Instagram is like that friend who always looks and sounds amazing and inspires everyone they meet to be a better version of themselves.
This article provides some Instagram Basics on how to work Instagram like a pro.
Beautiful imagery | Style | Consistency | Engagement
Brand is big on this platform. Start with your goal and strategy and then your aesthetic - that's the look and feel of your little squares and overall grid, think about a far bigger picture than your own business and be truly sociable. Engage, engage, engage!
Instagram offers a stunning opportunity for storytelling, but you will need a large portfolio of beautiful high quality, professional standard images to support your story and capture attention.
Consistency in posting is also vital, so post like clockwork- 1 or 2 a day.
Visuals & Tone
Your bio is important. It describes who you are and what you stand for. Use it to its full potential. Include a short description, link, call to action and key hashtags.
Plan out your page aesthetic based on your brand. What will those little squares look like? Choose a consistent colour scheme, filters, apps. Know your theme.
Decide on your tone of voice and stick to it. Professional, friendly, fun, inspirational?
Content
Know your audience and create content they'll love. How will you add value to their lives/work through your posts?
Storytelling. Each square tells just part of your story and adds depth to your brand. It's great for behind the scenes.
Inspire, enrich, wow.....never sell.
Competitions work well.
Posts images with a caption, either short and to the point or longer and more detailed. And video too.
Regram content with permission
Engagement, Be Social!
Don't limit your efforts to only posting great looking content. Engage with others content, that of brands who inspire you, current and potential customers, local businesses, leaders in your industry and influencers.
Hashtags
#'s are super important on Instagram. More so than any other platform. #'s make your posts discoverable, helping Instagram categorise and showcase content.
There's a 30 hashtags limit. 30 isn't compulsory, use as many as are relevant.
Branded #'s (company name), community #'s (connect users around a common theme), campaign #'s.
Trial adding your #'s into the post caption or as the first comment. Don't overuse specific #'s.
Stories
Stories showcase your behind the scenes day-to-day interactions and portray your unique personality and work style. They tell users who you really are, documenting your day to day.
Increase engagement & help to build your following.
Thinking of introducing a new product line? Ask your followers for their opinion.
Use boomerang, tag users, swipe up to reach the website (use sparingly).
Selling Product
Build an engaged following first.
Bio link can take customers to a product page.
Make your posts shoppable using the tap to buy feature.
Set up a Facebook catalogue via Business Manager or integrate shopify.
Advertising
Connect with new customers by increasing the reach of your posts. Highly targeted.
Set up is via Facebook Business Manager.
Selection of ad sales: Images, video, carousel, canvas
Analytics
Continuously monitor what is and what isn't working
Do more of what works!
Check out your google analytics to understand what content is pushing the most traffic to your website.
I hope this is helpful. If you would like to talk Instagram strategy we would love to help!