Guest blog by our intern Mia Howard.
From reels to highlights, Instagram can be difficult to navigate at the best of times. With constant updates, ever-changing trends and over a billion users, it can become overwhelming to know where to start.
But with the newest features, it can elevate your brand by providing a great way to gain exposure, as it remains one of the most critical ways to market your business. From swipe up links to hashtags, the platform’s tools and your brand have the capacity to reach users globally.
Keeping up with trends
After the rise of TikTok, video features are now prevalent and can offer a greater insight into a product or service as opposed to a single picture.
With 500 million people using the story feature daily and one third of the most viewed stories being published by businesses, there are many ways to create attention grabbing content for your audience. From IGTV to interacting with viewers in real-time using the live option, it is now easier than ever to convey your brand image and provide value to your followers.
Working with influencers
Brand and influencer collaborations is the most effective marketing strategy due to its authenticity, which brand content can sometimes lack.
An established influencer has a level of trust with their followers, so when they advertise or endorse something, it is likely that their receptive audience will buy in to the product or service that they’re promoting.
Depending on their following and levels of engagement, micro-Instagrammers can charge between £75 and £3,000 per post – which is significantly cheaper than traditional advertising. These influencers also target specific niches which may align with your brand’s demographic.
Interactive elements
Brand and consumer interaction is critical in the future of social media marketing. Experts believe that these elements are vital for attracting and maintaining an audience, increasing engagement and improving conversion which inevitably, generates sales and revenue.
The most popular interactive feature is the use of a poll on Instagram stories which allows the brand to collect ideas and opinions from its audience. The question poll sticker is another great way to gather suggestions, as you can use the feedback to help create a product or service, or tailor your existing ones, to ensure complete customer satisfaction.
What time of day to post
Whilst this might seem unimportant, it has more value than you might think. Posting at a specific time, according to when your followers are actively using the app, can result in maximum engagement and exposure.
In general, the best time to post is between 11am- 2pm. However, you can drill down into your analytics to reveal what times your followers are online, and on which days. And yes, the day itself has an impact – supposedly a Tuesday is ideal for increased engagement.
This may be the best time to post, but not the only option; consistency of your account matters, as it builds momentum. A systematic posting schedule will keep followers engaged.
With 83% of people using Instagram to discover new products and services, it is required that your business has an interactive and up to date account to prosper.
Sources:
https://newsfeed.org/study-shows-that-instagram-video-posts-have-higher-engagement/
https://embedsocial.com/blog/instagram-stories-analytics/