Instagram has become an essential marketing tool for companies big and small. As the social media platform with the fastest-growing user base, it’s no wonder that more advertisers are using Instagram to reach their target audience. Brands have been able to use “Instagram-only” features like video or stories to provide a more personalized experience for consumers.
This is why you should start thinking about how to market your company on Instagram today!
What is Insta Marketing?
Instagram marketing offers companies the opportunity to advertise their products or services through paid advertisement. However, you don’t have to spend any money on promotion if you don’t want to.
Many brands use Instagram for more than just advertisement. By connecting with customers via social media, they can provide support and interact with them on a more personal level. This creates a better customer experience, which leads to brand loyalty and referral traffic.
It’s All About The #hashtags
If you’re looking to increase your brand awareness on Instagram, the #hashtag is your best friend. Hashtags are coded words that act as search functions within Instagram. When they are used in a post (or story), anyone who searches for that hashtag will be able to find it.
That means that using popular hashtags like #fashion or #makeup can expose your posts to a broad audience, which can lead to targeted organic reach.
Why Your Business Needs to Be on Instagram Now
Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. According to Instagram’s official website, they have over 800 million active users as of this year.
That means that over 800 million people are scrolling through their feeds every day looking for inspiration from brands and influencers alike. This gives businesses a unique opportunity to interact with their target audience in a way that is not possible on other platforms.
Instagram ads are also much less expensive than Facebook, Google, or Snapchat ads. That means you can reach more people for the same price, which makes your advertising dollars go even further.
Brands have already started taking advantage of Instagram’s potential to market their products. According to an article on the Social Media Examiner’s website, 65% of businesses are now advertising on Instagram.
Because so many brands have already switched over to Instagram marketing, your competitors are probably using it as well. If you want to stay relevant in your industry, then you’re going to have to step up your Instagram game, too.
Tips for Getting Started with Insta Marketing
If you’re ready to start reaching out to your target audience on Instagram, the best thing you can do for yourself is to make sure you have high-quality images. Captions are also an important part of any marketing campaign, so be sure to include information about your business or your products in them. Just make sure that they are well-written and grammatically correct.
If you want to learn how to market your company on Instagram, the best thing you can do is to research how other companies are doing it. If you know of a particular brand that has an appealing social media presence, check out their feeds for inspiration.
The most important part of any marketing campaign is making sure your target audience is engaged. Make sure you’re always interacting with your customers and trying to learn more about them so you can provide the best possible experience.
How to Use Hashtags Effectively when Marketing on Instagram
Instagram is a great place to interact with your target audience and gain brand awareness, but it’s also important that you use hashtags effectively if you want to reach as many people as possible. As I’ve mentioned before, using popular hashtags can help expose your feed to a wider audience. Not only will this bring more followers, but it will also help you gain more exposure.
Instagram makes it easy to find hashtags that are relevant to your industry with their “Explore” tool. Typing in keywords describing your business or the products you advertise will bring up popular hashtags that are relevant to what you’re posting.
If there isn’t a hashtag for your business or industry, don’t be afraid to create your own! Just make sure it has some kind of unique identifier so people know what they’re searching for.
Instagram stories have become one of the most popular features the social media platform has to offer. Instagram revealed that people were watching over 1 billion stories every day as of October 2017. That’s a lot of content!
In an attempt to compete with Facebook and Snapchat, Instagram started offering its users a unique way to interact with their audience. Stories give users a place to tell short, intimate stories about what’s going on in their life at the moment.
In another article from Social Media Examiner, it was revealed that 97% of marketers use Instagram stories. This goes to show how effective this feature is for engaging your target audience.
With Instagram’s story update, users can swipe up on posts to get related content. If you own a business or are promoting a product, this is an excellent way of getting your viewers more information about what they are looking at.
Again, you must use hashtags when posting stories on Instagram. This will help your content become more searchable, which means that a wider audience is going to come across it.
You don’t always have to post information about your business or what you’re selling if you want to use Instagram stories. Showing behind-the-scenes footage of what happens in your company is a great way to engage with your audience and provide a more personal touch.
Maybe it’s the first day of summer and you want to share what sunscreen products you use! Or, maybe you just finished hosting an event at your company and want people to know about it! The sky is the limit when it comes to what kinds of stories you can put together.
Influencer marketing is a great way to get your business in front of more people. It’s been proven that customers are much more likely to buy something from a brand or company after seeing it recommended by someone they know and trust.
One influencer post on Instagram could be the difference between making a sale, or someone scrolling past. It’s all about getting the attention of your target audience and leveraging the trust they have in their favorite influencers.
The great thing about Instagram is that it allows influencers to tag each other in posts. This makes it easy to see which influencer has posted something, so marketers can reach out directly if they’re interested in what was posted.
The Best Time of Day to Post on Instagram
Everyone knows that Instagram is a great social media platform for engaging with your target audience. But did you know there are certain times when it’s best to post?
There are many different opinions on the perfect time to post, but some trends are emerging that show marketers what times are most effective. The numbers in this section were found by SumAll, an analytics platform for social media.
As you can see in the graphs above, certain times of day will get your posts more engagement than others. Of course, this varies depending on what time zone your followers are in, but these tips should be helpful no matter where they live.
The best times to post on Instagram are between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. in the United States, between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m., and between noon and 4 p.m. These are great times to get your posts out there!
Other Tips and Tricks for Using the Platform More Effectively
There are many other tips and tricks that marketers can use to help improve their presence on Instagram. These include:
- Be authentic and personable: People love knowing about the real people behind the brands they like. By adding a human element to your marketing efforts, you’ll have an easier time reaching your audience.
- Include high-quality photos: Instagram users love looking at high-quality images. This means you should consider hiring a professional photographer to take the pictures for your posts, or doing it yourself if you have the right equipment.
- Interact with other accounts: Don’t be afraid to interact with other brands on Instagram! They want people to follow them, so it’s a two-way street where everyone benefits.
- Make it visual: Instagram is all about sharing images. Whether you’re taking them yourself or posting stock photos, the visuals are what matter most on this platform.
- Stay away from boring, promotional content: If your posts just say “buy my product!”, you’re going to see a lot of unengaged users. This is not how real people talk, and it won’t get you anywhere.
- Take advantage of Instagram stories: So far, there isn’t any word on when Instagram plans to end this feature. That means marketers can still use it to provide their audience with special content.
Customer service is another great way to use Instagram stories since people can message you directly through the platform. If you’re interested in using this feature but aren’t sure where to start, check out our article on how to use Instagram stories for customer service!
By taking advantage of these helpful tips and tricks, marketers can better reach their target audience on Instagram. And who knows – this could be the key to a whole new level of success for your company!
Instagram Has Become an Essential Marketing Tool for Companies Big and Small.
As the social media platform with the fastest-growing user base, it’s no wonder that more advertisers are using Instagram to reach their target audience. Brands have been able to use “Instagram-only” features like video or stories to provide a more personalized experience for consumers. Whether you’re selling a digital product online or you run a brick-and-mortar business, these behavioral neuroscience principles will work for you.
They’ll help you drive more visitors into your marketing funnel and convert casual visits into sales. The great thing about Instagram is that it allows influencers to tag each other in posts This makes it easy to see which influencer has posted something, so marketers can reach out and work with them more easily. So while monitoring trends is important, always keep in mind that marketing on Instagram is a long-term process. It takes time to build up your brand’s popularity, but the rewards are worth it!
Alignment Online Marketing is a full-service digital marketing agency based in Los Angeles, CA. Our team has decades of experience helping hundreds of brands turn their web presence into a powerful tool for generating leads and sales. If you’d like to learn more about how we can find the perfect market strategy for your company, give us a call at (512) 831 7322, or visit our website and request a free consultation. When you sign up, we’ll take the time to understand your business and offer personalized advice on how we can improve your web presence.