The dream of every Entrepreneur is to see their brand grow exponentially. Gladly, social media is the fairy godmother that has come to make the entrepreneur’s dream come true.
Instagram is one of the best social media platforms you can use to start your brand marketing journey. If you are an entrepreneur looking to market your brand on Instagram, this article is for you.
In this piece, we’ll teach you how to master Instagram brand marketing and take your business to greater heights on the platform.
What Is Brand Marketing?
Brand marketing is a strategic and long-term plan designed with the aim of increasing a brand’s recognition and reputation. The purpose of brand marketing is to build a loyal customer base that grows over time. This is accomplished through communicating the brand’s identity and values in meaningful and engaging ways regularly.
Brand marketing is an all-encompassing, ever-evolving practice in the business world. It describes a company’s approach to marketing and sales through promoting products and services in a way that draws attention to the whole brand.
It is crucial to market your brand because it’s the face of your business. When people see your logo, they quickly remember the services you offer and how good it is. For instance, on seeing a Coca-Cola logo, the thought of a refreshing drink comes to your mind.
Why Market Your Brand On Instagram?
Instagram is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms. It has over one billion users. If that isn’t convincing enough, the following results and stats will remove all doubts.
- 90% of Instagram users follow at least one business
- 2 out of 3 people in a survey say Instagram fosters interaction with brands
- 50% of people develop more interest in a brand when they see ads about it on Instagram
- 72% of users say they have purchased a product they’ve seen on Instagram.
With features that support business growth, it’s no wonder why Instagram has grown to become a safe space for over 200 million businesses. Features like Instagram ads, Instagram shopping, and Instagram collab remove many marketing barriers. So, how do you start taking advantage of these brand-friendly updates? That’s what we’ll discuss next.
How To Start Instagram Brand Marketing
1. Switch to an Instagram Business Account
In August 2016, Instagram introduced another kind of profile— the business profile. These profiles are different from ordinary profiles because they come with features that help grow businesses on the app.
This account type allows you to view insights, create a shop, access special settings, and do much more. If you haven’t made your Instagram account a business one, do it right away.
Now, here’s how to switch your ordinary profile to a business profile.
- Go to your profile page and tap the hamburger menu in the top right corner.
- Tap Settings.
Note that some accounts have the “Switch to professional account” option directly under Settings. But if you don’t, follow the next steps.
- Click on “Account,” then tap “Switch to a professional account,” and tap “Continue.”
- Select a category for your business and click Done.
- Tap OK to confirm.
- Select Business and tap Next.
- Add contact details, or tap Don’t use my contact info to skip this step. Then, tap ” Next.”
- Click on X in the top-right corner to return to your screen.
Here are the benefits that come with using an Instagram business account.
- You get access to Instagram Insights
- You can add links to your Instagram Stories
- On your profile, you’ll have your industry on display
- You get to add a contact button
- Business accounts can make sponsored posts and ads.
2. Plan and Create a Brand Strategy
Marketing your brand on Instagram can be difficult, especially with the massive competition. If you wish to make any progress, You must first create a branding strategy.
Make a list of all that you want to achieve for your brand. Also, figure out how to change what you already do that’s not working. If you want to start making more posts every day or do more video content, note it.
Set the goals that you want to achieve. These goals can include increasing sales, getting more followers, increasing brand awareness, winning more Instagram likes, or drawing more subscribers to your email newsletter. When you make plans, you’re likely to see your goals through. You’ll also be able to effectively measure your success.
Mastering Instagram Brand Marketing
The following are steps you should take when trying to create effective brand marketing on Instagram.
1. Recognize Your Target Audience
Knowing the group of people your business needs will help you put the right marketing structure in place. If your brand is an organic food brand, then you should target people who are particular about healthy eating.
2. Curate Your Bio And Profile
Set up a catchy profile. Your profile will only contain 150 characters, so it must be precise yet succinct.
- Use keywords in your description to make your profile more discoverable.
- Your contact details such as email address, phone number, and office address should be on your profile.
- Since the business profile will display your industry, make sure you fill out that space correctly. If you are a digital creator, let your audience know.
- Links! The bio is the only place on Instagram where clickable links can exist. Use that spot to take your audience on a trip to your website.
- Use a profile picture that people will recognize fast, e.g. a logo or mascot.
3. Have A Content Creation Strategy
Appealing content will always fetch you organic reach. Your target audience will follow you only when you are serving them value. But to create amazing content, you must have your content strategy in place. This is why you should do the following:
- Explore different types of content. As Adam Mosseri of Instagram said, the platform is no longer just a photo-sharing app. You can share the content of various forms using reels, stories, and IGTV.
- Decide on your brand’s visual identity or theme. Use the theme consistently in all your posts. This will make your profile visually pleasing.
- Don’t post content that is irrelevant to your brand. Your content should be beneficial to your audience.
- Your content should be engaging and easy to interact with. Always Include a call to action in your caption. Ask your followers to make comments, tag a friend or share the post.
4. Maximize Instagram Tools
Instagram is a hub of various tools and features. Each feature has its unique advantages. As such, when you maximize all of them, you increase your chances of getting massive results. Here are different Insta features and what they can do.
- Instagram stories and highlights: with this feature, You can share photos and videos that will last for 24 hours. Highlights will keep your posts longer on your profile. 1/3 of the most viewed stories are from businesses. Join the bandwagon and see your views and engagement skyrocket.
- Hashtags: Hashtags will give your posts a wider reach. Use hashtags smartly, especially branded ones, and see your brand become more popular.
- Instagram automation: With conversation starters and automated replies to story mention triggers, Instagram is making business operations easier with Instagram automation. With this feature, you can even set automatic replies for frequently asked questions that come into your DM.
- Instagram shopping: Increase sales using the Instagram shop feature. This addition allows you to show your products with product tags. With features such as shoppable posts and stories, explore shop, In-app checkout, and Influencer tagging, the shopping addition creates new experiences for both brands and consumers.
- Instagram ads: This is for paid advertising. It will get your brand posts to the right people and generate leads.
- Instagram Insights: when you have a business profile on Instagram, you get the chance to analyze your performance on the app. With the Insight feature, you can measure your impressions, engagement, and reach.
5. Build Your Brand Community
An important aspect of Instagram brand marketing is building a community. Your community will include people that have enjoyed your products and services, engaged with your post, and probably referred people to you. People need a reason to stick to your brand, and they will if you offer great services and deliver valuable content.
6. Invest In Partnerships
Collaborations with Influencers can produce good results for your brand. Brands can make $5.20 for every $1 invested in influencer marketing. 91% of respondents in a survey believe influencer marketing to be an effective form of marketing.
Partnerships with influencers can come in different ways like:
- Product Shoutouts
- Instagram takeovers
- Affiliate marketing and referrals
- Barter collaborations
- Paid partnerships etc.
Be Consistent
Brand marketing on Instagram is not as easy as it seems, but you can get a hold of it when you plan and build a strategy. You have to incorporate these tips into your plan and follow them consistently for results.
