Instagram marketing strategy
Successful Instagram strategy to increase sales
How to generate sales with an Instagram strategy
To survive in 2020, a commercial organization simply needs an active social media presence. No SMM strategy is complete without Instagram. In recent years, it has become a major advertising platform for brands, advertisers and consumers.
800 million monthly active users, 500 profiles daily. What's more, research shows that 70% of Instagram hashtags are crazy.
What does this mean? If you are not active on Instagram, then your competitors are definitely doing it. And those of you with an Insta account set up are on the right track. But having an account is not a guarantee that you will have sales. Truly increasing your sales and making real money on Instagram takes a well thought out strategy. In this guide, we'll show you the direction to take.
For those of you who have just created an account, it will be more difficult to get started, because in the "Followers" tab: 0. But if you are not a new company, then most likely you already have clients.
To survive in 2020, a commercial organization simply needs an active social media presence. No SMM strategy is complete without Instagram. In recent years, it has become a major advertising platform for brands, advertisers and consumers.
800 million monthly active users, 500 profiles daily. What's more, research shows that 70% of Instagram hashtags are crazy.
What does this mean? If you are not active on Instagram, then your competitors are definitely doing it. And those of you with an Insta account set up are on the right track. But having an account is not a guarantee that you will have sales. Truly increasing your sales and making real money on Instagram takes a well thought out strategy. In this guide, we'll show you the direction to take.
Increase your subscribers
One of the first steps in creating a successful Instagram strategy is expanding your subscriber base. Without followers, it is difficult to achieve visibility of posts and generate sales.For those of you who have just created an account, it will be more difficult to get started, because in the "Followers" tab: 0. But if you are not a new company, then most likely you already have clients.
This is the best way to start looking for followers.
Here are the top reasons why users follow brands' social media accounts:
Your current customers are interested in the brand. Let them know you have a social media profile and ask them to subscribe. Start by sending messages to those who have already subscribed to the email newsletter. People should have an incentive to follow your Instagram.
For example, you can only send emails a few times a month. Let your followers know that if they want more discounts and specials, they can all be found on Instagram. If you're using a similar strategy, try to keep promises. In addition to reaching email subscribers, you can have an Instagram badge on your site. Use your other SMM channels to promote your Instagram account.
These are the initial steps.
There is another way to expand your subscriber list - subscribe to other accounts. But try not to follow random users.
Find followers from your target audience. This will be your best bet when it comes to generating new leads and sales. How do you find people who are relevant to your target market? It's not that easy, it will take some effort. You need to find similar accounts.
It's not about stealing followers from competitors, although this tactic works too.
But you can search for Instagram profiles that post content related to your industry. Let's say your company sells tourism and travel.
Here are the top reasons why users follow brands' social media accounts:
- Interested in products / services: 73.4%
- Interested in promotions: 58.8%
- Entertainment content: 51.3%
- Interested in the industry: 41.5%
- Incentive offered: 42.2%
- Brand communication: 25.1%
- Friends follow / like content: 21.0%
Your current customers are interested in the brand. Let them know you have a social media profile and ask them to subscribe. Start by sending messages to those who have already subscribed to the email newsletter. People should have an incentive to follow your Instagram.
For example, you can only send emails a few times a month. Let your followers know that if they want more discounts and specials, they can all be found on Instagram. If you're using a similar strategy, try to keep promises. In addition to reaching email subscribers, you can have an Instagram badge on your site. Use your other SMM channels to promote your Instagram account.
These are the initial steps.
There is another way to expand your subscriber list - subscribe to other accounts. But try not to follow random users.
Find followers from your target audience. This will be your best bet when it comes to generating new leads and sales. How do you find people who are relevant to your target market? It's not that easy, it will take some effort. You need to find similar accounts.
It's not about stealing followers from competitors, although this tactic works too.
But you can search for Instagram profiles that post content related to your industry. Let's say your company sells tourism and travel.
They have more than 53K subscribers. All of their posts are dedicated to tourist destinations from around the Belgium. Therefore, we can conclude that people who subscribe to the account are interested in travel. This is a rather laborious process, but effective.
Once you find similar accounts, browse the followers and start following other authors.
Users will receive notifications about this and visit your page. And if they like what they see, they will subscribe.
When there are relatively many followers, it will be easier to generate sales with an Instagram strategy.
Many people use interesting introductory blog posts as part of their content strategies. When an Instagram user first visits a page, what is the first thing they see? Your profile photo, biographical information, and recent posts. When a user clicks on your profile, they shouldn't have any questions. This means that the profile should communicate who you are and what you do.
Better to use your company logo as your profile photo. The logo is much more visible than some random images of people or products.
Once you find similar accounts, browse the followers and start following other authors.
Users will receive notifications about this and visit your page. And if they like what they see, they will subscribe.
When there are relatively many followers, it will be easier to generate sales with an Instagram strategy.
First impression
This is important in both the real and the virtual world. And you, as a marketer, of course understand this.Many people use interesting introductory blog posts as part of their content strategies. When an Instagram user first visits a page, what is the first thing they see? Your profile photo, biographical information, and recent posts. When a user clicks on your profile, they shouldn't have any questions. This means that the profile should communicate who you are and what you do.
Better to use your company logo as your profile photo. The logo is much more visible than some random images of people or products.
It immediately becomes clear who it is. As a profile photo - company logo; a curriculum vitae explains in detail what the organization does. There is even a link to the site's landing page to generate service subscriptions. If your Instagram page doesn't grab attention, there won't be any followers.
The description should be short and to the point, it will help promote your products and, ultimately, sales.
The description should be short and to the point, it will help promote your products and, ultimately, sales.
Regular publications
If you post a photo or video only once a month, this is not an effective strategy. This profile cannot be called active. Your brand should be associated with something fresh in the minds of your audience. At the same time, do not spam subscribers' feeds. We need a middle ground. Better not to post more than once a day. If you have enough content to post regularly, post it like stories.How often should you post to Instagram? Research shows that the most successful brands on Instagram post content with moderate frequency; 1.5 times a day, or 10-11 posts a week. It is also important to consider the time of publication. Top brands share posts with subscribers during standard weekly office hours.
Why? 90% of office workers admit that they are often distracted by social networks while working. Focus on these statistics and schedule posts accordingly. Regular posts increase your visibility and the likelihood that more people will see your content.
Don't oversell
So, we came to the conclusion that we need daily publications. But we have not yet touched on the issue of topics. You need sales, obviously. But it doesn’t mean that absolutely everything that you publish should be promo. The effect will be the opposite. So mix your content.Post something interesting, such as funny pictures of employees. It is important not to deviate too much from the brand image and avoid controversial topics related to religion, politics and race. If you hurt someone's feelings, this is not the best way to increase sales.
Again, try to avoid a large clump of advertising posts - this is the main reason why the content of business organizations on social media is so annoying for users:
What's more, 46% of users say they unsubscribe when they see a brand posting ads too often. If you post sponsored posts, do so infrequently. Also, you do not need to write posts in lowercase letters and add many asterisks to the text and put quotation marks wherever you need to.
Information should be short and to the point
Streaming video
Instagram has implemented the possibility of live broadcasts, and this, by the way, is one of the main marketing trends of the year. Users love streaming, and companies are exploiting this need. During broadcasts, viewers can comment - you keep in touch with the audience in real time.
Whenever possible, try to respond to comments and encourage users to improve engagement metrics.
Video streaming is endless marketing opportunities. You will introduce the audience to new products or even employees, take tours of the office or production halls. All of this promotes engagement. Representatives of some organizations conduct Q&A broadcasts from time to time to maintain closer contact with the audience.
Another way to use Instagram live story is to collaborate with other brands. Instagram is the world's best social platform when it comes to collaborating with other brands:
To promote your profile, you can try to conduct joint broadcasts. This strategy will introduce your brand to a new audience and increase your subscriber base, and, ultimately, you will attract more sales.
Add images and videos to your story
As noted, daily content can be posted like stories. Content is added to stories several times a day, so the content will not look like spam in subscribers' feeds. But that doesn't mean it's worth publishing 20 photos and videos each in a story.
Users will not view them regularly, in which case it would be a waste of time and resources. Engagement and views will drop with each additional post in the story. It is also important to choose the right time for publication, because after 24 hours the story disappears. Stories can offer discounts, contests, or tell people what you're doing in the office.
The idea is to stay in the minds of users. If people remember your brand, they are more likely to buy something.
As with live streaming, you can even use your Instagram Story to find business partners. You may be able to negotiate and post content to their account, and publish their content in return. And again, this is a way to reach a large audience.
You can partner with influencers, share your content, and drive sales because influencers have high engagement rates and well-established connections with subscribers.
If you partner with micro-influencers, their followers are more likely to view you as their peers. Research shows that 90% of consumers say they trust peer recommendations:
Add images and videos to your story
As noted, daily content can be posted like stories. Content is added to stories several times a day, so the content will not look like spam in subscribers' feeds. But that doesn't mean it's worth publishing 20 photos and videos each in a story.
Users will not view them regularly, in which case it would be a waste of time and resources. Engagement and views will drop with each additional post in the story. It is also important to choose the right time for publication, because after 24 hours the story disappears. Stories can offer discounts, contests, or tell people what you're doing in the office.
The idea is to stay in the minds of users. If people remember your brand, they are more likely to buy something.
As with live streaming, you can even use your Instagram Story to find business partners. You may be able to negotiate and post content to their account, and publish their content in return. And again, this is a way to reach a large audience.
Partnerships with influencers
You don't have to promote your brand on Instagram alone.You can partner with influencers, share your content, and drive sales because influencers have high engagement rates and well-established connections with subscribers.
If you partner with micro-influencers, their followers are more likely to view you as their peers. Research shows that 90% of consumers say they trust peer recommendations:
Add hashtags to your signatures
Captions are just as important as the images and videos you share. You need to learn how to write signatures that stimulate engagement.
Hashtags are a must. And there are different approaches to this promotion tool.
To begin with, you can use existing ones, so other people will see them.
For example, you can choose a hashtag designed to popularize a national event. Another good idea is to create your own hashtag. This hashtag will be more effective in popularizing your brand. The hashtag can only contain the name of your organization or the name of an ad campaign.
If you love running Instagram contests, each one can have a unique hashtag.
User Content
User-generated content - This strategy is similar to hashtags that contests promote. Such promotions encourage users to post photos / videos thematically related to your brand in their own accounts.
As a result, friends of these users will notice your brand. This type of content is like recommendations that serve as an effective promotion method.
Check out this post that posted on their Instagram page:
Captions are just as important as the images and videos you share. You need to learn how to write signatures that stimulate engagement.
Hashtags are a must. And there are different approaches to this promotion tool.
To begin with, you can use existing ones, so other people will see them.
For example, you can choose a hashtag designed to popularize a national event. Another good idea is to create your own hashtag. This hashtag will be more effective in popularizing your brand. The hashtag can only contain the name of your organization or the name of an ad campaign.
If you love running Instagram contests, each one can have a unique hashtag.
User Content
User-generated content - This strategy is similar to hashtags that contests promote. Such promotions encourage users to post photos / videos thematically related to your brand in their own accounts.
As a result, friends of these users will notice your brand. This type of content is like recommendations that serve as an effective promotion method.
Check out this post that posted on their Instagram page:
Sponsored posts
One of the benefits of promoting a brand on Instagram is that it's completely free. You don't have to pay to create a profile and post comments. Many of the strategies described in this post also require no investment.But if this option is not for you, if you need a more aggressive strategy, you can use advertising. This is a good idea for new brands that are gaining new followers in the meantime.
There are several options for your choice:
- Photo
- Video
- Carousel
- Stories
The peculiarity of this ad is that you can add links that drive sales. Here's an example of a photo ad with a shop now CTA button:
Summary
Your company needs an active Instagram presence.
Always strive to increase your subscriber base.
Make sure the profile is set up properly and makes a good first impression.
Post comments regularly and don't post too much promotional content.
Stream live, use Instagram stories effectively.
Collaborate with influencers to bring your company to a new audience.
Use hashtags as a promotion tool.
Stimulate user-generated content.
If you want to take your Instagram marketing strategy to the next level, and you have the extra cash, you can pay for sponsored posts.
All of these techniques will help you grow your Instagram presence and ultimately increase your sales.
Make sure the profile is set up properly and makes a good first impression.
Post comments regularly and don't post too much promotional content.
Stream live, use Instagram stories effectively.
Collaborate with influencers to bring your company to a new audience.
Use hashtags as a promotion tool.
Stimulate user-generated content.
If you want to take your Instagram marketing strategy to the next level, and you have the extra cash, you can pay for sponsored posts.
All of these techniques will help you grow your Instagram presence and ultimately increase your sales.
Comments
Post a Comment