5 Things You Need For a Successful Instagram Campaign
Nowadays it seems everybody wants to make a quick buck using Instagram. But, what makes the successful influencers different is that they have the basics down. They focus on quality content, and their marketing tactics are impeccable. This doesn’t necessarily need to relate to only Instagram models and influencers. The social media platform is great for marketing your company’s new product, strengthening your bussineses’ brand, or even promoting your artwork and photography. The basic principles are the same.
Communicate with your audience
In order to keep your Instagram campaign successful you need to communicate with the people who follow you. Don’t talk at them, talk with them. An Instagram marketing campaign is not a platform where you can bombard and spam your audience with your products, services, or persona.
By actually communicating, you will seem more like an actual human being, not just this Instagram persona or just a corporate entity. You can encourage this in a couple ways. For example, asking them to send you pictures that somehow reflect your brand. Then, sharing the best ones on your own page. Offer some goodies for the winners as well.
Responding to their comments and posts is something you should always find time for, at least half an hour per day. Putting some other contests, like captioning images, or letting people share their thoughts about a certain post, will also make them feel heard.
Get a better understanding of your audience
Another thing you should definitely implement is actually finding ways to get to know your audience. This means finding out who they are, what they like, what they enjoy.
One of the things you can do is get Facebook Insights (which is connected to Instagram). This tool allows you to see how many accounts viewed your content, how active are your followers on Instagram, how many people saved your posts… You will also get some insight into the demographics of your followers – their age, country, gender…
Connect with influencers
Connecting with (other) influences is a way to get a much wider and more effective reach than you otherwise would. But, of course, the first thing you should do is figure out whether an influencer is right for you.
In order to pick the right influencer to connect you need to keep a couple of things in mind. Namely, do they have actual reach? And if so, would their audience be interested in the stuff you have to offer? How vocal and active are they? Can you even contact them effectively?
Once you do, contact them, and make a deal on how to promote each other. Cross-promotional sharing of posts, shout outs, merchandise, or even actual fees are all part of the business. It all depends on how effective both of you are.
Post timing is very important
For this one, you will need social listening tools. Listing all of them out is outside the scope of this article, but know that they are necessary to track optimal post times. These times vary based on the type of content you provide, as well as the audience seeking it out. You can do it yourself, or, you can always delegate. Hiring a professional social media management agency will help you deal with all the tools and gadgets you have at your disposal.
Still, know that the optimal times are usually during non-work hours if you’re not working business to business marketing. If you are, then during work hours is actually best, since they will be actively seeking you out. If you are focused on a standard, business to client system, then posting on the weekends is probably the best idea.
Use your hashtags properly
Hashtags are essentially a must nowadays. But, you need to think about what kind of hashtags you actually want to post. If you go too generic, you won’t be able to stand out. If its too specific, you will be hard to find. Basic knowledge of how to use SEO correctly can help you with this.
But, in general, keep in mind that a couple of targeted hashtags are always better than twenty you just put randomly. Things like #love or #peace won’t really help you with anything. Oversaturation with hashtags will just make you look ridiculous.
Conclusion
If you want to keep your Instagram campaign flourishing, you need to both step up your game, and master the basics. All the tracking, the finest and most precise algorithmics won’t help you if you don’t know who your audience is first. Posting at the right time is necessary for maximum impact. Don’t forget about asking for help and contacting influencers, and of course, be smart with your hashtags. Finally, don’t let your audience down, remember that they exist, and be there for them.