8 Instagram Marketing Strategies For 2020

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Instagram is a highly visual platform that reaches a large portion of the under 40 American consumer market. Users are very engaged, and a brand presence on Instagram can attract lots of loyal, enthusiastic followers.

Building your brand can be a challenge in the beginning, and you may want to consider that you can buy Instagram followers to give yourself that initial boost you need in order to be seen by your prospective customers. If you go this route, make sure the service you choose provides organic followers who will genuinely be interested in your brand. Apply the following strategies to keep and grow your fanbase once you have it established:

1. Stick to Posts Relevant to Your Products

People prefer to see content related to your products, instead of posts that seem to be random. This does not mean that you can’t post cute kitten pictures if you sell shoes, or stunning beach sunrise pictures if you sell calculators. It just means that if you do, you need to find a way to relate your pictures to what your brand offers.

Finding a balance between focusing on your products and breaking out of redundancy can be a delicate task, but the right formula will have users happy to see your posts on their feed.

2. Pay Attention to Your Aesthetic

When someone looks at the overview of your feed, they should immediately know exactly what your brand is all about. In order to have a solid branded presence on Instagram, your brand needs to have a definite visual identity.

Products, services, attitude, lighting, colors, mood, and overall feel, should each have consideration in every post. Try to create a theme in your profile feed that distinctly fits your brand’s personality.

3. Keep it Real

Here is yet another delicate balance that can make or break the popularity of your account. Millennials and Generation Z make up the bulk of Instagram users, and these two age groups have a unique understanding of their world as consumers. They are cynical about traditional marketing strategies, and they want more realness in the ads they see.

At the same time, however, they are more trusting of a clean, well-prepared presentation. Do your best to find what that means to you and your brand, and do not be afraid to take risks. Users are more forgiving of brands that try and fail than they are of brands that never try.

4. Post User-Generated Content

Are you old enough to remember Romper Room? At the end, Miss Nancy always held up her Magic Mirror and called out the names of all the children she saw in it having special days. If she called out your name, you were over the moon. People love to be recognized and acknowledged.

Posting user-generated content lets your followers know that you see them. The post may expand your audience to include the other user’s followers as well, and you will gain a loyal customer who enthusiastically supports your brand. Just contact the user first, to confirm you have permission to use their content.

5. Giveaways and Contests

You do not have to give away anything huge. Larger prizes may actually attract more entrants who have no interest in your brand. However, people love free stuff almost as much as they love recognition. Contests and giveaways give them both.

There are so many ways to organize this, so choose the strategy that will be most fun or impactful for you and your followers. Ask them to create a specific type of post and use a branded hashtag or simply tag your account. You could ask for something as straightforward as a shout-out, or you could get as elaborate as asking for a video of fans doing something specific related to your brand. Whatever you choose, keep it doable, and make sure you acknowledge everyone who enters.

6. Shopifiy Your Posts

Shopping has gotten more convenient than ever before. Now you can purchase items without even making a conscious effort to shop for them. If you sell tangible goods, then you can get in on the action, too.

Post pictures either of your products alone or of people using them. Make sure photos are high-quality and your product is clearly shown. Then add a tag to the photo that links to your catalog, and users can now purchase that product with just a few clicks.

7. Use Hashtags

But not too many hashtags. Your description should be interesting to read and not just a string of hashtags. Though you can use up to 30, experts suggest no more than five. Creating branded hashtags will go a long way in setting your posts apart from the rest.

Using some hashtags that are niche, along with your branded hashtags, will help users find you whether they are specifically looking for you, or merely interested in your general offerings.

8. Make Videos

Videos increase your engagement rate and change up the monotony of your feed. Keep them in line with your overall aesthetic and do not post a video more than once or twice a week. Use them to demonstrate your products, create how-tos, show what it is like behind the scenes of your company, and offer questions and answers.

Whatever you decide to do, keep it simple and easy to understand, entertaining to watch with the sound off, and clearly communicative of your message within the first three to five seconds.

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John is a serial entrepreneur and writer who is passionate about helping small businesses launch and grow. His work has been featured in Huffington Post, Entrepreneur, and Forbes.