Instagram has now become the go-to platform for brands looking to establish an online presence and connect with a large audience. With over 700 million users, Instagram is on the verge of becoming the second largest social media network after Facebook.
With so many businesses trying to capture the attention of potential customers through this new visual medium, your brand needs to stand out from the rest. Creating an effective Instagram marketing strategy will help you get more followers and leverage your visual assets to drive sales.
To achieve these objectives, you need to build an army of Instagram ambassadors who will represent your brand and create content that resonates with potential customers. Brands like Burberry, Anthropologie, and Victoria’s Secret are all pioneers in making use of these digital brand advocates as part of their wider social media strategy. Here are 5 tips on how you can do the same:
Be authentic and show your true colors
One of the biggest mistakes that brands make is trying to be everything to everyone. Instagram is all about showing the world who you really are, not who you think your customers want you to be.
The authenticity that comes across in your Instagram feed will help you establish a strong connection with your audience, and drive more engagement with your content. This will help you create an identity for your brand on Instagram that customers can easily connect with. You can then use this to inspire your content creation, and start creating a feed that your followers will love.
Authenticity also comes down to the visual imagery that you use across your Instagram account. Images are the most important part of any Instagram campaign, and they can either make or break your strategy. Choosing the right images and visuals for Instagram is essential for ensuring that your brand receives the right amount of attention and the right type of engagement.
Identify the type of content that resonates with your audience
After you’ve identified your true colors and the type of content that resonates with your audience, you can build your Instagram content around it. Choosing the correct type of content to post on Instagram will help you get more likes, and comments, and ultimately drive more sales.
There are a number of different types of Instagram content that can help increase your visibility, engagement, and sales, including:
- Promotions or Discounts: Promoting special offers or discounts will help you boost sales and drive more customers to your online store. Make sure the offer is visible in the image, and include the discount code or the link to the product page. This will help you get better results from your visual posts, and drive more sales for your business.
- Behind the Scenes: This type of content gives your audience a chance to see the human side of your business. It lets your followers know that your business is made up of real people, and not just an online store. Behind-the-scenes content allows your followers to get to know your employees, where they work, and how they do their job. This type of content can generate a lot of engagement, and encourage your followers to comment on it. Comments are one of the best ways to get more likes on your posts, and they will also help increase your brand awareness.
- Educational: Educational posts are a great way to build trust in your brand and educate your followers on the value of your products. Educational posts are usually text-based, and let your followers know about the benefits of your product or service.
Create a contest or sweepstakes to find your brand advocates
Another great way to find brand advocates and create content for your Instagram feed is to start a contest or sweepstakes. This will help you find digital brand advocates, who have a particular interest in your company or product. A contest or sweepstakes can be as simple or complicated as you’d like it to be.
You can start a contest by asking your followers to submit photos of themselves wearing your products, create an original piece of artwork inspired by your brand, or even come up with a new product name.
Regardless of the contest, you decide to run, it’s important to make sure that the prize is relevant to your brand, and will interest your followers. The more creative you get with your content, the more engagement you’ll get, and the more attention you’ll receive from your followers.
Establish monitoring tools
Instagram is a visual platform, and visual content is what drives the most engagement. Studies have shown that visual content receives, on average, 2 times more views and 7 times more engagement than plain text-based posts.
In order to make the most of your visual content, you need to make sure that you’re posting at the right times, and that you’re using the best type of imagery. This is where monitoring tools like Hootsuite come in handy.
They allow you to track your brand’s performance on Instagram, and help you figure out the best times to post on Instagram and the best type of imagery to use. This will help you make the most of your Instagram strategy, and drive more engagement and sales from your visual content.
Takeaway
Building an army of Instagram brand advocates is a great way to boost your visual marketing strategy, and drive more sales and revenue from your online store. Start by being authentic, showing your true colors, and identifying the type of content that resonates with your audience.
Once you’ve figured these things out, you can create a contest or sweepstakes to find brand advocates, and create great Instagram content. Establish monitoring tools to make the most of your visual posts, and drive more engagement and sales with your visual content.