As one of the most popular and widely used social media platforms, Instagram has become imperative for businesses, entrepreneurs, and communities to promote their products and services. With over 100 million users active on the platform and new and advanced options for businesses to promote, grow, and sell their products and services, Instagram is one powerful addition to every business’ growth strategy.
If you’re looking for ways to tap into this immense potential, read on to find out the five essential tips every business should implement in their Instagram strategy.
Capitalize on Hashtags
Instagram is the most powerful social media platform, and hashtags are its unrivaled weapon. Hashtags can be best described using the website keywords analogy. The same way you are optimizing your keywords to match Google’s searches, the hashtags should be your top concern when it comes to your Instagram strategy.
By using the right amount of popular, niche-specific, and branded hashtags, you’re allowing your ideal customers to discover, engage with your content, and, ultimately, buy from you. To learn all about the Instagram hashtag strategy, check out the Flock Social ultimate guide here.
Prepare Your Profile for Maximum Growth
The shortened attention span and the fast-paced flow of life have reduced businesses’ chances of having enough time to make the right first impression. This has caused the need for an impeccable Instagram profile that attracts people in the first milliseconds of them viewing it.
To draw your audience in at first sight, be sure your business Instagram profile checks off all the best practice items.
· Use a catchy and recognizable profile image.
· Be strategic about which link you place in the bio.
· Write an impeccable bio that sums up what you do, speaks your audience’s language, and conveys your brand message.
Create Consistent, Quality Content
Once you’ve attracted your ideal audience, it’s time to give them something to stick around for. Yes, we’re talking killer content, but how does one achieve this in 2020 and compete with outstanding visual content experts?
The answer, unfortunately, is not very straightforward; however, there are a couple of steps that would help in the process.
First things first, plan your content according to your audience’s preferences. Research what your competition does, create an ideal buyer persona, and start catering to their taste. Sure, it will take some trial and error before you find the right balance between your audience’s expectations and your brand identity, but the reward is well worth the struggle.
Next up, pick a visual style that reflects your business best and implement it across all your Instagram content. Whether you decide to go for branded colors, or a specific palate or filters, be sure your feed communicates consistency and a uniquely beautiful pattern. The same goes for fonts you use in posts. Consistency in your visual game will create a sense of recognizability and will contribute to brand awareness.
Finally, try to keep a posting schedule for your business Instagram profile. To do this, you can prepare a couple of posts in advance to be able to keep up the schedule. There is no ideal posting frequency; it all depends on the type of business; however, not posting regularly enough will weaken your chances of increasing engagement and overall growth.
Be Smart About Captions
Sure, major celebrities like Beyoncé can afford to post a single word or emoji in the captions; however, that’s not the case for businesses looking to grow through Instagram. You don’t have to write an entire micro-blog in Instagram captions if your audience consists of young, hip people who prefer a short, creative word-play filled with popular emojis, but be aware of your audience. Analyze them carefully and write Instagram captions that speak to them, and you’ll have a smart caption strategy that converts.
Humanize Your Brand
Instagram is all about a fun, relaxed approach to life, even when it comes to “serious” businesses. No matter what niche you’re in, you can always make your business friendlier and more approachable by showing the people behind it. Let your employees take over your IG account for a week and show company culture. Show the behind-the-scenes of a major project or post employee spotlights.
These are just some of the strategies that we’ve seen work well for popular brands on Instagram. Of course, you can choose your own that best describes your tone and builds relatability and trust among your community to make the most out of your Instagram strategy.
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