5 Instagram marketing tips to boost your brand

Instagram is not only a visual showcase for inspiring photos and videos, but also a vital tool for small and medium-sized businesses looking to connect with their audience and promote products and services.

With over one billion monthly users, Instagram offers a unique opportunity to build meaningful connections with potential customers for free.

In this article, we will provide you with 5 practical marketing tips on Instagram to give your brand more visibility on this social network.

1. Create a company profile

The first step is to make sure you have a business profile instead of a personal one. This not only makes it easier to promote your business, but also allows you to connect with your Facebook business page. Opt for an easy-to-remember and brief name, along with a clear and concise description of your business. Avoid technicalities and use simple language that summarizes what your venture offers and why customers should choose you.

Here’s a step-by-step how to create a business profile on Instagram:

Open the Instagram app: Open the app and make sure you are logged in with the account you want to convert to a business profile.
Access your profile: Tap the profile icon in the lower right corner of the screen to access your profile.
Go to settings: In the upper right corner of your profile, you will see three horizontal lines or three dots, depending on the version of the application. Touch them to open the menu and select “Settings”.
Switch to business profile: Scroll down in the Settings menu and look for the “Account” option. Under “Account”, you will find the option “Switch to business account”. Select this option.
Choose the Business Type: Instagram will prompt you to choose between the “Content Creator” or “Business” options. If you are creating a profile for a business, select “Business”.
Connect it with Facebook: If you already have a Facebook page for your business, Instagram will give you the option to connect it. This will make it easier to manage posts and ads. If you don’t already have a Facebook page, you can create one at this point.
Complete your profile information: Include an easy-to-remember company name, a brief description highlighting the key points of your business and a link to your website if you have one.
Set up your contact options: Provide contact information, such as email address, phone number and physical location if applicable.
Save the changes: Once you have completed all the steps, look for the option to save the changes. Instagram will confirm that your account has been converted to a business profile.

That’s it! You will now have access to additional tools and statistics to help you manage and promote your business on Instagram.

2. Benchmarking (observe the competition)

Benchmarking, far from being unfair, is a necessary practice. Observing your competitors’ strategies on Instagram provides valuable information about topics, posting frequency and successful promotions. Learn from their successes and adapt the strategies to your style.

Here are a few steps on how you could apply benchmarking on Instagram to improve your strategy. Let’s assume you have a pet store:

Identify your competitors: Look for other pet stores on Instagram or similar businesses in your area. These can be local stores or even larger chains. Be sure to choose competitors that have an active presence on the platform.
Analyze their content: Look at what type of content they are posting – is it mainly product photos, videos of happy pets, or helpful tips for pet owners? Examine the quality of the images, the tone of the message, and how they interact with their followers.
Evaluate their posting frequency: Examine how often your competitors post on Instagram – are they regular in their posts or more sporadic? Pay attention to the days and times they post most frequently.
Analyze the participation of followers: Check the comments and interaction they have on your publications. Observe what type of content generates more responses and engagement.
Look at promotional strategies: See if they are running special campaigns or promotions on Instagram. Are they offering discounts, sweepstakes or collaborations with influencers?
Measure and adjust: Once you implement new strategies, monitor performance. Use Instagram stats to measure engagement, follower growth and impact on sales.

Benchmarking allows you to learn from the experience of others in your industry and apply those lessons to your own business, contributing to the growth and success of your brand.

3. Quality images and videos

Instagram is all about high quality visual content. Be sure to post original images and videos that captivate your audience. Content planning and using editing tools, such as Canva, can help. Leverage photos with satisfied customers, always getting their consent, to add authenticity to your brand.

Here’s a list of easy-to-use image and video editing tools that can help you improve the quality of your content on Instagram:

For image editing:

Canva: An online design platform that offers a wide range of tools for creating graphics, banners, social media posts and more. It is intuitive and has pre-designed templates.
Adobe Spark: Provides tools for creating graphics, web pages and videos. It is easy to use and offers customization options for your images.

For video editing:

InShot: It is a mobile application that makes it easy to edit videos directly from your device. It offers functions such as cropping, speed adjustment, filters and background music.
FilmoraGo: It is an application for editing videos on mobile devices. It offers functions such as trimming, merging clips, adding music and effects.

These tools are ideal for improving the visual quality of your Instagram posts, whether you’re working with static images or video content.

4. Program content and frequency of publication

Consistency is key on Instagram. Schedule your content and establish a regular posting frequency. Experiment with different types of content, prioritizing videos, and keep your posting calendar updated.

For this point, let’s take a pet store as an example and see what a publication calendar would look like using this chart:

DAY	TYPE OF CONTENT	DESCRIPTION
Monday	Image of the Day	Let’s start the week with positive energy! Share an adorable photo of a happy pet with an encouraging message. You can include a brief story about the pet or a fun fact.
Tuesday	Educational Video	Take advantage of Tuesdays to educate your followers. Share a short video on specific care for a popular pet. You can show how to brush the coat, training tips or interesting facts about the breed.
Wednesday	Special Offer	Half week, half price! Announce a special offer for specific pet products. It could be a discount on toys, accessories or even grooming services. Encourage your followers to take advantage of the offer before the end of the week.
Thursday	Customer Testimonial	True stories of love between pets and their owners! Share a testimonial from a satisfied customer. It can be a photo of the pet enjoying a product purchased in your store, accompanied by a short story from the customer.
Friday	Challenge or Game	Have fun with us! Propose a pet-related challenge or game. It can be something simple like “Can you guess the breed of this pet?”, or “Share a photo of your pet in the comments”. Encourage your followers to participate.

5. Instagram Stories and IGTV

Instagram Stories are powerful tools with over 500 million daily users. Take advantage of this feature for fresh, direct content. Stories enable direct purchase links, converting views into sales.

Tips for content in Instagram Stories:

Content Variation: Experiment with different types of content, such as images, short videos, boomerangs or even collages.
Labels and Location: Tag products, use interactive stickers and add your store location to increase visibility.
Frequency of Publication: Publish stories regularly to maintain a presence in the minds of your followers.

Also, don’t forget IGTV for longer-form content. Be creative and original to stand out from the competition.

CONCLUSION

These 5 Instagram marketing tips are the secret to a successful strategy. Take advantage of the diversity of formats offered by the platform so that your brand can reach more users. Creativity and originality are your best allies in this digital world. Don’t miss the opportunity and stand out on Instagram!