There are over 800 million active users on Instagram as per Statista. These numbers don’t only comprise of teenagers or selfie lovers but a large number of influencers too. So this is enough reason for Startups to launch their Instagram marketing campaign.

As a marketer, apart from finding the relevant audience, you need to figure out the popular content formats.

Frequency and scheduling of your posts matter a lot on Instagram. If you miss on these, then even the best of hashtags and influencers won’t be of help.

This write-up talks about different content formats that you can use to improve your Instagram marketing campaign and reach a wider audience. You can read them as tips.

1. Rule number one for Instagram marketing: Switch to a Business profile

Before stepping into Instagram marketing, you need to create a Business Profile. Your regular profile won’t do.

Don’t worry. You don’t require to read a tutorial for that. It’s an easy switch. You just need to go to Settings and select “Switch to Business Profile”.

Let’s discuss some of the benefits of having a Business Profile on Instagram.

• User can have a contact button via which your Followers can reach out.
• There is an option to create and publish Instagram ads, without requiring to use Facebook’s advertising tools.
• You can avail the benefits of tools like “Insights”, to track the performance of your posts and get a better idea of your audience.

2. Create “Product Teasers”

Instagram is an out and out visual medium. It’s not a platform for sharing too much information. You need to play your cards right when ideating your Instagram marketing campaign. You shouldn’t appear as someone who is trying too hard or is too pushy.

So it’s better not to clutter your posts with too much textual content. Instead, sharing product teasers can produce far better results. With teasers, you can be subtle and evoke excitement at the same time.

For example, if you own a clothing brand, it’s better not to sell clothes directly. You can offer users a free app which they can download and check out your inventory.

You can tease users by running a carousel of purchasable items and offering discounts. This way you don’t force people to buy, but at the same time, you play on Instagram’s strength, ie, creating powerful visual content.

Such ads generally receive thousands and thousands of likes.

This approach is not industry-specific. Just go the Instagram page of Starbucks who runs a brilliant Instagram marketing campaign. Just see how they tease their audience. They announce seasonal drinks with exquisite imagery, without using much text.

Imagery grabs users’ attention but at the same time, users don’t feel being forced. This way they are likely to indulge more in your post and buy something. Of course, targeting the right user matter. They must be interested in your kind of product.

Even if they don’t buy anything, they might like your post, or comment on it, or share it with their friends.

So don’t create “Say it all” posts. Just give users a glimpse into your product.

3. Create an Instagram Story

Instagram Stories is probably the most potent feature to generate leads. The presentation of stories is quite catchy and they seldom fail to grab users’ attention.

They follow the slideshow format and bring an anticipation factor into your posts. They are life for 24 hours only, but you can save them on your device and use them later.

The best part is that they don’t appear in the news feed and are placed just above it. The newsfeed is generally cluttered with posts, so having an exclusive space makes an Instagram story a lot more appealing to users.

The thing with Instagram Stories is, you can be raw and candid. As the name suggests, it’s not about sharing information but stories. You can showcase your brand’s personality to users. For example, you can post some “behind-the-scenes” moments.

You can use different types of content like pictures, rewind videos, or boomerangs. For those who don’t know about boomerangs, they are mini videos that loop back and forth. Needless to mention, there are filters and stickers to spice up the visuals.

Stories work best when you are collaborating with influencers, as you can tag their accounts in your Stories.

4. Collaborate with influencers

Not everyone can have millions of followers on Instagram. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t connect your product with a wider audience.

You can collaborate with influencers who not only have millions of followers but great credibility too. If you can convince them of your product, then half the battle is won.

Even if they post a video teaser of your product, it can create a lot of traction. But again, you have to pick a relevant influencer. Many a time, marketers simply fall for the huge numbers (the number of followers someone has). Instead, compare your audience with that of an influencer and make an informed decision.

Another thing is to focus on long-term benefits. It’s about building a relationship with the influencer and thriving on his or her knowledge on brand building. Therefore you must think beyond short-term gains.

Also, your existing customers can act as an influencer, even if they don’t have a significant following. You can post “User-submitted photos” on your feed and influence people to buy your products.

5. Don’t post at random times. Prepare a schedule.

Do you know what backfires on Instagram?

Posting too frequently. It’s a big turn off for your existing followers. Nobody wants to see his or her newsfeed flooded with your posts only. They will simply unfollow you.

But still you have to market your product, don’t you?

The smart way is to post at a time when most of your followers are online. You need to figure out the peak hours and schedule your posts accordingly.

SimplyMeasured has something interesting to tell in this regard. As per them, Wednesday and Sunday are generally the worst days to post on Instagram, while Monday and Thursdays are the best days.

And what should be the peak hours?

CoSchedule has the answer to that. According to them, you should post between 8:00 AM and 9:00 AM, or around 2:00 AM.

If you see, between 8:00 and 9:00 AM people are either traveling or getting ready for work, and guess what, they are scrolling through social media. Around 2 AM, the Nocturnals are online, checking their Instagram feed.

You can take help of Instagram Insights, to analyze your follower’s activity. When they are active or how often do they visit your profile. The peak hours might differ a bit in accordance with your audience.

There are around 800 million users on Instagram. It’s a big window for any business to find prospects. We hope the above-mentioned tips will help you generate leads. You can learn more on social media marketing, by going through our write-ups on Facebook marketing, Linkedin marketing, and Youtube marketing.

Do share your views and suggestions in the comment section.