When Instagram first came out in 2010, it was just like any other social media platform where people could share photos, videos of their favourite moments that they wanted to cherish. By 2019, Instagram had transformed itself from a simple photo-sharing app to a full-fledged marketing channel. It had introduced certain features like advanced analytics and other tools for people to increase engagement and gain real followers. Whether one is working in commerce, media, technology, education or publishing, it pays to build a brand presence on Instagram. To get ahead with Instagram marketing, one needs to know the platform inside out and understand what kind of content catches people’s hearts.

With over 1 billion active monthly users, Instagram is the second most accessed platform after Facebook. 25 million businesses are there on Instagram as per the records of 2020. According to Hubspot, 83% of Instagram users have reported that they have been able to discover new products and businesses through the platform that’s why Instagram marketing becomes important. Here is a complete guide to successful Instagram marketing –

Defining the purpose of being on Instagram and marketing goals

Generating leads, building a community, generating brand awareness – One might have several or any of these purposes to be on the gram. One has to set their own purpose and ask why they want to spend time on the platform. This goal determines the time spent on the platform and the return on investment one gets from it.

To cite an example, beauty brands are on Instagram to sell their products and build a community at the same time. Many brands are on the gram to build customer relationships and show off their human side. One advantage of using Instagram is it provides a plethora of creative opportunities to businesses, influencers and creators. It’s their responsibility to combine their creativity and goal to get the most out of it. Following other brands, competitors and small companies would help to explore Instagram in a better way.

Optimization of Instagram profile for increasing engagement

Before creating content on Instagram, one must optimize one profile for maximum visibility. Instagram provides a very simple and straightforward way to build a profile. Given below are some tips to optimize the profile to leverage the power of Instagram marketing –

• Setting a business profile – A business profile is mandatory for everyone who has the aforementioned goals. A business profile helps in providing additional goals about the business, company, or influencer in the bio like the email address, phone number, etc. Analytics are also available to track followers and engagement.
• Creating the brand creative– A brand creative has to say a lot about the brand. It can be a hashtag. So it is necessary for an individual or a business to decide on a good hashtag and go on with it.
• Deciding on an eye catching Instagram bio – Bio is the first thing any follower or an Instagrammer would see. It represents the brand and encourages the visitor to take an action. An ideal bio should include a hashtag, a call to action, and a link to track engagements.
• Choosing a profile picture – a minimalist logo of the brand should go here. Instagram allows only 110*110 pixels. Lots of social media tools are available to edit the picture and add as profile.

Crafting compelling content for the audience

Creating compelling content is the ultimate icing on the cake. Content is the king undoubtedly to succeed on Instagram. Given below are some kinds of content which is popular in Instagram –

• Imagery – the most popular kind of content on Instagram is an image. It should be bright, attractive, and properly edited.
• People centered imagery – Images on the gram should involve people. There should be a human element in every post.
• Videos – Video content, as mentioned in previous articles are the most widely consumed.
• Memes – Young people love liking and sharing memes with their friends. Therefore, big brands are coming up with memes to entertain their audience and gain more followers
• Instagram stories – Stories are something that brands should strive on creating on a daily basis to engage with followers.

Publishing the content to increase engagements

Simply posting the content won’t do any good. There are certain strategies to follow while posting the content –

• Captions – Captions should be small, concise and connecting with the audience. A touch of emoticons gives it a personal connect.
• Time and frequency – posting at the correct time and on a perfect day are as important as crafting compelling contagious content. It is important to know when the audience is at its high to gain maximum likes, followers, and shares.
• Posting on other platforms – Content should be posted on other platforms too like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest. This saves time and helps one to bounce from one network to another.

Promoting Instagram for long term

One has to apply the correct strategy to increase the number of visitors to the page as no one is magically going to arrive on the page. This means posting frequently and engaging with your audience.

These are some of the best practices one can follow to increase their engagement and followers on Instagram. Now it is up to the individual or the brand to harness the power of Instagram.