At Lifeblood, we talk a lot about the effective use of organic marketing. Your social media presence can play a huge part in that, but we know it can seem overwhelming and sometimes discouraging, especially when you don’t have a plan of action. When it comes to Instagram or any other social platform, you may have asked yourself questions like:
- How many posts should I create each week?
- What kind of content does my audience want to see?
- What are my social media goals?
- How do I get more followers?
- Why is this so difficult, stressful, time consuming, etc.?!
Maximizing your social media and its impact is possible, we promise! We’ve already released our social-themed blog with helpful tips, statistics and suggestions to get the most out of Facebook and its 2.5 billion users. If you missed our all-about-Facebook blog, check it out, here.
Today, we’re covering all things Instagram. Instagram has been owned by Facebook since 2012, but make no mistake… These platforms are very different. This blog will introduce you to the Instagram platform, who uses it, and how you can best engage with current and potential followers.
According to the most recent available data (October 2020), Instagram has over one billion monthly active users, worldwide
With over one billion active users per month, Instagram houses plenty of potential for your brand engagement! Instagram is especially effective if you enjoy featuring visuals! Show off anything from product features or inspirational brand photos, to personal video diaries about yourself and your business. A note, you MUST have a visual aspect to your post, whether it’s a photo or video, in order to use this platform. However, Instagram and its visual components can be a fun, creative way to represent yourself and your brand and make your customers excited to follow the new content you post!
Over half of the users are below the age of 34
Compared to Facebook, Instagram has a significantly younger body of users. While this platform’s largest body of users are between the ages of 25-34, the 18-24 category is very close behind. Engaging with a different demographic through Instagram can open up possibilities of reaching a broader audience. And don’t let the age groups deter you if they are not your ‘target audience’. Building an engaging, aesthetic brand representation helps build legitimacy for your entire following, no matter the age.
Instagram users across the globe
While the highest users are North American-cenrtic at 116 million, India and Brazil follow closely behind with over 72 million users per country. You can target diverse markets, and promote your business across the globe!
A whopping 91% of users follow at least one business on Instagram, and even though the market can be saturated, it is projected that active Instagram users will grow to 1.5 billion by 2021! So this is a great way to feature the aesthetic qualities of your brand, and connect with your audience through pictures and videos.
Make a Plan That Gets You Stoked (Not Overwhelmed):
You’re a busy business owner! The last thing you want to do is add something to your plate that makes you feel overwhelmed and stressed out. Setting realistic goals and creating a manageable plan will help you get excited about Instagram and your other social channels, instead of getting overwhelmed. Here are a few tips from us for creating a plan that is doable:
- Draft Out at Least Two Weeks of Posts
Get ahead of the game when creating your content. If you can dedicate an hour or two to drafting out posts and sourcing images that you love, you’ll limit the stress of needing to be creative last minute!
- Schedule It Right Away
The goal is to create great content, get it scheduled and then stop worrying about it! By putting those posts into a scheduling application like Buffer, you won’t need to fret about remembering to share the content on a busy day.
- Don’t Forget Hashtags and Tagging
Instagram is especially effective as an organic marketing tool because of its hashtag system. By using creative, consistent hashtags, you can get the attention of new users who are searching for content through relevant hashtags. Tagging users and other businesses who you think may be interested in your brand is also a great way to get more exposure!
- Stockpile Your Great Ideas
If you get those little moments of inspiration throughout the day, keep a notebook or a document on your computer to store up those great ideas for Instagram posts! Make sure to keep a file saved with good photography to use, as well. This will save you a lot of time when creating your posts, and is a great way to keep track of ideas you haven’t used on your social channels, yet.
Get Creative – Instagram Users Love It
There are so many ways to use Instagram to reach your audience. While photos or videos of your products are an obvious choice, don’t be discouraged if your brand doesn’t have tangible products to feature! Instagram is a great way to connect with your following and help them get to know your business and yourself. Video clips discussing relevant topics, photos introducing the person behind the brand, and organic engagement on posts all serve to help people get to know you and your company.
Letting people get to know the faces behind the business is a wonderful way to form brand loyalty. We know that consumers are much more likely to engage with and buy from a brand that has a personal story, and it’s way more fun for you to create posts that aren’t just about selling your products. You’re passionate about your brand and what it stands for; use Instagram to share that passion and build up those followers!
Hot tip: You don’t always have to craft a clever, engaging post with the perfect picture. Instagram Stories are a great way to get new products and company updates visible!
They can be short and sweet, and remind your audience to keep checking you out for great content, contests, and product features. A big bonus: You can link your Instagram Stories through to your Facebook Stories, automatically! Double the exposure with none of the work – that’s a plus in our books.
