There are more than 115 million Instagram users in the US. It is a popular platform businesses use for branding and selling. Many consumers utilize the platform to engage brands, discover product, and ensure the brands they want to use are reputable.
Therefore, brands need to be more effective when they want to grow their Instagram account. So here are some ideas for you to get started.
Develop a Brand Plan
The first thing that you should do is to make a plan. A plan allows you to create a sustainable social media campaign where you can identify the exact needs. You can set what times, days, types of posts to publish, hashtags, goals and more. Having a plan shortens content creation and helps you direct campaigns in the right direction.
Pre-Design All Content
The next thing you should do is to develop content ahead of time. Try to write content two or three days in advance. Then schedule it with the help of a tool that will publish posts at the right time for you and your audience.
With a good scheduler, which can include the free Meta Business suite, you don’t need to be online all the time. This free time allows you to focus your energy on different aspects of your business.
Promote your Brand’s Instagram Account
There are several ways that you can promote your brand’s Instagram account. You can do this by marketing your profile on emails, other platforms, your website, or even in person. Another way to boost your account is by paying for advertising to target audiences with specific preferences and hobbies. You may also buy Instagram live views to increase your number of watchers.
Use Professional Quality Equipment
Many brands advertise that you can use regular phones or cameras to take high-quality images that can promote your brand. However, this is not the case. Nothing beats the quality of pictures taken by a high-powered camera.
Invest in a camera as soon as your budget allows. You might also want to purchase good editing software. Good software can remove blurs from photographs or background elements you don’t want to show.
Use Instagram Stories
Videos are one of the most effective ways to attract followers and increase engagement. There are three different types of videos on Instagram: Stories, Reels, and Live. Stories are the bread and butter of videos on Instagram and should be regularly used to engage your audience.
Stories can be recorded and uploaded on many devices. They have a limited length and will disappear after just 24 hours, though there are ways you can save a couple of them for a little longer. You can also use images from your library for your Instagram Stories.
Adopt Instagram Reels
Reels are another video outlet you can use on your account to help you promote your brand. Reels can be 90 seconds long and are a great way to get intricate content to your audience. For example, use the 90-second reels for advertising new products, team members, or even a location.
Reels can also be a perfect way to reward followers or brand advocates by dedicating a reel to them to give them exposure. Doing this option can encourage them to share your video. This feature will encourage their followers to watch and learn more about you.
Start Live Videos
Live videos have a potential for exposure, but lots can go wrong. However, for their value, the risk is worth the effort. To minimize the risk to your brand, plan the live video to the last detail and do a few dry runs. The more practice you get, the better it will be when doing a live video. You can produce many types of live videos from Q&A sessions with fans, covering live events and even a collaboration with a celebrity/influencer. Get inspiration from:
- YouTube channels.
- Learning how others have used their Instagram accounts and video.
- Looking at TikTok influencers.
Work with Influencers
Influencers have a massive impact on the success or failure of brands. If you get a good review or mention from an influencer, it will help you expand your brand. You can speak to influencers and see if they feature you in an upcoming campaign. They can advertise your product, team, or just your account.
Working with influencers might be expensive, but influencers can be worth the investment. Remember that your brand must come first and then the sales. You get exposure from the influencer, but you need to build trust with the audience to get them to come back and buy from you.
Work with other Brands
In addition to influencers, there are brands you could work with. If you’re B2B, you might be able to get some of your clients to mention you in their Instagram feeds. This strategy will help you to reach new audiences that would like to have the same products.
In addition, you can link with your suppliers and get them to mention you in their content. Brands you work with are probably trying to reach similar audiences, so this is a perfect match. You will also need to advertise their brand to your followers.
Hide Hashtags
Hashtags are a vital part of being found on Instagram. But, looking like a legitimate brand often means restricting your Instagram hashtag use, you should only utilize two or three hashtags in each post. However, Instagram does have a feature that allows you to add lots of hashtags and then hide them from the viewer.
This strategy makes you look more legitimate with less hashtag spam. To do this, you need to choose the image you would like to share and then write your hashtags over an area with a solid color. Then you can move the ‘pen icon’ over the image and cover the hashtag in the same color as the background. Now, this is an invisible hashtag.
Create Previews
Anticipation is one of the biggest drivers of success. You can build anticipation for your next image by using a preview option. This hidden Instagram feature allows you to demonstrate parts of a short video or image.
- To get this, you need to open the ‘Stories’ section and then select the image you would like to use.
- Access the ‘Pen icon’ and select the color. It is a good idea to utilize a brand color, so if you have green in your branding, use that.
- Then you can tap on a screen for a while. The screen should fill with the chosen color.
- Once the screen is full, access the ‘Eraser’ tool and eliminate an area on your image/video. This is the area that you’re allowing audiences to see. You can be clever here and perhaps use your logo or an emoji.
Format Your IG Profile
Your profile can help you build a group of followers if you design it right. However, to do this, make it look nice. Line breaks are a great way to make the text more readable, and audiences will be more inclined to follow you for more information. Each paragraph in your content should be about two or three sentences at most