The 10 Principles of Successful Instagram Marketing
Wouldn’t it be great if there was a clear and simple formula
to successful Instagram marketing? Well, there’s not one way to do things well
on Instagram, but there are several principles that, if followed, will lead you
to a stronger following, more leads, and a higher conversion rate. Use these 10
principles of successful Instagram marketing to guide your next campaign.
1. Robust Bio
Your bio is about more than just your business name,
username, and website URL. It’s about giving a clear picture of your business
with a single profile photo and less than 150 characters of explanation.
Make your bio clear, concise, and compelling. Choose a
strong profile image that embodies your brand and makes it feel authentic and
human. Use a call-to-action to encourage users to click on your link, and
change that link out often so that you can direct traffic to the right pages.
2. Clearly Defined
Audience
No matter your market or products, you must know your
audience. The most stunning Instagram content in the world won’t do any good if
it’s not carefully curated to your audience. You’ve likely made customer
personas before to get to know your audience, and that’s a good principle when defining
your Instagram audience as well. You might also try:
- Analyzing your Instagram insights to learn more
about your audience demographics. - Using a social listening tool to tell you what
consumers are saying about your brand. - Having conversations with your audience to learn
what you can improve. - Monitoring trends your current audience is
following to create marketing strategies that match.
3. Measurable Goals
A good strategy begins with clearly defined goals that you
can measure and monitor throughout your campaign. No Instagram campaign is
complete without them.
“Remember that good goals are specific, measurable,
realistic, achievable, and have a deadline, says Deep
Patel, founder of Owlmetrics and Brandmates. “You may need to make several
mini goals leading up to a larger goal.” As you monitor your objectives and
mark your successes, you’ll maintain motivation that will carry you through a
successful marketing campaign.
4. Analytics Tracking
After you’ve made your goals, the best way to measure them
is through analytics tools. You can start with Instagram Insights, the built-in
free tool that measures numbers and insights related to your audience, follower
rate, post engagements, and more.
You may also want to invest in an external Instagram
analytics tracking tool, which offers even more insights and ideas to help
you succeed. Instagram Insights is a great starting point, but it’s limited in
the amount of information you can track. A good analytics tool will provide
more detailed information you can enjoy.
5. Steady Theme
An often-overlooked principle of good Instagram marketing is
the use of a clearly defined theme on your profile. A theme gives your page a cohesive
look so that when users see your images, they know it’s you.
A theme can be derived using similar colors in your images,
a consistent filter for your photos, unique angles in your photos, or a
specific subject matter. This is all part of strong branding so that you can
build a following and get more attention for your marketing campaigns.
6. Consistent Posting
Establish a consistent posting schedule to keep your
followers engaged without spamming their newsfeeds. The general advice is to
post at least once per day to your newsfeed and several times per day to your
Stories feed. If you need to, schedule these posts in advance so that you don’t
miss a day posting.
Don’t post just for the sake of posting, though. If you
don’t have something of quality to say, it’s not worth putting on your page.
It’s better to post three times per week with the highest quality posts than it
is to post every single day with sub-par content.
7. A Growing
Following
Very few marketing campaigns are successful with a small
follower base. Your first goal should be 1,000 followers, then 5,000, then
10,000 and beyond. Once you reach 10,000 followers,
you’re automatically considered a verified, authentic brand on Instagram, a
huge milestone for your advertisements!
Follower growth is something that comes naturally as you
apply tactics like consistent posting, quality content, and curated content for
your audience. It takes time and dedication, but your following will continue
to grow if you remain consistent and add value with every post.
8. The 80/20 Rule
Instagram is a platform about forming connections. Consumers
like to follow brands, but only if they feel like they’re receiving mutual
benefit. They don’t like to be annoyed by too many advertisements or
promotional posts.
Therefore, follow the 80/20 rule with advertising in your
Instagram posts. Only 20 percent of your posts should be promotional while the
other 80 are all about building your brand, making connections, providing value
for your audience, and just being you.
9. Daily Stories
Instagram Stories receives more than 500,000 visitors every
single day, many of which are logging on more than once to hear stories from
their friends and favorite brands. This is an excellent place to share tips,
high-value content, and promotions for your products or services.
Research shows that brands should be posting to their
Stories between five and 15 times per day. Less than five sends the message
that you’re not engaged while more than 15 can be annoying to consumers. The
sweet spot is somewhere in the middle where you’re able to post throughout the
day, jumping to the front of their Stories feed with each new post.
10. Strong Hashtags
Hashtags make your posts searchable. They’re one of the best
tools for growing your audience and creating a consistent content pattern.
You’ll need a combination of trending and branded hashtags to keep your profile
up-to-date and competitive.
Start with trending hashtags. These are hashtags in your industry that have
already garnered popularity. You can use that popularity to attract consumers
to your post, sharing new spins on related content that will catch their
attention.
Branded hashtags are also useful, particularly if you’re
looking for user-generated content. These simple hashtags showcase a loyal
following that will help you maintain leads and grow your business steadily.