Instagram now has two billion monthly active users, who spend an average of 53 minutes scrolling the platform daily. That’s a lot of reach.
But, to break through the noise, your Instagram marketing game has to be on point.
Follow these tips for success.
Sections
1. Don’t overdo it with hashtags
You read that right. Using too many hashtags can actually make your posts come off as spammy — to your followers and the Instagram algorithm.
However, it’s important to include some hashtags to increase the reach and visibility of your posts. What’s the hashtag sweet spot? For maximum engagement, use eleven hashtags per post.
2. Create intrigue with Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories enjoy the most prominent placement on Instagram, at the very top of the feed, so you want to make sure you’re leveraging this format. Don’t worry: With their limited-time, 24-hour format, Instagram Stories can be more casual and less polished.
Experiment with multi-frame Stories that share a short, easy-to-read phrase or image per frame. Encourage people to slow down and click through each frame. By building that behavior of engagement, you’re developing a relationship with your audience that makes them more likely to engage with your other content in the future.
You can use Stories to reveal new products, announce an Instagram contest, or share exclusive discount codes. You can even post teasers with a countdown sticker, nudging encouraging people to check back in later and engage with you again. As they engage more frequently with your Stories, Instagram may reward your brand with a more prominent position in their Stories.
Pro Tip: Give your Instagram Stories longer reach by curating them in the Highlights section of your profile. You can show off new product collections, product tutorials, and influencer partnership content.
3. Go live
Consumers show an increasing preference for brands that are genuine and authentic. So, get real and be candid with Instagram Live.
Show off your newly-released products, instead of relying on a traditional stuffy press release (don’t forget to add the link to purchase to your bio). Share live tutorials of how to use your products so your audience can follow along in real-time. Host Live AMAs (Ask Me Anything) with a thought leader from your business or an influencer popular with your audience.
Pro Tip: Use your Instagram Stories to announce ahead of time when you’re going to be live.
4. Partner with influencers on contests and giveaways
Speaking of influencers, working with them to promote a contest or giveaway is one of the easiest ways to increase your follower count. Typically, the entry for an Instagram contest requires people to follow you and tag friends to enter. Make your content interesting, and those people are likely to keep following you, even once the contest ends.
Pro Tip: Treat your followers like influencers. Reward them for posting amazing content of your brand or products with a #regram. The more your customers see you regramming other people’s content, the more likely they are to post about your brand themselves, in the hopes of being featured — spreading your reach and positive word of mouth.
Bonus points to @Spanx for tagging their products in this regram:
5. Post at the right times
According to Sprout Social, the best time to post on Instagram is on weekdays between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., with Tuesday being the best day and Sunday being the worst. Post at these times to give your engagement rates that extra boost.
Pro Tip: Remember: every brand is unique, so use your Insights (available only to business profiles) to see when your content receives the most impressions.
6. Expand your reach with ads
Instagram has done a great job integrating ads seamlessly with the rest of the feeds and Stories, so they don’t stick out like a sore thumb. That’s what makes advertising on Instagram so effective.
Plus, Instagram ads offer the same powerful targeting criteria as parent company Meta (formerly known as Facebook), including the ability to target users by location, demographic, interest, and their behavior on and off Instagram. You can even upload custom audiences of your current customer list, so Instagram can present your ads to people with similar interests.
Pro Tip: Had a post go viral or drive a lot of engagement? Turn it into an ad. Keep an eye on your top-performing content to find potential candidates for boosted posts.
7. Sell directly from Instagram
Finally, you can Setting up an Instagram shop adds a “View Shop” button to your profile page, and it also makes your products searchable in the Shop tab of the Explore page. Once you have your Shop set up, you can easily tag your products in your other Instagram content, including regular posts, Stories, and IGTV.
Instagram is a powerful marketing platform. Start the year off right with a strategy tailored just for your business. Learn more at Your Marketing People.
