Instagram remains the top social media marketing tool for startup brands. Large follower counts and massive engagement rates show the Instagram account plays a vital role in building an audience for your brand. The higher engagement rate is, the more traffic can be driven from the Instagram page to other social media platforms, making it the perfect platform for startups. Here you will learn some unnoticed Instagram marketing tips.
You just need to optimize social media posts with videos and photos to create unique marketing messages for your niche. The groundbreaking popularity of Instagram is obvious. Consider the numbers. The Instagram user base exploded from 90 million users in 2013 to 800 million active users per month in 2018. Instagram is also emerging as a favorite social media platform for different age groups, according to the US Pew Research Center.
Why Instagram is for More than Just Influencers?
Instagram marketing tips 2019 saw the emergence of are focused on more than just influencers. While Instagram is the best platform for celebs, offering quick and easy to ways to share updates, instagram marketing is quickly catching on for businesses. Another unique attribute of Instagram is its Stories feature. Instagram marketing for business startups is further advancing on account of hashtags. Startup marketing strategies are increasingly focused on Instagram to market products to a wider, more interested audience base without spending a big budget.
Top Instagram Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses
Choose the best fit for your brand from these Instagram marketing strategies and help your startup to stand out from the crowd!
#1 Expand Your Reach With Hashtags
Creating hashtags is integral to expanding your brand’s reach and using specific or general campaigns to target audiences. Startup marketing strategies should focus on relevant hashtags. The aim is to set up the brand name, as well as punch line hashtags. Consider how top fitness brand Nike is using top hashtags like #JustDoIt and #Nike. This makes it way easier for people to locate content relevant to your brand.
As your startup gains popularity, more people will use your hashtag and buy products. Your startup can use as many as 30 hashtags in a single post. The hashtag should be the first comment in the post. Popular hashtags can also enhance the way content can be discovered. Top hashtags for your niche are easy to locate. Type in the keyword in these tools and the list populates some of the most popular hashtags associated with the particular keyword.
Remember that marketing images and videos with hashtags get more comments, likes and views. So create your own startup brand’s hashtag and watch your business grow. It could be anything from the brand slogan to a CTA or simple phrase. The hashtag should focus on promoting your business. Create your own hashtag and earn followers besides making your company brand-building unique and special.
Share Instagram content on feeds to engage and connect with other brands on social media, too. With an average engagement rate of 4.21%, Instagram posts drive 50x times the engagement of Facebook posts and 120x times that of Twitter followers. This platform is clearly one of the leading choices for leveraging startup marketing strategies. Custom hashtags can drive audience participation and trigger unprecedented social sharing.
#2 Create a Brand Narrative With Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories provides an amazing user experience. Upload off-the-cuff images and videos to your Instagram Story and create a buzz in 24 hours. Start new stories, because as Seth Godin, the well-known marketing guru says, nothing is as compelling and powerful as a “good story.” Instagram Stories offer an excellent avenue for building a powerful brand narrative. Attain business goals with Instagram marketing using this compelling feature. Through Instagram stories, you can even experiment with different types of content such as short videos, boomerang images, regular photos, live or even rewind videos. Add face filters, text and stickers to edit images on the move.
Instagram Stories can help your startup to target new audiences. Calls-to-action can be useful for promotional strategies, too. Your Instagram account is like a mini-TV channel for the brand, encouraging you to literally think out of the box. Create viral content online using this feature. Leverage analytics through Stories Insights in your Instagram business account to check views, engagement, shares, likes, comments and more.
#3 Leverage Instagram Influencers
Working with Instagram influencers generates a massive buzz for products or services. A TapInfluence and Neilsen study found influencer marketing generates over 11x times the ROI or returns on investment, than other digital media formats. Further, the content is visually driven and widely shared in terms of well-captured photos and short videos.
Leveraging Instagram marketing by harnessing influencers helps to create a positive identity and stellar reputation for your startup online. Instagram influencers can use videos, photos and targeted hashtags to help you make the right purchasing decisions. Follower count and engagement are two important metrics you should evaluate influencers on before diving in.
#4 Share Powerful Videos
Video marketing remains a powerful startup marketing tool. Generate leads and promote your startup business by sharing Instagram videos. As per Cisco’s research, close to 80% of online content will be videos in 2019. Videos build trust and credibility for your startup brand. Offer behind-the-scenes look or sneak peeks of your product with notable features. Or you could also create a video tutorial. Creating short videos can work tremendously well. Short commercial videos on Instagram can inspire and engage with social media users. Use visual chaining and show how products or services are crafted.
#5 Offer Discount Deals
Posting exclusive deals on Instagram offer incredible ROI. Offer discounts for Instagram followers and special promotions, deals, giveaways, contests and freebies. Market your brand by running selfie contests for the Generation Me users. Niche hashtags can help you to generate a buzz around deals.
#6 Follow a Unique Theme
For solid followers on Instagram, give your profile a consistent theme. Instagram is far more likely to attract followers, when you have specific themes to showcase. Instagram’s influence stems from its ability to allow startup marketers the chance to develop a brand personality. It’s not just about likes or followers, on Instagram. Startups also tell stories and showcase compelling messages through Instagram.
Showcase your startup’s creativity through Instagram posts, highlights and stories. From the format of photos to color choice, creative video effects and unique highlight icons, there’s a lot you can do with instagram marketing. Add animation or special effects to Instagram stories. Create outstanding content to attract followers to your business page.
#7 Sell Instagram Products
For your Instagram audience, you can sell startup products as Instagram goods. Turn Instagram shots into calendars. Experiment with different techniques, but tap the innovation of this platform. Work on visual messages that utilize high-definition images and compelling taglines or descriptions, because creativity really sells on Instagram. Instagram is one of the most amazing social media platforms to share products and boost your sales. Share photos of customers, events, discounts and more to create an awesome impact.
#8 Go Live
When an Instagram page has a base, running a Live Video is the perfect way to connect with followers. Ask the right questions or build a connection. Share news about products or services, new releases, additions to product lines. You can even ask for feedback from Instagram followers. With a user base of 700 million in April 2017 and growing, this is the perfect platform for connecting with a global audience.
#9 Run Instagram Ads
Presently, those with business accounts on Instagram can even run ads. Startup marketing strategies for businesses starting out should definitely consider this form of Instagram promotion. Native ads work best. There are multiple advertising options for Instagram account holders to choose from. There’s the photo ads and video ads which are standard Instagram posts. Carousel ads are slideshow ads for multiple images. Perhaps the most effective Instagram ads are those displayed at the top of the feed or the Stories ads.
Instagram research reveals around 60% of its users look for new products while 75% perform positive actions after reading posts. The power of Instagram is that it offers maximum exposure with minimum time, money and effort. Filters are also present for promoting ads. Great conversion ratios are easily achieved, with this powerful form of advertising.
#10 Utilize Analytics
Keep an eye out for promotions, posts and ads. Track how many views your posts generate and which audiences like it the most. Numerous tools and analytic metrics are available to track, monitor and analyze Instagram posts. Startups can channelize promotional strategies using this feature. Instagram has a massive ecosystem, so your message reaches a wide audience.
Instagram: A Visual Marketing Tool
After the algorithm has been updated, organic reach has touched zero on Facebook. But Instagram is all about organic reach besides sponsored ads. Instagram’s organic reach and content can effectively convey your startup’s mission and vision, boosting brand reputation in the industry. Unleash the full potential of your business using this platform. Research shows photos and videos have higher engagement rates than text posts.
Brands can tap this social media channel to stay ahead of the curve, market and diversify creative directions, gain online visibility and even harness user-generated content to their advantage. Powerful features on Instagram offer a chance to interact with the audience and provide a human touch to relationships. Express your message in compelling ways. Instagram remains a game-changing social media platform, creating level playing fields for startups.
But startup marketers must focus on solutions and not empty marketing messages. Add value in seamless ways and utilize visual content to meet user requirements. Audiences prefer authenticity, so focus on real-time updates on Instagram. Your page should deliver value through visual content viewers would not be able to locate elsewhere.
Conclusion
For Instagram marketing success, your business page should deliver value through visual content viewers would be delighted with. Do not underestimate the power of content. Offer value and creativity in ways that capture attention. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but communicating effectively is also the key to sharing your brand story and generating a buzz online.
Reach wider audiences and measure your success.
Social media management tools for Instagram can help in scheduling posts and campaigns beforehand. Social media analytics can help in measuring results. Clicks, likes, comments, shares – engagement in all its forms is important.
Instagram is the ideal virtual platform for startup marketers, whether you’re looking to generate traffic or spread brand awareness. Identify and cash in on opportunities to stay connected, race past competitors and spread word-of-mouth messages that create an impact.
Startups looking to grow their reach and expand their business can definitely bank on Instagram. The secret is to focus on resonating with the audience through creative, authentic promotional posts, videos, images, stories and ads.
Ultimately, Instagram is about creative storytelling and for the startup marketing specialists, the key takeaway is to never underestimate the power of strong brand narratives.
With Instagram, tapping the right niches and clicking with your audience was never easier. Your audiences can see and feel the spirit associated with the brand.
In the digital era, personalization and hyper-relevance have taken on a new meaning. Instagram makes it possible to connect one-to-one with customers. For startup marketers, that is ultimately the eventual goal for building a brand that speaks for itself.