones, you’ll have to keep that in mind.”
Create Content Proactively
Create content weeks ahead of time if you can. This will help you stay ahead of the game and make sure you’re advertising the right things at the right time. Knowing when campaigns are going to run allows you to create a variety of engagement points and cover all of your bases.
“Create a marketing schedule specific to your Instagram feed,” says Trey Ferro, CEO of Spot Pet Insurance. “Knowing what’s on the schedule in terms of sales, events,and promotions can help you create a well-rounded social media strategy to keep your audience engaged.”
Schedule Posts
Did you know you can schedule posts on Instagram? Another perk of using a business account is that posts can be scheduled to appear at certain times and promotions can be pushed more at certain times.
“Post scheduling is super helpful when you’re running more than one campaign,” says Breanne Millette, CEO of Bisoulovely. “Let’s say you have a sale and a collaborative project going on around the same time frame, scheduling these posts can help you make sure you’re reaching your target audience while also dispersing the posts appropriately.”
Vary Your Content
If you’re constantly sharing the same type of post over and over again, even your most loyal followers may get bored and unfollow your brand. Make sure your Instagram page is varied and interesting by creating engaging content to accompany the informational content.
“It’s great to share information about upcoming sales, but creating content that prompts customers to engage with your brand is important too,” says Sara Adam Slywka, Co-Founder and CMO of Nestig. “Don’t overload them with information, instead try to spread out the informative, interactive, trendy, and entertaining posts evenly.”
Find Your “Look”
The term “aesthetic” has become a bit of a buzzword, but on a visually driven platform like Instagram, having a “look” is extremely important. Maybe your brand has a specific color scheme or graphic design process that you use to make your posts look cohesive, that’s great! But there are other ways to develop a branded look on Instagram too.
“Look at your advertising materials and try to find a way to incorporate that style into every post you make,” says Liza Kirsh, CMO of Dymapak. “Try to make sure photos, graphics, videos, and other content all follow your branded image that you’re portraying across other social medias and your website too. Be cohesive.”
Use All of Instagram’s Features
While Instagram is primarily a photo sharing app, there are other options when it comes to sharing content. Using these features can help you promote your brand more frequently without making it feel like you’re spamming your followers.
“Don’t forget that Instagram supports video too,” says Jim Marggraff, CEO of Kinoo. “Instagram’s reels and videos are becoming a more popular way to share content with the rise of Tiktok and video trends on social platforms. Using your stories and creating featured highlights to show on your business’s page can also help you share your brand with your target audience.”
Cross-Promote
Don’t forget that Instagram and Facebook work hand-in-hand now. Use your instagram account and cross promote the material onto Facebook. If you’re spending a lot of time creating Reels based off of trends or to promote your brand as a whole, you can also upload those to Tiktok to reach a different audience.
“It’s no secret that Instagram is a massive platform, but even Instagram doesn’t reach every potential client or consumer,” says Ankur Goyal, Head of Growth for Coterie. “There will always be some people in your target range that prefer other social media platforms such as Tiktok or Facebook. The great thing about social content is that it’s fairly versatile. Don’t be afraid to cross-promote and share the information on multiple platforms.”
Conclusion
There are many ways to utilize Instagram to its fullest potential. Creating a schedule and creating content ahead of time can help you hit those peak times and reach your target demographic with more consistency. The analytics provided by your business account will give you great feedback about how you’re doing as you navigate these posts so you can improve results in the future.
It’s also important to use Instagram to its fullest potential by incorporating branded color schemes, image type, and video in a way that creates a cohesive appearance through your social media and website. Don’t forget to cross-promote and utilize other social platforms as well since many of the posts you create could also translate easily to those sites.