While Facebook still reigns supreme over other social media platforms in terms of the sheer volume of users, Instagram is nothing to scoff at! IG sees 1 billion active users every month, and over 140 million Americans use the platform. And even better, Instagram sees much higher audience engagement rates than Facebook...
Twice as high, to be precise.
The photo-sharing giant’s popularity has steadily increased year after year. The addition of features like Stories, Instagram Shop, Reels, Action Buttons, and many more have made this platform a versatile tool for global brands, influencers, marketers, and entrepreneurs.
Today, we’ll be giving you three top tips that can help you maximize this platform's capabilities and create a killer Instagram marketing strategy to help you put your brand on top!
1. First Impressions Matter
This is just as true online as it is in real life—maybe even more so. With so many other brands and random content vying for users’ attention, you need to make sure your brand makes a lasting impression in just a few seconds.
On Instagram, you might think that’s a job for your posts and stories, but don’t overlook this crucial element: your bio. Your posts will grab people’s attention, but your profile as a whole is what holds it and makes them want more.
An ideal bio isn’t long. Keep it short and sweet, and don’t be afraid to let a little personality peek through. Tell your audience who you are and what you’re offering in just one or two lines.
2. Make Full Use of Instagram Stories
Instagram’s Story feature is arguably one of the reasons why this social media platform has been so successful.
IG Stories allow you to share anything near instantly. They’re one of the best ways to show your more silly, human side to your audience and build a following because there is less pressure to appear polished—in fact, more casual and natural-looking stories work best. And because they are so easy to create, they’re a dynamic way to update your audience on announcements or events and keep your brand relevant.
3. Tell a Story
“What unites people? Armies? Gold? Flags? Stories. There’s nothing more powerful than a good story. Nothing can stop it. No enemy can defeat it.” — Tyrion Lannister, Game of Thrones
Good stories have the power to captivate people and create a lasting impact on them. While Instagram is primarily a visual and photo-based platform, your captions matter more than you think!
Many brands and entrepreneurs on the platform use micro-blogging, which is essentially writing a short blog post in the captions. This is a great way to build community, encourage engagement and offer your audience real value.
But keep in mind that, although you want to tell a complete story or pack in a lot of value, most of your audience will not read the entire caption. In fact, they won’t see most of it until they click “see more.” Make sure you lead with the most important information and have a captivating first line!
And once you’ve reeled them in, make sure the rest of your post can hold their attention. Don’t focus so much on selling your offer that you forget to let your authenticity and personality shine through. Instead, focus on building real, human connections with your audience.
Signing Off
If you made it all the way to the end, we’d like to thank you! We hope this helped point you in the right direction in using Instagram as a marketing tool. We’re always looking to help business owners like you, so stay tuned for our next blog post!