Instagram has nearly 1.5 billion monthly active users, and 69% of marketers working with influencers used Instagram as of 2019, according to an Insider Intelligence report.

For brands interested in marketing to people between the ages of 13 and 34, social networks can be a highly effective place to increase brand awareness, audiences, leads and sales. .

Take a look at how brands are using Instagram for marketing, best practices, and the challenges of Instagram marketing.

Why Instagram is your social media go-to

An August 2022 study titled Dopamine Scrolling Social Media revealed that 70% of those surveyed were Instagram users, more than any other social media platform.

According to a July 2022 report by Statista, 27.3% of US Instagram viewers are between the ages of 25 and 34, and nearly 6% are between the ages of 13 and 17.

For brands whose customer base is largely Gen Z, Instagram offers a great opportunity to reach and engage with their audience.

But Instagram isn’t just for Gen Z. CouponFollow’s recently released 2022 Millennial Shopping Habits Trend Report found that 78% of US millennials follow brands on social media, and 54% say their shopping habits are most influenced by Facebook. is shown. (28%) and Instagram (27%).

Joe Sinkwitz, CEO of Intellifluence, a warm-contact influencer marketing network, told CMSWire that brands looking to attract millennials and Gen Z consumers are starting with using large celebrity influencers. He said there was a growing trend to move away and work with niche micro-influencers. Increase your credibility and expertise in the market.

“Making direct sales on Instagram is now easier than ever with profile links that lead users to a list of current offers, but combined with influencers who provide their audience with exclusive offer coupon codes. and it works very well,” he said.

Since Instagram is a highly visual medium, videos, images, and illustrations work extremely well on the platform, especially for brands that want to showcase their products and services they offer. How brands use Instagram is determined by their strategy and goals.

Cat Koehler, senior social media manager at HorsePower Brands LLC, a franchise brand portfolio company in the hospitality industry, told CMSWire that Instagram’s visual nature is very helpful for franchise brands. “Because it is so visual, we really use Instagram to build awareness and show the power brands bring to our franchisees and their customers.”

Instagram users have short attention spans, so Koehler said try to keep your presence prominent and direct. “Simple text he has a good image or video with an overlay — there is not much question about what it is. It is clear and identifiable as a brand.”

Related article: How influencers build better customer experiences

brag when you get it

Many brands are already using Instagram for marketing purposes, and some brands like Nike have a very large number of followers (237 million).

Many influencers who primarily use other social platforms such as YouTube and TikTok also have an Instagram presence that they use to give their followers more of a view of their personality and personal life.

YouTube influencer Sam the Cooking Guy says on his Instagram page:

Like other social media platforms, Instagram is a great place for brands to let their customers know their personality and sense of humor.

Not all posts have to be marketing or advertising statements. Providing beautiful images, funny or funny photos, or informative content on a regular basis increases the likelihood that customers will accept when your brand actually posts marketing content.

Additionally, Instagram is a great place for brands to showcase their products and services in action. Chandler Redding, spokesperson and brand strategist for Otter PR, an Orlando-based public relations agency, told CMSWire that Instagram is a platform where products and services are used through professionally shot photos and videos. It’s where brands curate a library of moments you can see yourself in, he said. Or in reviews by influencers.

“Brands should see Instagram as a platform to showcase their products and services and to educate, entertain and inspire their audience,” suggested Redding.

Insights and highlights are essential tools

Otter PR spokesperson Cassaundra Kalba told CMSWire that the most powerful tool brands have available through Instagram is[インサイト]tab, but she said the feature is only available to business accounts.

“Insights allows organizations to see when their followers are most active for each day of the week. This is key to posting content that reaches the largest audience,” explains Kalba.

“Reach is also very important. It tells you how many accounts have viewed or interacted with your content,” says Kalba. “The greater the reach, the more likely your brand will grow and generate potential customers. To increase the reach of your posts, your brand should always enable a location (HQ or other relevant You must complete the “Alternative Text” section with keywords relevant to your content and include all relevant hashtags. ”

Kalba encourages brands to reply to all comments and interactions with at least four-word responses. This will help build meaningful relationships with your customers and tell Instagram that you’re creating meaningful and thoughtful content, which will also boost your content.

Vicky Wu, Chief Marketing Strategist and Owner of Vicky Wu Marketing, spoke with CMSWire about using Highlights, an Instagram feature.

“When someone visits your Instagram profile, such as when someone wants to learn more about your business or find a link to yours, the bubble will first appear right after your profile information. If you look at most businesses, except for the big ones they own, their highlights are sporadic and haphazard,” Wu said, making the most of this area in a brand’s profile. explained.

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“Some ways to do this are to have separate highlight bubbles for each service, or split them up for different audiences.”

Wu suggests that most businesses already have content on Instagram, which can be broken down into a few highlights that are meaningful to their audience.

“If not, it’s easy to quickly create a few stories or reels that can be used here,” Wu said, adding that the brand could probably spend an hour on this to cover the brand and some strategic I added that you can add content and configure sections. Tell each person, “And it will be a meaningful time.”

Related article: Understanding the relationship between social media and great customer experiences

Achieving Hashtag Heaven and Other Challenges

HubSpot’s 2022 Instagram Engagement Report shows that many brands are confused about what hashtags to use in their posts and how many to use. Avoiding popular hashtags may seem against marketing logic, but targeting niche communities with more engaged followers is more effective.

The report shows that there are five main categories of hashtags used on Instagram.

• Location (#Orlando, #NYC)

• Brands (#Nike, #Kelloggs, #RedCross)

• Industry (#travel, #bike)

• Community (#photographers, #campers)

• Descriptive (#makeup, #DIYsolar)

You might think #travel would work, but such posts are such a vast category that they tend to get lost among thousands of posts using the same hashtag. . Narrower niches like #glamping, #hiking, and #biking tend to attract more engaged communities.

“Understanding the types of content a brand has and the specific niches it targets really helps streamline the creation process,” says Redding.

Brands should make sure their hashtags are relevant to their niche, but HubSpot’s report shows that the more tags you use in your posts, the better. Using a lot of tags won’t hurt your post’s performance.

Koehler told CMSWire there are many challenges, many of which are due to the continued evolution of the platform itself. “I feel like Instagram is still figuring out who they are as a platform. I have.”

Platform limitations are also a challenge for brands that want to get their message across. “It’s important to us that our viewers share our content, but they can’t.

It’s frustrating not only for users, but also for brands.

Above all, Redding explained, brands should keep in mind Instagram and similar social platforms, which require a lot of time to plan, prepare and execute in order to be successful.

“Many people make it look easy, but with the right features and hashtags, 15- to 30-second videos that are timely, engaging, niche-specific, and 1 It takes a few hours to post at the right time of the day. A lot of positive thinking,” he said.

Redding added that Instagram is one of the most demanding social media platforms to hit the market because it is no longer just a platform for posting photos.

“Its engine is much more complex and offers the potential for greater results. Brands that want their Instagram channel to succeed need to assemble a team, not just one, to achieve that goal.” said Redding.

Lesson Learned: Target a Niche Market and Stay Loyal to Your Brand

Instagram is a valuable platform for brands looking to reach Gen Z and millennials, and most brands already have a presence on the social platform.

By targeting niche markets while staying true to their values ​​and goals, brands can increase brand awareness, provide interesting, informative and entertaining content to their customers and leads, and market their products in visually appealing ways. and services can be introduced.