By Joel Contartese, Forbes
Posted April 20, 2017
Instagram has recently made quite a few changes to their platform, including live stories, carousel posts and shoppable photo tags. These changes all provide new opportunities for brands to monetize the platform.
Assuming you’re new to Instagram, or just haven’t had much luck yet, let’s start with the basics. Below, I’ve listed five simple but useful tips to help you achieve your Instagram marketing goals.
1. A Cohesive Instagram Grid
The first step is to lay out your photos in a way that not only makes people want to scroll through your grid but also incentivizes them to follow your account. If your page is messy and there is no consistency in your messaging, then all of your growth efforts will be wasted.
2. Engaging Captions
An image catches the eye, a caption captures the mind. Writing a captivating caption begins with understanding the “give before you take” rule. Not every caption needs a call to action — some can purely be educational. Providing value is more important than asking your followers to do something.
3. Consistency
A posting schedule you can actually follow is a must. Think of all the different content variations that align with your brand and your consumers. Create a posting schedule that allows for 2-3 posts per day and tackles major aspects of your ideal customer lifestyle. An Instagram feed should not only be product/service based. Providing value is essential to growth and retention.
4. Follower Engagement
There is nothing more exciting than having your favorite brand respond to your comments, like your pictures or comment on a photo you tagged them in. Whether a user is asking a question, raising a concern or even complaining on your page, always address it.
The worst thing you can do is leave unanswered comments, delete complaints or block people. Social media gives people a voice. Encourage it and you will see results. Attempt to take it from them and they will go out of their way to spread negativity about your brand.
5. The Emotional Connection
Oftentimes new brands get caught up in the idea that professional photos are the only way to go. I’m here to tell you that this isn’t true. You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to have quality content. On many occasions, users will create it for you. Not only is this cost-effective, but it also fosters one of the most important components of any social media strategy — the emotional connection.
These five steps will help ensure you have a strong foundation onto which you can build a successful Instagram strategy.