Instagram boasts more than 500 million users, including more than 300 million daily active users. It’s been gaining 100 million users, or Instagramers, every nine months. Because of that rapid growth, Instagram has joined the ranks of Twitter and LinkedIn as a major social media. Instagram has become a channel that brands targeting millennials cannot ignore.
Instagram’s frequent updates mean marketers need to work to stay abreast of its new features. Its transition from a chronological to algorithm-based timeline seems to frighten some marketers, based in social media reactions. Though Instagram says its new feed will provide users more personalized results based on their previous interactions, brands fear their reach will drop. Only people who engage with them or similar content will see their posts.
“This puts the onus on us, as marketers, to produce higher quality content,” writes India White, content strategist at Affinio, for Convince and Convert. “It will keep us accountable, ensuring that we are producing content that is relevant to our audience.” Here are some advanced strategies and tactics to accomplish that task.
Understand the particular culture. Instagram is loaded with a range of cultures and subcultures. Rather than analyzing demographics, focus on the network’s cultures. Marketing success calls for identifying a culture to target and determining its top interests, connections, influencers, favorite posting times and even color preferences. “Armed with this data, marketers are able to create brand content that fits seamlessly with what their target communities are already producing and engaging with,” White says. “While not everyone likes to see branded content in their feeds, if it is timely and relevant, it is less of a disruption in their feed and is more accepted.”
Leave posts to your design team. Great visuals are paramount for success on Instagram. According to SproutSocial, 93 percent of buyers cite visual appearance as the main reason for their purchasing decisions, and 85 percent say color is the main reason they bought a specific product. Designers can replicate the look that makes a difference.
Seek the best posting times. Posts see different engagement rates on different days and times, depending on the particular audience. Posting after standard work hours may produce better results.
Seek quality. Post regularly, but stress quality over quantity. Holding contests, sharing user-generated posts and asking questions can help you gain followers and attract interest. Post from different locations. Users tend to interact when they see others posting in their area.
Track results. Take advantage of the network’s new analytics tools. Similar to Facebook’s tools, the app’s “Insights” provide valuable data about your followers’ demographics and performance of your posts. Important metrics to track include likes, comments, hashtag mentions, volume of engagement and engagement rate. For more advanced measurement that includes the full range of social media networks as well as traditional media, organizations need a social media monitoring and measurement service.
Tools for businesses. Businesses can also complete profiles that include descriptions, directions and contact apps, and can add call-to-action buttons to posts and convert posts to ads. The new tools should be particularly welcome for Instagram’s small business users — many of whom depend on Instagram’s photo sharing app for new customers, according to Mashable.
Bottom Line: Instagram’s switch to an algorithm-based timeline puts pressure on marketers to produce more compelling content that targets appropriate audiences. Companies with superior social media monitoring tools and analytical skills will gain a competitive advantage on Instagram, now one of the world’s largest social media platforms.
William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.
