With more than 500 million active users daily and increasing, Instagram has rapidly become a powerhouse in the social media world.
The rise of Instagram’s popularity has caused many brands to concentrate their social media marketing on the platform. While many are making the most of the chances it offers, some are not fully using its potential. So, how can you enhance your Instagram marketing efforts?
- Get your bio right
When people visit your Instagram profile, your bio should motivate them to follow you. Start by clearly stating who you are and what you do. Next, include a reason for them to follow your page, like “follow us for marketing tips and guidance.” Finally, share something that shows your expertise, like a whitepaper or guide. Feel free to use emojis in each of these points to make your bio more eye-catching.
- Use video
Research shows that users are 95% more likely to recall a CTA when watching a video, as opposed to only 10% that read a CTA, and therefore using videography as a marketing tool is a no-brainer. As a visual social platform, Instagram is the ideal place to utilise your video content, including promotional, testimonials, office culture and more.
- Hashtags
If you want your post to be seen by an audience wider than your following, then you must use hashtags. Particularly for Instagram users, who can actively ‘follow’ hashtags, these are a great way to categorise a post whilst simultaneously reaching your target audience. There is a fine line between too little and too many hashtags, but it is recommended that you use a minimum of five. When it comes to which hashtags you should use, do your research and identify relevant keywords that have a minimum of 60,000 attributed to them.
- Utilise stories
As Instagram evolves, stories have now become a vital part to any social media marketing strategy, with people now more likely to view your story in the first instance, prior to viewing your Instagram grid. On your stories you can re-share your content, provide insight into company culture, showcase events and don’t forget using the all-important hashtag and location pin. While stories are mainly for snippets of video, Instagram has recently introduced IGTV, which allows you to share much longer video content with your audience.
There are countless ways that a business can utilise the power of Instagram to boost their marketing success, and in following the four steps above, alongside other best practice techniques, this platform can bring significant returns.