Since the birth of Instagram in 2010, it has gathered an advertising audience of more than 1.16 billion people which makes it a marketing battleground for brands of all shapes and sizes. Brands without a proper marketing strategy spend a small fortune to buy Instagram likes and get more Instagram followers but what they don’t know is that buying likes or followers is a thing of the past.
With Instagram’s strict policies it is next to impossible to buy fake followers without getting your account suspended which makes Instagram marketing a necessity for almost every brand in existence. If you are an amateur who wants to market his/her product all across the globe then here are some Instagram marketing top tips that will help you in fulfilling your goal.
Use a business account
The first step towards Instagram marketing is switching to a business account. To switch to a business account all you need to do is go to Instagram’s settings and click on “Switch to Business Profile”. If you are wondering what’s different then here’s a list that will show you why opting for a business account is a necessity for Instagram marketing:
- You can create and publish Instagram ads without using Facebook’s advertising tools
- It allows your followers to get in touch with you just by clicking on your contact button
- Instagram also has its own analytics tool called Insights that will keep you informed about the impressions and reach of your posts
- It also provides you a number of other features like Instagram shopping, primary and secondary inboxes
After unlocking these features packed with your business account, you are now ready to start marketing your brand on Instagram!
Create sponsored ads
Instagram ads are the surest way to expand your reach and rake in more followers. The best part is you can control how much you want to spend by setting an ads budget. Instagram gives you the freedom to run different forms of sponsored ads like photos, videos, stories, carousel, etc. You can even turn your existing posts into sponsored ads which makes it an easy and cost effective method to advertise.
If you know your target audience then you can build your Instagram ads around their location, demographics, interest and behaviour ensuring better conversion rates. While creating sponsored remember to use content that’s engaging as well as appealing to the target audience you want to put the ad in front of.
Collaborate with others
Brands and social media influencers often collaborate with each other to tap into their partner’s audience leading to sustainable growth for both channels. Collaborating would also help them in expanding their reach resulting in a greater number of views and followers. Many Instagram influencers and brands are open to collaboration and can easily help you achieve your marketing goal in no time, all you need to do is ask.
You can text, comment or tag them in your story to get their attention. For the best possible result, try to collaborate with someone who’s more famous than you. If you are having trouble collaborating with someone you can ask them for a shoutout which would do the same as collaborating with someone.
Use hashtags wisely
Hashtags are a great way to increase your brand’s visibility and discoverability. You can use the ones that are already trending to increase your reach and get your content to your target audience. Instagram allows you to add up to 30 tags on an Instagram post but using that much isn’t necessary. The optimal number of tags in a single post is eight to ten (if you use any more than that it will look like hashtag spamming which turns followers off).
Try to use tags that are relevant to your post. You can even make your own branded hashtag to build up your brand and enhance its search. Consider using your brand’s slogan or a popular phrase as a hashtag to get more exposure for your brand without spending even a single penny!
Engage with your audience
The best way to spread word about your brand or product is through the word of mouth and to achieve that, you need to engage with your audience. By interacting with them you are showing your followers that you sincerely care about them. You can do it yourself or hire a team to help you with it. There are a lot of ways through which you can engage with your viewers like:
- Replying to their texts on Instagram
- Responding to their comments and pinning down comments that you like or ones that might spark a conversation
- If someone tags you in a post you can share it on your feed or your story, crediting the owner
- If someone tags you in a post you can share it on your feed or your story, crediting the owner
- Get their feedback through regular Q&A sessions and lives
- Posting quality content is great but without a high user engagement you will have a lonely existence on this social media platform
After reading the tips mentioned above you are now ready to start your Instagram marketing journey to promote your products or services to its 1.16 billion users and create a global presence in no time!
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