Best Social Media Marketing Practices for Instagram

Social media has been on an increasingly upward trend since its debut. In 2021, social media users grew 10%. Society has evolved to a point where most people rely heavily on social media for information dissemination. That means staying in the know with current events, keeping up with trends, and learning about great restaurants and experiences. But it also means having direct access to your favorite brands/businesses and being easily exposed to new ones too. In fact, 1 in 2 people have used Instagram to discover new brands. That’s right, we’re talking about Instagram.

Meta’s data suggests that Instagram has been on a steady incline and gained over a quarter of a billion new users in 2021 alone. With such a large and rapidly growing audience, there is obviously a huge business opportunity. So, what are the best ways to make an impact from a marketing perspective? Check out the full guide below. 

Content guidelines:

• Aesthetics are everything

  • Instagram is a heavily visual platform where a nice aesthetic goes a long way. Your graphics need to be very visually appealing in order to compete with the competition. Your brand identity should be clear and consistent. 

• Utilize video

  • “91% of Instagram users report they watch videos on a weekly basis.” In other words, video is currently the most popular type of content on Instagram right now. So, if you want to get more eyes on your content, then video is the way to go.

• Max out on hashtags

  • Instagram allows the use of up to 30 hashtags. When it comes to a lot of other platforms, it’s best to limit hashtag use, but studies show that on Instagram you should use them all. 

• Opt for longer captions

  • Studies show that longer captions (with at least 500 characters) perform best and generate the highest engagement rate. While this didn’t use to be the case, long-form captions on Instagram are now preferred.

• Leverage paid ads

  • Ad reach on Instagram is at an average of 1.5 billion users - a number that has also had an ever-increasing growth rate. That means that paid ads on Instagrams home feed reach a whopping 96.6% of Instagram users. 

• Get personal 

  • People resonate with people more than anything, so be sure to show your human side. Doing so demonstrates authenticity, trustworthiness, and reliability. For more info on this topic, check out our full blog, “Being the Face of Your Brand.”

Engagement

• Offer great customer service

  • Customer service plays a critical role in brand loyalty. Studies show that people rely heavily on social media for customer service. You can demonstrate great customer service by answering questions, addressing concerns, and expressing appreciation for praise - in DMs and in the comments section

• Make your stories interactive

  • Add questions and polls to your stories to make them more fun and engaging. When people engage in this way, the algorithm will start to favor your content and give it more exposure.

• Comment on posts from similar profiles

  • By commenting on posts that your target audience might be looking at, you increase your own visibility. 

Optimal posting practices:

• Day of week: Monday through Friday

  • Social platforms algorithms prioritize content that’s posted when users are actively online, so you should aim to time your posts accordingly. That said, these days and times vary per audience so you may want to look at your own audience’s data. 

• Time of day:  10am to 2pm

  • The above info also applies here. These times represent when the largest amount of people tend to be on Instagram, with 11am to 12pm being the hour of peak engagement. 

• Post Frequency:

  • Consistency is key! The Instagram algorithm rewards those who post on a regular cadence, so make sure to set a posting pace that you can maintain. Try planning your content in large batches and using a scheduling tool like SmarterQueue or Sendible to ensure consistency.

70% of people use Instagram to check out a business before making a purchasing decision. If your brand doesn’t seem active, put together, and available to answer questions, then you’ll be losing potential customers.