David is a best-selling author, speaker and trainer. He is also CEO of IPD, a world-class marketing agency based in Tampa, Florida.
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Social media marketing has never been more relevant than it is right now. Gone are the days when radio ads, television commercials and magazine space reigned supreme as the main driving force behind business marketing campaigns. Instead, we have Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and even TikTok is showing vast growth in terms of advertising.
And while I have already gone over the powerful force of Facebook as a marketing platform, I have yet to touch on other social media platforms. In this article, I will go in-depth on the benefit that marketing on Instagram can have on both small as well as large organizations. Regardless of where you’re at in your marketing campaign, these five tips can help take your Instagram marketing to the next level.
Be mindful of the time you post.
Creating quality content is crucial, but what if nobody is there to see what you’ve posted? You might have pictures and videos that would attract many consumers to interact and engage with you, but if you post at a time in which your consumers aren’t actively using Instagram, it won’t matter.
Be mindful of not only what you post, but when you post. The most efficient and effective times to post will vary based on the day, type of content, content length and your general audience, so this will often require a bit of research on your specific demographic as well as some trial-and-error. But if you notice that certain post types perform better on certain days and at certain times, stick with it!
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If your product or service is targeted mainly to a much older, often retired audience, you probably wouldn’t want to post late at night. If you run a business whose customers are mainly composed of teens and young adults, you may not want to post at 5 a.m. By knowing your audience and being mindful of the times that they may be using the app, you will be able to ensure that more eyes are on your content.
Switch to a business account.
If you have yet to make the transition from a personal account to a business account on Instagram, now is the time to do so. Business accounts provide further analytics for your posts and the engagement of your followers. Having a business account also provides you with the option to promote ads and posts. Personal accounts do not have this option.
These tools can provide you with the ability to grow your engagement and reach in a way that personal accounts simply cannot do. The more in-depth analytics on your post will also allow you to research what posts resonate with your audience and what posts do not. You cannot grow what you don’t know! If you don’t have access to the analytics of your posts, how will you be able to determine the changes and tweaks that you may need for your Instagram page to be as successful as possible? Business accounts are crucial for companies both large and small to effectively measure their marketing tactics.
Your captions matter.
Instagram relies on word embedding, and just as SEO is important for Google, it is important for Instagram. Gone are the days in which you could simply throw a few relevant hashtags in the caption of your post, sit back and watch your content blow up with likes and comments. You have to be mindful of the captions that you write for your posts if you want new prospects to find your content. Over 2 billion people use Instagram every single month!
In order to stick out among this sea of consumers, influencers and business owners, hashtags simply won’t do. Stand out with relevant content and relevant captions to go with this content. Your goal should be to not only get in front of the eyes of your followers but to land on the Explore pages of other potential consumers. Research keywords and ensure that your captions incorporate them to maximize your SEO!
Set up a shop.
Setting up an Instagram shop provides you with the ability to sell products directly on Instagram. If you’ve spent any length of time on Instagram, you have probably seen a post in which a model or actor is wearing a shirt, shoes or maybe a watch that has a small white dot located on the article of clothing. When you click on this, you will be taken to a page on Instagram where you can purchase the exact item being shown. This is because the page has an Instagram shop set up for consumers to purchase these products. It is a quick, easy and seamless transition to purchase these items. The easier you make it for a customer to purchase, the more likely they will do so.
Utilize sponsored ads.
Like Facebook, Instagram allows marketers to use sponsored ads as a means to further the reach of their content. Take advantage of this feature, as sponsored ads will broaden the reach of your posts. A bigger reach means more eyeballs on your posts and potentially more business. It’s been reported that Instagram ads have the ability to reach over 1.2 billion people. By taking the time and spending the money to sponsor a specific photo or video, you can ensure that you reach a wider audience that you previously would not have been able to reach.
These tips can make the difference between an average Instagram account and an exceptional account. There is money to be made and connections to be had on Instagram. By taking the time to incorporate these tips and researching the algorithms that Instagram relies on, your social media marketing can generate leads in real time for your company.
Social media marketing is more than just Facebook, and the opportunities and possibilities within Instagram are innumerable. Follow these steps, and watch your marketing campaigns flourish.
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Author: David Villa, Forbes Councils Member
