Instagram Marketing
After Facebook, Instagram is the second most used platform with over two billion active users monthly. Instagram is the ultimate marketing platform for businesses as it is considered to be the most liked social networking site among youth. The opportunity for growth is massive over here as 90% of Instagram users follow at least one business on Instagram.
Because of its format, Instagram allows businesses to showcase their products or services by using appealing visuals in the most disciplined way. Instagram has a high engagement rate that allows brands to connect with their target audiences efficiently.
Before crafting an Instagram marketing strategy, you should keep in mind a few things about it.
Brand Building On Instagram
Instagram is a platform that allows brands to have a visual appearance and build their own story over it. Unlike Facebook and any other social networking platform, the audience on Instagram is distinctive and has its own unique set of interests and preferences. For Instagram users, visuals and aesthetics matter the most. Even before having a strong brand story, brands are required to design their image by using theme colors and patterns in the content that satisfy the aesthetic cravings of the users!
Set a theme for your Instagram business page, choose your theme colors, and play with them! Use photos, videos, and stories to bless the feeds of your audiences.
Understanding Instagram Algorithm
The Instagram algorithm is a complicated tool that gives a tough time for the marketers. It keeps changing over time and marketers need to keep themselves updated to pace up their marketing game. It generally describes a set of rules that determine which content should be seen based on factors like;
Relationship: What type of relationship do you have with your followers? Do they interact with you frequently?
Interest: Which type of post user interacts with? (Photo, video. The story, carousel, etc)
Timeliness: Recently published content will overshadow the old one.
Frequency of Use: The intensity of usage by the follower
Following: How many people a user follows? If it follows a lot of people, then Instagram cannot show posts of every follower on the top feed. (the interest succeeds here)
Session Time: How much time a user spends on Instagram per day?
These are some of the algorithm-related factors that marketers should be aware of.
Instagram Ad Format
On Instagram, businesses have the opportunity to advertise their content via;
Image ads, Stories ads, Video ads, Carousel ads, Collection ads, Explore ads, IGTV ads, Shopping Ads, and Reels Ads. Each type of Instagram ad gives specific results. For instance, stories are the best source to generate leads. Likewise, the shopping ads feature gives the brands a shot to fulfill their eCommerce goals as 130 million users tap on shopping ads every day. Image or carousel ads are the most common yet successful means of advertising a product or service on Instagram.
With so many types available, it can be confusing for the brands to choose the right one for them. When choosing the best ad type, you need to look at your marketing objectives. Objectives like reach, engagement, awareness, and others will determine the choice of the suitable ad type for any business.