Instagram is always evolving and creating new ways for brands to interact with their clients and customers. We are sharing Instagram best practices you should implement to give your followers what they want, get your name out to new audiences, and reach your Instagram marketing goals.
Reach New Audiences With Custom Hashtags
If you don’t already have custom branded hashtags for your business, what are you waiting for?! This is a great way to boost content discovery, improve brand visibility, and reach new audiences through their personalized search results and the Explore Page. Remember, when it comes to hashtags, bigger isn’t better! Make the most of your custom hashtag by using it with other niche, industry-related hashtags that will help you attract potential customers who have interacted with similar content. But you don’t have to take it from us, we’ll let the 81% of marketers who agree convince you. For example, take a look at the hashtags we use on Instagram for our client, The Wedding Shoppe.
Sharing is Caring
The nature of effective influencer marketing strategies has changed, and here’s the secret: you already have your very own micro-influencers! You don’t need influencer-centered marketing for endorsements if your followers and happy clients are always raving about your brand. Think about it this way, if you see a Kardashian post about a yogurt brand, you will likely scroll past the ad. But if you see a colleague or friend authentically raving about a certain product, you will more likely trust their authentic and honest opinions.
Encourage and incentivize your already loyal fans to create their own content to be featured on your page. Seeing real people enjoying your product or service in real situations will resonate with audiences on a deeper, more realistic, applied level than a standard ad can. Acknowledge and thank your followers for supporting your business by engaging with them and showing off user-generated content as much as possible.
Boost your engagement big time with video content
Video content keeps users engaged for longer and inspires more interactions. Plus, consumers are more interested in a product once they see it in a story and much more likely to buy a product after seeing a video of it in action. Make sure to incorporate video content into your feed as much as possible through stories and reels. This is a simple addition that reaps big benefits we are sure you’ll see in your ROI.
Make Content Worth Reposting
Your followers want to see your brand do well, and when they love a product they want to share it with their friends and followers. Give them a reason to get excited and involved by posting valuable content they will actually want to share on their stories. Bonus points if they use your branded hashtag! Then watch your reach grow as you receive online endorsements that are more reliable for conversions than many outdated influencer marketing centered strategies.
Experiment with what works for YOUR audience
The current Instagram algorithm favors those that utilize exciting new features early. So we empower you to test new features as they are rolled out and take note of how your audience responds. Monitor your insights to help you create better content in the future that your audience will ‘like’ and love. We recommend you set aside some time regularly to view your analytics and consider important questions like:
- Which content formats get the most engagement?
- What types of posts had the most reach?
- Why did so many followers resonate with this post?
- What about our top posts can we replicate?
As you answer these questions, your content and strategy will become more and more refined and follower-focused.
Keeping Up
Instagram is constantly evolving by introducing new features, altering the algorithm, and changing the way customers can interact with your brand online. It can be incredibly challenging to stay on top of all the latest content marketing best practices, trends, and features, all while running your business. We’re here for you! We would love to take a look at your social media presence and share our expertise with you through our Online Impact Audit whenever you’re ready to take your Instagram marketing to the next level.