With Instagram being the most frequently accessed social network among U.S users, brands can’t afford to not be on Instagram. But it’s not enough to simply create an Instagram profile for your brand and leave it at that. Your presence on the platform should serve a purpose and deliver some kind of business value.
To make Instagram work for your business, following some best practices can help you get ahead of the game. This involves steps to grow your brand visibility on the platform, gain new followers and drive audience engagement.
1. Consistency is Key
Simply put, consistency is key with Instagram. There is consistency in terms of, how often you post, when you post and what type of content you post. Ideally you want to be posting content that your followers want to see, and frequently enough so that they know when they are likely to see it.
Investing your time into creating a professional and consistent Instagram feed that is in line with your brand voice and design guidelines is so important, as this really helps you gain trust from your followers. The content you share on Instagram should have the same look and feel as your website and physical store (if applicable). Your logo/profile image and username should be the same across all social media platforms you have, as this helps customers quickly and clearly identify your brand, no matter what platform they are on.
2. Stay Up to Date with Changes
Instagram, like all other social media platforms, is a constantly changing platform. This means that brands have to always stay on top of the latest trends and features. This will give you the foresight to leverage these changes and updates ahead of your competitors.
Just think, Stories and Reels were not originally part of Instagram. It used to just be posts and that was it. It wasn’t until the takeoff of Snapchat that IG introduced Stories, and it wasn’t until TikTok that Reels came to be.
3. Pay Attention to Your Audience
We could sit here all day and tell you to only post Reels because we have seen just how effective they are, but you have information that we don’t have: your audience.
Sure, for a large number of accounts, Reels might be the best source of engagement, but if your audience seems to enjoy Stories and Posts more, then do more of that.
This also comes down to what kind of content you make. If your audience seems to enjoy behind the scenes content more than anything else, then give them more of what they want.
4. Perfect Your Timing
It’s not just what you post, but also when you post that matters. Luckily for you, we have already written about the best times to post on each social media platform.
The goal is to post your content at the right time when your users are the most active and most likely to interact with your content. It doesn’t do you much good to have the best content in the world if no one is awake to see any of it.
The optimal time for your brand may vary depending on a multitude of factors, but use the information at your disposal to find that right time.
5. Use Hashtags to Boost Content Discovery
Really? This is actually one of the tips? Believe it or not, people still don’t use hashtags as effectively as they could.
Hashtags are your best friends on Instagram. They help your content show up in the search results of said hashtags and in the Explore pages of people who’ve viewed or interacted with similar content. So hashtags on Instagram are a great way to boost content discovery and overall brand visibility.
Make the most of niche hashtags and industry-related hashtags that can help you hone in on the right audience. Picking the most used hashtags globally or regionally may mean you just get lost in the noise–targeting meaningful hashtags relevant to your product or service is more likely to get your content in front of potential customers. But don’t get too narrow, or else no one will think to search for your hyper-targeted hashtag. And don’t forget to share branded hashtags to encourage user-generated content.