We came across this statement a couple of days ago, and we could not help but wonder how true it is. How many of us have paused in the middle of a life experience to click a photo for the ‘Gram or planned to attend events that would add value to our Instagram profile?

If this is the stake of this app in our personal lives, then assume its importance in the realm of social media marketing. Mind-boggling, right?

What do stats say about Instagram?

Each day, there are sixty million plus photos uploaded to Instagram, and 1.6 billion likes are generated. Staying in line with the fact that the app has over eight hundred million active users, it is apparent that building a social media marketing strategy around Instagram alone could actually get you the results you truly want.

The key here is to post relevant content that enables you to win authority over your audience. It can be hard to judge what type of content works best for you, what the best time to post is, or how your audience likes to be engaged.

How to Use Instagram for Social Media Marketing?

In order to help you figure out these things, we put our team to curate a list of seven tips to help you make the best use of Instagram. So, let’s jump right into it.

1. Defining marketing goals with Instagram

No advertisement campaign in the history of media has ever worked without a strategy. Similarly, with an app like Instagram that has enormous opportunities to grow, it is critical to developing a S.M.A.R.T strategy that defines your purpose of choosing the medium.

For a new business, setting social media goals is not easy. But, trying to answer basic questions could be a good start. The renowned jewelry brand Tiffany & Co, is a superb example of how effective marketing can help you involve a newer segment of the target audience.

Their strategy revolves around the story of how you, too, could get your wedding band from the store your grandma and mom got theirs. It is all about staying relevant in the market to carry your own legacy. The account has over 11.4 million followers.

2. Optimizing for engagement

When it comes to setting up a business profile on Instagram, the first thing you must do is to understand your audience. Before putting up a profile, you need to understand their interests and their outlook towards social media.

If you are targeting the 18-25 age group on Instagram, then you would take a very different approach as opposed to when your focus is on the audience from the 40-60 age group.

If you have a business profile, you will get access to analytics that can help you modify your strategy. The information about audience segmentation, engagements, and leads is beneficial to increase the impact of your posts.

You also need to choose the right time to post. It is called “Instagram prime time.” It tells you about the time when your target audience is most active, and your website can generate good engagements.

case in point, Wishfulskin by Huda Kattan. The beauty mogul chose to introducez a new skincare brand by engaging the audience before the launch. This engagement has helped the brand reach 311K followers in a very short time.

It is critical to be mindful of your brand’s name bio, and hashtags. Those are the games that have to be on point.

3. Crafting the best bio

Your 150-characters long Instagram bio holds considerable value in establishing your brand. This is where you leave the first impression on your followers. It is the ideal space to evoke the followers to take action and funnel the traffic to generate leads and conversions.

Your Instagram bio must have the following key features:

• Hashtags about the community
• A compelling Call-to-Action (CTA)
• A link to recent activities on the business

The best example in this context is Outdoor Voices and their bio. It contains all three pillars and thus creates excellent results. The clothing brand has over 429K followers and has a great rapport amongst its audiences.

4. Creating vivid imagery on the ‘gram

Choosing the right pictures for your profile plays a significant role in the success of your strategy. Paying attention to the image sizes and quality is vital. Seeking minimalist high-resolution images is precisely what one must aim for.

Stylizing your pictures in a manner that tells the story of your brand is essential. It is significant to maintain a narrative. For reference, have a look at the profile of Airbnb. The business has 4.7 million followers on Instagram and is well-known in the marketing circles for its theme.

5. Generating user-centric content

The nitty-gritty details of successful Instagram strategy really boils down to creating content that is consumer-centric and attention-seeking. Your content must please the aesthetic sensibilities of your audience while also helping them feel connected to your company.

A consumer is all but seeking experience. Make sure that your feed places your product in the heart of the solution-driven content. You can make use of user-generated content (UGC) in this regard.

Lush Cosmetics is wining the UGC game. The account has 4.5 million followers and is very smart in posting user-generated content.

6. Using sponsored ads

Following a budget on Instagram advertisements is not as hard as people think. You can control your expenditure with the carousel feature on the app. This allows you to target your audience innovatively.

This way, you get to swim in the waters of potential followers and better conversions. Kriserspets is an example of how this works. The account has around 39.8K followers and features the loveliest furry friends.

7. Bringing influencers in the mix

The way to a customer’s profile is through the Instagram influencers. These influencers have a very high authority over their followers. Their audience pays heed to their suggestion and trusts them blindly. Hence identifying a few key influencers in your field and working with them will increase your overall return on investment manifold.

According to reports, Kylie Jenner earns a minimum of $1.2 million per Instagram post aimed at promoting brands. The products they promote are “sold-out” immediately.

Parting thoughts

Instagram is the best social media app for digital marketing. It is a fluid field that requires attention to detail and consistency to win over your audiences. All you need is little research and a lot more storytelling to make things work for your brand.