Instagram is one of the best social media platforms for its ability to connect with followers. Its visuals are compelling and attract younger generations to the platform. In addition to portraying captivating photos, businesses can create social media profiles that emphasize their brand’s goals and mission, showcase products, and acquire leads and sales. Businesses need to utilize power tools in Instagram to drive their social sales.
Highlights of Contents
1. Instagram Business Account
Currently, there are nearly twenty-five million business profiles on Instagram. It is evident that to be competitive in the market, businesses must have an Instagram profile. The business profile gives access to analytics that means marketers can view the stats and demographics of followers. Analytics helps them in identifying the target audience and knowing their interests. Marketers can also pay for promoting their posts, which is not possible with a personal Instagram account. The users can switch from personal account to Business Instagram account easily.
Another incredible feature is that businesses can include email, call, and direct links at the top of the business profile on Instagram. This approach enables customers to quickly gather contact information and check directions to your business in Google maps. Businesses need to ensure that customers can locate them simply because customers prefer quick and easy shopping experiences.
2. User-Generated Content
User-Generated Content is curated Content from the fans and followers. The tagged posts and posts with brand hashtags are a rich source for UGC. Sharing the photos with fans and followers makes the original creator feel good and represents that they genuinely care about their customers.
For instance, ASOS hosts a campaign to invite customers to share their pictures featuring ASOS products on varied social channels. The customers can then include the hashtag #AsSeenOnMe for the possibility of getting featured. ASOS then gathers the images and posts some of the best on the brand’s Instagram profile, named As Seen on Me.
3. Instagram Stories and Highlights
Instagram provides three options for posting the story. The other camera settings that help in creating stories include
- Music: Combines the music clip of the user’s choice to a video or image
- Superzoom: Complements the video with animated zoom.
- Focus: Concentrates on the subject and makes the background gets blurred.
- Hands-Free: Enables to capture video without holding on to the record button.
Instagram Stories are an effective way for businesses to showcase their work behind the scenes. Brands can offer users a sneak peek at upcoming products or try out some risks. People are more interested in seeing the inner functioning of a business. So businesses can utilize Instagram stories to provide followers with behind-the-screen activities. For instance, restaurants can show new preparation methods every day. If the marketers wish to post something else or experiment with the marketing tactics, they can modify their Instagram story as a test run.
Share a story and check its engagement rate or create a poll for the audience to vote in. The marketers can save their favourite Instagram stories and turn them into highlights that remain in their profiles forever. Highlights aids in representing customer’s processes clarify frequently asked questions, and much more. The significant aspect is that it doesn’t disappear at the end of twenty-four hours like Instagram stories. For instance, Milk bars show their fans a cluster of their favourite stories using highlights. Also, marketers can set engaging icons for each highlight.
4. Instagram Live
Instagram enables businesses with a live video option to share real-time Content. Marketers can open Instagram cameras, turn on a live setting and click the Start Live Video button. Once the live video begins, the app’s followers will receive a notification that the brand is live. Live users can comment on the video using in-built chat features. Live videos show enthusiastic real-time Content or interactive moments like Q&A.
5. IGTV
Instagram has recently launched a new feature IGTV. This feature enables users to upload videos of longer duration through channels that are in vertical format. Users can quickly discover business channels and curate their Content. It is an incredible opportunity for businesses to get closer with their audience and not get restricted by format or time. Also, it appears on the top of the profile for easy access.
6. Videos
Instagram allows users to upload videos that are less than one minute in duration. Businesses can download professionally crafted videos or videos edited through mobile apps. Several online editing tools enable brands to work together on multiple clips, add titles, transitions and music. By default, Instagram videos are without sound. Therefore the businesses need to make sure that the beginning few seconds of the video are engaging and understandable. Thus users can use compelling captions or encourage viewers to turn on the sound.
7. Instagram Ads
If businesses do not use Instagram for marketing on social media, they are missing out on massive revenue. Though marketers post great Content on their page, it may only reach their followers. If brands wish to reach people who are not on their follower’s list and strengthen their online presence, it is essential to create advertisements. The sponsored ads appear in user’s feeds who are not essentially followers. Brands can run conventional targeted ads or can retarget prospective customers. Retargeting ads are effective as they help attract customers who have visited the shopping site and abandoned the cart.
8. Utilize Instagram Pods
Brands can reach effective Instagram pods to wrap up engagements. Pods are a set of Instagram users who work together to maximize each other’s engagement and followers. Businesses need to adhere to the engagement guidelines of the pods. They need to like, share and comment on other member’s posts in the pod group. In return, businesses will gather more likes, shares, and comments from other members. Small businesses can opt for small pods with fifteen to twenty users.
9. Add Filters and Edit Photos
Editing photos consumes only a few minutes but can heavily impact the quality. Instagram’s filters and built-in tools make photo editing an easy task. With the simple guidelines, even a picture of a homemade lunch can appear similar to that of a culinary masterpiece. Initially, begin with a great photo because no editing amount helps in fixing images with poor lighting.
There are plenty of free editing apps that enable users to implement effects like tonal contrast, HDR and adjust contrast, brightness, and saturation. Once the user uploads an edited photo to Instagram, it crops the image in square format by default. The users can click on outward-facing arrows and regain the original width and then work with additional Instagram filters. Each Instagram filter has its unique personality that can drastically transform a photo. Instagram recommends users to adjust their photo lux as it maintains exposure and provides sufficient brightness. The editing tools on Instagram help make final tweaks where they can change the photo’s brightness, structure, contrast, alignment, and more.
10. Hashtag Implementation
Instagram feeds consistently keep transforming. Therefore it makes sense to mention that eighty million photos are shared daily. With the abundance of Content, it may be challenging for businesses to get their account noticed, and that’s where hashtags come into place. On Instagram, hashtags gather posts from various users and align them as a single feed, though only public accounts are visible during hashtag search. Instagram makes it easier for users to explore aged Content. When the users search for a particular word or phrase, the result page displays the following segments.
- Top: Shows the top Instagram accounts, locations, and hashtags that include the mentioned keyword
- Accounts: Displays the top Instagram accounts that contain the keyword
- Tags: Recommends popular hashtags containing keywords and the number of Instagram posts shared with the mentioned hashtag.
- Places: This shows the nearby locations that contain the keyword.
Marketers can begin with the Explore tab to find popular posts and check the hashtags used. If they have already figured out a hashtag, they can simply type it in the search bar to view the posts with the specified hashtags and the related ones. It is effective to use specific hashtags and trending hashtags to maximize post relevance and reach. Also, it is excellent if businesses can create their branded hashtag.
Many businesses use their hashtags to launch new products, promote an event, manage an Instagram campaign and gather user-generated content. The hashtags must naturally blend with the caption. It is also better to use a maximum of four hashtags without overwhelming the audience and making it complicated to read.
11. Captivating Instagram Captions
Businesses can discuss with their employees while writing captions. The Content must be timely and also very engaging. Instagram recently worked on its algorithm to align individual user’s feeds to display what interests them. The visibility of the post entirely depends on the number of likes and comments it gains. Businesses need to invest time in creating content that will excite and engage the audience. The captions need to have two thousand two hundred characters. Irrespective of the length, users can view only the first three to four lines of the caption. Therefore the brands need to place crucial Content at the beginning to be readily visible to the audience.
It is better to place a call to action in the caption. Brands need to use captions to move people to their bio link, where they can explore a new blog post or product. Marketers can also add a geotag. Posts with location tags have experienced seventy-nine percent higher engagement. Every social platform has a unique voice. Posts with an authentic tone perform best on Instagram. Brands can experiment with fun tools and emojis to provide a distinct feel.
12. Partner with Influencers
Influencer marketing is a profound marketing tool because it provides astounding results. Studies reveal that more people Influencers more than their friends while buying a product. Promoting the brand and products through Instagram Influencers is likely to enhance sales and has shown increased ROI in many cases. Influencers strategically feature the product in their pictures or videos, or they convey an engaging and anticipating story of the brand.
The Influencers on Instagram provide honest reviews of the product and also share tutorials regarding the product. There are endless opportunities to drive sales with Influencers. For instance, businesses can promote their exclusive discount offers with Influencers to reach a vast audience. This approach will make the brand reliable and recognizable among the audience. Influencers can evolve as brand ambassadors if they have a loyal following. They can review the products and create brand awareness among the customers.
Final Thoughts
Brands need to ensure that they are readily visible to relevant audiences by appropriately using Instagram features. Using the methods mentioned earlier, brands can boost their sales and cut down the hassles that interfere with the customers’ making the purchase. Therefore brands can win the trust of their audience by appropriately engaging their customers on Instagram platforms.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Why is Instagram the best place to collaborate with the audience?
A1: Once brands develop a relationship with influencers, they can reach out to their followers as well. Therefore it is an excellent opportunity to reach many users though they are unaware of the brand. This approach will make their brand more reliable and recognizable among the audience.
Q2: What is the Difference between a personal profile and a business profile on Instagram?
A2: A personal Instagram is a page where users can use it for themselves and not for engagement or sales. However, a business profile on Instagram provides access to analytics to check likes, stats, and followers’ demographics.
Q3: What is the Difference between Instagram Live and IGTV?
A3: IGTV is uploaded footage that enables users to fine-tune and edit videos. Users can watch IGTV videos only on the IGTV app or Instagram app. While Instagram live captures and uploads ongoing events.
