Are you struggling with social media marketing or just want some tips on how to reach prospects and increase sales, well then, you’ve come to the right place!
By reading this you put yourself and your company in the forefront for the opportunity to grow your brand and set yourself apart from the more conservative and backward thinking competitors.
So the question is what social media platforms should you focus on? Sure, Facebook is the number one mingling place, LinkedIn host all professionals, and Snapchat is where the younger crowd has made their turf. But there is a place where all these come together, where effort input equals opportunity.
Instagram of course!
As a social media platform, second to only Facebook it is the number one platform for engagement. Top brands on Instagram are seeing a per-follower engagement rate of 4.21%, which is 58 times higher than on Facebook and 120 times higher than on Twitter.
Are you perhaps not sure how to make marketing with Instagram pay off for you? Then here are 27 smart tips from The Instagram Agency.
Improve Your Branding with These Marketing Tips from The Instagram Agency
Branding is crucial in social media. If the audience doesn’t recognize you, how will they ever get to know and like you? How will they build trust and loyalty to you and your brand? How will they ever come to buy anything from you?
#1: Choose An Awesome Profile Photo
Make sure you stay within your company’s branding guidelines but use a picture that shows the soul of your company. Your logo can be a good profile picture, but an even better idea is to boil down what you want the audience to feel about your brand. Having a quality photo that is in-focus and crisp is paramount to recognition.
#2: Write A Descriptive Bio
Okay, I see so many really bad examples out there where the focus is on opening hours or something like it. As many people will end up finding you through a keyword search make sure you use this to your advantage! Write out three descriptions of your business using keywords and action verbs. Take the parts that make you special and blend them into one cohesive bio.
Remember to write with your buyer in mind, not your ego! Explain what your product or service can do for them and why you do it better than the competition.
#3: Do Not Forget The Link
By God, do not forget the link in your Bio. There are services like Linktr.ee and Linkin.bio you can use if you want to have more than just one link. This is THE most important key component to converting your followers into paying customers. Make sure you direct them to the right place.
#4: Be Authentic With Your Branding
Sure you’ve probably heard the saying ”fake it, ’til you make it” and that might be true in some instances. Hustling is never wrong. But lying and throwing around exaggerations and pompous words will only offend and turn Instagram users off. Just be yourself. Social media is all about making connections and encouraging engagement. Make sure you show the people behind the brand. Vague references and abstract thoughts don’t come across as genuine. And make sure you stay away from sarcasm as it is badly translated into the written language.
#5: Showcase Your Products
So, while making new friends, remember that your goal in marketing with Instagram is to increase the traffic to your website or landing page to build a larger lead base, and eventually transform them into paying customers. Use your posts to methodically build brand recognition with your followers. Help them remember what you sell and what those products or services do for them to address or solve a problem.
#6: Share Consistent Messages
Posting some random mumbo-jumbo every now and then without a plan won’t do much to help build your brand. You need to start planning with a calendar in front of you and schedule the upcoming posts. Make sure to think every post through though, to make sure it represents your company well in form and layout. Use the photo to enhance the message you want to deliver.
#7: Post Consistently
Make sure to post at regular intervals. Frequency is what sets good companies apart from bad! Preferably I would suggest 3-4 posts daily but at least once a day so your page stays up-to-date and relevant to your followers. A stagnant Instagram account that has no new content makes zero progress for your brand and will not grow your following as a more consistent flow will.
The Instagram Agency’s Marketing Tips on Creating Followers/Exposure
The most awesome message won’t do your brand any good unless people see it. Here are a few hacks to get the followers you need and entice them to engage with your brand.
#8: Use Hashtags
If you master hashtags it could be one of the most important aspects of success for your Instagramming career.
There are a few different ways to use them. Depending on your brand and your size of the market share we recommend creating some hashtags around your branding efforts. Use those consistently to build brand awareness. But those hashtags aren’t the only hashtags you need.
Pick out some hashtags related to your industry. These are words or phrases your buyer may use as a search tool, #furnituredesigner for example if that is your industry. Use these along with your branding hashtags in your bio and your posts to build your audience base. At The Instagram Agency, we recommend our clients use hashtags as one of the most effective methods to grow an audience.
#9: Following Contests
If you are like me you probably love contests, as most other people do too. That is why contests work so well to get users to follow you on Instagram. Market your contest with something cool as a prize for people who follow you. Advertise the contest on Instagram with relevant hashtags as well as across your other social media channels. Send an email campaign to your list of contacts to get them in the game too.
Collaboration around a contest with other accounts in your niche further fuels the potential for new followers. Just remember to check the rules for your contest so you stay within the boundaries of the law as some countries have rules regarding what could be considered a legit contest vs an illegal lottery.
#10: Influencer Marketing
The new mega marketing trend online in 2018 has been influencer marketing and it is expected to grow enormously during 2019. I know what I’m talking about as I’ve been on the influencer side for a couple of years now.
The influencers are well-known people on Instagram. You could say that influencer marketing is similar to old-fashioned recommendations from family and friends. The massive amount of followers that each influencer has, knows and trusts them. Many might consider them as their friends, even though the influencer might not even know the specific follower.
Getting an influencer on board with your brand is key to increasing followers and converting them to leads and then customers. If you do your homework and find the best influencer for your brand you can expect great growth. Approach him or her with a proposal. If they show interest, discuss the content and hashtags you want used and compensation options.
And NO, don’t try to sell advertisement space from the influencer in exchange for a pair of shoes or makeup. That is so 2016! Influencer marketing is now a fully-fledged business now so you need to prepare yourself for opening your purse for this one…
#11: Videos
Don’t fall for the assumption that you should only use photos on Instagram. Group some photos together to a short video, add a video of an upcoming product or an event, broadcast a how-to video, or answer the most common questions your customers usually have. Videos that are used strategically, can blow your Instagram followings through the roof! It goes without saying that IGTV and IG Stories are well worth spending time to master if a video is your main focus.
The Instagram Agency’s Marketing Tips to Increase Engagement
It might come as a surprise but Instagram users are 10 times more engaged than Facebook users. Knowing this there are several ways your company can take advantage of the fact.
#12: Contests
Contests create hype around a brand where you can prompt followers to like, comment, and share. If your business is a match for this kind of content then try running weekly contests so followers get used to watching for them and engaging with them. Don’t forget to use a contest-designated hashtag!
#13: Post at The Best Times and Days
Make a habit of analyzing your posts and checking on what time of day your audience tends to use Instagram. Focus your posting during these timeframes and days. The engagement and number of views of a specific post can vary wildly depending on when you decide to post it.
#14: Get Personal
You can do so much more than just tag your followers in the posts you make. While this increases your visibility and ensures that some of your followers will see your posts it is a great way to strengthen the connections with your followers. With personal communication, answering comments, and interacting with your followers, you will be sure to see your engagement grow.
The Instagram Marketing Agency’s Tips to Increase Website Traffic
Even though followers and engagement are important your business depends on increasing the number of people who click through to your website. Do like Little Red Riding Hood and create a “breadcrumb” path that your followers can easily trail in order to become paying customers.
#15: Post Links
With tools like Linktr.ee and Linkin.bio you really have the chance to link to your blog posts, eBooks, infographics, and other interesting content so that it can be easily accessed by your potential customers. Add links to your posts and as part of your captions to drive followers to some of your awesome content. If they love it, they will click around to find out more about your company.
#16: Share Calls-to-Action
”If you don’t ask, you will never get an answer…” You probably heard that one before. Never leave a post without a clear call-to-action (CTA). Keep them concise and actionable. CTAs like “Register now” and “Join here” are two examples that perform very well. But you could also ask questions like ”What do you prefer?” or ”What film do you recommend?”. Make sure they can answer with only a few words. So don’t ask them for their lives story, Instagram is not the platform for that.
If you promote your post you can also add a CTA button below your image. Just make sure you always deliver what you promised with your CTA. Don’t have one that sounds great but put your audience in front of a sales pitch once they click through. That makes them feel cheated.
The Instagram Agency’s Marketing Tips to Help Increase Sales
Increase your sales by applying these money-making tips.
#17: Instagram Ads
Make sure you develop and post smart Instagram ads. The users who don’t normally follow you may view the ad and get interested in your message. Make sure you design your ad for a targeted niche market. That way you won’t spend money on people not interested in your campaign anyway. A wider audience means more chances to turn prospects into customers but you will also spend more money.
#18: Click Campaigns
Motivate your audience to take action. Remember to include that CTA! Make it your goal to get your target audience to click through to the additional information. Lead them to a landing page so you can hopefully get them to gladly leave you their information and with that add them to your prospect list.
#19: Conversion Campaigns
Just like a click campaign the goal of a conversion campaign is to move prospects into the funnel as leads. The conversion campaign takes fresh and interesting content that your audience really craves! Start using that awesome brain of yours and think of a smart, eye-catching title that draws them in. Then make sure you deliver the goods you say you will!
Your landing page needs to be top-notch, or your conversions won’t happen the way you want, even if the ad is awesome. Test and re-test different landing pages, preferably by using A/B-split testing then edit and revise according to your findings.
Remember that someone that feels okay with leaving you their information to receive for example a free e-book, will be more likely to buy from you later on.
#20: Retargeting Campaigns
Some prospects that click through to visit your website might for a variety of reasons click away. If you don’t plan for this you will lose them forever. Don’t let them fall through the cracks and into one of your competitor’s sales funnels! Use Instagram ads to re-engage with this group. Segment them as a custom audience and then develop an offer they can’t resist as an ad.
#21: Use Direct Messaging
The comments and likes people leave on your posts are a true goldmine if you know what to do with them. If you get your followers to interact with your CTA then you will have a great way to start interacting with them through Direct Messaging (DM). Continue the conversation privately and build trust. This way you will be able to ask them and direct them to the products and services that you have to offer.
The Instagram Agency’s Tips to Increase Conversion Rates
After doing all that we talked about above you should start to see some results from your actions. After all, that is why you’re reading this article, right? But before your conversions go through the roof, you need to do two things.
#22: SEO Optimize Your Website
If you have a poorly laid-out and low-ranking website it will hinder conversions no matter where the lead originated from. If your Instagram marketing performs the way we laid it out to do, your website traffic will increase.
Make sure your website is easy to navigate. Remember less is more! Think of the SEO and include proper keywords and meta tags. Test to make certain your website is well-optimized before you begin an Instagram marketing initiative. Even if that means you need to pay a professional service to do the job.
#23: Adjust to Mobility
Remember that Instagram is a mobile platform. For that reason, if your business hasn’t created a mobile website yet, you are already way behind. Start by testing your website pages, pictures, and links. Make sure to replace or delete any that don’t render correctly on your smartphone. You do NOT want to spend a massive amount of time creating interest on Instagram and then lose people because your website looks weird on their mobile devices.
The Instagram Agency’s Tips to Save Time with Your Instagram Marketing
Most of my clients often say after our first session together “how will I find time to do all of this”? As with all new implementations, that’s the big question. It’s true marketing with social media does take time. You will have to craft the posts, decide on hashtags and photos, make sure to tag appropriate people, and finally post them. Those are all hands-on actions. There are a few ways to save time out of the schedule so you can get it done, fast, easily, and with style!
#24: Decrease Time Spent on Other Advertising
I know this might trigger some reactions, but marketing with Instagram can let you slow down on some of your traditional advertising efforts. Depending on your goal, target market, and localities I would suggest decreasing or completely eliminating print ads, banner ads, and other traditional advertising that previously ate up time and dollars. Re-structuring your marketing and ad plan will free up precious minutes to use on social media.
#25: Use A Content Calendar
This will probably be one of the best ways to structure your time and efforts on social media. Set up a timeline of the days, times, and content you will post on Instagram and other social media. Plan your posts, both visually and content-wise. Will you be posting industry updates, interesting or amusing quotes, cool pictures, product rollouts, trade show photos, blogs, and webinar invitations? They are all great choices, as a mix is necessary, but it’s important that it fits your account.
If you start with too much focus on sales it will turn the audience off. A content calendar is a great visual tool to make sure you aren’t heading too far away from being the relevant and informative connection your followers crave.
#26: Use A Scheduling Platform
Working with marketing on Instagram will be an ongoing task for at least one person in your company. Although it will take a lot of time it is more efficient to set aside chunks of time to post instead of posting every day. This will give you a foresight of what’s to come. That doesn’t mean you can be spontaneous if something comes up, it just gives you more control.
Platforms like Hootsuite, Later, Iconosquare, Planoly, Falcon, Buffer and many more all allow the social media manager to schedule posts. With these tools you can set up every social media account you use and post to all of them from one location with a single push of a button. You can set the posts to go out immediately, tomorrow, two days from now, or several weeks ahead. Scheduling platforms are THE biggest time savers for social media managers.
#27: Hire A Marketing Agency
Using an Instagram marketing agency might be the best option for your schedule. Not only are we experienced in creating high-performing profiles, captions, and photos we already know how to research and employ the right hashtags and other follower-building strategies.
A marketing agency can shorten the time it will take to start showing a return on investment for your efforts rather than doing it all by yourself.
These Instagram marketing tips above serve several purposes. My goal is that they will decrease the time it will take you to see results, but also give you a strategic plan of what to do as well as supply you with ideas to increase followers and engagement. Use them wisely and you will see your Instagram profile grow, your website traffic increase, and your conversion rate explode! Good luck and see you soon again!
If there are any questions or ideas regarding marketing on Instagram, let me know, or follow us on Instagram at @TIGAgency for continuous tips and ideas.
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