Develop Instagram Marketing Strategy

Perhaps you are like many others: you know how important it is to be present on Instagram, you want to be active on the platform, but you don't know how best to do it. Many companies feel compelled to promote their brand on every social network and don't take the time to devise an elaborate strategy. Since Instagram is very different from all other social networks, this platform requires a very individual marketing strategy. The tips below will help you find your own personal style for your Instagram presence.

Determine your Instagram target audience

As with any other platform, the first thing you should do is determine which target group you want to address. If you already have other marketing strategies in place, you can use these as a foundation. Then narrow down your Instagram target audience by determining the following factors: age, location, gender, income, interests, goals, and typical challenges.

but how does it continue? Keep an eye on popular hashtags on events and topics relevant to your business. Find out who is using and interacting with these hashtags and check out these Instagram users' profiles. You can also just take a closer look at a competitor's followers. Sometimes it is actually easier than you think to target your audience.

Conduct a competitive analysis

Now that you've determined your Instagram audience, it's a good idea to conduct a competitive analysis to find out what content your competitors are posting on Instagram. If you already know who your main competitors are, check out their Instagram profiles. If not, you can find the profiles of similar companies by entering search terms that are relevant to your company or industry. Then check which posts are getting the most attention from your competitors, which popular hashtags are used, how the captions are designed, how often posts are published, and how successful the companies are. This information will then help you design and optimize your own Instagram profile.

If, when analyzing the content of your competitors, you notice that they have ignored a certain opportunity, be sure to make a note of it. Because with new content you can stand out from the crowd.

Set up an editorial calendar

An average of six photos per week posted by companies, which means more than 300 pictures a year. With this amount, it is not easy to keep track of which content has already been published and which articles should be posted, and when. An editorial calendar will help you here, with which you can also significantly reduce the administrative burden of your Instagram account. In this calendar, you can sort your posts by post type (see above), design your captions and hashtags, and create a schedule for the publication of the individual posts. The editorial calendar is also very suitable for recording important events that you would like to draw attention to on Instagram - such as the launch of a new product or a discount campaign. Without an editorial calendar, You can find yourself so busy searching for content ideas that you don't have time to look for current opportunities.

Make sure you have a uniform brand identity

If you post content randomly and your posts don't match, you will confuse your target audience and likely lose followers quickly. It is therefore important that you find a clear line and pay attention to a uniform brand image. It helps to think about your brand personality. What are your brand values? Would you like to present them in a cheeky, playful, direct, or bold way?

The lifestyle and interior design experts at Apartment Therapy, for example, have applied the popular #foodporn concept (the appealing presentation of delicious dishes) to apartments. The brand stands for bright, flawless, well-structured interior design concepts and this is exactly what Apartment Therapy’s Instagram presence reflects. Ideally, a user will know at a glance that a photo in their feed is from you.

Another excellent example of a successful, uniform presentation of the brand personality is Taco Bell. The company has adapted its feed to the more blunt style and on-the-go lifestyle of Millennials, its target audience, and focuses on fun photo posts to get users to interact.

Once you have defined your brand personality, you can start aligning your content with it. This can even affect the color choices for photos.

Also, align your posts with the story you want to tell with your brand. If you describe interesting experiences in captions, this promotes the development of a personal relationship between you and your target group. A good example of successful storytelling is the Red Bull feed, which contains countless photos and videos of challenging sporting situations.

Convert Instagram followers to customers

Once you've built a solid base of followers, you can take initial steps to convert those paying customers. The following options are available to you for this:

1. Promotions: Offers, discounts, "two for the price of one" promotions, and similar promotions are great for getting Instagram users to buy for the first time. Be sure to be very clear about the terms of the offer and indicate the end date of the promotion to convey a sense of urgency. 

2. Contests: One of the most effective ways to attract new customers is to provide a trial version of your product. As part of the competition, ask users to follow you on Instagram or tag a post with a specific hashtag.

3. Social engagement: According to a recent survey, 81% of millennials expect companies to make a public commitment to social engagement. This means that with social engagement you can increase your brand sympathy and your chances of converting followers to customers. One example of this is the fashion label Gap, which supports the organization The Global Fund in the fight against AIDS in Africa. Gap has helped raise more than $ 130 million since 2006.