In 2020, many brands have found that they need to be flexible and creative in their social media marketing strategies to engage their audiences. Fed up with generic content, people don’t pay attention to dull content, so you have to be very focused on the value you offer your customers with each post. If you want to win over Instagram, one of the most relevant social media platforms most convenient for sales and marketing, you need to pay close attention to your content and its quality, and then adapt some tips and tricks on how to make your Instagram marketing more effective.
When it comes to Instagram, first and foremost, you need quality images, and you need to choose them wisely. Instead of spending money and effort on producing your content each time you need it, you can rely on stock photography websites as a cost effective source of visuals, like many brands already do. For more ideas on Instagram marketing that will be effective for your social media strategy, keep reading this article.
Get creative with storytelling
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Ephemeral content such as Instagram stories is used by almost every brand, with businesses discovering that stories are an effective way to engage their audience. These days, many Instagram users prefer watching stories to scrolling through their feeds as this is an easy to process, short, and very entertaining content format.
You shouldn’t miss out on that opportunity and post stories if you don’t do so already. However, to make sure your stories aren’t random things people drop without watching, you should aim to post meaningful and creative stories that either have a connection to each other or have a narrative, in the form of storytelling.
Plan your publications in advance
A piece of general advice for Instagram marketing is to post regularly and aim to publish content on a daily basis. That is important since people don’t make a decision to buy if they see your product only once or twice. They might forget your brand name or lose a post they’ve stumbled upon. Regular posting helps you reach more people and remind them about yourself with meaningful and useful content.
It’s hard to post on a regular basis without planning your publications ahead as we are all humans and need some time to rest (at least on weekends). That’s why you need a content calendar or a plan and utilize programs and tools that will help you set several posts for later publication in advance. You can also use the drafts feature on Instagram so that you always have something to post in case of a content emergency.
Take advantage of local hashtags
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It’s okay to add several hashtags to your Instagram posts in order to reach more of your potential clients, but you should use them wisely and effectively. Sure, you will get a lot of likes with a general hashtag such as ‘happiness’ or ‘life’, but many of them will be from bots (there are tons of them on the platform), so it won’t be effective in terms of conversions and sales.
Instead, opt for local hashtags that have a connection to your country, region, and city. If you ship or work internationally, you can add dedicated hashtags as well. Aim at meaningful tags that have direct relevance to your publication.
Test live streams
Live streaming is very popular these days, as most events from music concerts to public lectures are being postponed indefinitely. People opt for online events as their sole alternative for such activities, which means you can use this as an opportunity for your business. For instance, you can organize a livestream with Q&A to let your audience know you better, increase trust, and build better relationships with your customers.
There are other topics for live streams that you can try. A grocery store can organize a livestream event with a guest or a chef that will teach their audience a new recipe. If your brand’s activity is interesting as it is, you can livestream your updates or behind the scenes.
Contests, giveaways, and discounts
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Organizing contests and giveaways is a proven way to skyrocket brand awareness and increase engagement. People are more likely to re-share your posts and stories for their followers to see (and maybe even participate).
Many brands have adapted contests and giveaways to their Instagram strategy as an effective marketing tool, but some got overwhelmed with the results they bring and make the mistake of running them too often. Too many contests and giveaways look messy on people’s feeds and irritate people, so focus on the quality and organization instead of quantity.
Same goes with discounts. From a customer’s perspective, one endless discount makes you question the company’s sales policy and costs. That’s why you need to organize your strategy with sales and plan to spread them out evenly throughout the year and time them for holidays.
Keep track of reviews and feedback
As a customer, you probably read reviews before you make a decision to purchase something. Most people do it, and when they can’t find any feedback on a brand’s website or Instagram account, they will search further and might stumble upon some negative reviews on different websites.
It’s a good idea for businesses to have a place dedicated to reviews and feedback so that potential clients can read about your products directly on your Instagram. You can add these to your story highlights so that reviews from happy customers will be one of the first things visitors see on your page.
Read up on Instagram success stories
With major competition in a crowded online space, you can’t rely on your stable, year-to-year social media marketing strategy. Things that worked several years ago don’t work today, and you need to constantly adapt and rethink your approach to your social media platforms. Researching articles with the latest marketing advice will help you understand what works for others these days.
Of particular interest are articles where brands share their own insights, strategies, and downfalls. Basic research will give you new ideas on what to try with your own content and strategy if you want to boost your stats from year to year.
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