Instagram has grown exponentially popular in recent years, with over two billion active users globally. Businesses today are increasingly using Instagram to reach their audience and enhance their marketing reach.
Approximately 71% of businesses prefer Instagram as one of their top digital marketing platforms.
Here are some interesting Instagram statistics that support the rise in the use of Instagram by marketers:
- About 90% of Instagram users follow business accounts
- 2 in 3 people surveyed feel Instagram conveniently allows to interact with brands
- 50% show interest in a brand after seeing its ads on Instagram
Despite these scintillating figures and facts, many brands don’t get high engagement or the expected results from their marketing strategies. And that may be because they are not aware of the tips which can help them boost their Instagram marketing strategy.
Read on to learn about 51 life-saving Instagram marketing tips that can help you up your Instagram marketing skills.
51 Instagram Marketing Tips to Ace Your Instagram Strategy
We have compiled a list of the 51 most essential and practical Instagram marketing tips that can help you amplify your marketing efforts and get better results from Instagram marketing.
1. Convert your Instagram account to a business account
The first step toward a successful Instagram marketing strategy is ensuring that you have an Instagram Business Account. It is effortless to convert your Instagram account to a business one: Go to Settings > Account > Switch to Professional account option.
Select the category which defines your business the best, and specify if you are a creator or a company. Then connect to your existing Facebook business page, and voila! You’re all set!
2. Create a strong Instagram content strategy
Prepare a strong content strategy with well-defined KPIs to help you analyze the performance of your Instagram marketing plan. For example, study if your Instagram goal backs your overall business goal—such as increasing brand awareness or website traffic and if yes, then how. This helps in deciding the content to post on your Instagram business account.
3. Upload product posts for maximum outreach
Did you know that posts about shopping can boost brand traffic by over 2,600%?
Uploading posts on Instagram about your products or services is the easiest way to reach a larger audience!
4. Schedule your posts
On average, most brands post 1.5 times daily. Those who don’t post regularly saw a steady decline in the number of followers.
While you should upload posts frequently to boost engagement, remember not to bombard your followers with posts.
One way to ensure that is by using social media scheduling tools to effectively schedule and automate a plan for your social media posts.
Since Instagram has such a variety of content, including image posts, carousel posts, reels, and stories, it can get overwhelming for a social media marketer to keep up with every kind.
Using scheduling tools can help you plan ahead with your content strategy and gauge analytics for multiple social media channels from a single dashboard.
The struggle is real while managing multiple Instagram accounts and simultaneously putting up with all its content types. But is there any easy way out?
As it happens to be, there is. SocialPilot is the perfect assistant for you to manage several Instagram pages at once. This Instagram scheduler not only posts but also schedules Reels and Stories from an integrated dashboard and gets them published automatically. Schedule as many posts as you want to execute your content strategy as a pro!
5. Promote your posts
Besides uploading Instagram posts regularly, you should also promote them for maximum reach and engagement. Tap the Promote button below your posts and create an Instagram ad to make your post instantly available to a wider audience.
6. Create a social media content calendar
This is another essential marketing technique to build your social media presence. It is a vital tool that enables marketers to view all their campaigns in one place. Simply put, it helps you get a 360⁰ view of your marketing strategy.
Additionally, having a social media calendar helps you establish control over the content you wish to schedule. You can post what seems relevant and timely to gain the target audience’s attention.
Creating a content calendar allows you to plan your posts in advance, ensuring you maintain a consistent presence on Instagram. It helps you align your content with key dates and events, maximizing engagement and relevance.
Katelyn Rhoades – a digital marketing specialist shares in her Instagram Masterclass, “Plan your content in themes and use specific days for different types of posts, like ‘Motivation Monday’ or ‘Throwback Thursday,’ to keep your audience engaged and anticipating your content.”
Here are few tips to create an effective calendar:
- Plan a mix of content types to keep your audience engaged, including images, videos, and stories.
- Schedule posts at optimal times when your audience is most active.
- Leave room for spontaneous posts to stay current with trends and real-time events.
7. Say it with Stories
Statista’s recent study found that Instagram is mainly used by people in the age group of 18-34, accounting for 62.8% of the total user base.
With over 500 million Instagram accounts viewing Stories daily, it gives you enough scope to:
- promote your products and services widely
- post content informing your audience about any upcoming events or deals
- have casual interactions with viewers to connect with them better and improve your brand’s presence
Use Create Mode feature options like the emoji slider, “Ask Me Anything,” and quizzes to interact more with your followers and build your presence.
You can also use Highlights to ensure that your Stories remain on your profile page after their visibility duration of 24 hours.
8. Reach out with Reels
Besides image posts and Stories, use Reels to be more creative with your content and express more with the combination of multiple videos for seamless transitions.
An Influencer Marketing Hub data states The Houston Rockets managed to amass more than 11.7 million views across five Reel videos, ranking second in overall engagement per Reel.
9. Capture with captions
Add to your brand’s personality with Instagram captions. Customers prefer informative posts. Captions do just that by making your posts appealing and informative.
That said, your caption should communicate important details in concise and captivating language to make your posts lively and attractive. Do not make your captions too long unless absolutely necessary.
10. Insert killer CTAs
A study by HubSpot found that conversion rates increased by 121% due to anchor text CTAs. So ensure your captions have killer CTAs based on your content marketing campaign to stir more followers towards your brand.
11. Play with hashtags
An Omnicore study found that 70% of Instagram hashtags are brand campaigning strategy-related. Using hashtags can significantly impact the engagement and visits your feed posts receive.
Prepare different lists of preferred hashtags and keep track of which posts and hashtags perform the best. Instagram has set a limit of 30 hashtags per post.
However, often, marketers new to the platform end up using wrong or irrelevant hashtags. You must use relevant hashtags for your business posts that become the reason viewers visit your profile.
It thus becomes crucial to know the dos and don’ts of using hashtags for your posts to make it easily noticeable for users searching for the hashtags and, in turn, promote your brand.
As shown in the example, Nike’s #justdoit has 19.9 million posts making it one of the most popular tags.
12. Tag others
A study found that around 60% of posts tag other users, which is vital for boosting regular engagement. Use the ‘@ mention’ function to tag a relevant account with whom you would like to collaborate.
You can also give your partners and collaborators a special mention to help your brand achieve greater visibility among their followers.
13. Repost posts where you are tagged
Reposting a post on your Feed where you are tagged can help increase the engagement and visibility of your posts and, in turn, of your profile. Besides the Feed, you can also share it on Stories. Ensure that you repost posts that are directly relevant to your brand.
14. Make Instagram videos
Instagram videos are an excellent way to promote your business. This feature allows you to upload videos for as long as one hour. Through Instagram videos, you can use your creativity to make engaging content that talks about your products/services or create content that helps you reach out to wider audiences and arouses their interest.
With 68% of marketers feeling videos give a better return on investment (ROI) than Google Ads, Instagram in-feed videos are a great marketing option to connect with users and potential viewers watching the videos.
15. Go Live on Instagram
82% of people reportedly prefer watching a live video rather than viewing a social media post. Use the Live feature to interact with your audience through comments and questions in real-time and add a more human touch to your Instagram interactions.
Pro Tip Go Live to collaborate with others and notify your collaborators’ followers, thus increasing your reach to new audiences.
16. Run Instagram contests
A study found that Instagram accounts that actively post about contests tend to grow their followers 70% faster when compared to accounts that do not. It also found that Instagram contest posts get 3.5 times more likes and 64 times more comments on average than regular posts.
We don’t think you need further reasons to run Instagram contests, do you?
17. Create sponsored ads
Sponsored posts made with well-defined goals are the most important Instagram marketing strategies to target a broader audience. It mainly works if you have:
- a niche brand; or
- Want to promote posts with CTA for buying your products
InfluencerDB states that 25% of all Instagram-sponsored posts are fashion-related. Ensure to make sponsored posts even if your brand doesn’t come under the category.
18. Collaborate with other brands
The new marketing trend is to collaborate with brands that complement your brand. It is a win-win situation as brands use each other’s capabilities to boost brand engagement and attract new audiences.
To make it easier for users, Instagram has come up with a new feature called “Collab.” It is a way for two accounts to co-create or collaborate on a post and share the credits and ownership of the content publicly. This doubles the engagement and exposure, benefitting both the collaborators equally.
19. Run Instagram contests using the Brand Collabs manager
Through Facebook’s Brand Collabs Manager, you can post sponsored content and contest alerts to improve consumer engagement while increasing your following and visibility.
In order to use it, your posts need to have at least 15,000 Engagements in two months. Learn more about the Brand collab manager in our guide.
20. Create an Instagram campaign
Besides the Instagram app, Facebook’s Ads Manager and Power Editor are some of the most effective Instagram marketing tools for creating Instagram ads in bulk.
Instagram Partners’ expertise can also assist you in purchasing and managing ads at scale while creating content at the same time.
21. Focus on Feed aesthetics
According to WebDam’s social media report, 60% of the best-performing brands on Instagram maintain consistency in their posts. Use a single theme color for your feed posts to maintain uniformity and make your account look professional and clutter-free.
Alternatively, use borders or frames on your posts to create a pattern and enhance the overall aesthetics of your profile and make it stand out.
22. Make the best use of Filters
As per research, filtered images are likely to be viewed 21% more and commented on 45% more as against unfiltered images. Use the Filter option to make your posts more appealing and professional, and increase overall engagement.
23. Set up Instagram Shopping
With 60% of marketers intending to increase their Instagram budget in 2022, the platform is a hotspot for businesses. You can easily set up your Instagram Shop (Settings > Business > Set Up Instagram Shopping) and use features such as product tags to promote your posts. Users can purchase directly in-app with a seamless checkout process.
24. Promote your Instagram shop
Promote your Instagram shop by posting its link in your profile bio, other social media platforms, as well as sponsored posts. Include the link to your Instagram shop in marketing emails along with your other social platform links.
25. Track user analytics with the Insights option
With the Insights option, you can easily monitor engagement and track impressions, clicks, and shares.
The option helps you track analytics and plan posts depending on the frequency of visitors during a specific time of the day. You can also use Instagram analytics tools to track factors like user demographics, latest trends, and the time when your posts are most likely getting likes and views.
26. Collaborate with influencers
Influencer Marketing Hub estimates influencer marketing to reach $13.8 billion in 2021. With about 55% of people purchasing fashion products based on an influencer post on Instagram, influencers are an effective medium to promote brands and reach potential customers.
27. Entice users with sales and discounts
Share current sales, discount events, and promotions through post captions, Stories, and Reels. You should also mention a direct link for the promotional offer in your Instagram bio if the promotion can be viewed online.
28. Use Facebook for advertising
Instagram’s parent company Facebook makes it easy to promote Instagram ads on the platform. A firm observed a 20% lower cost per conversion and cost per action after running ads across both platforms. You can either advertise your photos or videos across both Facebook and Instagram campaigns or promote them individually with a new campaign.
29. Mention website link in Instagram Bio
Provide the link to your website through Instagram bio tools such as Feedlink or Linktree to increase engagement and website visits. As an alternative to mentioning your website URL, you can also give a link to your products and services in your Instagram bio.
30. Promote account on multiple channels
Promote your Instagram account on other social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to achieve a high engagement rate. Use direct CTAs, mention links to your Instagram bio, or share your latest Instagram posts to create interest in readers on other social media platforms.
31. Analyze your competitors’ strategy
Identify businesses from your industry offering similar products and services and study the type of content they are posting. Check the hashtags they use, their profile theme, follower count, comments section, and post timings to get an idea about their marketing strategy and understand which business tactics are working.
32. Ask followers to turn on post notifications
Request your followers, casually or creatively, to turn on notifications for your account so that they will know whenever you post something new. This also results in higher chances of followers interacting with your brand, thereby increasing your brand’s overall organic reach and engagement.
Another way for your followers to never miss any content from you is to make it into their Favorites or Following list. Instagram gives a separate feed for the accounts the user marks as favorite. This feed then consists of only the posts your favorite accounts upload. It’s a clutter-free space where you can get the full attention of your followers!
33. Stay updated with the latest trends
Be updated about the latest trends in social media, whether it’s the trending meme, a hashtag campaign, or any other specific event. Ensure that the trend aligns with your brand value through your posts. Being in sync with trends helps you stay engaged with your followers and make your brand look ‘cool’ and relevant.
For example, this “Black Lives Matter” post from Adidas garnered more than 100K likes and 5,000 comments. Note that it sends a message of inclusivity while the brand value aligns with the post’s message.
34. Use memes
With memes, captions can be as small as one-liners. Memes generate more engagement and have mass appeal, as most of the audience on Instagram are millennials who share memes to communicate on social media.
That said, use memes judicially and ensure that it is relevant to your branding.
35. Regularly review your content strategy
While you may have a content strategy in place, reviewing the plan is essential for optimizing your marketing strategy. You should regularly review the plan to check if your posts drive user engagement, facilitate broader reach, broaden your brand presence, or achieve some other performance metric important to your marketing goal.
36. Create shoutout posts
Boost your visibility by creating shoutout posts for other brands or reposting their content and tagging them. Similarly, create shoutout posts for contests where you invite the participants or announce the winners of the contest to gain maximum audience reach while using industry-relevant hashtags.
37. Respond to comments
80% of consumers feel companies have become more accountable due to social media channels. Reading comments is a great tool for understanding consumer feedback, thoughts, and grievances. By replying to the comments, you connect with your audience and let them know they are heard and that their feedback is valuable to you.
38. Post relevant content
Use occasions like Christmas or Thanksgiving to post timely and relevant content like offers or greetings for greater engagement. Ensure such occasional posts are aligned with your branding strategy as well.
39. Follow relevant accounts
Follow accounts that are relevant to your brand and boost its visibility. You can either follow the account to study their strategy or partner with them to understand their techniques. The latter option can help you both interact with each other’s followers and have a chance to increase your audience reach.
40. Use lifestyle content
With lifestyle content, you can bring your buyer’s persona “to life” in a way, by focusing on their interests that lie beyond your product or brand.
Use lifestyle themes to create a holistic brand image while being relevant to the audience. This would include creating a user profile while conducting market research on your audience, such as defining their demographics, interests, likes, and dislikes.
For example, suppose your business is selling protein beverages. In that case, your research may be on something like the drinks preferred by health-conscious people, their age group, income, and similar factors.
41. Use Canva for Instagram post templates
Use Canva’s Instagram template to design and create eye-catching content and publish it directly on all your accounts with the help of an all-in-one social media management tool like SocialPilot.
SocialPilot has an built-in Canva Integration that enables easy and seamless designing of posts from the Post Composer.
42. Create and grow your Instagram community
Besides thinking about business growth, you also need to consider how you can improve your interaction with people. Reply to comments on your posts, comment on posts of those who regularly comment on yours, and wish your followers on special occasions. The goal should be to establish a personal connection with your followers.
43. Announce contest giveaways
As an extension to Instagram contests, contest giveaways, when done rightly, can significantly increase engagement and audience reach. It helps you achieve increased brand awareness and build a stronger community with your followers on Instagram.
Contest giveaways require you to focus on ensuring prizes that you give are relevant and arouse interest among your target audience.
A giveaway would look something like this:
44. Use countdown stickers for product launch
Select stickers from the bundles of interactive Instagram stickers while creating Stories to make them more creative and engaging for your viewers. Countdown Sticker is an excellent tool for building excitement and anticipation around your new product launch among your followers.
45. Use gift card stickers
Use Stories or profile pages to directly sell your digital gift cards to build a better relationship with your followers and potential customers. The gift card stickers can also be used for creating the CTA button, through which viewers can complete the order by tapping on the sticker.
46. Display products through Highlights
Highlighting your offerings through Story Highlights is a great way to direct users to your product store. As the Highlights are forever displayed on your profile page, it becomes easy for viewers and potential customers to know about your products and services when they visit your page.
To create Highlights, you can either use a previous Story from the Story Archive Gallery or tap the heart icon you see below on your current Story about your business offerings.
47. Share customer testimonials
A BrightLocal study found that 91% of people read customer reviews before making a purchase. Ensure you share your testimonials, reviews, and positive feedback through Stories or posts, and for a broader reach, even on your other social media platforms!
48. Use Promo codes
With 90% of users looking forward to deals, one way to instantly grab your followers’ short attention span is by offering them incentives for going through your post and captions.
Using promo codes to let your audience buy more at less price is not a bad deal, agree?
49. Use Geotags
Instagram allows you to tag your location in your posts. When users search for Places, the recent feed posts and top results with the location tagged in them appear in their search results. This is nothing but the Geotagging feature offered by the platform. You can add Geotags through your Feed posts, Reels, Stories, or hashtags.
Use Geotagging feature to:
- Expand business in local areas through location tagging in your feed posts and Stories
- Make your content appear in the search results for similar content from your area
- Find potential customers through geotagged locations
50. Use Boomerang Feature
Similar to GIFs, the Boomerang feature allows you to create short video clips that play on repeat mode. Making your ads with the Boomerang feature gives it an interesting and fun touch while making your ad come lively. This definitely helps increase the engagement rate while boosting your brand’s visibility.
51. Enjoy The Process
In the end, while Instagram marketing involves a lot of work, remember to relax and enjoy the process! If you find it difficult to promote your brand on Instagram or feel it is time-consuming, , try revising your schedule or reducing your posts’ frequency, or reinventing your strategy, but don’t quit the platform.
Conclusion
With millions of users following business accounts on Instagram, it provides brands an excellent opportunity to socialize and promote themselves to improve engagement and visibility.
Knowing the best Instagram marketing tips to use the platform efficiently can undoubtedly help coming-of-age brands and marketers scale up their business. So, hop on the Instagram wagon and get going!
To seamlessly manage your social media accounts and optimize your marketing efforts, don’t forget to use SocialPilot.
