Instagram is one of the most widely used social media networks, with over 1 billion users active monthly.[1] As a social platform, it offers an excellent opportunity to get your business seen and to show off your products or services to a clearly targeted audience.
Below are some essential aspects of using Instagram for your business which can help you grow your business effectively.
Instagram Business
First things first, if you want to use Instagram to grow your business, you’ll need an Instagram business account. You might already have a personal account that you use to share business-related content, but for legitimacy and ease of access, it’s worth converting your page to a business account. If you’re new to Instagram completely, set up a new account.
Instagram Strategy
Next, focus on your Instagram strategy. This involves identifying your target audience, setting clear goals, consideration for performance metrics, and planning for consistency with your content.
Target Audience
Sharing the right content and attracting potential customers requires you to develop an understanding of who is going to see your content in the first place. Identify your target audience by:
- Considering your existing customers.
- Gaining insight from web analytics about other channels or your website.
- Researching your competitors.
- Identifying your values.
Knowing your audience makes all the difference when it comes to ensuring the success of your strategy. If you want to deliver content that engages people, you need to know what types of content your potential customers are looking for. For effective captions to add to your posts, you need to write in a voice that your audience can hear and understand. To know the best posting schedule, you must know when your audience is most active.
Note that as of July 2020, over 65% of Instagram users were under 35 years old.[2] Understanding the demographics most active on any social media platform is useful in informing your strategy.
Set Clear Goals
As with any marketing strategy, setting clear goals and objectives is vital. When goals are clearly defined, you can track your progress in achieving them. Follow the SMART framework[3] to make sure your goals will be successfully achieved:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Timely
Performance Metrics
Consider your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure your progressive success. This involves:
- Brand awareness – the rate at which your follower base is growing and the reach of your posts.
- Rate of engagement – likes and shares.
- Conversion rate, click-through, bounce rate.
- Customer action – purchases, testimonials.
By measuring awareness, engagement, conversion, and customer activity you gain invaluable insight into your performance. This information can be used by your marketing team to adjust your strategy accordingly.
Consistency
Gaining followers is essential, but once you attract more people to your page, you need to take steps towards retention. This can be done by consistently posting interesting and relatable content. This is an expectation from your followers and is key to encouraging engagement. Posting regularly and in line with your values and those of your audience will keep potential customers aware of your business.
Profile Optimisation
To increase your legitimacy and stand tall as a leader in your industry, write a compelling bio. When users click on your account, your bio will introduce your business to your customers. In 150 characters, it should tell them who you are, what your purpose is and why your business is important.
The limited space for your bio means it must be concise. However, this is an essential part of your home page so it should pack a punch. In order to write an effective bio:
- Write with your brand voice in mind.
- Make use of hashtags to widen your reach and drive more users to your account.
- Avoid chunky text. Instead, use spacing and line breaks. This makes your bio much easier to read.
Finally, optimise your profile by using an attractive profile picture that stands out. Typically, businesses use their brand logo as their picture, as with their other social channels and branding. This makes it easier for users to instantly recognise you.
Share Compelling Content
Instagram is a visual medium. The content you share should not only be aesthetically pleasing but should aim to be consistent in terms of the aesthetic itself. Consistency with your aesthetic means that after some time, users may recognise your brand without even looking at who has posted the content.
Original photos of your product or service in action work well. You don’t need to hire a professional photographer to do this, but that is an option. Alternatively, follow some basic photography tips to get the best out of your photos, like using natural light, experimenting with different angles, and using the rule of thirds.
When you share content, don’t forget to add an interesting caption and hashtags. Captions allow you to contextualise your content and increase the amount of time users engage with your post. This can also feature calls to action and provide useful information about your business.
Hashtags also make it easier for potential followers and customers to find and engage with your account. Users can search a hashtag on Instagram, and the results page will show accounts who have used the same hashtag. This provides insight into keywords that your potential customers are using, which may help to shape future posts and content.
Instagram Stories
Instagram stories are a great way of sharing time-limited content with a narrative. This can involve use of your product, or your service in action. Or it could be a slideshow of facts and statistics related to your business. Whatever you add to your story, make sure you add calls to action to increase user engagement. This could include direction to your account or your website, where you encourage viewers to follow your account and share your content, or to make purchases from your website.
Be Responsive
To state the obvious, social media is social. If you’re not taking advantage of Instagram’s facility to respond to followers’ comments and queries, you could miss out on valuable engagement with your potential customers. Directly responding to comments and messages shows your followers you are interested in what they have to say, which ultimately improves your online reputation.
Instagram Ads
Organic reach can lead to great results, but to take your business a step further, try investing in Instagram ads. They will place your business in front of a wider audience that still aligns with your targets. Not only do ads increase your brand awareness, they also make it easier for users to engage. And, as ads feature clearly highlighted calls to action, it makes the buyer’s journey easier.
Conclusion
When done right, social media can exponentially increase your reach, your reputation, and your conversion rates. Keep informed about social trends and consider the above guidelines to make your Instagram account successfully serve your business goals.
If you need help setting up an Instagram strategy for your business, get in touch with Mint Content.
Sources:
[1] Statista. 2020. Instagram: Age Distribution Of Global Audiences 2020 | Statista. [online] Available at: <https://www.statista.com/statistics/325587/instagram-global-age-group/#:~:text=With%20over%201%20billion%20monthly,91%20million%20Instagram%20users%20each.> [Accessed 2 August 2020].
[2] Statista. 2020. Instagram: Age Distribution Of Global Audiences 2020 | Statista. [online] Available at: <https://www.statista.com/statistics/325587/instagram-global-age-group/#:~:text=With%20over%201%20billion%20monthly,91%20million%20Instagram%20users%20each.> [Accessed 2 August 2020].
[3] Mindtools.com. 2020. SMART Goals: – How To Make Your Goals Achievable. [online] Available at: <https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/smart-goals.htm> [Accessed 2 August 2020].
