Think about the last thing you posted on your company’s Instagram account. Did you craft the content thoughtfully based on your target audience’s interests? If you answered yes, great! You probably have a solid Instagram marketing strategy in place to guide your posting efforts.
Instagram is a powerful tool for businesses that want to amp up their online presence and connect more with their audiences. Thanks to the platform’s billions of active users, you’re sure to capture more than just a few new followers if you take a strategic approach.
Read on for actionable Instagram tips that will help you maximize your brand awareness and use the platform more effectively.
Is Instagram a good social media platform for businesses?
The Instagram app can seem overwhelming at first. There are millions of other business accounts, and on top of that, you have to learn how to work with the Instagram algorithm to boost your rankings. However, all the work that goes into curating your presence on the app is worth it.
Why? Instagram has two billion monthly active users, making it one of the most popular social media platforms. It also attracts a wide demographic, which is beneficial for businesses targeting different age groups. If you’re looking for greater visibility in the digital space, Instagram is the place to be.
Beyond numbers, Instagram has an appeal you won’t find in many other apps. Its visual-centric approach and direct communication channels promote high engagement rates and can help you foster relationships with your customers.
Additionally, the platform has robust advertising options for businesses that want to stand out from the crowd. With Instagram ads, you can elevate your content and put it right in front of your custom audience.
Plus, the built-in analytics tools can help you measure the success of your social media strategy. Using Instagram analytics, you can identify which marketing strategies work and which don’t, allowing for strategy optimization. Talk about an all-in-one platform!
Essential tips and strategies to boost your brand on Instagram
How do you leverage all that this platform has to offer? Here are some tips to maximize your engagement on Instagram and boost your brand presence.
Optimize your Instagram profile
Your Instagram profile is a lot like your website homepage—it says a lot about you and determines how your target audience perceives you.
If you currently have a personal account, switch by switching to an Instagram business account. This will give you access to extra features like analytics about your audience demographics and content performance.
Once you’ve made the switch, you can move on to polishing your profile. Start by uploading a recognizable profile picture (preferably your business logo or something customers associate with your brand). Then add a memorable username and write a bio that communicates your unique value proposition.
Also, add a clickable link-in-bio to track traffic from Instagram to your website. Bitly has a perfect solution for your link-in-bio needs, providing more in-depth analytics and helping you better understand the traffic it drives from Instagram. And with Bitly, you can track exactly how many unique clicks your Instagram page drives to your website.
You can even opt for branded links, replacing the “bit.ly” domain with your custom domain to reinforce your brand identity and create consistent experiences for your audience.
And the best part? Upgrading to a Bitly Core plan allows you to redirect your link to a new URL without actually changing the link in your profile, making it easy to update and track new campaigns.
Understand your audience
Any good social media strategy stems from a sound understanding of your target audience. If you understand them, you can create content that resonates with them, boosting your engagement rates.
Lucky for business owners, Instagram offers analytics like followers’ age ranges, times when users are the most active on the platform, and how people interact with content. With this information, you can understand your audience’s behaviors and interests and develop a content strategy that meets their needs.
To see Instagram analytics, simply log into your account, go to your profile, and tap Insights. For a detailed account breakdown, select metrics in the Overview section. (Note: this feature is only available for creator or professional accounts.)
Focus on high-quality visual content
Instagram prioritizes visuals, so the algorithm tends to push high-quality visual content higher in rankings. If you want to expand your reach, ensure you only post high-resolution images and video content.
Also, make sure all content on your business page aligns with your brand’s aesthetic and messaging to provide a consistent user experience. This includes all content published by the influencers and brand partners you work with.
Consistent, high-quality visual content can help you capture your audience’s attention, improve engagement rates, and strengthen your brand identity on the platform.
Monitor trends and participate in conversations
With over 200 million business accounts on Instagram, it’s pretty easy to get lost in all the noise. The key is to remain relevant by adapting to trends and popular conversations. So stay updated on current trends and participate in relevant conversations whenever possible to increase brand visibility and engagement.
You can create video memes with trending sounds to show the fun side of your business and leverage Instagram features like polls and questions in stories. You can also create or join in on hashtags to engage with your followers and the rest of the Instagram community.
Remember, only participate in trends and conversations that align with your overall brand identity for a consistent image. And when you do, track your engagement rates with Bitly to determine how your audience responds to your Instagram posts. This way, you can continue to post content that resonates with them.
Experiment with Instagram paid ads
Instagram ads are valuable for both large and small businesses, as they help brands position their content in front of people who are more likely to engage. When incorporated into your social media marketing strategy, ads can help you reach a broader audience quicker and boost conversion rates.
Depending on your audience’s preferences and the types of content they like, you can invest in photo, video, carousel, or story ads. You can use:
- Photo ads to advertise specific products
- Video ads to offer brief product tutorials
- Carousel ads to showcase many products at once
- Story ads to let your audience know about special offers
Use Instagram’s targeting options to ensure the platform shows your ads to the right people. Select demographics, locations, traits, interests, and behaviors that align with your buyer personas to boost your likelihood of engagement.
Also, leverage Bitly to track your ads’ performance and get in-depth insights. You’ll receive real-time data on the number of clicks your ads receive, as well as the top locations and devices used, allowing you to further optimize your marketing.
Leverage Instagram Stories and Reels
The Instagram feed isn’t the only powerful feature on the platform—leverage stories and reels for more dynamic and engaging content.
Create product demos and tutorials to help new audiences use your products correctly or give them a behind-the-scenes look to let them in on your process. You can even use them for storytelling to add depth to your Instagram presence and build stronger customer relationships.
The Instagram stories feature also works well for deals and giveaways. Offer prizes to customers who take the best pictures of themselves with your product, post it on their stories, and tag your business.
They’ll be thankful for the deal and continue to follow your account for future perks. And the icing on the cake? You can repost their content on your stories and add it to story highlights to continually get attention from new audiences.
Post on a consistent schedule
Many brands post two or three photos a day, but there is no “right” number. Your posting cadence should align with your goals for the channel. The most important thing to keep in mind is consistency. Consistent posting keeps your audience engaged and provides fresh content in their feeds.
Maintain a content calendar to help you organize your content and keep you on track. You can also leverage content scheduling tools like Sprout Social, Hootsuite, or even Canva if you need a tool that also provides social media graphic templates. Bitly customers can take advantage of Bitly’s Canva integration for even more advanced functionality.
If you’re short on content but still want to maintain consistency, consider user-generated content. Involving your audience serves two purposes at once—you get to maintain an active feed and make your Instagram followers or customers feel valued.
Engage with your audience
The most successful businesses on Instagram don’t just post content consistently. They respond to comments, participate in conversations, and regularly feature user-generated content. This kind of engagement helps foster a community around your brand and boosts algorithmic visibility.
Another way to engage is through comments on other posts. By engaging with posts related to your industry or brand, you can create outbound awareness. It might take some time for your efforts to pay off, but they will. Think of it as an opportunity to extend your brand’s voice and connect with potential customers.
Don’t be afraid of hashtags
The best way to start building an audience is to use hashtags. Instagram recommends three to five hashtags, but you can use more, as long as they align with the content you’re sharing.
By hashtagging industry terms and common words, you can quickly boost engagement and followers and enhance the discoverability of your posts. For inspiration, research the kind of hashtags businesses or creators in your industry or niche use to connect with their audiences.
Then, go for a mix of really popular tags and more niche-specific ones. The former will immediately get your post in front of a lot of people, whereas the latter will ensure your post remains near the top of results for longer.
Analyze your performance for optimization
Don’t forget to regularly review your Instagram analytics and Bitly link data for insights into your content performance.
Instagram analytics will let you know how well each piece of content resonates with your audience, based on metrics like shares, likes, comments, and saves. Use these insights to refine your content marketing, focusing on what works best for driving engagement.
If you use a Bitly branded social media link in your Instagram bio or ads, you’ll get even deeper insights into website or landing page visits from your Instagram profile.
Since click data updates in real time, you can identify which strategies bring in the most traffic, allowing you to continually optimize your campaigns and drive conversions.
Elevate your Instagram game with Bitly’s insights
With its billions of active users, Instagram is a potential goldmine for businesses. The key is using a thoughtful, strategic approach. To ensure success on the platform, create high-quality content, engage with your audience, and leverage analytics from Instagram Insights and Bitly to optimize your marketing campaign.
Using Bitly alongside Instagram gives you in-depth insights into not only your content performance but also your audience demographics.
Through the Bitly Connections Platform, you can see your total link clicks over time and clicks by location and devices. This data is invaluable for identifying the most effective Instagram content and refining your target audience.
Create a Bitly account today and take your Instagram strategy to the next level!