How to promote your products on instagram
How to Promote Your Instagram: 13 Ideas that Work
It’s time to rethink how to promote your Instagram account.
Why now? Because the platform’s rapid evolution and growth mean that what worked in the past isn’t going to score you the same sort of engagement today.
Based on recent Instagram stats, the visual space is becoming more and more crowded with brands fighting tooth and nail for more customers.
As a result, it quite literally pays for brands to have as many tactics as possible to promote Instagram to their target audience.
In this guide, we’ve broken down 13 totally actionable ways to do exactly that. From optimizing your posts and profile to rethinking your approach to content promotion, any combination of these tips are fair game when it comes to Instagram promotion.
13 Ways to promote your Instagram Page
1. Ramp up your content production
There’s no shortage of Instagram content you can publish to fill up your feed.
Customer photos. Memes. Bite-sized videos.
And that doesn’t even scratch the surface of what’s available to you.
To figure out what performs the best among your audience, you’re going to need to experiment. That means ramping up your content production and posting more frequently.
Publishing to Instagram at least once a day is within the platform’s best practices. Heck, major brands like TopShop and H&M post up to three times per day (if not more often).
As you roll out more content, it’s crucial to squeeze more engagement out of your following by understanding the best times to post on Instagram.
And speaking of which, that’s also why Instagram Stories are so valuable. Off-the-cuff content via Stories essentially allows you to “skip the line” and appear front-and-center in people’s feeds. Not only that, but you can freely post Story after Story without worrying about spamming your fans.
The takeaway here is that Instagram moves much quicker than it did a year or two ago in terms of content.
Brands should ramp up if they want to keep up. To create content that your audience will love, make sure you have a comprehensive strategy in place and are using data to create more successful content. Download our Instagram marketing strategy guide to learn more.
2. Cross-promote your Instagram posts across other networks
The effort it takes to snag the perfect snapshot and craft a clever caption isn’t something that should go to waste.
Cross-posting your content to other social platforms is a no-brainer to get even more of an ROI out of your Instagram presence.
For example, you can promote your Instagram content across the likes of Facebook and Twitter to maximize your content’s reach.
Although cross-promotion is a smart move, bear in mind that each social platform has its own best practices. For example, Instagram tends to go heavier on the hashtags while you might want to craft a slightly different description for images posted to Facebook.
Sound time-consuming? It doesn’t have to be.
Sprout Social’s Asset Library enables you to store images, videos and text in a centralized location for use across multiple social networks. Quickly find, edit and publish directly from the Asset Library to deliver engaging posts that are tailored to whatever network you’re using.
And don’t forget to make your job even easier by using scheduling and publishing tools.
Ana Laura Montaño González
Community Manager
Sprout’s Optimal Send Times simplifies things further by scheduling content to post at the times most likely to generate engagement from your audience.
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3. Focus on people-centric content
Although Instagram is a place to score sales, it is still first and foremost a place to share experiences.
The popularity of selfies on Instagram speaks for itself, as does customer photos and pictures of people using products in real-world settings.
Much of the appeal of Instagram is that brands are capable of advertising in a more human way without bombarding followers with messages that scream “BUY NOW!”
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Penguin Books (@penguinbooks)
And on a related note, this is exactly why user-generated content such as customer photos are such a goldmine for brands. Not only do folks on the ‘gram love it when brands shout them out, but customer photos represent marketing firepower that proves that people dig your products.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Penguin Books (@penguinbooks)
But in order to spot and curate user-generated content for your feed, you’re going to need to understand how hashtags can help you promote your Instagram.
And that leads us to our next point.
4. Experiment with branded and industry hashtags
Brands both big and small should create a hashtag to encourage sharing and promotion on behalf of their followers. Doing so doesn’t have to be rocket science, either.
For example, Ernie Ball displays their #iplayslinky and #colorsofrocknroll hashtags loud and clear in their bio.
In turn, they use the tag to promote their own posts in addition to thousands of loyal fans promoting the brand organically.
See how that works?
Beyond your own hashtags, you should try to promote your Instagram using more general, community hashtags specific to your industry such as #6strings (music) or #unicornhair (beauty). Tacking on extra tags essentially makes your posts searchable by tag-followers and instantly increases your reach.
As noted in our guide detailing how to use hashtags across every social network, engagement peaks at approximately nine hashtags. Although you can certainly use less (or more), the takeaway here is that you should at the very least add something.
Don’t forget to take advantage of hashtag analytics tools. Sprout lets you track and analyze hashtag performance to find out what’s resonating with audiences and optimize usage.
And with Sprout’s Advanced Listening, you can move beyond quantitative data to find qualitative insights related to hashtags, allowing you to fully understand campaign performance and measure share of voice. Additionally, you can identify related hashtags to dive deeper into the brand-relevant conversations consumers are having on social.
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5. Tag brands, followers and locations whenever you can
Tagging is a surprisingly effective way to promote your Instagram.
And no, we’re not just talking about hashtags.
For example, you can tag other brands and accounts in hopes of a shout-out yourself. Given that notifications ping anyone who receives them, relevant tags are a subtle way to encourage promotion.
Likewise, it’s both courtesy and within Instagram’s best practices to tag anyone you might be regramming.
Chances are they’ll be thrilled to be featured in your feed and will share the news with their own followers.
Don’t forget to tag locations, too! For example, if you have a physical location for your business or regularly attends events, location-specific posts allow you to explore new potential fans and followers.
6. Publish Instagram content on-site
When it comes to ads, what better billboards than your own customers?
Featuring Instagram content on-site is a brilliant way to increase conversions. Why? Because when people see purchased products in real-world settings, they know that the brand in question has satisfied customers. Consumers can better visualize and understand a product for themselves when they see it “in the wild.”
Thus the rise of lookbooks and brands featuring user-generated content on product pages. For example, Casper uses an Instagram slideshow on-site to show off their satisfied sleepers.
Of course, this all circles back to the need to promote your Instagram hashtag.
In addition to their Instagram bio, #TopShopStyle is plastered across the brand’s site and marketing emails to increase their tag’s exposure. The end result is more user-generated content and people promoting TopShop organically.
7. Carve out your creative trademark
Creativity counts on Instagram.
Having some sort of niche or theme is a great way to both inspire your Instagram content and make yourself stand out from the crowd.
For example, Yeti is known for its feed full of high-res photos of the outdoors featuring adventures enjoying their products.
Meanwhile, oVertone boasts a bold color-coded feed based on whichever shade of their product their currently promoting.
If you’re stumped as to what your creative trademark should be, don’t sweat it. There are tons of Instagram apps (such as VSCO) which can help you add some creative flair to your photos. By using consistent gradients, colors and filters, you can make your feed feel more, well, you.
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A post shared by VSCO (@vsco)
8. Work with influencers to extend your reach
As we mentioned earlier, Instagram benefits from being a platform where brands can essentially publish ads without shoving them in their followers’ faces.
Enter the rise of influencer marketing.
Simply put, influencer marketing entails a paid relationship with another Instagram account with a sizeable, engaged follower count. Influencers’ audiences should ideally mirror your own or allow you to tap into a new sect of users that you’re trying to reach.
Influencers are akin to ads in the sense that the relationship does indeed cost money. However, finding the right influencer can be an incredibly cost-effective way to both sell products and grow your following.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by HELEN BERKUN (@helen_berkun)
Brands can spot influencers through hashtags and manual searching, or you can try Instagram analytics tools such as Tapinfluence or search an in-depth database related to your business.
Remember: when identifying influencers, just make sure they have a following that actually engages with their content. Engagement rate calculators such as this one from Phlanx can help give you peace of mind about any influencers in question.
9. Rethink how you present your products and promotions
This is a simple tip but is definitely something worth mentioning. And it relates to that other kind of Instagram promotion – the one with fun giveaways or sale items and can be incredibly valuable for your brand when done well.
So when you promote your Instagram in these instances, it’s crucial to present your content as must-see.
Instagram thrives on anything and everything “new.” Anything you can do to create a sense of hype is a major point in your favor.
For example, check out how Glossier hypes up their much-requested eye cream by surprising their followers a day before it drops.
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A post shared by Glossier (@glossier)
Uniqlo publishes hype-heavy Instagram promotions and content, including calls-to-action for followers to check out their exclusive merch.
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A post shared by UNIQLO Global (@uniqlo)
Pinup Girl also does a great job of highlighting why their products rock and allows their brand voice to shine through in the process.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Pinup Girl Clothing (@pinupgirlclothing)
As a rule of thumb, think “so what” before you hit “publish” for your promotions on Instagram. Doing so will ultimately encourage you to write more compelling captions.
10. Run a contest or giveawayHere’s some food for thought: brands that run contests grow their followings 70% faster than those that don’t.
You might notice that many brands’ contest and giveaway-related posts receive insane amounts of engagement and that’s no accident. Done correctly, social media contests can result in followers and fans although they can also attract freebie-chasers. We recommend running a one-time contest promotion on Instagram to test the waters and determine whether or not contests are something you want to try for the long-term.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Birchbox US (@birchbox)
11. Optimize your profile for promotion
As you work through how to promote Instagram to new fans and followers, “looking the part” is essential.
This also applies to brands looking to attract more attention organically.
Let’s take a look at what makes an optimized Instagram profile. The good news is that there aren’t too many moving pieces of your profile itself to worry about.
Orlando’s East End Market is a prime example of a simple yet optimized profile. For starters, their username “eastendmkt” is short and sweet, all the while easy to find for locals searching for it.
Their bio also ticks the boxes of an optimized profile, including a clear profile picture, compelling bio, branding hashtag and trackable URL.
Everything about this Instagram bio lets us know what to expect from their feed and likewise that we’re in the right place.
They also feature their email and phone number which is something to consider if you’re running a business account. East End also regularly tags other businesses and events to expand their profile’s reach. Oh, and not to mention their awesome visual content that their local followers love.
12. Take advantage of Instagram Stories and its latest features
Stories are by far Instagram’s most popular feature.
Used by over 500 million users daily, brands should take advantage of Stories as often as possible when promoting on Instagram. For many businesses, this means publishing user-generated photos and behind-the-scenes content. The beauty of Stories is that you don’t have to worry as much about your visuals being polished or “perfect.”
That said, creativity still counts when it comes to Stories. Among Instagram’s latest features, Stories are always at the center of them.
For example, new interactive stickers such as the new Quiz sticker represent fresh ways that brands can engage with followers for a more unique and interactive type of Instagram promo.
Keeping up with Instagram means staying active and on top of its latest features. If you’re regularly publishing to Stories and watching what other brands are doing, you’ll always be in-the-know.
13. Consider running a paid campaign
Last but not least, don’t neglect the potential of paid promotion on Instagram.
After all, social media at large is becoming increasingly pay-to-play. As part of Facebook’s insanely in-depth ad platform, you can use Instagram’s eye-popping ad options to win over new customers.
There are plenty of Instagram success stories out there including this example from Dunkin which cleverly uses both Stories and video to grab the attention of users.
First familiarize yourself with today’s Instagram ad specs, then make sure you have the tools necessary to see how your paid efforts stack up against your organic Instagram presence.
Allison Gates
Creative Manager
Sprout’s paid tools for Instagram empower you to gain insight into the ROI of your overall strategy or compare the performance of individual campaigns to optimize appropriately. Easily highlight your top campaigns by video views, conversions, impressions, engagement and more.
And with that, we wrap up our guide!
More ways to expand your Instagram reach
Instagram offers brands plenty of routes for content discovery and connection with audiences. Make sure you’re covering the essential best practices with these guides:
- Get more authentic Instagram followers with these 10 tips
- 9 Instagram post ideas to spice up your account
- How to regram on Instagram
- How to get more Instagram Likes
- How to craft an impactful Instagram bio for business
So, how do you promote your Instagram?
When it comes to Instagram promotion, you have plenty of tactics to experiment with.
And hey, that’s a good thing.
Making sure that your feed stands out means understanding the platform’s best practices and evolving alongside Instagram itself. Sticking to the tips above, or developing new Instagram post ideas can help you maximize your engagement as you promote your Instagram to new followers and customers. Start a free trial of Sprout Social to test out our Instagram tools hands-on.
How to Promote Your Business on Instagram: 20 Expert Tips
Wondering how to promote on Instagram?
Look no further. I’m walking you through twenty steps to a successful Instagram strategy.
You can also watch this video if you like, where I talk about how I got my first 10,000 followers.
What We’ll Cover:
- Create a business profile
- Leverage hashtags
- But don’t overuse them
- Follow accounts relevant to your industry
- Tell your brand’s story
- Set a consistent posting schedule
- Share Stories regularly
- Use a mix of images and video
- Relate to followers while staying on-brand
- Share only quality posts
- Find the best time to post for your brand
- Promote everywhere
- Trach and measure your efforts regularly
On the surface, Instagram may seem like the go-to app for sharing perfectly lit selfies, lifestyle photos, and laugh-out-loud memes.
However, since the photo and video-sharing platform launched in 2010, Instagram has become a goldmine for businesses of all shapes and sizes.
As Instagram continues to grow as a major player in the marketing world, brands across the board are taking notice. From community-building to social selling and everything in between, it’s no wonder consumers and businesses alike have adopted Instagram as one of their main revenue-generating tools.
And as a marketer, it’s more important than ever to be creative and learn how to promote your business on Instagram.
Instagram By the Numbers
As you continue to hone and refine your social media marketing strategy, one of the first steps you’ll need to take involves researching who’s already on each platform.
Just like you want to find out who is using your products and services, uncovering who’s on which network can help you make sound advertising and marketing decisions.
Are the users within your ideal target audience active participants on Instagram? If so, what type of content encourages engagement?
Social media demographics can teach you how to promote your business on Instagram and help you create marketing personas so you can better understand your audience in greater detail.
Here are some high-level Instagram statistics to keep on your radar:
- Instagram has amassed over one billion active users since its founding, with over 1.3 million global active users today.
- 28.88% of all Internet users are on Instagram.
- 500 million daily active users log in at least once a day.
- Over 500 million post to Instagram Stories daily.
- 43% of women use Instagram, while 31% of men use it.
- India has the highest number of Instagram users at 230.25 million, followed by the US with 159.75 million users and Brazil with 119.45.
- Over 100 million Instagram photos and videos are uploaded every day.
- Today, Instagram has over two million advertisers and 200 million business profiles.
- 70% of shopping enthusiasts turn to Instagram for product discovery.
- A third of the most viewed Instagram stories are from businesses.
Before promoting, know the stats about Instagram. Image courtesy of Sprout Social
Now that you have a grasp of just how influential Instagram is in the marketplace, we’re going to break down some of the top tips and strategies you can use to take your Instagram game to the next level and successfully grow your business online.
1. Create a Business Profile
Before you overhaul your feed entirely, you need to first convert your account into a business profile.
Doing so gives you access to a slew of handy tools, including the native analytics app, extended contact information, and click-to-buy buttons.
Plus, it gives users more information about your products or service.
With a business account, you can receive real-time metrics on how your promoted posts and Instagram stories perform within a time period. You can also gain insights into your followers and how they engage with your posts and stories.
Additionally, you even have the option to add information about your company, like business hours, location, and phone numbers.
2. Leverage Hashtag Campaigns
Hashtags have been instrumental in the social media ecosystem.
To use hashtags effectively and efficiently, you need to conduct the proper research, as it involves much more than just adding a pound sign in front of words or phrases that merely seem relevant.
It’s easy to add a hashtag to your posts, but it’s far more difficult to create one that drives new customers and boosts your brand’s awareness.
A good place to start is by analyzing your competitor’s strategy and learning about trending topics in your industry. From there, you can start brainstorming ideas after looking at the traction of existing hashtags on Instagram.
You’ll also want to enlist the aid of some hashtag-specific tools like Hashtagify to help uncover the most popular hashtags in each industry.
Use a tool like Hashtagify to get information on hashtags
While a winning hashtag varies from industry to industry, a universal rule of thumb is to keep it short and sweet, preferably three words or less. It’s tough enough to type on a tiny smartphone keyboard, and a longer hashtag is far more susceptible to misspellings.
The great thing about hashtags is that they appear across other social networks like Twitter and Facebook.
3. Don’t Overuse Hashtags
Too much of anything is too much. And that’s true for hashtags.
So don’t go overboard. Doing so can be detrimental to your hashtag strategy.
Reports show you should limit hashtags to 11 per post. Using excessive hashtags will backfire and lead to varying degrees in audience engagement.
With Instagram becoming an increasingly crowded social media platform, keep in mind that one of the best ways to cut through the noise is by artfully curating and creating branded hashtags to increase your reach.
4. Follow Accounts That Are Relevant to Your Industry
Your target audience is likely already active on Instagram–you just have to know where to find them.
One way to do that is by engaging with the very people they’re already following.
Think about the businesses in your industry that have an established presence on the platform and begin your search.
Follow their accounts and interact with relevant posts by liking them or adding a comment.
These accounts may follow you back and help you define your initial audience.
5. Tell Your Brand’s Story
Because Instagram is a visual medium that boasts features such as Instagram Stories, Instagram Live, and video uploads, it provides the perfect opportunity for your business to convey a clear voice and connect with your target audience.
Start by crafting a killer Instagram bio. From there, you need to build a strategy based on telling your brand’s story.
Not sure how to do that? Look at this article for a little inspiration.
The part of your brand’s story you want to share and the format you choose to share it in is up to you. But, to stand out from the competition, the more creative you can be, the better.
Don’t be afraid to be bold and make a statement. However, your storyshould be cohesive from post to post.
Choose and theme and aesthetic that represents your brand.
Source.
6. Share Posts on Instagram Consistently
Domination Media CEO Johnathan Long, notes that “you want to post often enough that your brand stays relevant,” while also advising, “you don’t want to post so frequently that you overwhelm your followers and they unfollow your account.”
One of the most frequently asked questions about Instagram is how often a brand should post new content. The Instagram algorithm is ever-changing.
Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri recommends “a couple of feeds a week, a couple Stories per day,” he said.
I recommend starting small and increasing to posting 3x/week, with an emphasis on Stories. If engagement rates stay high, and you have the time and resources, post more often, and monitor results. If engagement drops off, you’ll know it’s time to back off.
7. Use the Instagram Stories Feature Regularly
Stories began as a novelty, and have since morphed into a staple on Instagram.
Now, there are a variety of ways to promote your brand via Instagram Stories.
Think of Stories as a type of secondary, select feed of content for your most dedicated followers. Unique elements such as creative captions and overlays make Stories completely different from traditional posts.
When establishing how to promote on Instagram using Stories, consider integrating static content that you may find on your camera roll with in-the-moment content.
You can also use strategies like joining forces with other Instagram accounts and taking over their stories to reach a wider audience.
For more on how to effectively use Stories in your Instagram strategy, check out this article.
8. Use Both Images and Video Content
As a marketer, you don’t want your users just to be active—you want them to be engaged.
One way to ensure that they remain loyal followers and customers is to include both video and images in your content marketing strategy.
Hootsuite’s Dara Fontein recently shared that “Instagram videos see twice the engagement rate of photos,” revealing that video content is a smart investment for brands looking to capture the attention of their audience.
As consumers become increasingly digitally savvy, Instagram users are looking for authentic posts from brands. Try to avoid posting blatant advertisements and instead work on capturing your company culture with lifestyle shots and behind-the-scenes videos.
Sharing images or videos that inspire users to tag their friends is a key element to driving engagement and building a devoted following.
9. Relate to Your Followers While Staying True to Your Brand
Having an Instagram feed that accurately reflects the image and purpose of your brand is vital.
At the same time, you always want to put yourself in the mindset of your target consumers. By this point, you’ve likely already established a few buyer personas and have a clear idea of who your audience is. But take some time to consider why they’re on Instagram and how you can improve their experience on the platform.
By showing people using, trying, and enjoying your product or service, your brand comes across as human and relatable.
10. Share Quality Content Consistently
When posting your content, your target audience and buyer personas should be top of mind.
What types of content do they want to see? What kind of posts tend to generate the most engagement? How will your brand solve a problem for them?
Granted, coming up with new concepts and finding the right visuals to accompany your content is easier said than done. But the good news is that it doesn’t have to be as time-consuming as you think.
You can easily create your own Instagram content using templates and branded hashtags. It doesn’t all have to be 100% original, either. Feel free to repost content from other brands within your niche.
If you notice something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to go back to the drawing board. Social media allows you the opportunity to experiment and figure out what works and what doesn’t.
11. Know When to Post
Unlike Instagram’s predecessor Facebook, where posts can hang around and show up days or weeks later, the Instagram algorithm favors timely posts.
This means that your Instagram posts have a finite shelf life, and knowing when to share is critical for success.
Generally speaking, the best days to post are Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. By Wednesday, people are seeking a virtual escape from their workweek, and they often turn to social media.
This may explain why the latter half of the week is the most popular time for scrolling through Instagram. During the weekend, users tend to avert their attention towards spending time with family and unwinding.
The most popular times to post on Instagram. Source: Sprout Social
12. Promote Instagram Everywhere
Instagram may be one of the newer social channels, but you need to leverage this platform in the same way you do your other social networks.
For instance, do you have social icons on your homepage or product pages that connect visitors to your social channels? If it’s not there already, an Instagram icon needs to be added as well.
When creating your Instagram account, you should first connect with Facebook to attract your friends.
Start running Instagram campaigns across your social networks and sending reminders to employees, brand ambassadors, and anyone else who’s established a positive relationship with your brand.
Encourage them to use branded hashtags, as well as other hashtags that are relevant to the marketing campaign you’re currently running.
13. Track and Measure Your Efforts Constantly
Consumer attitudes and behaviors change on the regular, which means that your Instagram followers are prone to alter their preferences.
Pay close attention to the content that yields the highest results and investigate why sudden surges in likes, comments, and shares occurred.
Metrics to keep an eye out for include engagements per follower, follower growth, comments received, reach, most engaged hashtags, and referral traffic.
14. Use Reels and Live
If businesses want to learn how to promote a business on Instagram, Instagram Reels and Live are equally important to use as they gain more exposure.
Instagram Reels enable users to create fun and engaging videos that are up to 60 seconds long. You can create videos using edited videos or photo sets and add music to them.
Reels offer a great way to incorporate video content into the Instagram experience. They give businesses the ability to be more creative and go beyond traditional Instagram posts with visually engaging content.
What separates Reels from other Instagram content is that users see Reels from every Instagram account via the Reels tab, as opposed to only Reels from accounts they follow.
In addition to Reels, consider using Instagram Live. This feature gets you in front of many people through live streaming content.
15. Appel to the Instagram Algorithm
The Instagram algorithm determines which content experiences the highest level of visibility on the platform.
Instagram actually uses a combination of multiple algorithms, processes, and classifiers to help choose which content people see.
Ultimately, the algorithm helps decide which posts appear at the tops of newsfeeds and their corresponding rankings, which posts show up in the Explorers tab, and the rankings for Stories, Reels, and Live videos in people’s feeds.
In appealing to Instagram’s algorithm, there are some steps you should take.
First, it’s important to respect Instagram’s community guidelines, as the platform restricts the visibility of content that violates them. This means you should avoid posting any political or otherwise controversial content, and only upload high-resolution media.
Again, Reels are an invaluable asset if you want the algorithms to favor you. Instagram is still promoting Reels, meaning that you can maximize your visibility by making use of them.
Another way to get the algorithm to benefit you is to time your posts just right. By scheduling your posts to appear in front of the right people at the right time, you’ll make sure people see you.
These are just some ways to get Instagram to place your content above competitors.
16. Share YouTube Videos on Instagram
YouTube videos are a staple for video marketing. You can get even more from your videos by integrating them into your Instagram experience.
If you don’t have a copy of your video saved, you can start by downloading your YouTube video using a YouTube video downloader, which will enable you to download videos to your iPhone, Android or desktop.
You can then optimize your video to prepare it for Instagram by making sure it’s under 60 seconds.
To connect Instagram with your YouTube profile, you should also link to your original upload to drive traffic to it. Your Instagram videos would then function as previews that encourage more people to view your YouTube videos.
17. Run Ads
Like any other social media platform, you should run ads on Instagram.
One way to get the most from your ads is to add the text “Follow @AccountName” at the beginning of the ad’s text in a post.
People will then click on your profile and follow it.
This is a great way to boost more traffic to your profile and increase your following.
18. Create Engaging Content
The content you post should always be highly engaging to connect with audiences.
You can create content that engages users in several ways, such as:
- Asking questions inside of text
- Using Stories
- Continually engaging with audiences
- Posting multiple Stories per day
These are just a few of the ways you can consistently engage audiences and keep them invested in your brand.
19. Run a Contest
Running a contest is another way to get people more involved with your brand.
By running a contest, you’ll drive engagement while further encouraging people to follow your profile.
There are many ways to use contests. For example, the steps for entering a contest may include liking your initial post, following your profile, and performing another action to enter the contest such as creating another post with a contest-exclusive hashtag.
20. Use Influencers
Influencers offer the chance for brands to expose themselves to even larger audiences.
For anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, you can get influencers to give you a shoutout on their channels.
When people see that shoutout, that influencer’s audience is likely to visit your account and follow it.
After gaining some traction with your influencer campaigns, you can stop them and allow for more organic results.
Final Thoughts
So, there you have it! Now you have 20different strategies you can start using right away to promote your Instagram account.
Keep in mind—that the main goal of Instagram is to entertain, educate, and keep users happy.
And these days, there’s no shortage of ideas you can come up with to create great experiences for your followers—which will benefit your business tremendously.
Promotion of services on Instagram - basic techniques
More and more companies and individual professionals are starting to use Instagram* for commercial purposes.
This is especially true for beauty masters, photographers, psychologists - everyone who can be the face of their business. The social network is perfectly sharpened to attract customers in the service sector, but many still do not dare to present their product on Instagram*. Because they don’t know how to start, they lose enthusiasm due to the lack of a clear plan, they think that investments in promotion will not pay off. nine0003 Guys who blog on their own via_photo with 3 million subscribers tell how they came to this
How Instagram* works to promote services, who should start a commercial profile first and how maintain an account so that it benefits both the business and subscribers - read the article "How to sell services on Instagram * - guide".
In this material, we will consider the most effective and relevant promotion techniques that beginners may not know about, and experienced ones may not know everything about. nine0003
Checklist for preparing a profile for promoting services
Work aimed at business development begins long before the transition directly to warm-up and sales - with account registration, profile design, development of a content strategy.
You can contact SMM specialists to set up an account and draw up a content plan, or you can do it yourself, based on our checklist.
Registration of a commercial account
To promote a product or service on Instagram*, you need to register a commercial account. This is a profile with advanced features for SMM, analytics, traffic acquisition, and advertising. Including with the function of ordering and booking through stickers. nine0003
You can create a commercial profile in several ways:
- indicate that the account will be commercial when registering;
- through a Facebook business account*;
- transfer a personal page to a professional account.
In the account settings, you need to specify the category, service description, contacts, link to the site, if any.
We offer you to read more in the article “Guide for a business profile on Instagram*”.
nine0003
Selling design
Promoting a product or service on Instagram* starts with creating a profile. Mandatory items to pay attention to:
- name;
- avatar;
- profile cap;
- contacts;
- additional information.
Here is a detailed article “How to create an Instagram profile* for selling services” to help.
Content and posting strategy
Quality and original content is very important. But this is where difficulties can arise, especially if you are not used to writing for social networks and have no idea what to tell subscribers about. nine0003
In this case, we recommend that you draw up a content plan or use the ready-made examples that the authors of SMMplanner compiled for various specialists: a lash maker, a stylist, a tarot reader. A post idea generator will help you find topics for publications.
If you want to take a more professional approach to content creation, we recommend the article "10 tips for creating a better content strategy: a guide from SMMplanner".
Methods for promoting service accounts on Instagram*
By this time you already have a profile with regular posts. Let's go directly to the methods and tools that help to tell as many people as possible about it. nine0003
Increasing profile activity and reach
Several ways to make your profile “alive” and interesting for subscribers:
- Regularly post content that hits the audience well. These are informational, engaging, entertaining, expert posts in such proportions that commercial content accounts for no more than 20-30% of publications. You can make your own unique headings, regularly conduct interactive activities, tell subscribers interesting stories with continuation in several posts or stories. Track engagement and experiment to increase your engagement. nine0030
- High-quality design posts, put relevant hashtags, geolocation, select the optimal time for publication.
- Use game elements and reward subscribers for being active.
- For the service sector, it is mandatory to post reviews with the permission of customers.
- Communicate with the audience, arrange drawings, live broadcasts, including jointly with other specialists from related fields.
Setting up targeted advertising
Targeted advertising is advertising that is shown to the target audience. Your target audience is people who may be interested in your service, for example, women aged 25–40 from your region who visit beauty salon websites and read beauty bloggers.
You can go further and collect not just people who are potentially interested in manicure, psychology or cooking courses, but have paid attention to this topic on the net quite recently. For example, using the Pepper.Ninja service (the parser has a tool for working with Instagram * th, you can try it for free), you can collect subscribers of certain accounts and people who actively liked them there.
Read more about this in the articles “How to build an audience from Instagram*” and “How to show ads to competitors' followers on Instagram*”. nine0003
Next, move on to setting up targeted advertising. We go to the advertising account on Facebook* and upload the audience collected through the parser there (the “Audience” section, the “Create a custom audience” item) or set up the target audience according to the parameters that are in the RK, specify the promotion goals, set up the ad, select the placement, set budget and impressions.
You don't have to look far for examples of targeted advertising:
In my account, it occurs every 3 blocks of stories and 3 posts in the feedWe organize mutual PR and order advertising from bloggers
The first is cheaper or completely free, because it allows you to promote both accounts, the second is more expensive.
Accounts with similar topics are suitable for mutual PR. For example, if you offer knitting lessons, partnering with a yarn store is a good option.
You can agree to place partner posts in each other's feeds or hold a joint broadcast, during which you and your partner can interest a new audience, organize a joint competition. nine0003 Mutual PR can be organized by two people, or by a "crowd" - the more prizes, the more interesting
To advertise with a blogger, find a profile with a similar topic and a similar audience. Contact the owner of the page and discuss the terms. Professional SMM specialists at this stage ask the blogger for page statistics.
Looking for a good specialist to promote services on Instagram*
Not everyone understands how to promote their services on Instagram*. And not everyone who understands can do it as effectively as a specialist. If you are looking for an SMM specialist, take a look at SMM.school graduates - each of them has the necessary knowledge and preferred topics, as well as cases of successful projects. nine0003
If you still decide to promote services on your own, we also recommend reading the article “12 ways to promote on Instagram for free*”.
We automate the maintenance of social networks using SMMplanner
Scheduled posting services allow you to schedule posts in advance and set the time of publication. This saves time, allows SMMs to promote more pages, and allows account holders not to be distracted from working with clients. In particular, the tool is relevant for those who sell their services on Instagram* and cannot be distracted by trifles, but it is necessary to maintain activity in the profile and the involvement of subscribers. nine0003
One such service is SMMplanner. Among its advantages: wide functionality, the ability to maintain multiple accounts in different social networks, work through the official Instagram API*.
SMMplanner has auto-posting, copyright protection, photo editor and much moreFeatures due to which the use of SMMplanner is indicated as one of the conditions in some vacancies for SMM workers:
- safe and stable work through the official Instagram API *; nine0030
- delayed posting and auto-deletion of posts;
- watermarks in the form of inscriptions or pictures that will not allow your copyright content to be stolen;
- the ability to add the first comment on behalf of the page when publishing;
- teamwork - through SMMplanner you can work together on a project with other specialists, for example, a copywriter and content manager;
- is a good built-in photo and video editor.
Within a week after registration (or two weeks when connected via an affiliate link), the "Initial trial" tariff is valid, within which the user has access to:
- posting through the official API;
- connect up to 5 accounts at the same time;
- unlimited posting of stories, gifs and videos;
- delete publications on schedule;
- automatic markup of links for UTM tags;
- 3 types of content feed display; nine0030
- 5 watermark slots;
- own proxies;
- team work.
After a week, the service automatically switches to the "Trial" tariff, but you can also choose one of the paid tariffs. In the Trial, you can make 50 or 100 (when registering in the social networks of the service) delayed publications with photos every month, create 5 watermarks for projects, keep up to 5 pages simultaneously and edit Stories for free.
On the "Trial" tariff, it is quite possible to maintain an account about services for free. The tool will help you to maintain activity in your profile and the regularity of content release. nine0003
To start working with SMMplanner, you need to connect it to your account. To do this:
- log in to the delayed posting service;
- in the "Accounts" tab, connect one or more social networks to the service;
- choose a connection method - via extended or official limited API;
- bind an account by entering a username and password.
Once connected, you will be able to schedule your first publications.
After registration, the possibilities of the PRO-tariff "Initial" will become availableFull instructions for connecting the SMMplanner service can be found in the article Connecting Instagram* to the SMMplanner service.
To get inspired for a decisive breakthrough in the promotion of services, we offer the article “How to promote an Instagram account * from zero to 3000 subscribers in a month”.
Errors in promoting a commercial account
Here's how not to do it:
- To intrigue people with this technique, you need to already have some fame and reputation on the network. Otherwise, no one will subscribe to you. nine0030
- Post content without purpose and without plan . It is helpful to be clear about what results you want to achieve - how many followers to have in your account, for example, and how many leads to receive from the network. Based on this, build a strategy and draw up a content plan, which is clearly adhered to.
- Do not use hashtags . Reckless, as they make you visible on the web, allow you to create navigation through content, promote promotion and set you apart from competitors. nine0030
- Post when it suits you . For content to be seen, it must appear when the majority of your followers are online. If you want to post at a convenient time for yourself and so that the posts catch the eye of the audience, use the delayed posting service.
- Do not respond to subscriber comments . No need to explain why you should not ignore potential customers.
In conclusion
In order for Instagram* to become an effective tool for you in promoting services, you better not be lazy and spend some time studying its features, properly designing your account, master free and paid methods of promotion. nine0003
Do not use dubious tricks, such as mass followings and likes, services to get subscribers - they do not bring anything good in the long run.
Use the delayed posting service to focus more on improving the service, developing unique offers, building an expert brand. Appreciate your time and invest it in the development of the main product, and not in routine posting.
Author: Alena Sorokina
nine0000 How to use Instagram to promote your business: 13 practical tips Instagram is one of the most promising social platforms for business promotion.
First, the popularity of this network is steadily growing. At the same time, Instagram users demonstrate high involvement in interaction with each other and with brands. Secondly, Instagram allows you to publish and consume visual content that is perceived by users tens of thousands of times faster than text content. Add to this the ability to use Instagram literally on the go using mobile gadgets. It turns out almost an ideal social platform for a modern person living at a frantic pace. Third, unlike traditional social media, visual content sharing platforms are successful at generating immediate conversions. nine0003
After reading this article, you will no longer doubt the effectiveness of promotion on Instagram. You will also learn how to promote projects using Instagram.
“I ate a man on promoting a business using Instagram.” Everyone can use this network
Why a business needs Instagram
You can answer this question with the help of statistics.
According to the Pew Research Center, 17% of total social media users over the age of 18 check their Instagram account daily. The core audience of this social network is represented by young people aged 18 to 29years. We are talking about the generation of millennials, who often make buying decisions under the influence of social platforms. Gender-wise, Instagram is dominated by women. Instagram users are very active on this network. 57% of owners check their account at least once a day, and 35% do it several times a day.
Instagram users are engaged
Pinterest vs. Instagram: which of these platforms is better to use in online marketing
Hopes & Fears gives a simple and clear argument for using Instagram to promote your business in RuNet:
- Haute Future, an online clothing store, attracts about 80% of customers using Instagram.
- Buy-by-me resale store attracts 65% of customers using Instagram.
- Hand made goods store Lapatanova, represented by the founder Katya Kotova, attracts customers exclusively through Instagram.
Of course, these figures are not derived from a study with a representative sample. Rather, we are talking about examples that confirm the possibility of effectively using Instagram to promote a business in RuNet.
Free social media audit
Drawing of 3 places until 24.08. The rest of the participants of the drawing - 50% discount
More nine0238 Practical Tips for Using Instagram to Promote Your Business If you sell services such as endowment life insurance, online trading or laptop repair, look for customers on Facebook and other traditional social networks. Visual social platforms, including Instagram, are more suitable for selling products. Clothing, cosmetics, DIY and handmade products, photographs, decorative items are some of the categories of products that can be promoted on Instagram.
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The following practical tips will help you attract clients in practice:
1. Subscribe to Instagram for business blog updates
On the Instagram for business blog you will find recommendations on how to use this network to promote projects. You will also be able to receive notifications about new features and examples of successful use of Instagram by established brands.
In our Instagram, we publish news from the world of Internet marketing and follow the innovations in the social network. nine0003
2. Optimize your company profile on Instagram
Optimization will make your company profile visible to search engine users. In addition, the optimized profile will not let them get lost after landing. To optimize your profile, do the following:
- Set your company logo as your profile photo. If you don't have a logo, use an image of one of your products.
- Use the name of your company and/or words that express the essence of the business as a nickname.
nine0030 - Briefly describe the nature of your proposal. Users want to know what you are selling.
- Include your contact information, including the website URL, in the description.
Pay attention to your privacy settings. Your photos must be available to all users.
Website Promotion: 69 Steps to Get to the Top
3. Post Photos of Your Products
Turn your Instagram account into a shop window. Invest in professional photography. When you photograph a homemade cake with a digital camera, it looks beautiful. When the photo is taken by a professional, the cake looks so delicious that people want to buy it. nine0003
4. Add hashtags to your photos
Hashtags help your target audience find your products. According to the marketing company TrackMaven, 4-5 tags under the photo are enough.
6. Periodically post entertaining photos
Try to give your audience a reason to smile.
It's good if funny photos are related to your business. Did the customer support manager spill coffee on the keyboard? Show users that company employees try not to ignore a single request, so they cannot go to the buffet even for 5 minutes. nine0003
If your colleague spilled coffee on the keyboard, you have a good story for an Instagram post in your pocket
6. Attract followers
The effectiveness of using Instagram directly depends on the number of followers of your account. To increase the number of followers, follow these recommendations:
- Connect your Instagram account to your Facebook timeline.
- Tag your published photos with popular hashtags.
- Subscribe to updates from other users, comment and mark your favorite photos.
Cross-posting photos to Facebook is a very effective way to get the attention of your friends on the world's largest social network who don't yet know about your Instagram account.
7. Post videos
Since mid-2013, Instagram users have been able to create and post 15-second videos. Share videos with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, include them in email newsletters. Don't forget about the ability to embed Instagram videos on your blog or website pages. nine0003
Does Instagram advertising work for bloggers?
8. Use Filters
According to TrackMaven, Mayfair, Normal and Inkwell are the most effective filters for photo processing. They most often generate user response. According to market research firm Simply Measured, brands most commonly use Lo-fi, Valencia, Rise and Amaro filters.
9. Invite the audience to participate in contests
Winning contests that offer valuable prizes effectively stimulate user activity. Use this tool to attract additional subscribers and get feedback from the audience. Offer contestants the conditions of the competition, excluding cheating.
For example, announce that the best photo will be selected by a jury that includes you, your cat, and a canary. Or promise to determine the winner by drawing lots.
10. Offer your subscribers discounts and bonuses
According to the University of Massachusetts Darmouth, 64% of Facebook users follow brands to receive discounts. Instagram users will also follow your account more actively if you promise them bonuses. Don't just give away coupons. Ask the subscriber to leave a few comments, repost your photos, etc.
11. Show the kitchen of your business
Commissioning of equipment, opening of a new office, weekly meeting - use such informational occasions to highlight the activities of the project. Post photos of employees at work. Customers want to know they are talking to real people, not a faceless company X.
12. Show off your product
Drive demand by showing off your product. Show how high foam the coffee machine makes, let customers evaluate clothes not on hangers, but on models, demonstrate the speed of the vegetable cutter, show hairstyles and makeup that you can do in your beauty salon.
