7 Strategies for More Effective Instagram Marketing

Micro-influencer marketing, IGTV and giveaway contests represent just a few tactics you can use to increase sales and brand awareness. Social Media Week magazine compiled 7 tips on how to succeed on Instagram, and we bring them to you for inspiration.

Increasing reach, expanding audience – these are usually the main goals of Instagram marketers. However, as practice has shown, they can only be achieved if you understand who your audience is and how to serve them the content properly.

Your company is already operating on Instagram – so why not do it properly and in a way that would turn your efforts into real conversions? Explore different strategies on how to optimally use your time and money and bring long-term results.

1. Customize Your Marketing

According toStatista, the largest demographic group on Instagram is the 18-24 age category. This is the so-called Generation Z, and it’s important to realize that onlymarketing techniques appropriate to their age will work here.

For example, 69% of users in this generation consider online advertising disruptive, so you need to think about a non-invasive approach instead. For instance, similarly to how Apple does it, which reaches its audience with photos taken on iPhone. This simple strategy allows the company to build a relationship with its audience in a natural and non-coercive way.

2. Invest in Micro-Influencers

Don’t be afraid to collaborate with so-called micro or nano-influencers. It’s an accessible and natural way for this generation to help your brand grow on Instagram.

These small influencers can be original, able to reach a wide audience while remaining “normal” trustworthy people who communicate with their followers. This is exactly what young people value on the platform.

It’s also likely that unlike celebrities and influencers with well-known names, these influencers will put a link in their bio, thus helping you increase website traffic.

3. Use Various Tools

A good way to expand brand awareness is to use tools that will guide you “behind the scenes”. For example, you can focus on analytics and already published posts. This way, you’ll find out what works for you and which posts get the most attention.

Instagram itself offers a range of useful tools. If that’s not enough for you, use others from third-party sources – for example for content planning, tracking the right users, developing strategies, editing images and more.

4. Let Instagram Amplify Your Content

Include as many different distribution channels in your Instagram strategy as possible. If you write articles on a blog or record podcasts, for example, create shorter versions of them that you can also use on other channels within Instagram (a feed post, Stories, IGTV video, etc.). Or, offer people a teaser of what you’re preparing instead. This way you maximize the use of all the content you create.

5. Take Advantage of IGTV

IGTV is a platform where you can publish longer-form videos, and Instagram iseagerly working on it. By creating an IGTV channel, you get a mini version of YouTube connected to Instagram. You can then use it for promoting your videos.

IGTV is suitable for various video tutorials, continuing stories, introducing a new product/service, podcasts and more. IGTV also lets you create content in multiple parts that relate to one topic. This can really engage viewers and bring them back for regular viewing.

6. Support Interest with Contests

A great way to attract your audience’s attention and spark their interest in your brand is to run giveaway contests. It’s one of the most affordable marketing strategies on Instagram and is very easy to implement.

Before you dive into it, though, keep these criteria in mind:

• Define a clear goal for what you expect from this activity (is it brand awareness, more followers, or perhaps more likes?)
• Decide what the prize will be
• Create an interesting description and add the right hashtags
• Set the contest conditions for participants
• Read Instagram’s rules for running contests
• Think about how you will promote the contest
• Determine the duration of the contest
• Finally, launch the contest and promote it

This strategy has proven itself not only in building a follower base, but it will also tell you a lot about your audience. Especially for new businesses, this marketing technique works very well.

7. Share user-generated content

Many brands make the mistake of focusing only on creating their own content, instead of involving users in creation. The goal is, after all, for your audience to love the brand as much as you do.

This strategy works wonders for several reasons:

• It helps your audience get closer to the brand because they see that your products/services are used by people like them.
• If you share an image posted by someone who has a connection to your brand and likes it, it’s likely that you’ll further support their passion and they’ll keep coming back to you regularly.
• People who would also like to be featured on your page will likely post even more images with your product/service.

If you want to learn more about how to work with so-called UGC content, check out our article.

Creating a social media strategy for your business is one of the fundamental parts of your digital marketing efforts. Therefore, keep in mind that your strategy should match your goals and should be tailored to your business.

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