When Instagram started up way back when it was primarily designed as a fun way to make use of the digital camera revolution and allow people to share polaroid-tinted photographs. It was attractive because it was stylish, exploited an extremely popular technology, and, perhaps more than anything else, was simply a lot of fun. As the number of users exploded though, this particular business success soon led to another. People saw the benefits of such an aesthetically pleasing visual medium for marketing, and so Instagram marketing began to be taken more seriously.
What makes Instagram so good for marketing is its unique appeal which stands out among all other social media sites and apps. Instagram has a certain youthful energy to it, and its endless emphasis on the visual above all else means that it probably plays host to the highest concentration of visual-orientated marketing on the web. Regardless of what type of business enterprise you run, therefore, deciding to engage with Instagram is not only a good idea but also an essential move to avoid being left behind by the competition.
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Steps to Building an Instagram Marketing Strategy
If you want to get in on Instagram, what is the best way to go about it? Engaged Media, a company specializing in the many forms of social media marketing strategy, advises that while the eventual form your Instagram marketing strategy will take will depend heavily on what your brand is and who you’re trying to reach, there are nevertheless certain set steps that can help you get started. You can follow these closely but remember to tailor them to your brand as well.
Step 1 – Identify Your Target Audience
Instagram skews pretty heavily towards young and youthful users, the type of creative people who get the most out of Instagram’s unique capacity to be creative. But that doesn’t mean these are the only people using the site and it certainly doesn’t mean that there isn’t great diversity within this demographic.
For sure, there is a range of different markets represented among the users of Instagram, which are, after all, massive in number. Accordingly, your first step needs to be identifying these users. Only then can you tailor your content towards them and target them with your likes, follows, and, ultimately, brand.
Step 2 – Identify What You Offer that Audience
So you know who you’re targeting, but what are you actually doing for them? Instagram’s emphasis on the visual gives you a lot of opportunities to really display the value of your product or service and show it in action. The text takes a back seat on Instagram, so be sure to show the audience your product or service. Don’t just tell them about it with a nice picture on the side.
Step 3 – Solidify your Tone and Voice
There should be more to identifying your brand than simply what it looks like and its name. The strongest brands have a unique tone that allows them to be noticed anywhere.
Step 4 – Sketch Out Your Content Ideas
This does not mean creating your content and having it ready to go. Come up with ideas, try them out, and change things as you go based on customer response.
Step 5 – Make Use of Analytics
Instagram business accounts offer robust analytics functionality. By paying attention to the stats, you can complete step 4, on an ongoing basis, with more success.
As you can see, much will be left up to you and the specifics of your brand. But following these straightforward steps is the best way to get started when building your Instagram marketing strategy.