It’s 2020, and businesses, influencers, and aspiring social media folks are understanding the power of social media in driving brand promotion and boosting sales.
Instagram is taking the lead when it comes to the number of opportunities for any business type to reach pretty much any goal. With 90% of Instagram users following at least one business profile, it’s clear why you need to take your Instagram presence seriously in 2020.
If you scroll down your Insta feed, you’ll soon realize that posting just a random photo with poor editing and basic caption can hardly cut it these days. You’d need a whole lot more to be able to compete with the ridiculous number of Instagrammers and businesses pouring their heart and soul into their IG content.
To help you navigate the over-saturated Instagram landscape in 2020, we’ve created a list of 5 powerful Instagram marketing tips that would take your profile from okay to stellar in a matter of days.
Create a perfect bio
Treat your Instagram bio as your digital business card.
You want to make it short but super powerful. This means clearly stating what your business is about, but making sure to still keep the catchy and fun vibe.
Add your keywords and branded hashtags for more engagement, better discoverability, and community building.
Don’t forget the CTA. A clear call-to-action will help you direct your audience to take the actions you intended them to do. This can include anything from following, liking, commenting, visiting the link, or your physical store.
For a more in-depth guide on writing the perfect IG bio, you can find more info here.
Capitalize on your Instagram Stories
You are probably well aware of the effect Instagram Stories have on your bottom line.
Whether it’s the new product line, a nice sale promotion, or a regular brand promotion campaign, Instagram Stories and the almighty swipe-up feature bring limitless possibilities.
To get even more bang for your buck, organize all of your Stories into IG Stories Highlights and reap out the rewards even longer. Unlike the 24-hour-life the regular IG Stories have, with Highlights, you get to display different categories and keep them as long as you need.
Write killer captions
Although Instagram is geared towards the photo and video content, you shouldn’t underestimate the power of words. To turn your followers into customers, you’d need to include a smart copy in the captions.
Here are some best practice tips for writing engaging Instagram captions:
- Give some context to the photo
- Add brand voice and a fun element
- Quote an industry expert
- Educate
- Show relatability
- Ask questions
- Add emojis
- Add spacing or dotted lines
- Include hashtags
Go Live
Instagram Live has brought another set of opportunities for brands, influencers, and aspiring Instagrammers to capture their audiences’ attention.
Live videos allow for more powerful relationship-building, more relatable brand image, and more opportunity for promotion.
You can use IG Live to promote the new product line, show the behind-the-scenes of your business, or answer your audience’s most frequently asked questions.
Encourage UGC
User-generated content is one of the most powerful Instagram marketing hacks for all-type businesses. The UGC campaigns’ success comes as no surprise considering that most modern consumers trust the recommendation by regular people more than any ad or celebrity endorsement deal.
Search your tagged photos, and IG Stories mentions for some easy UGC wins. Of course, don’t forget to ask for the authors’ permission to repost.
Solicit user-generated content with exact guidelines and dedicated hashtags in your bio.
A solid UGC strategy improves engagement, social proof, community building, and overall brand awareness.
Photo by Campaign Creators on Unsplash