Instagram Marketing Strategies for Branding
Instagram says that 60% of its users use it to find new products and research them. Because of this, brick-and-mortar stores and online stores are using Instagram as an extension of their storefronts.
Instagram's role as a place where eCommerce sales happen doesn't look like it will change either. Just look at the new kinds of ads and features on Instagram, like "check out on Instagram," as proof.
Since the platform has changed and grown so much, now is a great time to rethink how you market on Instagram. What's good? Below are seven actionable Instagram marketing tips for brands whose main goal is Branding.
1. Make sure your Branding ideas and voice are heard
Because getting sales on Instagram is like a "gold rush," brands often have to compete with a lot of other brands.
You need to be creative to stand out from all the others. Most of the time, brands with a lot of followers are the ones that have carved out some kind of niche or trademark.
And the more people following you, the more chances you have to sell. There's no right way to make a good impression on your followers.
Colour is a subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) way to get someone's attention on Instagram.
The brand changes its color schemes every so often, which makes for a visually appealing feed that keeps people guessing.
Another popular way to stand out on Instagram is to be funny. People tend to like funny content as a sort of "break" from traditional sales messages, whether it's a meme or a clever caption.
2. Use the right hashtags with your posts for your Branding
Hashtags are a big part of Instagram. Still, brands that try to spam them don't fully understand what they're for.
Hashtags help people who don't already follow you find your content and encourage people to share posts about your brand. For example, e-commerce brands must have a hashtag that is unique to the brand.
Branded hashtags aren't the only thing that brands can do, though. There are a lot of hashtags for your target audience that are specific to a community or industry. Even though these tags are niche, they show a very specific group of people willing to interact with brands. Brands that want to figure out who they should market to and sell to should look through these kinds of hashtags.
3. Curate and promote content made by users
Again, from a marketing point of view, customer photos are like gold. One of the greatest ways to sell your creation or brand to a large number of Instagram users is to fill your content calendar with user-generated content.
Finding these photos "by hand" is possible, but it will take time. Digging through hashtag mentions and asking permission for each piece of user-generated content by hand isn't very efficient, especially if you have followers who regularly post photos of customers.
4. Make landing pages just for Instagram
Instagram only gives brands one valuable bio link that lets people go straight from the app to their website.
For example, don't just put a link to your homepage in your Instagram bio. If you do this, you won't be able to figure out how your social traffic acts or how well your Instagram marketing strategy for Branding is working. And you'll want to make sure that your landing pages are set up for mostly mobile Instagram users.
This is why many companies promote Instagram-specific landing pages or, at the very least, landing pages that work well on mobile devices. You get two benefits from this: you make it easy for people to shop on your site, and you can see how well your Instagram followers convert.
5. With Instagram Stories, you can sell
Stories are the kind of posts that are most popular on Instagram right now.
As mentioned by New York Publishers Stories are no longer a novelty for e-commerce brands and retailers because more than 500 million people use them every day.
When it comes to promoting products, brands have a lot of freedom with stories. Want to share a spontaneous selfie? A polished photo of your product with a clear call to action? Stories let you do both, and they put your brand at the top of your Instagram followers' feeds.
Keep in mind that Stories are always getting more and more new features and stickers. It's smart to learn about these new features so that you can keep your clients interested.
6. Build relationships with other bloggers
Instagram influencer marketing is becoming more popular for a reason: it's a more realistic way to get paid promotion.
When brands work with influencers, they can give their brand a face and introduce themselves to completely new audiences. Even big brands like Skechers use relationships with influencers to get the word out about their products.
Brands work with influencers of all sizes and shapes to get customers interested in them.
7. Anywhere and everywhere, promote your Instagram
You shouldn't hide your Instagram from people who might buy from you. Instead, you should make your presence known.
For example, let's just say you already have many people following you on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. It's totally fine to cross-post your content and change it for other networks.
Your brand's website can also be used to promote your Instagram through social buttons, hashtags, and customer lookbooks.
8. Pay Attention to Your Customers
This may seem like stupid, but it's still important for Branding
As your Instagram following grows, more and more customers will reach out to you with questions and ideas.
So, Instagram is another place to find out what people want from your brand and get feedback. With these helpful tips, you can make your products better and improve your Instagram marketing strategy for Branding as a whole.
On the other hand, you can also use Instagram to your advantage by finding out what your customers like most about your products and what details they like best.
Does your new line of backpacks have room for a laptop even if they don't have a special place? Does the strap break easily after a lot of use? Use these ideas to improve your products and the most popular ones as marketing material.
Conclusion
Brands might be able to sell more than ever through Instagram. Assuming you know how things work on the platform. These Instagram marketing tips for Branding should have given you a better idea of what you need to do to use Instagram to boost sales.
