Because of the pandemic, many have realized the importance and utility of social media. Nowadays, it’s especially used as a free marketing tool to generate revenue.
However, many people face the problem of figuring out which platform to invest and engage in and what marketing strategies to put in place, especially for niche businesses. For instance, if you focus on clothing for winter sports, you should know how to market the gear such as Arcteryx ski pants for men even though it’s not the right season for them. With research and the right formula, your business will be a hit.
Get Familiar with the Algorithm
Interestingly enough, Instagram with metrics for the profile views, stories, hrIGTV, and reels. Although the metrics of each vary by just a bit, the common metrics of engagement are determined. The important engagement metrics consider how likely a person will comment, like, save, view, or tap on the poster’s profile.’
Instagram uses what they call “signals,” which are user preferences and activities, to determine the flow of Feeds and Stories. Instagram shares the important signals in a post, which are ranked according to importance.
The first is the information about the post, which are signals ranging from how much engagement it’s garnered to when it was posted. The second is details about the person who posted and how interesting they are to people measured by the number of interactions in the past few weeks. The third is the individual’s activity, which are signals that point to their preferences. Lastly, know the individual’s interaction history, such as commenting on another account and vice versa.
Utilize Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is another method in marketing in which brands and companies partner with online influencers. Influencers are people with a big following on one or more social media platforms, active in their distinct niches, and maintain a high follower engagement. From the word “influence,” they have the power to influence their audience’s purchasing decisions.
A company is given access to potential customers thanks to influencers’ endorsement of their products or services. And because of the rapport and trust built between the influencer and their audience, influencers effectively persuade or influence their decision to purchase. Many influencers today vouch that they don’t advertise products they don’t believe, making for effective word-of-mouth and testimonials.
Make Use of User-generated Content
User-generated content is any content made by real people, or rather images, videos, reviews, etc., created by customers instead of brands. This doesn’t just help diversify content. It helps boost exposure, traffic, engagement, and even following. It doesn’t just drive social media metrics to your favor; it brings trust, which plays a huge role in purchasing decisions. Seeing authentic and relatable content shared by someone outside of the brand helps initiate brand trust and loyalty.
Diversify Content
A feed full of products is not attractive to customers. Avoid tedious, repetitive posts about how good your products are. As good as they are, nobody really wants to hear that all the time. It’s not clickable. Thus, engagement might plummet. Maximize the space of creating any content. Produce quality, varied content that is related to your industry and your products. Although it’s important to feature and market products directly, a brand should always aim to be the authority of its niche.
Examples of varied content include user-generated content, testimonies, educational posts, the scenes behind the production, trivia, and even giveaways. Anything that is clickable, engageable, and has something to offer to the audience is content.
Utilize Instagram’s video-format features like Story, Reels, and the IGTV too to switch it up a bit. Images are good but have video content, too is even better.
Hone in and Refine Your Brand Identity
Brand identity can be especially tricky to articulate in the form of social media content. The early stages would require some experimentation, but that’s to be expected. This usually involves designing the logo, shaping the brand voice, and coming up with language that reflects the brand. Remember to review what’s working and what’s not and tweak what’s necessary along the way.
An underestimated factor in this process is formulating the right color scheme. A consistent color scheme does more than you initially think. It’s integral in both marketing and brand image. In one study about the use of color on Instagram, researchers found that orange, yellow, blue, and violet contributed significantly to post popularity.
Remember that marketing, especially on a social media platform originally centered on image content, is visual. Using colors to aid brand identity and marketing helps make any brand look more whole and developed.
Instagram is a free social media platform that can be a tool to bring in profits. The real challenge here is how t do it. With the right strategies in place and familiarity with the app, it can prove to be effective.
