Instagram has definitely made a name for itself and it’s not surprising to see why.
With Instagram, you can easily upload your memorable photos in a very neat and organized format. Think artworks in a gallery that are curated for perfection. You then upload these photos in the Internet and gain thousands of likes and comments.
With 300 million daily users, there’s a lot of potential for marketing. You can gain millions of followers and create tons of viral posts. You can engage your customers every day.
So, how can you level up your Instagram game and increase your Instagram dm online you receive?
If you’re interested in finding out more about Instagram marketing, then check out this list that features Five Best Tips That Can Help You Succeed in Instagram Marketing.
1 – More hashtags!
When it comes to hashtags— the more the merrier. The feature makes it easy for Instagrammers to find you. Plus, it lets you to categorize your content in different social media platforms. But how many hashtags should you use? According to Buffer, posts with more than 11 hashtags get a lot more engagement.
When posting your hashtags, don’t just use every word that comes to mind. Observe the hashtags used by your competitors or your target market. This ensures that your hashtags are actively used and searched by Instagrammers.
What I recommend is Hashtagify.me and it’s completely free. Just type the hashtag that you would like to use. Then you’ll easily find out the most popular related hashtags, the top influencers who have used the hashtags and the popularity trend for the hashtag.
2 – Set a schedule and follow through
When it comes to success, consistency is key. When it comes to Instagram, posting frequently ensures that your brand stays relevant. You’ll be surprised to find out that making and sticking to your schedule is pretty easy. Once you have the right tools, you can just sit back and relax.
What I’d recommend is ScheduGram. It’s not for free, but it’s totally worth it. Whether you’re uploading a video or planning your weekly campaign, ScheduGram ensures that you can come up with a neat schedule. When it’s finally time to post, you don’t need an alarm to remind you to go online. Instead, ScheduGram automatically posts your content. No other effort required.
What’s even more amazing is that the app is directly integrated to Canva—one of the best design platforms for beginners. Just upload your image and you can easily edit, crop, add captions or filters to your favorite images. With ScheduGram, your brand will be an Instagram hit in no time.
If you’re on a tight budget, then you can try out free Instagram Schedulers. There’s Hootsuite, Lategram and Crowdfire, which are pretty good alternatives. However, opting for their free plan could limit your number of posts and available features.
3 – Regram User-Generated Content (UGC)
As its name suggests, User-Generated Content (UGC) is content made by your users. For instance, if you own a restaurant, UGC could consist of the Instagram photos of your customers taken while they’re dining in the restaurant. Or it could be the photos of users while they are using your app.
The technique has a lot of cool benefits. For one, you don’t have to hire a photographer. You don’t need to think about what picture you’ll post. You just simply repost the content of the user and tag them on Instagram. Second, your users can come up with very creative images or selfies. So, the technique adds an element of diversity to your Instagram profile. It also drives a lot more engagement to your posts or marketing campaign. Customers are motivated when they know there’s a chance that they’ll get shared on social media. After all, everyone wants a few minutes of fame.
McDonalds sets a pretty good example when it comes to User Generated Content. The fastfood chain regrams the most creative shots made by its users. Who knew reposting could get you 18,000 likes?
4 – Use Instagram Analytics
You don’t just post blindly. You have to know the trends, how to increase engagement and what your customers like. You don’t do this by ranking post per post as you look at your pictures one by one. With the right tools you can easily get the kind of data that you need.
What I recommend is Simply Measured. The free tool allows brands to gauge their engagement and to analyze their performance trends. You can also determine average engagement, likes per posts and most active users.
Just enter your brand’s Instagram user name and verify the account. Afterwards, click continue to download your brand’s social media analytics report.
5 – Stick to a Style
Your Instagram has to be consistent when it comes to the style of your content. What is supposed to be the feel of your posts/brand? What colors should you use? Do these colors resonate with your brand? Does your brand have a pastel-colored theme? These questions can be answered by a simple style guide. Having your own style guide is important because it allows your graphic designers and marketers to determine how your brand is going to visually communicate with your audience. Plus, it allows your users to have a better recall of your brand.
When it comes to style you have to be consistent with your color palette and filters. The palette doesn’t require you to limit your colors, but it’s a huge help when it comes to making sure your posts have a nice familiar feeling. If your brand has a pastel-colored theme, then pastel-themed Instagram photos will allow your audience to visually recall your brand’s post the moment they see it. In the same way, you should also use the same filters so that there’s a similar visual style in your photos.
Just check out @andreachong’s Instagram photos on her trip to Bohol, Philippines. All the photos have a rustic ocean-themed style, which adds a visually stunning yet consistent feeling to her travel photos.
Your brand’s fonts should be the same fonts that you use in the website and other social media accounts. Similar fonts allow Instagrammers to instantly recognize your posts in their feed. Just take a few pointers from McDonald’s “M” style logo, which makes use of their classic McLawsuit font.
Conclusion
As you’ve learned from the list, there’s a lot of ways that you can spice up your Instagram marketing. However, the greatest takeaway from this post is that you have to be consistent. You have to post frequently and these posts have to visually resonate with your brand. It’s also a good idea to gather data on your Instagram to determine which of kind posts are working, and which ones aren’t up to par.
Got any more Instagram tips? Be sure to comment them down below!
