10 Highly effective Instagram Advertising Suggestions (That Truly Work)
Since Instagram was founded, Instagram has become the ultimate photo sharing platform.
Over 1.16 billion monthly users are active on the website. Daily users spend approximately 8 minutes with the app and 500 million use stories every day.
There are also a large number of influencers on the website with a large number of followers. And, with the right plan, you can become an influential brand too.
You need to post the right type of content to stay relevant to current followers while bringing in new ones at the same time.
However, it can be difficult to know what types of posts are best for growing your audience.
Here are ten powerful Instagram marketing tips (that actually work) to help you milk the popular platform for anything that's worth it.
1. Switch to a business profile as soon as possible
Before thinking about your Instagram marketing plan, make sure you have an Instagram business account.
It's easy to change your current profile to a business account.
Just go to your settings and click "Switch to Business Profile" to get started.
A company profile offers some clear advantages.
For example, followers can click your contact button to get in touch with you right from your Instagram page, just like they do on your website.
A company profile allows you to create and post Instagram ads without having to use Facebook's advertising tools.
You can also access Instagram analytics tools called Insights, which provide statistics on the impressions and reach of your posts.
Once you've unlocked the free perks on a company profile, you need to use them to track metrics and understand your target audience.
2. Use free Instagram tools
Company profiles on Instagram aren't all that different from Facebook business profiles.
You can use Insights to view statistics like impressions, engagement data, and more.
You can even get a breakdown of your followers demographics, including age, gender, location, and most active hours.
Findings aren't just generalized either. You can get specific insights into the posts of the week, showing you how many impressions you got over that period and how your top posts were.
These free tools are invaluable as they help you understand exactly how users interact with your content.
The more you know about how users are interacting with your posts, the better at customizing your content to increase engagement.
One category of posts that almost always gets attention is product teasers.
3. Post-product teasers that (gently) urge people to buy
What if you could sell more products by posting product teasers on Instagram?
Yes you can.
Instagram is a great place to promote your products. And if you play your cards right, you won't annoy users or put them off with advertisements.
If you're too pushy, the followers will fall like flies. However, product teaser posts are an easy way to talk about your product and add excitement without looking like you're trying too hard.
Here are two posts from Gilt Man's Instagram page that don't try to sell a product directly, but instead offer a free app that lets users shop all of the brand's inventory.
The brand is offering a 70% discount and showing you photos of some of the items that are available for purchase.
And the posts each received thousands of likes, which is huge in the advertising world.
The ads work because they're not intrusive. You are relaxed. They tease users with the discount and the product picture to download the app and have a look around.
This works for almost any industry. Starbucks teases its audience by advertising seasonal drinks with sharp images rather than trying to force people to buy.
If you annoy people about products they're interested in and you don't push them to buy something, they're more likely to pull the trigger and actually buy something.
If not, they will at least engage with your post by liking it, commenting on it, or sharing it with a friend.
So don't be afraid to showcase the goods by posting product photos. Just do it gently.
It is also helpful to create some sponsored ads.
4. Create sponsored ads
Instagram ads have become commonplace on the platform. The best part? You can control exactly how much you want to spend on it by setting an ad budget.
The carousel feature allows you to run just one sponsored ad or multiple ads.
This gives brands the opportunity to address their target audience in a whole new way. Before sponsored posts, only users who follow your account could see your updates and photos.
Now brands can promote their photos to anyone who fits their target audience to expand their reach further than ever before.
For Sponsored Ads, use content that is engaging and appealing to the audience you want to serve the ad in front of.
You can also turn existing posts into sponsored ads. So keep an eye on your top posts.
You can later forward these high performing posts to prospects in the form of Sponsored Ads.
Run multiple posts at the same time for different audiences for even more engagement. Note that there are many different forms of Sponsored Ads that you can post such as:
- photo
- Video
- Carousel / Dynamic Ads
- Stories
- Stories canvas
Instagram Stories, sponsored or not, are another great way to connect with followers.
5. Use Instagram Stories
If you want to generate leads, Instagram Stories will help.
Instagram Stories differ from regular Instagram posts in that they are in a "slide show" format.
They are only active for 24 hours, but stories can be saved on any of your devices and reused at a later time.
This feature is very similar to Snapchat Stories (and is even a direct competitor).
Instead of appearing in the news feed, Instagram stories appear in a small area above it.
Once a user clicks your photo above, a window will open for them to view your story.
The benefits of Instagram Stories for brands are truly endless. For starters, stories are displayed at the top of followers' timelines, which users are already looking at on a daily basis.
Brands can use stories to capture behind-the-scenes insider posts that may not be as "high quality" as regular posts.
And you don't have to worry too much about posting content that matches the “aesthetic” of your brand or your Instagram page in terms of stories.
Instagram also makes it easy to experiment with different types of content in the Stories feature, such as: B. Photos, short videos, rewind videos, live videos or boomerangs. You can use tools like Canva and InVideo to create amazing images and videos for your stories.
Boomerangs are GIF-like images that play in a loop.
You can also tag other accounts in stories. This is ideal if you're working with a different brand or influencer.
Face filters, text, or stickers make it easy to edit pictures or create fun, eye-catching graphics.
Any photo and video you add will play in the same order in which you added them.
There is no limit to the number of posts you can add to Stories at any given time and the feature is available to all companies worldwide.
Stories are only available on the Instagram mobile app. It is currently not possible to send Instagram Stories as direct messages.
However, since most Instagram users access the website through the smartphone app rather than the website, there is nothing to worry about.
If you haven't worked with influencers who are already killing on Instagram, find some to work with and reach out to them.
6. Partner with influencers for greater reach
The fastest way to reach potential customers on Instagram is through influencers who have already built an audience with a large following.
More and more people are buying services or products based on what they see on their feed from the influential people they follow. You trust them.
Working with the right industry influencer can help promote your brand in front of those people.
The first step is to identify some influencers whose target audience is relevant to your product or service.
Here is an example of how Gravity Blankets used influencer Jessi Smiles to promote her product on her Instagram page.
The post has thousands of likes.
The brand sells weighted blankets for sleep and stress. Her Instagram page has over 77,000 followers.
But Jessi's site has over 400,000 followers who will likely trust her recommendations.
This means that just by contributing, the brand has exposed itself to thousands of potential customers (and new followers).
When you put aside the short-term profits and direct sales you can get from an influencer campaign, there are even more long-term benefits.
When you develop a relationship with every influencer, you create lasting brand awareness with a new audience.
And if you play your cards right, you could even partner with a top influencer in the future to win millions of likes like Coca-Cola did with this post from Selena Gomez.
Your existing customers may not be influencers, but you can still use their contributions to influence people into buying your products by collecting user-submitted photos.
7. Collect user submitted photos
Wouldn't it be nice if there was a way to create great content for your Instagram page without putting in any hard work?
By user submitted photos there are.
You already have an engaged audience. Whether there are hundreds or thousands of people, you can use your audience to generate useful content for you.
And your followers will likely enjoy user-generated content even more than yours because it is authentic and unpredictable.
Cosmetics brand MAC uses tons of user-generated content that they promote on their Instagram page to showcase products.
Here is a photo that one of his users posted and then added to their Instagram page. Notice how they used the hashtag #regram and tagged the user in the picture.
You may be wondering exactly how to get your users to create engaging content without being intrusive.
It's actually pretty simple. Your audience will likely want to build their own following just like you do.
Just let them know you are tagging them in your post when you select their photo for reprogramming. Then they have an incentive to publish user-generated content on a consistent basis.
It's a win-win situation for you and your customers.
GoPro is notorious for this. The brand chooses a #FeaturedPhotographer every week.
The brand (and its followers) treat this like a weekly competition.
If you try something similar, you will likely be surprised how eager your followers will be to get involved.
Remember to choose carefully the photos you plan to post. This can be tricky, but try to remember these things when considering a winner:
- Does the photo match the brand image you've already created or are about to create? Or is it against it?
- What is the fan base of the person whose photo you want to share?
- Is the photo suitable for your current audience and followers?
When running a business, you need to make sure that everything you post aligns with your brand's message (and audience). Also on Instagram.
If someone shares a user-generated image with a large following, those followers are likely also interested in checking out your page.
See how this user-submitted photo of Boosted Boards fits in with the brand's aesthetic. It's high quality, fascinating, and unique.
Choose images like this one that successfully mimic your brand's tone.
However, try not to be too biased about the content you want to post. Mix it up and watch your followers count and engagement grow.
It's also helpful to develop some sort of branded hashtag that encourages Instagram users to be more interactive with your business.
8. Think of an interactive brand hashtag
If you want to create instant engagement, interactive hashtags are a great way to achieve it.
Red Bull has collected over 299,612 posts with the tag #itgivesyouwings.
Customers can then use the tag to post user-generated content. This allows users to search through all of the posts related to your brand.
It also makes it easy to browse images that you may want to repost on your own page.
Creating a hashtag that your business (and other users) can search for is essentially free advertising.
Every time someone posts a photo with the tag, they're exposing your business to their followers.
If you already have a popular brand slogan or phrase, consider setting it up as a branded hashtag. Coca-Cola successfully achieved this with their hashtag #ShareACoke.
Regardless of what you post, you need to post at the right time and not post too much.
9. Post at the right time (and don't post too much)
Posting excessively on Instagram is a surefire way to take your existing followers off.
If they just see your brand on their news feed, they'll likely unfollow you asap.
However, you want to post on a consistent basis so that you stay on their newsfeed regularly.
One of the best ways to do this is to only post on peak days and hours when your followers are online.
According to SimplyMeasured, Wednesday and Sunday are the worst days to post on Instagram, while Monday and Thursday are the best days to post.
According to research by CoSchedule, the best times of the day are between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. and between 2:00 a.m.
The hour between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. correlates to the time of day people prepare for work or commute to work (and check social media for that day).
And 2:00 a.m. is the time of day most people scroll through Instagram when they should be asleep. So this makes sense as the second most popular time to post.
You can determine when your followers are most active in Instagram Insights, so your best days and times to post might be slightly different depending on your audience.
Schedule your posts to go live these days and times using a tool like Hootsuite, CoSchedule, or Sprout Social.
Research also shows that you should post between once and twice a day, but no more or less.
If you're tempted to post more, Instagram's carousel album feature lets you post multiple pictures or ads in a slideshow format.
That way, you won't overwhelm your followers' feeds.
After making these changes, keep track of your metrics to keep track of areas where you can make improvements.
10. Make sure you are tracking the correct metrics
The only way to improve and optimize your Instagram performance is knowing how well your page and posts are performing (or are below average).
When you have measurable results, you know exactly what works and what doesn't.
Start by tracking your follower growth rate.
The total number of followers you have is commonly viewed as a vanity metric. And it is.
However, your followers growth rate is not.
By keeping an eye on the growth rate of your followers, you can see how the type of content your post (or post frequency) is affecting things.
Next, measure engagement rates. This includes likes and comments.
You want to know the average engagement percentage of your total followers, as well as the average engagement rate of each post, to get a clear picture of your page's performance.
If you have a smaller following, your engagement rate should be higher. Here's what your prices should look like based on the number of followers you have:
Finally, you need to track your click through rate for URLs.
If you don't already have a link to your website in your Instagram bio, add one ASAP.
Then measure how many people click on your URL.
According to Conversion XL, the average click rate on Instagram is 0.94%.
The more effective your Instagram marketing techniques are on your audience, the higher your click-through rate will be. If it's low, work on improving your approach.
A tool like Sprout Social measures how many clicks your link is getting compared to impressions and engagements.
Conclusion
Instagram has dominated the social media world. With over 800 million users per month, this is the go-to place for image sharing.
Billions of likes are given out every day, so you'll need to do your part to collect some of them.
First, switch your profile to an Instagram company profile if you haven't already. This gives you tons of free tools and insights.
Next, take advantage of these free tools. Review your audience demographics, such as: B. their age or top locations.
Post product teasers to encourage people to buy your product or service without being overly intrusive. They're more likely to buy if they don't feel pressured.
Turn your posts into sponsored ads to reach audiences who may not already be following you. Posting could only be addicting.
Use Instagram Stories to post photos or videos behind the scenes. Followers will appreciate the insider posts that build your relationship with customers.
Work with influencers who have a wide reach in your industry. Your followers trust their recommendations.
Realize the power of user-generated content by republishing images that your customers have shared. You can turn this into a contest with an interactive branded hashtag.
Pick a photo to share every week or month that aligns with your brand's message.
Post at the right time and avoid overbooking. Post once or twice a day and check when your followers are most active. Schedule posts to be published on these days and times.
Finally, make sure you are tracking the right metrics to see how your Instagram marketing efforts are paying off.
Keep an eye on the follower growth rate, engagement rate, and click rate of your URL.
If you need help with your Instagram ad campaigns, contact our agency!
What Instagram Marketing Techniques Are Best For You and Your Brand?
See How my agency can drive Firmly Traffic volumes on your website
- SEO – Unlock tons of SEO traffic. See real results.
- Content Marketing – Our team creates epic content that is shared, links accessed and visitors drawn.
- Paid media – effective paid strategies with a clear ROI.
Book a call