A thorough Instagram marketing strategy includes more than getting people to like a company’s posts and content. It’s about establishing a brand identity and creating brand ambassadors who share and promote a company’s offerings. Ideally, a company has a business profile on Instagram and builds a following over time. These followers will, hopefully, engage with the content and eventually purchase products. Here are three ways businesses can effectively use Instagram to market products and services.
1. Establish Authority and Credibility
Followers and engagement levels help build your social authority as your numbers increase. However, attracting followers only through organic methods can be a slow and laborious process. Businesses and professional content creators often see improved and quicker results using a combination of paid and organic methods. Purchasing high-quality followers will increase the chances a company’s posts will be seen.
When more Instagram users see a business’s content, they’ll be more likely to become organic followers and customers. Instagram has around one billion users on the platform each month. Those are potential organic followers, customers, and future brand ambassadors. While the Instagram algorithm will display content to users according to their behaviors and interests, content from profiles without many followers won’t be shown as often. With more followers, the content stands a greater chance of being perceived as authoritative and credible.
2. Evaluate Instagram Content Types
A business can post various types of content on Instagram. Besides standard posts, a user might experiment with Instagram stories or reels. Stories can target specific followers or transfer to other social media platforms like Facebook. Reels, on the other hand, leverage video and interactive content.
Within each of these content types, there are various posts for businesses to create. For example, how-to post shows audience ways to resolve their pain points. Product tutorials educate followers on ways to use a company’s offerings to solve their pain points. Promotional content communicates value and motivates audiences to take action. A good marketing strategy evaluates which content and post types will resonate with audiences the best and experiments with a mix of posts.
3. Post Ads
Posts and content aren’t the only way to attract customers on Instagram. Ads are another effective way to stimulate online sales. About one-third of Instagram users buy a product from ads they see on the platform. Many of these users buy products they have not heard of or seen before.
With Instagram ads, a business can target specific audiences according to demographics and interests. For example, a company might put ads in front of an audience that is 45 and older. This audience might also be interested in gardening and spending time outdoors.
Instagram can be a fruitful marketing tool for businesses. But, good marketing is about getting likes and followers as much as it is thinking strategically about what content to produce and who to target. Establishing authority and experimenting with content types and ads are ways to implement a comprehensive strategy.
