When launched in 2010, Instagram was more of a quick-sharing photo-posting social network. But, it didn't take long to fall into the public's favor and have a significant increase in users.
More than 10 years after its launch, the app has more than one billion active users per month. In addition, it expanded its resources by making the video format available within the platform.
With the growth of Instagram, several brands began to invest in this channel in an attempt to have more visibility, establish a greater and closer connection with their audience and generate sales opportunities .
All of this is possible by following a good Instagram marketing strategy .
Are you thinking about adopting it in your company to generate better results?
So, check out this complete guide we prepared on Instagram marketing and take the opportunity to follow our tips!
Why should your business use Instagram?
A very common question among managers is usually why the company should use Instagram in its strategy. One of the main reasons is that your target audience is certainly on it .
Therefore, the chance of capturing new business opportunities is increased, positively impacting your revenue. But not only that! Instagram also works as a relationship platform.
Your company can serve customers and potential customers, increasing the chances of retaining them or making new purchases. The platform also works as a channel for the dissemination of products and services, with the differential of having a greater reach due to the easy sharing of content.
Through Instagram, the company can also increase brand awareness, gaining notoriety and being well remembered by the public.
There is also one more important advantage: the social network provides several reports that allow the company to have relevant information to execute more assertive marketing campaigns. With actions based on data, the company increases the chance of success and achieving the goals previously established.
Also read: 5 Google Analytics Tips for E-commerce
Instagram for Business
One of the initial steps for a company that wants to invest in this type of marketing is to get to know Instagram Business, or Instagram for Business.
It is a version dedicated to companies, offering a set of tools that make it possible to create and execute a personalized and effective strategy in the network.
Through Instagram Business , it is possible, for example, to know gender, age, location and time when your followers most access the social network, in addition to easily discovering the reach and engagement of each of your publications.
With this data, it is possible to understand what type of content generates more interest and engagement, being able to better plan posts to generate the results you want.
How about reading this content? Social networks: What are they and for whom are they?
Instagram Business Features
Instagram Business has specific features that your brand can use in its digital marketing strategy. Below, we list what they are and how they work:
Sharing photos and videos
You can post photos and short videos on your business profile, with the option to add locations, effects and filters, share on other social networks, tag or mention people and brands.
Direct messages
This is Instagram Direct, which is a channel for exchanging messages with users of the social network. It enables fast and private communication, with the possibility of customer service, problem solving and negotiations.
Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories is one of the main resources used by brands and users of the network today. Interestingly, he was inspired by Snapchat! In Stories, you can post videos of 15 in a row that disappear after 24 hours.
The brand can use Instagram Stories in different ways, one of which is to publish offers. You can also show behind the scenes of the company and post launches and special company actions.
Other options are interacting with your audience through polls and question boxes , as well as posting links redirecting the user to your website or blog, so they can get more information on a certain topic.
One of the differentials of stories is that they give a more “real life” feature to the company’s profile, which helps to humanize the brand, bringing it closer to its audience.
Reels
Reels is yet another resource inspired by another social network, in this case TikTok. Announced in 2020, Reels lets you create videos up to 60 seconds long, with in-app recording and editing.
User can add music, effects and voice-overs to videos. In addition, you can manage who views the content. This format is interesting for companies that want to produce videos that are a little longer, as long as it makes sense to their audience.
It can work as a fun way to communicate with your followers , being able to abuse a little more creativity in your digital marketing strategy.
lives
Instagram lives make it possible to connect with your followers in real time . It can be performed alone or with guests.
It is a powerful tool to show launches and broadcast events, getting closer to your followers and interacting with them in real time.
However, it is important to know how to use this feature correctly, to ensure that you really entertain your follower. Ideally, you should prepare a script with the main points you want to address in the live, to follow a line of reasoning and not run the risk of getting lost and leaving something important aside.
The script also has the differential of giving more confidence when presenting the live. To ensure a great result and give a more professional image, it is recommended to pay attention to the scenery and lighting. Another tip is to consider the time when the audience is online, to do your live during this period.
Store
It is a feature that allows the brand to sell using Instagram . The social network's stores work as storefronts and occupy the entire screen, to offer an immersive user experience.
Brands can drive product discovery by their potential customers, all without them leaving the social network. Users can visit the brand store from their business account or through feed and stories.
The creation of the store on Instagram is free , being an alternative for the brand that wants to increase its reach and the possibility of selling through the social network.
Instagram Ads
Instagram Ads is a platform that allows the brand to run paid ads on the social network, whether in photo or video. This feature is important because it makes it possible to achieve goals in a shorter period of time, especially those of increasing visibility and recognition.
But that's not all Instagram Ads are for! By investing in paid ads on the social network, the brand can achieve other goals such as more clicks/traffic on websites, increased sales and taking an action they want the user to take.
To achieve the previously established objectives, it is essential to know how to create the campaign properly, using the social network's ad manager.
Organic content or advertising: which one to invest in?
When adopting Instagram marketing, there is usually a question: after all, should you invest in organic content or in advertising? Which one is the best?
Before answering this question, it is essential to know what organic content is and how it differs from advertising. Organic content is content that generates non-paying ad engagement .
In other words, it's the post without Ads boost. Typically, this type of content generates results, but in the medium and long term.
Advertising posts are part of the Ads strategy on the social network. In this case, the brand pays for the content to appear prominently to its target audience, achieving visibility and achieving goals faster.
So, which brand should you invest in? The truth is that there is no one better than the other, organic content and advertising (Ads) complement each other. Therefore, it is important to perform both to have results in the short, medium and long term.
The ideal proportion will depend on the goals the brand wants to achieve and what budget is available for it. It is worth mentioning that organic content generates results in a slightly longer period of time than advertising.
Therefore, if the brand's desire is to have results quickly, it is interesting to carry out more advertising and have a slightly larger budget. If you want to achieve results in the medium and long term and the budget is restricted, a greater focus on organic content is an excellent solution.
Don't know how to balance these two possibilities to achieve your goals? In this case, the ideal is to consult an expert or rely on the support of a digital marketing agency !
How much does it cost to advertise on Instagram Ads?
Some people think that advertising on Instagram Ads is expensive, but this mistake is very common. The initial investment in campaigns is low, especially compared to offline media.
But to get a significant return it is important to make an investment a little larger than the minimum indicated by the platform. To get an idea of how much you need, it is important to have the support of a professional to structure your campaign and guide you.
7 tips for a successful Instagram marketing strategy
Instagram has been increasingly used for entertainment, relationship and shopping research . The brand that is on the social network and adopts special strategies for it is more likely to stand out.
But what strategies can the brand implement to generate results? Below, we separate 7 precious tips to help you have an attractive profile that allows you to achieve goals:
Have a plan
Planning makes all the difference because it works as a kind of guide for using the social network and carrying out actions. In it, you need to specify what goals you want to achieve , what your target audience is, what content you will produce and when you will post it, among other details.
Be constant
It is recommended to be constant in the posts, to have greater visibility. Ideally, post at least once a day, preferably at a key time, which is when your audience is normally online and engaging with your content.
Capriche in the content
Your content should grab the audience's attention, so make sure to post your posts. The ideal is to work with quality images, as the social network is essentially visual . When using the caption, avoid large texts. The ideal is to be objective and clear!
Whenever possible, try to mix relevant and informative content with content that provides fun and entertains the user, to increase their engagement and possibility of sharing.
Use hashtags
Hashtags are important to attract followers interested in certain subjects. Ideally, do keyword research that matches your content and audience , using them to create hashtags.
The recommendation is to use at least one hashtag in the caption, to prevent it from being polluted or the post being shadowband (punishment that hinders distribution and decreases the reach of publications on the social network).
Interact with users
It is essential that the brand interacts with users, responding to comments and direct messages. You can also make polls available in stories. The idea is to promote conversations between people and companies , which will help increase your profile engagement.
Make Stories and Reels
In 2021, Instagram announced that its focus will be on video , because this is the format that the network's users have been consuming and searching for the most.
Therefore, if you want to have more visibility on the network, it is recommended that you create more videos, such as Stories and Reels. There are several types of content that the brand can adopt in this format, replicating trends from the network itself, but the ideal is to abuse creativity and make original materials that really catch the user's attention.
Organize your profile
An organized profile is visually pleasing and increases the chance of gaining followers. To achieve a profile like this, the tip is to use quality images that follow a color chart.
Avoid using too much filtering and posting images that are similar, so your feed doesn't get repetitive. In addition, don't just post about your product or service , start addressing relevant and related topics, without leaving the profile organization aside.
Top comments (0)