Several studies have shown that Instagram is one of the most visited social platforms worldwide, with over 1.2 billion monthly users, according to Statista. Let’s face it, as far as social media is concerned, Instagram is the sweetheart of the scene for marketers. With 13% of the world’s population using Instagram and 80% of them following brands, it’s not hard to see why. Furthermore, 72% have bought products they initially saw on Instagram.

Even better, Oberlo reports a 4.21% engagement rate based on consumer likes, comments and shares. That is ten times more than Facebook, 54 times more than Pinterest, and 84 times more than Twitter. If you want to use Instagram as a marketing tool, take note of these nine innovative ideas.

Instagram Marketing: How Does It Work?

Expert Instagram marketing tips are paramount for any marketer or business looking to impact the platform. If this were not the case, there would be far too many businesses competing for the same customers as you.

Here’s the catch, you can make your online presence more visible and increase brand awareness by using Instagram business marketing. Tell your followers about product launches, events, and special activities through posts, stories, reels, and IGTV.

As a result, Instagram is powerful because it is limitless in scope. Moreover, Instagram makes all this easy for you to do – you don’t have to be a technology expert to post. You only need a smartphone and a little imagination to get started. Let’s explore the endless possibilities Instagram has to offer.

The Best Instagram Marketing Ideas to Follow In 2022

We will discuss some of the best marketing ideas for you to follow on Instagram below:

Authenticate your brand with micro-influencers

Marketers are increasingly using Instagram influencer marketing to reach a wider audience by working with key thought leaders. You can add genuine authenticity to your messaging by aligning your brand with influential voices.

It can be challenging to select the right influencer. Instead of focusing on the influencer’s contribution, marketers fall for the glitz of working with a celebrity.

Micro-influencers are more affordable, have a closer relationship with their followers, and are viewed as more genuine by the public. Micro-influencers often see engagement rates of 2% to 3%, while macro-influencers see only 1% on average.

It is very clear from Sand Cloud that micro-influencers are a highly effective tool for building an authentic brand. As brand ambassadors, micro-influencers and regular customers of the company are used to distribute content to their followers, which helps them gain brand awareness.

To date, the brand boasts over $20 million in sales and has accumulated over 775k Instagram followers as a result of the brand’s marketing strategy.

Make a Marketing Strategy for Instagram

It is the simplicity of Instagram that makes it so successful. However, if you are hoping to sell your products and attract new customers, it is imperative to have a solid strategy.

For starters, ask yourself why you are on the platform. Could it be to build brand awareness, sell on social media, or get leads?

Whichever your reasons are, creating content based on your “why”will help you achieve your goals. Your feed must show off your products, for example, if you are a furniture store looking to sell. Your goal is to attract customers to your store.

Increase Website Traffic With Instagram

Instagram traffic can help increase website traffic because the network allows for a single clickable link in your profile.

To encourage followers to click through, maximize the potential of your affiliate and referral links with special promotions and offers. Including strong calls to action and your URL in a text overlay on any photos or videos would be beneficial.

If you have over 10,000 followers, you can post a link with a “Swipe Up” CTA in your Instagram stories. Remember that all Instagram ad formats have a call-to-action button that followers can click to be directed to your website.

If you’ve collaborated with influencers, ask them to include your URL in their article. Finally, to ensure you can see relevant traffic statistics, use analytics tools to learn which Instagram post is bringing visitors to your website so you can fine-tune your strategy.

Try Creating Instagram Reels

Have you taken advantage of the power of Instagram Reels yet? Are you in the process of using it? Note that Instagram has been using this video feature since last year, and it has become extremely popular among users.

With these short clips of up to 30 seconds, your brand can engage with the community similarly to TikTok’s fun videos. You can play around with the creative tools that the app offers. Add effects and music to your videos to make them look like rock stars on Instagram!

Don’t be afraid to be creative regarding your Instagram reels because they are excellent ways to show your brand’s authenticity. The Instagram Reels platform lets you show off your brand by making short tutorials introducing your team and product teasers.

Instagram also launched Reel Ads recently, so you can now invest in reaching and engaging your audience more effectively.

Maintain a Visually Consistent Instagram Feed

Instagram is a graphically driven platform that encourages visually appealing material. Let’s face it, the heart of Instagram is visual content, which will never change. Today’s users prefer genuine expression and various opinions.

A popular style is removing highlights and boosting images’ brightness, resulting in a natural look. Some people even opt for a “no-edit edit.”

However, having a visually consistent feed is more crucial than adhering to any particular editing style. According to a WebDam social media survey, 60% of the best-performing brands on Instagram have a similar look every time they post.

Your appearance should be consistent with your business identity and appeal to the target audience. Take, for example, the Five Minute Journal. Like their brand, their feed generates a sense of calm, deliberate thinking.

Use Instagram Stories to Your Advantage

With 500 million daily users, Instagram Stories have quickly become the app’s most beloved feature. Instagram Stories allow you to post a mix of images and photos in one post that disappears after 24 hours. The benefits of these strategies can last much longer in terms of your reach and engagement.

That will enable you to appear in the Explore section longer and gain new followers.

The use of stories can enhance your brand’s authenticity and approachability, as well as a sense of urgency that keeps users engaged.

Regarding generating interest, live stories are most effective for covering topics in-depth, promoting one-time promotional events, or sharing narratives. In contrast, recorded stories are better for sharing in-depth information about your products.

To keep their audiences engaged, some of the best stories use sneak peeks, interactive aspects, and clever storytelling to capitalize on the “fear of missing out” effect.

You should invest in a high-quality sound experience for your audience since 60% of Instagram stories are watched with sound on.

Make Effective Use of Emojis

In particular, Instagram embodies images’ power over words with emojis. In a world where hundreds of thousands of emojis are available, it is essential to create a strategy on how to use emojis to convey your brand’s identity without making it seem too informal.

In the right hands, emojis can be an effective tool for incorporating personality and fun into your brand. In addition, you can use emojis to build a stronger emotional connection between you and your audience. Many Millenials and Gen Z feel that messages without emojis are too cold because they are so used to using them in their everyday interactions.

If you’re a brand that offers, for example, a financial aid service, it may be appropriate to use emojis – but is it necessary? To ensure proper usage of these hashtags, you need to make sure that you understand their meaning. Furthermore, it would be best to determine how many and how often to use them.

Finally, remember that emojis can convey both positive and negative sentiments. Therefore, ensure you monitor comments for emojis that gauge the sentiment of your posts.

Make Use Of The Right Hashtags

By using the right hashtags, you can significantly increase the number of people who see your posts. The problem with using something too generic for your hashtags, like #newyear, #christmas, or #style, is that your post will probably get lost in the sea of similar posts.

Consider trending and industry-specific keywords to connect with your followers and keep them engaged. Moreover, research has shown that the ideal number of hashtags is seven or fewer. Your hashtags can also reveal a lot about your competitors and their strategies.

The most effective way to use hashtags is to conduct research specific to your brand to find out what works best.

Ideally, they should include some branding component and be short, memorable, and within reach of the target audience.

Incorporate SEO into your Instagram Strategy

Creating an SEO strategy for your Instagram account is mandatory in an increasingly competitive market.

Generally, the handle and name of your account are the two most influential factors affecting SEO. To begin with, you should register your business with an ‘@’ name that reflects the industry in which it operates. Keep it short, sweet, and memorable.

In addition to your account handle, your profile picture will also display your account name, which should reflect your account handle and industry. That’s the account name that Instagram compares when people search Instagram by typing words or emojis in the search bar.

As a rule of thumb, it’s smart to think of words that people might use when looking for something on Instagram. Social media and SEO are interconnected. How, you might ask? In addition to optimizing your profile for your channel’s searchers, consider the impact social signals can have on your SEO rankings (such as likes, shares, and comments).

While Google has not officially confirmed the inclusion of social signals in their ranking algorithm, studies show a significant association between social involvement and Google results.

Bottom Line

It’s never too late to start your Instagram journey. Your Instagram profile is very much like your business – it’s an enterprise constantly evolving and growing while forging ever-deeper relationships with its followers.

The tips above can help you maximize your Instagram channel’s potential by following these tips for improving Instagram engagement. No matter how you decide to use Instagram, you will be able to maintain engagement by posting a series of interesting content. It will keep those likes, shares, and comments coming.