How to Make an Instagram Marketing Strategy for any Business

Hi, I'm Pete from HubSpot and today I'm going to talk to you about how to create a marketing strategy for Instagram. If you enjoy this video, don't forget to like it and subscribe to our channel. Post any questions or suggestions you have in the comments below. Let's get Started first, let's take a look at your Instagram profile. In 2019, your Instagram feed will become just as important as the homepage on your website. It's a big claim, we know, but the fact is that more and more people are turning to Instagram instead of Google to search for brands. That's why we recommend taking a good hard look at your Instagram profile. Your profile is the first opportunity you have to make a great impression and get people to hit that follow button. By creating and optimizing your Instagram profile, you can turn casual visitors into engaged followers. Here's how to get your Instagram profile in tip top shape before we get into the nitty gritty, let's talk about Instagram business profiles. As a business on Instagram with clear marketing goals, you should be using a business profile rather than a classic personal account. To switch an existing account to a business account, open the Instagram app and tap on settings. Then tap Switch to Business Profile. When you switch to an Instagram business profile, you get access to a ton of advanced features like Instagram Insights, Promoted Posts, and a contact button which makes it way easier to connect with your followers. Here are some other ways to optimize your Instagram bio the first step to creating good Instagram bios is making sure that your profile name is actually your business name. By this we mean the name field in your profile, not your Instagram username. People searching for you on Instagram will likely use your name or your company's name, and consistency lets people know that the Instagram profile they're viewing actually belongs to you. A strong Instagram bio should also explain what your business is and what you do think about what sets you apart from your competitors. Does your business offer a product or experience that might interest your followers? Including these details in your Instagram bio will help you make a positive impression on new visitors and hopefully persuade them to follow you. Next up, you'll want to choose the link you include in your bio. Currently, Instagram only gives users one clickable link on their profile and it's the link in your bio. A lot of businesses use the link to send followers to their homepage or blog, which is great, but for e commerce businesses that want to send followers to specific product pages, campaigns or webinars. The lack of hot links is a huge challenge. One way to get around this restriction is to use a shoppable Instagram feed, which makes it easier to drive targeted traffic to your online store. When one of your followers clicks on the link in your bio, they'll be taken to a web and mobile optimized landing page that resembles your Instagram feed and displays your Instagram posts as clickable images. You should also consider the keywords you want to include in your Instagram bio. Using keywords won't improve your searchability on Instagram, but it will help you connect with followers who want to engage with your content. When deciding what keywords to include in your Instagram bio, try to think about both your own core values and the core values of your target audience. Use keywords that target your niche audience. This will help users better understand who you are, what you have to offer, and whether or not your account is relevant to them. For extra impact, consider adding a branded hashtag or a call to action in your bio. Whether you're promoting an Instagram contest or other campaign, include your branded hashtag in your Instagram bio. It's a fantastic way to drive engagement on your posts. The simple act of including a call to action and inviting your audience to comment and can drive more engagement on your posts. Make sure you have a clear call to action in your bio, whether it's telling your followers to shop your feed, subscribe to your email list, or buy tickets to your event. Now that you've optimized your bio, let's take a look at your feed. The look and feel of your Instagram feed is the first impression people get of your business, so it's important to make it count. If your feed looks amazing at first glance, regardless of your industry, you'll grow your Instagram community faster. So what makes for a great Instagram aesthetic? Here are three tips. Number 1 Pick consistent colors or filters to keep your feed flowing naturally. You need to have a consistent approach to editing your photos. This doesn't mean you have to choose one filter and one filter only, but limiting yourself to a few will help you stick to your chosen aesthetic. Do you prefer warmer tones? Cooler toned images? Whatever your editing style, make sure it's consistent so that your posts flow within your feed. Number two Focus on lighting. Lighting is a key element of your feed. Think of an upscale magazine that you love to read, regardless of the subject matter. What ties a visual story together is the lighting and color choices. The consistency of those choices are the ingredients of your Instagram aesthetic Number three Space out your content this is probably the hardest part in achieving a gorgeous Instagram aesthetic. You need to know where to put each of your photos and how to plan your feed so that it all blends together. The goal is to create a depth of field similar to how you would in photography. You basically want to space out busy photos with a mix of more clean or minimal photos to achieve a nice balance. Remember, while having a beautiful Instagram feed is critical today, it's important not to overlook your individual posts. Currently, Instagram allows three types of photos, videos and carousel posts. Use a mix of all three to keep your feed fresh and interesting. Now that you have a beautiful feed up and running, let's take a look at how you can use Instagram Stories to engage your following on a deeper level. Instagram Stories for Business is now an essential part of any Instagram marketing strategy. It can help you drive engagement, interact with customers and show your products in action. That being said, it can be hard to find ideas for what to post. Need some inspiration? Here are four ways to use Instagram Stories for business Promote your products the natural tapping progression of Instagram Stories makes it a great place to build anticipation around new products or services. Show off different photos of your products and then hit your followers with a promo code or call to action CTA at the end. If you have the ability to add links to your Instagram stories, this is a great place to do it. Number two Build a more engaged community. If you're using Instagram Stories for business, it's good to post a mix of fun, light hearted content and promotional content to hook your audience. Remember, unlike traditional posts, Instagram stories disappear. Don't be afraid to post something goofy, a short video of your office dog or a picture of your team out for post work festivities. Number three Run an Instagram Stories takeover. An easy way to switch it up on your Instagram story is to invite someone to guest host your story to try it out with your own business. You can choose someone for your company for a day in the life story, or you can partner with other businesses in your industry to swap stories for the day. It will help add variety to your content and keep your followers coming back for more. Gather follower feedback have you ever wanted to survey your Instagram audience about what's really on their mind? Instagram recently launched new interactive poll stickers on stories which let you ask questions and see results from your followers as they vote. The great thing about poll stickers is that there are so many business uses. Whether you want to collect feedback on your products, crowdsource ideas, or just entertain your followers, poll stickers are an entirely new way to engage with your audience. As Instagram continues to grow and evolve as a marketing platform, it's more important than ever for businesses to build effective Instagram marketing strategies. And that means having a thorough understanding of the Instagram marketing landscape and measurable insights into what works and what doesn't. At the end of the day, businesses of all types have so much to gain from building a presence on Instagram. Whether it's growing an engaged community, reaching new customers, or even making e commerce sales, it just takes a little effort. Looking for even more help with your Instagram marketing strategy? Click the link in the description to learn more. Thanks for watching. If you enjoyed this video, be sure to like it and subscribe. Let me know how you're doing in the comments below.