6 detailed steps: creating the perfect instagram strategy

Why create an Instagram strategy? What are the best practices to implement for your company? And how will it propel your business?

Today, visual content has never been so plentiful. Whether it's a quick selfie of our lunch or the latest video of our pet doing an incredible trick.

This increase in visual content flooding social networks is therefore even more pronounced on Instagram.

As a result, many brands are incorporating Instagram into their marketing strategy to grow their business. Videos, giveaways and photos generate high engagement rates.

If Instagram has become so important, it's because it's a global social network that connects people purely via visual elements. This makes it a powerful way to capture and hold the attention of your target audience.

For the past few years, marketers and brands have been striving to capitalize on this monumental growth of Instagram. It's been proven that promoting your business on Instagram is a formidable tool if you learn the tricks to sell your brand on Instagram.

Instagram not only allows you to connect with people and gain visibility. But also paves the way for your brand to gain recognition and loyalty from Instagram users. A communication strategy can be really beneficial to your expansion.

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Here are some statistics that show that'Instagram is a powerful platform for building loyalty among your prospects:

- In 2017, around 70.7% of total businesses in the United States are on Instagram. That's almost twice as many as in 2016 (48.8%), and has been largely influenced by the inclusion of Instagram profiles in the business.

- 65% of total top-performing Instagram content involves products. Despite the fact that it's not good to promote yourself every time, Instagram users like to look at product photos from time to time. In fact, photos/videos of celebrities/influencers (29%) and lifestyle photos/videos (43%) lag behind product images and videos.

- 7 out of 10 hashtags are tagged on Instagram. Not only do hashtags help users with their social network SEO and organize content, but they've also played a key role in creating some of the most successful marketing campaigns.

So now you need to tap into this source of leads and define an Instagram strategy for your business. Read on to find out how to create an effective Instagram strategy to generate new leads for your business.

A good Instagram strategy starts with a good profile.

Your professional Instagram profile should in no way resemble your personal Instagram account. And it's best if "you" rarely (if at all) appear on that Instagram page.

Here's how you can create a compelling Instagram profile that will help you improve your online presence to attract more customers.

A. Use an attractive bio.

Experts also agree that'an Instagram bio should entice a customer to take action while showcasing the company's personality.

The bio should be both interesting and informative. It must be able to hook visitors. You need to convince visitors that adding you will improve the content and value of their feeds.

Provide details needed to get to know your company in a concise and relevant way. This should appeal to the Instagram community you're targeting. Also make sure to reflect the tone of your shared images.

B. Link to your site.

Only in the bio Instagram can you place a clickable link, so make the most of it. Include the link to your website in the space directly below the description (at the top of the Instagram page).

Including your website link is crucial to your Instagram marketing strategy. Make sure your URL is legible, as opposed to a series of random characters.

Have an aesthetically pleasing feed for your company's Instagram marketing strategy.

Product images make an immense contribution to online shopping. Make Instagram your showcase to multiply this power.

Almost 67% of total consumers base their purchasing decision on product images. They give them a higher priority than product reviews or information.

Don't hesitate to promote your company on instagram in an aesthetically pleasing way.

A. Enhance your brand identity.

You need to be able to enhance your company's brand identity. Most of the aesthetics of your Instagram feed will be based on your company's identity. It's up to you to set the tone and personality you want to reflect in the content posted.

B. Don't compromise. Focus on your target audience.

Respond to your target audience without compromising on your brand's identity. Know that the Instagram feed is primarily aimed at current and potential customers.

Research what it is about your product or brand that appeals most to your target audience. And reflect that via the different types of content posted.

You can also define a persona to better target your target audience.

C. Stay consistent.

Your business will only gain brand identity if you stick to your editorial line.Make sure your Instagram profile picture is consistent.

Add your profile picture thumbnail to all your insta engagements and interactions. Give your IG profile a recognizable, professional touch.

D. Research your competitors'strategies.

Studying your competitors'content and getting an idea of what they're promoting on Instagram is essential for positioning yourself in your market.

Do they use user-generated content for their products or services? What type of content do they publish on social networks? How often? What is their hashtag strategy?

Get new insights into what competitors are doing and new ways to improve your own instagram strategy.

Create an Instagram marketing strategy with the right captions.

Creative Instagram captions are one of the keys to attracting new customers, but finding the right description for your image isn't easy.

A. Devote time to it.

Many users feel compelled to publish images right after they've taken them. Instead of rushing, you need to take the time to get your image caption right to captivate your audience.Your results will only be better.

B. Short but effective.

Instead of stretching the caption unnecessarily, keep it short but sweet.

Don't forget that users will probably only spend a few seconds on your photo before moving on to the next one. Add value to your text instead of quantifying it.

You can, through the description use your creativity to make the image more appealing.

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Don't be cold, but speak as you would outside the networks, this should boost your engagement. Instagram users hate formalities.

Use the right hashtags in your instagram strategy.

Hashtags are used on Instagram to allow users to follow the content they're looking for.

You need to use your hashtags strategically so that more users can find your posts during their search.

Here are a few practices to help you get the most out of hashtags:

- Use fewer than 15 hashtags in each post.

- Select a few frequently searched hashtags.

- Incorporate hashtags that are exclusively relevant to your target audience: reactions may be fewer, but more qualitative.

- In the case of campaign- or brand-specific hashtags, create branded hashtags.

- To implement your brand in a local area, opt for location-based hashtags.

Discover here how to use hashtags well.

Create an Instagram marketing strategy with impactful stories.

Create a content marketing strategy. Content marketing is king today, so how does it work applied to instagram story?

Stories are the most popular feature on Instagram (400 million daily active users as of June 2018).

If you can associate stories with your brand identity, they will automatically connect emotionally with your audience and bring meaning to the content you publish.

The stories you post contribute significantly to creating brand loyalty. Instagram offers you the best platform for posting stories that lend credibility to the brand.

But at the same time, your Instagram feed should reflect your company's (and brand's) purpose and image, in that they will create consistency.

Random, disconnected content can be confusing. So be careful about what you're about to publish.

Develop an engaged community through its instagram strategy.

Soaking a unique and relevant brand image is your community is assured.

As feeds on Instagram change rapidly, it's likely that your content will be buried in no time. The only way to change this is to add hashtags to your Instagram posts.

In fact, hashtags have an important role to play in placing your business within different communities on Instagram that are linked by a keyword, which will ensure that your posts can be found for as long as Instagram is up and running.

In addition, you can also consider inviting Instagram ambassadors to share your product/brand on their feeds.

Creating a group of ambassadors to spread the benefits of your brand to their followers will help you reach and win more customers.

Encouraging your followers on Instagram to post reviews and photos will also help you reach many other Instagram users.

Almost 78% of total consumers buy products/services based on a brand's social media.

Therefore, the more people you have sharing and highlighting your brand, the more likely you are to convince potential customers to buy your product.

Another great way to create an engaged community on Instagram is to share tagged photos of your followers on your Instagram profile.

Adding your users'content to your own Instagram feeds will generate good feelings, which will then be associated with the brand you're promoting - 65% of Instagram users believe that when a brand talks about them, they feel happy and honored.

Conclusion: How to create an instagram strategy for your business.

Think outside the box! Don't hesitate to try new things. The Instagram algorithm constantly changes every half hour.

So whatever worked for you last week may not work next week. This is why you need to adapt your instagram strategy regularly.

Therefore, it's best to keep experimenting with new ideas all the time. If they work well keep them, if not, try something new. Be original.

However, you can't avoid certain elements such as your brand's content, high-quality images, user-generated content, user-friendly and engaging publications and topical subjects.

The tips mentioned above will surely help you implement the best Instagram strategy.

And remember that reading articles will never replace a personalized training in the use of Instagram.