In the past two years, Instagram has doubled its number of users. This is good news for marketers, because 80% of users follow at least one business profile. Not only do users follow these profiles, but they actively visit them too. According to Instagram, 200 million users visit a business profile each day. With over 1 million brands actively using this social media platform to reach consumers, it’s important to learn how to stand out in the crowd. After all, you don’t want your brand sounding like more white noise.
So how do you do it?
First, it’s important to know who your target audience is. As always, this is the first step when it comes to marketing. Is your audience even on Instagram? According to Smart Insights, 59% of Instagram users are between the ages of 18 and 29. If you’re targeting females, you’ve hit the jackpot. The majority of Instagram users are female, which makes sense, considering the fact that women make up the highest proportion of Internet users overall.
But what do Instagrammers like to see?
Instagram is all about pictures. So make your content visually resonate. Users scroll through their feed quickly, make your photo eye-catching enough to stop them and earn that double-tap. It can also be strategic to disguise your brand. We know…that sounds counter-productive. But what we mean by that is, don’t make your photo scream, “LOOK, IT’S ME AGAIN! HEY, BUY ME!” Your brand has to be personable and interesting. The user should feel like they’re liking one of their friend’s photos – not just another brand’s photo. Therefore, the photo can’t scream marketing. Instead, it has to scream “aesthetic.” Think about what traits in your brand’s personality can be made to work well in creating engaging post. Remember, Millenials want content they find visually appealing and share-worthy. If your photo fits this description, Instagrammers will not only relate to your brand but begin to recognize it. So make sure that your aesthetic matches your brand. Consider, using the same or similar filters across all posts. The most popular Instagram filters of 2017 include: Clarendon, Gingham, Juno, Lark, and Moon. And this may be an obvious one, but only post high-quality photos. With today’s technology, there’s no excuse for a grainy Insta.
Lastly, here are 10 top tips from the experts to help your business improve its Instagram presence:
Pro Tip #1: Photos with faces gain more engagement.
Pro Tip #2: Tag products in your photos to prompt conversions.
Pro Tip #3: Set a location on your photo to increase search optimization.
Pro Tip #4: Utilize Instagram Stories to link to products, tag brand names, and show creativity.
Pro Tip #5: Use relevant hashtags for higher engagement.
Pro Tip #6: Hide your hashtag list under “read more.”
Pro Tip #7: Consider an Instagram-based giveaway or photo contest.
Pro Tip #8: Like and comment on other user’s photos.
Pro Tip #9: Post at peak times of day. Studies have shown this time is 5PM for Instagram.
Pro Tip #10: Get in touch with an Instagram Influencer to promote your brand.