Creating an Instagram Content Strategy that Works

There comes the point wherein your social media posts aren’t bringing the results you expect. If you’re experiencing this problem, you may need to rethink your Instagram content strategy. There’s more to Instagram than just posting pictures; you must create meaningful content to engage with your target audience. Instead of posting content here and there and hoping for the best results, you should start developing a content strategy that hits your goals and generates brand interest. This article will discuss how you can plan your Instagram content strategy in the right way to level up your social media game.

1. Set clear goals before creating content

The first thing you need to do when planning your Instagram content strategy is to define your goals with each post. What do you want to gain when posting content? Is it to drive more sales? Or do you want to build a stronger following? Optimizing your content is much easier when you know its intended purpose.

For example, say you want to increase your Instagram page followers. One of the most tried-and-tested ways to do this is through hashtags. Hashtags allow people to discover your posts and generate brand awareness, thus increasing followers, especially if your content is on-point.

You can also add product tags to your posts to generate sales once you’ve built a solid following. Of course, you need to monitor your page’s performance to know whether or not you’re hitting your targets. In this case, you’ll need to keep track of key performance indicators (KPIs). By analyzing the numbers, you can get an idea of which type of content works best for your target audience.

2. Allot a budget for ads

No Instagram content strategy is complete without advertisement. Ads are essential to leveraging higher engagement rates and showcasing your brand through Instagram stories. While it’s paramount that you nail your SEO strategy from the start, complimenting it with paid marketing will deliver you faster results. Plus, getting started with ads on Instagram is easy; you pick a photo as your ad, hit promote, and that’s it. You can also create video ads, IGTV ads, collection ads, and other types of advertisements to drive engagement to your page.

But before you start your ad campaign, make sure you have a call-to-action ready. Think about what you want to achieve after a user clicks your ad. Do you want to take them to a landing page? Or do you want them to subscribe to a newsletter? Different ads will call for different CTAs, so experiment with them and conduct A/B testing to make the right adjustments.

3. Get to know your audience better

Most brands are familiar with their audience and their preferences. But the way they digest content might differ from what you initially think. Go to Instagram Insights and take a look at your previous posts. Which posts have the most reach, impressions, and engagements? You’ll notice a pattern where some audiences react more towards certain posts, whether it be images, videos, or promotional material.

It’s also worth asking yourself these questions to create a more effective Instagram content strategy:

• What type of content does my audience prefer?
• Does my audience like to shop on Instagram?
• Am I using the right hashtags when posting on Instagram?
• Do I follow trending posts on the app?

Often Instagram pages suffer from low engagement because they keep posting the same type of content. Get your creative juices flowing and start posting unique content. Inject humor into your posts to keep your audience engaged. Keep an eye on trending content and add your own spin to it.

Once you better understand how your audience interacts with your posts, you can cater to their interests and connect with them on a deeper level.

4. Be consistent with your posts

You’ll need to create a content calendar to drive engagement to your Instagram page. A content calendar is essential to keeping your audience updated regarding your brand’s products/services. It also serves as a roadmap for your campaigns to know when they will start and end.

The good news is that you can schedule your Instagram posts within the app. All you need to do is connect your Instagram account to Facebook’s creator studio and set the date and time of the post. You can also try third-party apps that automate social media posts like SocialPilot and Kicksta. These apps help plan your content schedule more efficiently, and you benefit from the in-app marketing expertise to boost brand awareness.

5. Collaborate with influencers

It’s no secret that influencers dominate the social media space, and experts predict that they will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Influencer marketing expenditure in the U.S. has steadily increased over the last few years, prompting brands to level up their social media game to compete with other brands.

Instagram is a platform that relies on visual content to communicate with users. By partnering with influencers, you can uniquely convey your message to your audience and “influence them” to buy your products/services.

But it’s not as simple as choosing an influencer with a massive following. You want to look beyond the follower count and consider how the creator will fit your brand. Are they the right person to represent your business? How do people perceive the influencer in general?

Once you find the right person to collaborate with, you can leverage the power of influencer marketing to cross-promote content, grow your follower base, and boost your sales numbers.

6. Maintain a consistent theme

It may sound trivial initially, but how your Instagram page looks will greatly impact how people perceive your brand. Maintaining a clean Instagram aesthetic is key to attracting your audience, which is why brands use color themes that best represent their business.

Finding the right color palette can be tough if you’re starting, but you can find inspiration from plenty of sources. Start by looking at your competitors and see how they maintain a consistent color theme. You can even go beyond your niche and look at coffee shops or restaurant pages since these establishments tend to build an aesthetically pleasing page.

7. Keep an eye on your competitors

Speaking of competitors, you want to analyze other brands within your niche that successfully implement their Instagram content strategy. How do they go about their promotional posts? Do they excel in posting brand stories? Or do they nail the video content to engage with their audience?

Knowing who your competitors are and what they do can help you draft a content strategy that stands out. Perhaps you need to focus on creating people-centric content or producing excellent videos for your ads. Try out their ideas and add a unique twist to your content. That way, you can appeal to your target audience and experience the same success your competitors are experiencing.

In summary

Instagram is more than just a social media platform; it’s a marketing powerhouse with all the tools you need to grow your brand’s online presence. That said, you must develop a sound Instagram content strategy not only to gain more followers but also keep them engaged with your posts.

Hopefully, these tips will help you take your Instagram posts to new heights and strengthen your brand’s reach. Try them out and do proper testing to identify the right approach that fits your target audience’s presence
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