Is your business on Instagram? If not, you better have a good reason for ignoring this fun and simple social network that has over 1 billion monthly active users. That means that you need to have a presence on this powerful social network if you want to reach your audience today.

Instagram is a mobile app that is continuously in the hands of your current and potential buyers – via their phones. What is Instagram’s secret for success? Instagram makes it easy for people to share their photos and memories using filters and to receive likes and comments underneath them. Not to mention the hashtags – that revolutionized social media as we know. Moreover, according to Forrester, Instagram’s engagement is 10 times higher than Facebook, 54 times higher than Pinterest, and 84 times higher than Twitter. If you are still thinking about not having an Instagram account – you need to stop right now. It’s crucial to have an active social media Instagram account to survive in today’s digital marketing world. However, many brands are struggling to adapt to Instagram as a part of their digital marketing strategy, and we know where the problem is. They don’t have the right Instagram strategy.

That’s why, in this article, we will reveal 8 mighty tips for a booming Instagram strategy that you can apply right away.

1. Your bio is important

When a potential or current customer looks up at your Instagram account, one of the first things they see is your business name, username, and your bio. A bio is a place that you can represent your brand in 150 characters. This is a great starting point to say clearly what your business is and why should people follow you, and ultimately buy your products. 150 characters seem small to explain what your brand is and what values are you trying to promote and that’s why your text must be written with simple and easily understandable words, personalized with emojis and compelling – with clear CTA (call to actions).

2. Create a visual identity of your Instagram profile

Instagram’s visual identity means that you need to be consistent with your Instagram profile. By that, we don’t mean you need to post the same content, but you need to create a recognizable visual identity that is compatible with your overall brand strategy. In that way, your brand will be recognized right away in the pile of other content on Instagram – and that will increase your chances of people seeing and engaging with your pictures and videos. This visual uniqueness can be made by using the same filter on every image you post. In that, why when your audience is scrolling through Instagram feed your style will become familiar to them.

3. Track the right metrics

As with every right digital strategy, you need to track your metrics to know if you are reaching your goals and if your strategy is performing well. You can track two types of metrics:

  • “Vanity” metrics – likes, comments, shares, followers
  • “Business” metrics – reach, engagement, traffic

Vanity metrics will help you measure if your Instagram strategy is more successful than your competitors’, and these metrics will help you understand if your content is a good match for your target audience. On the other hand, business metrics will help you mark your overall Instagram presence in the context of your business results. Both of these metrics are important to track for your Instagram strategy.

4. Make Instagram partners, not influencers

Using influencers to promote your brand is an extremely efficient tactic because more and more people are willing to buy products or services based on the recommendations from people they follow. Why? Because they trust them and their opinion. Partnering with the right influencer can get your brand a long way, but you need to be careful. The influencer that will advertise and recommend your brand needs to have an audience that is relevant for your product or service.

Moreover, influencers for your brand’s promotion should have:

  • Suitable audience
  • Be visible in your niche
  • They need actually to be influential

You should also plan the payment of this partnership. Also, you need to keep in mind that long-term relationship with influencers will have more benefits for your brand that one-time post form influencers. By building a relationship and eventually partnership with each influencer, you will build lasting brand awareness, and sooner or later, you will drive more sales with a new audience.

5. Take advantage of Instagram stories

Instagram stories differ from regular Instagram posts because they come in a vertical orientation and only last for 24 hours, but they can be “highlighted” on your profile, so they are visible forever. Media consumption is changing, stories are growing 15 times faster than feeds, so marketers need to change their content strategies as well. The best part of using them is that you can post content to your story multiple times a day, and it won’t bother your audience. They don’t appear in the news feed; they show up in a small area above it. The users just need to click on the small circle, and your story will pop up. The benefits? Users can easily and without pressure look at your stories throughout the day. Moreover, your brand can use stories to share behind-the-scenes posts that will shed a different, natural, and personalized light on your brand, when compared to usual “perfect” content.

In Instagram stories, you can also experiment with different features like photos, short videos, rewind video, live video, or Boomerangs. Additionally, you can use face filters, text, or stickers to create fun photos or videos to share with your audience.

An example of Instagram story and highlights usage

6. Connect with your audience by using UGC

UGC is short for user-generated content, and by using it, you encourage your audience to post photos and videos related to your brand on their personal profiles. We wrote a whole blog post about UGC and how to exactly use it in your marketing strategy. By applying UGC to your Instagram strategy, your brand will get exposed to all the followers that are friends with your users – and by doing that, you will get an actual recommendation. You are probably wondering how you can stimulate your users to post this type of content. The best way is to feature them on your profile and tag the users. In that way, users will be encouraged to share it as well as submit their photos for the chance to be featured on your profile.

Furthermore, your followers will probably enjoy user-generated content even more than they enjoy your usual content because UGC builds trust, and connects with the audience on a more authentic level than any content or ad.

7. Gain more with Instagram shopping

Almost 600 million people (60 % of all users) seek out and want to discover new products on Instagram, and more than 130 million Instagrammers tap to reveal products in shopping posts each month. All of this is saying just one thing – if you are not selling products on Instagram, it’s time to get started. Since the launch of Instagram Shopping feature in 2018, brands can tag products directly in posts and stories and take customers directly to the item they are interested in.The bonus thing is the newest Instagram feature – “Instagram checkout” that allows users to purchase items directly on Instagram.

By using Instagram shopping, you can showcase your products directly in your posts and make your Instagram feed work for you – leading to more direct purchases. To sum it up – Instagram has dominated the social media world since it first appeared. With over 800 million monthly users and billions of likes and taps happening each day – you need to take advantage of this social media network.

What you need to have is a thorough and proper Instagram strategy. We hope that these insider tips help and if not – you can always contact us for more advice.