Instagram is the second most accessed social network after Facebook. It is the most popular visual social platform, with over a billion monthly active users and 500 million daily stories.

Why Market on Instagram?

The main advantage of Instagram over other social media platforms is its visual nature. If your business benefits from showcasing the design of your product or if you have a service with a notable end result, Instagram is the ideal platform for presenting this content. Video, images, and illustrations are all excellent content for this social media platform. However, your marketing strategy will ultimately determine the type of content you want to post and how often. Developing a strategy before diving into a new social media platform, regardless of its success with others, will keep you focused on your goals and, more importantly, your audience.

Building a Marketing Strategy:

Define Your Goals for Instagram:

Before you start posting on Instagram, ask yourself (or your team) one thing: Why are you on Instagram? Given the platform’s popularity, this answer should not be taken lightly. To be successful on Instagram in the long run, you need specific goals to justify your time, effort, and financial investment.

Identify Your Target Audience on Instagram:

Define the audience you want to reach before starting marketing on Instagram. If you have other marketing strategies, draw from them to maintain consistency in your efforts. Consider factors such as age, location, gender, income, interests, and motivations. Analyze popular hashtags and relevant categorizations related to your business.

Conduct Competitive Analysis:

One crucial step in marketing on Instagram is defining your audience. Therefore, you need to conduct a competitive analysis to understand what other marketers in your field are posting. If you already know your main competitors, start by reviewing their profiles on Instagram. If not, search for terms related to your business to find similar accounts. Quickly audit related accounts to learn about their top-performing posts, common hashtags, captions, posting frequency, and growth rate. This information can serve as a benchmark when you start growing your own account.

Create an Editorial Calendar:

Creating an editorial calendar can save time, help manage your presence on Instagram, and enhance your marketing power. Fill your calendar with various types of Instagram posts, plans for captions, hashtags, and pre-scheduled posting times. An editorial calendar is an excellent place to note any significant events to highlight on your Instagram account, such as the launch of a new product or special offers.

Build a Consistent Brand on Instagram:

Random content confuses your audience and can lead to follower loss. To prevent this, define the personality of your brand. What are your brand values? How do your customers and employees define your brand? The aesthetic of your brand helps in recognizing it, meaning anyone can see your image and instantly know it’s yours without seeing the name. Once you’ve defined your brand’s personality, rely on it to write or design your content to align with it. This also applies to the color scheme used in your images.

Grow Your Instagram Follower Base:

Increasing your followers takes time, commitment, and consistent effort. You might be tempted to take the easy route and buy followers, but don’t do it! Buying followers doesn’t actually increase engagement, which is needed to ensure your posts are seen.