Instagram has a billion users. It has emerged as a popular place for marketers. It has higher engagement rates than other social media websites. More than 50% of Instagram users are adults younger than 34. This happens to be the audience that most start-ups target.
Competing with big brands on Instagram might seem like a daunting task, but it can be done.
Startups have a challenging task at hand when starting marketing on Instagram. It takes originality, creativity, and consistency to build a base on Instagram. But once it is set up, startups tend to grow leaps and bounds.
Here are some tips for Instagram marketing:
1. Use Trending Hashtags
You can add hashtags to your post for a wider reach. Posts with trending hashtags have higher engagement rates and are far more likely to be seen by people. Instagram’s algorithm factors in hashtags while showing posts to people.
People follow hashtags on Instagram to keep up with their interests. This means that if you’re a fitness startup and you use hashtags related to fitness, your posts will be displayed to people who follow that particular hashtag. This means you can connect with your target audience without paying a dime.
2. Use Influencer Marketing
Influencers have a great deal of following and a connected user base. They are great if you want to get eyeballs for your product. You can reach out to influencers with your niche and ask them to try out your product. They might promote your product without if they find it useful. However, it is more likely that you will have to pay them to promote your product.
At the outset, your reach will be lacklustre. But an Instagram influencer may turn things around for you by instantly providing you with eyeballs from hundreds of thousands of users. Even if this doesn’t result in sales, you have gotten crucial brand recognition.
3. Use Content Marketing
People are flooded with a barrage of content all day every day. Promoting content that is informative and can be used to market your products is an effective marketing strategy. Show your audience what problems your product can solve. Demonstrate how to use your product. Make informative videos to get your point across.
The Internet has progressed far enough so that you don’t have to be an expert at making videos to create powerful videos for your brand. There are tons of impeccable free online video editing software out there that are easy to use. You can make quick marketing videos to keep up with the ever-changing world.
4. Use new features
Instagram churns out new features regularly to keep its audience interested. “Instagram reels” is the newest of the slew of features Instagram has introduced since its inception. Within days of launch, Instagram reels have gotten hugely popular. Make intriguing and humorous reels to promote your brand. Remember, every reel has the chance to go viral, bringing with it millions of engagement to your brand.
You should also use other features like Instagram stories, boomerang, and other features to promote your startup. You can introduce fun filters on Instagram stories for people to use. Popular filters are used millions of times. Make sure that you plug in your brand’s name in the filter’s caption or in the filter itself for brand recognition.
5. Interact with your target audience
Find out people who match your target audience. You can find out people who are interested in your product by browsing through the followers; list of other businesses of your niche. You can also sift through the list of people who follow certain hashtags that match your niche. Send these people a follow request. Some might follow back, and some might not. That’s okay.
Sending people a follow request brings an eyeball. Here’s where content marketing works. Your page should seem authentic, and it should feel like you’re out there to help people out. Seeing the authentic content on your page, people would want to engage and connect. More engagement, more connections, and voila, you become a ‘popular startup’ from a startup.
6. Run ads
Figure out your target audience and run ads specifically for them. It is important to have a goal in mind before setting up a campaign. Goals can range from brand recognition to a clearance sale you’re having. A cohesive and coherent dialogue with your audience will be effective and efficient. Have a solid and short call to action.
Be patient with your campaign. It is said that a person needs to see your brand seven times before they buy something from the brand. The first few campaigns might not bring a lot of sales to you, but they are setting up a solid foundation for your business. Brand recognition is important. For people to trust you, they need to see what you’re about a few times.
7. Utilise Instagram analytics
Use Instagram’s analytics regularly to find out what works and what doesn’t. You can see the engagement of every one of your posts. See which post has worked successfully and find out why it worked. Try to replicate the things you got right earlier so that you have more success moving forward.
Analyse the data from your marketing campaigns and filter out essential information to help you in the future. By analysing the data, you can find out the optimum time for running a campaign. You can find out the marketing campaigns that didn’t draw engagement. You can find out a variety of other useful information by using data from Instagram itself.
Try to create an authentic and original Instagram platform for your startup. You will have to be consistent with your approach before you see real results. The enormity of Instagram means that there is enormous potential for your startup to succeed. You just have to find out the perfect blend of things for your startup. Build a brand that speaks for itself.