Maximize your marketing strategy with Instagram

Launched in 2010, Instagram is now worshipped by numerous social media network lovers.

Instagram is not just a trend, it’s an app that has numerous marketing advantages. If almost all brands use Instagram today, lots of companies are still hesitant about embarking on an Instagram journey because they’re often scared of not finding the ideal content to promote or because they lack knowledge on how to properly use it as a tool.

Once you’ve read the following article, you won’t have any excuses left!

#1. Instagram at the heart of your social media strategy

With over 800 million active users per month and an engagement rate higher than Facebook and Twitter (4,21% by member), Instagram is a social media network that you cannot afford to neglect. The growing popularity of this social network demonstrates its increasing importance in the digital world.

For companies, Instagram is an opportunity to communicate differently with their audience regardless of their age, gender and job title. The app allows you to showcase your product in pertinent ways while offering popular and attractive visuals that will boost your sales.

#2. Use stories to boost your business

You’re probably wondering how a short-term publication post with a 24-hour lifespan/shelf life can become a key strategic element for your long-term marketing campaign? Well, firstly you need to know that « Igers » (the name given to Instagram users) absolutely love discovering the behind the scene stories of their favorite brands! By sharing your content on a daily basis and exploring subjects like your everyday life, your backstory, your secret… you are building a relationship with your audience.

Stories are features that will prove to be very useful if your content is fresh, fun and original. You need to play on the instantaneity of it and offer spontaneous content to match. For example, do you have a team member that brought in his/her cute dog or his/her brand-new vintage sweater to the office? Snap a picture of it, or even make a video, and have fun with creating gifs, emojis, surveys, stickers, tags…

On a more serious note, you can also promote new products in your stories. Mix and match videos and photos to create depth to your ads. For all your social events, don’t forget to go live either directly from your company profile or thanks to an influencer. You can create and broadcast special hashtags for the occasion, the content will be supported by the audience and your event will then become viral.

#3. Promote your Instagram publications

With a business account, you have access to a wide range of ad types: photo, video, carousel posts or even ads integrated into your stories. Each of them provides different goals for your objectives: the goal of popularity, consideration or conversion.

You can manage your Instagram ads directly from the app or through Facebook ad parameters. Just make sure that your posts respect Instagram’s advertising policies.

The best way to promote your brand for a very low cost is through content curation. You will soon realize that Instagram users can become incredible inspiration sources for your brand. Launch a hashtag and offer to repost your fans’ best photos. You’ll just have to select and mention the photo’s author, and post it! Soon enough, you will be offering engaging stories and posts which will have required very little effort!

 #4. Analyze your statistics

For all your marketing strategies, analytics reigns supreme! As easy as it is to access is as indispensable of a tool it is for your brand, don’t skimp on the use of these precious parameters and data! You can have access to Instagram Insight by clicking on the diagram shaped icon on the top right-hand corner of your profile.

Instagram offers a wide range of statistics to help you measure your campaign performances, to analyze your audience and to improve your results. Among them:

– Who are your followers? Age, gender, city, country.

– Profile visits: the number of users that have visited your Instagram profile.

– Reach: the number of unique accounts that have visited your profile.

– Impressions: the total number of times that your posts have been seen.

– When are your followers most active (time, day).

– Your best posts: ranked according to filters, type of publication (photo, video), metrics (impression, reach, engagement, likes and comments) and to the period (7 days, 30 days, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years).

– Stories: Instagram algorithms will look for the messages and stories that worked the best for you.

In the course of your Instagram marketing strategy, you will be able to see the type of content that will help you reach your goals and that you consider are the most efficient ways to reach them. Above all, pay attention to the new tendencies, they will help you reach and retain your target easily!

Pssst… Minimal is also on Instagram ? ! Come visit us on @minimalmtl, we’re having a lot of fun out there!