More and more brands are incorporating Instagram strategies into their marketing plans, and it leads to business growth! Videos, gifts, and photos are driving high engagement rates.

While visuals are infused in the majority of our social communications – be it a quick selfie or the latest pet videos, there’s no denying that this rise in visual content flooding the social networks is remarkably prominent on Instagram.

Focusing your social media marketing strategy mostly on Instagram seems the way to go, as 71% of all US businesses are already using the platform.

1. Start with a compelling Instagram profile

Your Instagram business profile should be nothing like your personal Instagram account. And it is best that “you” appear rarely (if not at all) on the Instagram business page. It’s not about you, it’s about the story of your brand.

To create a compelling profile, you must start by doing a little market research to see what the public is interested in.

2. Craft An Attractive Bio

An Instagram business bio should prompt a customer into taking action while showcasing the personality of the company at the same time.

The bio needs to be interesting and informative at the same time. It should be able to hook followers. You need to convince Instagram users that adding you to their Instagram will enhance the content and value of their feeds.

3. Link To Your Site

It is only in the Instagram bio that you can place a clickable link, so make the most of it. Provide the link to your site on the space that lies directly underneath the description (on the top part of the Instagram page).

Including your website, link is crucial to your Instagram marketing strategy. Make sure your URL is readable, as opposed to a series of random characters.

Make your business easy to find by tagging your location

It’s important that your business remains accessible both online and offline.

4. Respect your brand identity

You should be able to figure out your company’s brand identity. Majority of your Instagram feed aesthetic will be based on the brand identity.

The reason why Instagram has become so huge is that it builds a global social network by connecting people via visual elements alone, making it a powerful medium of capturing and sustaining people’s attention.

Include the tone and personality of your brand in the feeds. Add the brand value, and play on the tone of your brand. And, most importantly, be honest and human.

Writing long, irrelevant content is one one of the biggest Instagram mistakes you can make.

5. Focus on the target audience

Cater to your target audience without making any compromise on your brand identity. Know that the Instagram feed primarily aims at current and potential customers.

Find out what about your product or brand attracts your target audience. And reflect this in the Instagram feed.

Don’t compromise on the quality of your posts and messages and use this platform to bring your audience closer through conversations on shared values and visions.

6. Research your competitors’ strategies

You can study your competitors and get a feel of what they are promoting on Instagram.

Are they relying on user-generated content for their products or services? What type of content are they publishing on Instagram? How often? What’s their hashtag strategy?

Gain new insights on what competitors are doing and new ways to improve your own marketing strategy.

7. Be creative with your Instagram captions

Creative and fresh Instagram captions are the key to attracting customers, but it is not easy to caption your image or videos all the time.

Timing matters a lot in business. Instead of rushing, you need to take time to caption the image to captivate your audience. Don’t forget that users will probably spend only a few seconds to view your picture before moving on to the next one.

Add value to your text instead of quantifying it. You can use your creativity to make the image more engaging. Don’t be dry, but take on a conversational tone if need be. Instagram users hate formality.

8. Use strategic hashtags

Hashtags are used in Instagram for users to track the content they are looking for. You need to use your hashtags strategically so that more users can find your posts during their search.

Incorporate as few as 2-8 hashtags in each post.
Opt for hashtags that are commonly and frequently searched for.
To implement your brand in a local area, opt for location-based hashtags.

9. Create awesome Instagram Stories

Stories are the most popular feature on Instagram.

If you can tie narratives with the brand identity then they will automatically make your audience connect with you emotionally, and add meaning to the content you are posting.

Stories that you tell significantly contribute towards the creation of brand loyalty. But at the same time your Instagram feeds should reflect the purpose and image of your company (and brand) as it will create uniformity.

Make the most out of your Instagram Stories!

10. Get your audience’s input with polls in your stories

Some of the new Stories features can help bend the bridge between you and your audience., and one of them is definitely the poll feature.

People have become increasingly tired of the hard sell approach, so tailoring messages to their needs and interests is more important than ever.

And the simple way to do so is by simply asking them, with the help of polls. Ask for opinions by posting clear and stright-forward questions.

This can help you improve products while making your audience feel directly connected to your business.

11. Work with influencers that connect to your brand

Since we’re talking about brand ambassadors, it’s also important to mention the incredible reach of Instagram influencers.

Working with an Instagram influencer can grow your following exponentially and can bring overnight success to any Instagram campaign successful.

But there’s a catch. You have to pick the right influencer for your brand. Someone that identifies with your values and bring over like-minded people to your page.

12. Be aware of your most engaging Instagram posts

Always check the data to see what kind of Instagram content is most interesting for your audience.

Going back to check your analytics tools and finding connections between your most successful posts is also an easy way to find out what your followers like.

Finally, think outside the box! Don’t hesitate to try out new things, but be mindful and aware of your audience’s needs. There are some things that you need to keep in mind, such as on-brand content, top-quality images, user-generated content, friendly and engaging posts, and trending topics.