20 Instagram marketing strategy hacks for business growth

Instagram has a massive advertising audience of over 2 billion monthly active users, giving Instagram business profiles a huge reach. What began as a basic photo-sharing smartphone app has grown into a formidable advertising platform for marketers and company owners all over the world.

Consumer goods aren’t the only ones that profit. When it comes to investigating new products or services, more than 36% of B2B decision-makers utilize Instagram. 

Developing a solid Instagram marketing strategy may be challenging, and it can be even more difficult if you are new to marketing and don’t understand how Instagram works. To conduct campaigns that result in conversions, you must grasp the platform’s ins and outs. With an effective marketing strategy, you can build a powerful brand. 

This article will explain many nuanced and underlying aspects of Instagram marketing in an adaptable and pragmatic way that can enhance your business’s potential to unprecedented proportions.

Also Read: Everything You Need to Know About Instagram Threads App

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What is Instagram marketing?

Instagram marketing is a type of social media marketing in which businesses advertise themselves through the Instagram platform. Suppose the phrase “promote their business” seems broad. That’s because Instagram marketing may encompass various techniques and approaches that can be utilized to achieve various business objectives.

When it comes to using Instagram for marketing, there are two major areas to consider: paid techniques, such as advertising and influencer marketing, and unpaid methods, such as generating organic content, posts, Instagram stories, and comments, as well as connecting with other users’ material.

Selling your products or services, gaining more followers and interaction, developing relationships with potential consumers and other companies, and overall improving a brand’s reputation are all common commercial aims. We’ll get into the mechanics of how to create objectives and how to employ particular methods to achieve them a bit later.

Also Read: What Makes ContentStudio a Great Instagram Management Tool?

Why market on instagram?

With over 50% of its users falling into the 18–24 and 25–34 age ranges combined, Instagram is a crucial medium for connecting with Gen Z and millennial consumers.

Instagram marketing has the potential to be a very effective tool for turning potential customers into paying customers if they frequently use the platform to research businesses and items.

When used strategically, Instagram marketing may help you expand your following and gain loyal customers. For companies that have a compelling brand narrative or point of view, this is excellent news.

Without question, Instagram marketing produces results. Compared to other social media platforms, Instagram is said by social media marketers to offer a high return on investment for their companies.

Understanding Instagram algorithm

You may have come across the phrase “algorithm,” which is a concept that is commonly misunderstood. You don’t have to be an Instagram guru, but having a basic grasp of the algorithm may help you reach your goals faster and with fewer difficulties.

While some marketers perceive the Instagram algorithm as a foe, it is actually an ally. That’s because, like every other online algorithm, its ultimate objective is to provide each user with relevant, interesting, and engaging material.

Algorithms do this by monitoring their users’ actions and behaviors and then making educated estimates about what they would like to view in the future. If your material passes the “test,” you’ll be rewarded.

We could talk about the Instagram algorithm for hours, but the key point is that you should always, always focus on generating high-quality material that benefits your audience.

There will be no spamming postings or comments, and no material will be created only for the sake of generating anything. Always keep in mind what your audience wants and how you can best serve them via your efforts by being smart and strategic.

Setting up an Instagram business profile 

Make sure you have a genuine business profile – not just a personal page – before you delve into Instagram marketing. You’ll be able to make use of Instagram’s business marketing capabilities as well as Instagram insights, which we’ll go over later in this piece. It’s also more trustworthy in the eyes of your viewers.

You’ll need two items to build an Instagram business profile:

a. Create an Instagram account, which might be a personal one you already have or one you’ve created just for this reason. For brand identification, we recommend generating a new handle with your company’s name.

b. Create a Facebook page for your business. This is required for Instagram verification, so go ahead and create one now. 

Here’s an outline of how to create an Instagram business profile without further ado.

• • • Log in to Instagram on your smartphone using your company’s handle. 
    • Tap the menu located in the upper right corner of your profile.
    • Select “Account type and tools,” then “Settings and privacy,” and finally, “Switch to a professional account.”
    • Select Business after deciding which category best fits your type of business.

A blue tick, or Instagram’s verification mark, is another way for users to trust you as a business, even if a business account can also convey this information. Find out how to get verified on Instagram.

Also Read: How to Create the Perfect Instagram Grid

Switching to an Instagram creator account 

You may access many of the same services as a business account on Instagram with a creator account. Although you won’t receive commerce functionalities, you will have access to Instagram’s Creator Studio, a content management system made specifically for online influencers and producers. If you don’t already have a personal account, follow these steps to set up your account:

• Go to your profile and tap the menu in the upper right corner.
• Tap ‘Settings and Privacy’ and select ‘Account.’
• Choose ‘Switch to professional account’ and tap ‘Creator’.
• Select a category that best describes your profile.

20 hacks to build an effective Instagram strategy for businesses

Instagram is rapidly becoming a popular marketing medium. Many customers and businesses use Instagram to sell their products. According to various statistics, about 95 million photographs are uploaded to this site every day. 

Instagram offers a wide range of benefits to small companies when their presence is well-planned and managed. If you’re using Instagram to advertise your business, you’ll need a documented Instagram business marketing plan—yes, even if you’re the only one in charge of the account.

 

Here are some hacks to help you:

1. Identify and understand your target audience

When considering how to promote on Instagram, a little preliminary study may help you figure out who you can target the most effectively. 

If you want to maintain consistency in your efforts, utilize the various marketing techniques you have in place. Remember to take into account variables like age, gender, geography, income, and interests and motives.

You should identify your target audience so that you can develop content that appeals directly to them. This will be crucial when it comes to choosing targeting choices for your Instagram advertisements.

2. Sort your business goals 

Your Instagram marketing plan will work best if you have a clear objective, pick specific techniques that gradually build toward that goal, and measure your progress along the way so you can modify where needed, just like any other strategy.

The foundations of your marketing strategy are your goals and objectives. For goal-setting, we like to use the SMART acronym:

• • • Specific: Instead of a broad aim, give specific figures and milestones.
    • Measurable: Choose goals that can be tracked and measured using analytics and insights.
    • Attainable: Be reasonable in your expectations. It’s quite unlikely that you’ll gain a million followers in a week. (Unless you’re an egg, of course.)
    • Relevance: Maintain relevance by staying up to date on your industry, business, and prospects.
    • Time-bound: Set a deadline for yourself to achieve your objective.

Also Read: How to Set Social Media Goals in 2024?

3. Optimize your Instagram profile

Add your website link and avatar, and craft a compelling Instagram bio; this will help people understand your business right away. A link-in-bio tool lets you add a number of URLs, such as a landing page, campaign, or new collection page, on your profile, and using keywords in your Instagram bio might increase discovery.

Instagram’s single link field has prompted social media managers to go outside the box in order to maximize its potential. In articles, it’s become standard to refer to your “link in bio” and to utilize this link to serve up a landing page with a mix of new content and evergreen connections to your most essential product and service sites.

Also Read: The Art of Social Media Optimization: Best Practices and Strategies

Various branded link management tools can be used to create optimized links for social media bios meant for landing pages.

4. Determining marketing KPIs and a budget

What marketing objectives do you have for Instagram? Instagram is the ideal social media channel for many businesses to employ to raise brand recognition.

It’s critical to clearly outline your objectives and goals so you can use them as a foundation for evaluating your KPIs using a social media audit at the end of each month or quarter. 

P.S. Here are 16 social media KPIs you need to track to measure success.

If paid social media is a component of your plan, make sure your budget is clearly defined and divided so you can take advantage of Instagram’s advertising possibilities, such as promoted posts and shopping features.

Also Read: How to Set up a Social Media Budget?

5. Create a solid Instagram content strategy

You have various publishing choices for developing your Instagram content strategy. Choosing the appropriate ones is heavily reliant on understanding your target audience. Consider the following:

• What are the major demographics of my target audience?
• What do they like doing, seeing, and experiencing?
• What appeals to and entertains them?
• How can brands gain their customers’ confidence and persuade them to buy from them?

Likely, you won’t know all of the answers right immediately, which is totally fine.

It’s a process that you’ll get the hang of as time goes on. However, as you gain a deeper grasp of your target demographic and what makes them tick, your Instagram marketing approach will improve. 

6. Customize your content with your brand

Because Instagram is all about appearances, curating acceptable and relevant material for your Instagram marketing plan is critical. Consumers will pay attention to your feed, so make sure your photos are high-resolution, consistent, and follow a similar theme that complements your brand.

You may use third-party applications like ContentStudio to get a sneak peek at how your Instagram feed will appear before it goes live.

 

Maintain a constant “vibe.” If your business is high-fashion, for example, make sure all of your photos are high-resolution and convey sentiments of elegance and refinement. Instagram is a fantastic way to let your real colors emerge if your brand is unique or amusing.

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7. Keep an eye on your competitors

If you’re just getting started, looking at what other firms are doing may be quite beneficial. Examine the best-performing posts from comparable companies, your largest rivals, niche leaders, and the platform’s most popular accounts.

This competitive research will alert you to significant trends, best practices, and little-known Instagram secrets and hacks that will propel you to the next level.

Try ContentStudio’s free Instagram competitor analytics tool.

8. Adhere to a content calendar

Which method of content planning and organization works best? A social media content calendar.

Even though spontaneous posts might be entertaining, there’s a lot of pressure to discover the ideal moment every day that also precisely fits with your business objectives. Rather, plan out your social media material ahead of time and come up with content pillars.

Setting aside time to prepare and plan ahead will increase your efficiency and decrease your chance of making mistakes.

Make a social media content calendar so you can manage your Instagram content strategy and ensure consistency and coherence. 

Try: Social media content calendar of an entire year with ready-made posts.

9. Keep track of your progress with analytics

The most effective Instagram marketing plans are based on solid understanding. Thanks to our trusty friend analytics, the information you require for optimal performance is right in front of you.

Instagram’s own insights provide a wealth of information on what posts are trending, which stories are getting the most attention, and even the precise number of people who have viewed your most recent reel. This is a fantastic source of feedback to help you improve your next round of content—you’ll see what succeeded, what failed, and where little adjustments could be beneficial.

You may also examine demographic information about your Instagram followers, which can help you discover your target audience. While the built-in analytics tool isn’t particularly extensive, it’s a great place to start.

For detailed analytics, check out ContentStudio’s social media analytics feature.

10. Set up an Instagram shop

With Instagram shops, brands can create customizable digital storefronts. Customers can make purchases directly from their Instagram profiles.

Consider it a landing page where customers can explore or learn about all of your offerings. If you offer actual goods, your Instagram shop is a fantastic way to reach a ready-to-buy audience directly on the app, especially if you regularly tag things in your stories and posts.

11. Using Instagram hashtags

Hashtags appear almost everywhere on the internet these days. When used in your marketing plan, Instagram hashtags provide a clear message to consumers that your posts are relevant to what they’re looking for. Indeed, many people search for material only based on hashtags.

Although the Instagram algorithm is sometimes mysterious, employing the appropriate hashtags will increase the reach of your post. You can use hashtags in your Instagram bio, comments, and captions. In reels and stories, use the Instagram hashtag sticker as well. Your material can show up in search results when someone clicks on or uses a hashtag.

If your postings are on a popular issue, be sure to use the hashtag linked with it. This can help you get your message in front of those who are truly interested in hearing it. 

 Creating a branded hashtag and using it regularly is also a good idea. This hashtag might include the name of your firm or the name of a specific campaign, event, or promotion.

Use for free: Instagram hashtag generator

12. Publish Instagram stories

Stories can only be 15 seconds long, they expire after 24 hours, and they aren’t featured on your main profile or feed. The psychology makes sense: they’re a more thrilling and transitory method of sharing with your followers.

Unless you store it in highlights, story content is only accessible for a whole day.

Stories are a valuable complement to your Instagram marketing plan because they allow you to touch upon topics that are more timely, in-depth, or that don’t quite merit a full post.

It is a terrific way to maintain engagement with new and returning followers because it’s a more private platform than reels—viewable only by followers. Send special discount codes or reveal follower-only access to a new collection via Instagram stories.

P.S. Also learn how to add captions to Instagram stories?

13. Convert Instagram stories into highlights

Instagram stories that have been saved for more than 24 hours and shared on a profile are known as Instagram story highlights. They are located in the tiny circles beneath Instagram bios.
Instagram stories highlights are excellent for providing a brief overview of your account since they appear at the top of your profile. Ensure that your highlights are current, align with the primary ideas of your material, and aesthetically enhance your brand.

Instagram story highlights can be added in different ways. It’s crucial to remember, though, that you cannot directly upload pictures or videos to your story highlights. To pin your story highlights to a highlight or create a new highlight, the story must have been previously posted on Instagram or be live.

14. Instagram live for broadcasting

As the name implies, Instagram Live is a feature that allows you to interact with your audience in a real-time “live broadcast” style. This is a very useful tool if you’re attending an event or talking about something essential.

The nice thing about Instagram Live is that your tale will appear first in your followers’ story feeds, and they’ll get a notification that it’s occurring.

However, tremendous power comes with great responsibility: only utilize this function if you have really valuable material to provide. Otherwise, you risk alienating readers by wasting their time.

Related Read: Instagram Alt Text: A Complete Guide For Everyone

15. Create and publish Instagram reels

As one of Instagram’s relatively newest features, Reels is a direct rival to TikTok’s viral videos’. For almost any reason, users can produce entertaining, gripping 15- or 90-second loops of multimedia. Reels include short lectures, dancing competitions, and educational videos.

Content made with this function can be found on the explore page specifically designed for reels. Regular photos, stories, videos, and posts won’t appear here, so using this kind of content could be a wonderful way for your company to observe audience interaction.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by DB Home (@dbhome_47)

Reels appear on the main grid of your profile, and for other users, they appear in their feeds.

16. Partnering with other businesses

Collaboration with another company to hold a contest or giveaway may be extremely beneficial to your brand. The idea is that if your customer profiles are comparable, you’ll both get high-quality followers.

Request that everyone who joins the contest ‘likes’ the post and takes a secondary action, such as tagging or following.

17. Instagram shoutouts

Another version of the reposting strategy involves shoutouts. In this strategy, you ask an influencer or business in your industry if they would like to post your content, and in return, you post theirs. The cool part is that you can give and receive shoutouts in various ways.

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This is a fantastic Instagram marketing approach that helps both the company and its partners, who see a big increase in their following and credibility as a result of the campaign.

18. Host an Instagram giveaway or contest

Holding a competition or giving something free is a successful Instagram marketing technique. By encouraging participation and sharing, these kinds of campaigns increase brand recognition and reach at a small expense.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chetali Chadha (@chetalichadha)

Some of the common contest types includes:

• Collaboration giveaway: Collaborate with a complementary brand to produce a co-branded promotional item. Marketing both companies to larger audiences is advantageous.
• Like and follow for entry: To enter a giveaway, ask Instagram users to like or like particular posts on your account.
• UGC content: Request clients produce reviews or unboxings and tag them with a personalized hashtag. Select a winner from the submissions. You also get testimonials from this that you may post on social media.

19. Influencer takeovers

Influencer takeovers are the next item on our Instagram marketing checklist. This is the point at which you connect your company with a powerful figure in your industry. If you’re selling athleisure clothing, for example, you might team up with an athlete or fitness model.

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As the influencer announces the Instagram takeover in the days leading up to it, your brand will be exposed to its followers. Signing up for influencer marketing platforms will help you identify relevant firms and individuals with whom to collaborate.

These are web-based solutions that automate the finding, screening, and reporting procedures, allowing you to concentrate on building influencer connections and planning effective takeovers.

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20. Striking captions

When bored or stuck in a dreary daily routine, many individuals look through their Instagram accounts. Create fascinating Instagram captions to entice and get people to follow you.

The objective is to communicate the story or emotion that your film or image represents. If the video or image is about a product, use the caption to provide a brief description of the item. Explain why people should be concerned, and don’t forget to throw in a few emojis for good measure.

Strong captions on your posts may help build your company’s identity and story. The goal is to write material that stimulates interaction and convinces readers that they require what you’re selling.

Also Read: How to Write Instagram Captions With Contentstudio’s AI Writer?

Handy and free Instagram marketing tools

1. Instagram bio generator 

This tool goes beyond just basic information by using carefully chosen words and a touch of creativity to entice visitors to learn more about you or your brand. It caters to specific audiences, ensuring your bio uses language that resonates with them and creates a connection.

How to use it to the fullest?

• Add your topic
• Select your tone of voice
• Include emojis
• Get multiple variations

Read the full guide on how to master bio brilliance with Instagram bio generator for free here.

2. Instagram hashtag generator

This tool is your ticket to boosting your reach for free. All you need to do is:

• Enter your keyword or anything about your post
• Click on generate to have a list of hashtags

You can then copy and use the hashtags you find most relevant.

3. Instagram caption generator

ContentStudio’s free caption generator can be your lifesaver. Give it a keyword or describe your photo, and it creates engaging captions in seconds. It even lets you choose the tone and number of captions you want, making it a breeze to spark conversations and grow your audience.

Read Up: How to Generate Captions With Instagram Caption Generator for Free?

What’s your Instagram marketing strategy like?

In the realm of social media, Instagram is unquestionably a force to be reckoned with. There’s an almost endless amount of untapped opportunities for businesses to attract attention, inspire interaction, develop strong connections, and exceed their annual financial targets.

While it may appear to be a huge and scary universe unto itself, new businesses have nothing to fear as long as they keep an eye on it, listen to it, and learn as they go. You have a lot of options at your disposal, and make sure you invest time and energy in Instagram marketing for your business.

It’s time to use Instagram to expand your business. If you approach your Instagram marketing plan with a growth mentality, you’ll discover that it becomes simpler and more profitable as time passes. If you play your cards properly, it can also be rather enjoyable.

Also Read: Guide to Instagram Collaborative Collections

FAQs

What is Instagram marketing?

Instagram marketing is a type of social media marketing in which businesses advertise themselves through the Instagram platform.
How do I start Instagram marketing?

You can start Instagram marketing by creating an account. If you already have one, convert it to a business profile or creator account.

Does Facebook own Instagram?

Yes, Facebook has owned Instagram since 2012. Since then, the company has been restructured. Both Facebook and Instagram are operated by a parent organization, Meta.