In our digital world, social media has fully cemented itself as one of the most effective marketing methods you have in your arsenal. The combined visual and interactive elements of Instagram make it an ideal location to promote content – yet it can be a tricky platform to master.
Instagram enables users to gain in-depth insights into the way their audiences operate, which means it's easier to fully-optimize your marketing posts. This platform also offers extensive paid advertising options, as well as some additional features that make it an effective way to cultivate an online following.
In this post, we’ll explain what makes Instagram such a strong marketing tool. We’ll also explore three of the best ways you can promote your website’s content using the platform. Let’s get started!
The Power of Marketing With Instagram
By now, you’re probably well aware of just how useful social media can be when you're looking to market your website's content. This is due in large part to the sheer potential reach social media sites can offer you.
There are now 3.48 billion social media users in the world, with the total having grown by 288 million (9%) since last year. Tapping into this market can lead to great things for your business, especially when you're looking to generate site traffic and boost conversion rates.
There are numerous social media sites out there that you can focus on. However, one platform that continues to rise in popularity is Instagram. This site currently has one billion monthly active users, and millions of photos and images are uploaded every day. This hasn’t gone unnoticed by businesses, with some of the world’s largest brands signing up for official accounts.
Many companies both small and large now have profile pages on Instagram – and for good reason. Engagement rates on Instagram are 15 times higher than on Facebook, and 20 times higher than on Twitter. In short, promoting your content on Instagram means you’re targeting a massive and highly-interested audience.
3 Ways to Market Your Content With Instagram
In order to be successful on Instagram, of course, you’ll need to know the best ways to use it. This is especially important given the way the platform's algorithms tend to change without warning. To help you compensate for these shifts and find steady footing, let's look at three effective techniques for making your mark on Instagram.
1. Switch to a Business Account
The first and arguably most important step is to create a business account on the platform, rather than a personal one. As well as making your brand appear more credible, operating from a business account will unlock a selection of additional features.
For starters, a business profile enables you to create and publish Instagram ads – something we'll talk more about later. This kind of account will also grant you access to Instagram Insights, a powerful analytics tool that provides information about your users and posts.
You can see what posts have received the most interactions, the amount of times a given link has been followed, and even the times of day when your audience is most active. These stats enable you to post more effective content at optimal times, enhancing the likelihood of user engagement.
Switching over to a business account is easy. To do so, open the settings page in your Instagram app, then select Account:
At the bottom of the resulting screen, you’ll see the option to Switch to Business Profile. You can choose a category for your profile – select whichever option best fits the content you produce:
Instagram will then ask whether you’d like to connect your account with an existing Facebook page. Doing this isn’t essential, but it will give you access to a greater range of features. After you’ve completed this step, your Instagram business account will be fully set up.
2. Implement Instagram Ads
Like many other social media sites, Instagram offers numerous in-app advertising options. However, this platform shares its software with Facebook – meaning you’re unlikely to find ads that are as varied and targeted elsewhere.
Some of the available options include photo ads, carousel ads, dynamic ads, and even sponsored stories. You can also sponsor existing posts, meaning that any high-performing content identified through Instagram Insights can be used in your marketing efforts.
Ads are especially important right now, given the most recent changes Instagram has made to its algorithm. The platform now attempts to display highly-relevant content to individual users – basing its choices on their past interactions and activity. While this can be a good thing for users, it can also mean that many of your posts go unseen.
Creating a few ads is an excellent way to reach the audience your regular posts aren't being shown to. Getting started with Instagram Ads is easy – just tap the Promote button underneath the post you’d like to advertise:
From there, you’ll be able to select the audience you’d like to market the post to, and decide what information you want to include. You’ll also be able to set your desired budget and the length of your campaign. Then, you'll be ready to let your new ad loose!
3. Add Product Teasers to Your Posts
Another benefit of using a business account on Instagram is the ability to set up 'shoppable' posts. This is content that contains direct links to your products, making them easier for users to access. To do this, you’ll need to make sure you’ve added your product catalog to Facebook.
You’ll then need to connect your Instagram profile to that catalog, and wait for your account to be approved. This can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Once it's ready, you can head over to your Instagram settings, select Business Settings, then go to Shopping. There, you’ll find your product catalog ready to go.
You can then begin to tag your posts with the products they include. When uploading an image, you’ll see the option to Tag Products on the Share screen. You can then add tags to the products featured in your image by simply tapping on them, and entering their names.
The required information will be pulled in automatically from your product catalog, so you don’t need to worry about adding prices in by hand. This is an excellent way to quickly and easily promote your products and encourage more conversions.
Conclusion
Despite its reputation as a selfie-dedicated site, Instagram can become a powerful promotional tool when used effectively. By making use of the platform’s marketing features, you can increase the chances that the content you produce is seen, and engaged with, by your audience.
In this post, we explored some of the ways you can use Instagram to market your content:
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Use a business account to unlock key features.
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Implement paid ads to expand your reach.
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Directly tag your products in new posts.
Image credit: Pexels.
