\u201cShould I still market on Instagram?\u201d<\/em>, you ask.<\/p>\n Well, yes. 130 million people<\/a> are tapping on shopping posts every month.<\/p>\n And if you don\u2019t have an idea on how to do Instagram Marketing, today is your lucky day\u2013you\u2019ve earned a backstage pass.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the perfect time to break in amid all the buzz. And mind you, it\u2019s never too late when the star of the show is you. All the others just came waaaay too early.<\/p>\n Buckle up and let your IG journey begin. Actually, there\u2019s no choice since your target market is already out there\u2026waiting for you.<\/p>\n Have you been motivated enough yet? Okay fine, let\u2019s just go\u2026\ud83d\ude44<\/p>\n The truth is, everybody is keeping up with the bus. Why?<\/p>\n Because social media is ever-changing. They update their interface, features, and all that jazz from time to time.<\/p>\n Everyone is edging along but we have listed steps that\u2019ll serve as your express ticket and that\u2019ll save you a VIP seat on the bandwagon. Read on!<\/p>\n Instagram may look like a virtual photo album where you can just post a picture and leave\u2013but obviously, it\u2019s more than that. It wouldn\u2019t have over 1 billion sign-ups<\/a> for nothing.<\/p>\n Your IG account must be tended to and tweaked a little so that users engage with it. You don\u2019t just open an account, abandon it, and let nature take it back.<\/p>\n Put in the work and start with optimizing your profile. Like this one.<\/p>\n Here are some tips that will skyrocket your discovery on the gram:<\/p>\n You might want to add uniqueness to your business name. Feel free to do so, but don\u2019t make it too hard or complicated with alphanumerics or hard to pronounce words.<\/p>\n It\u2019s bad for marketing.<\/p>\n If people can\u2019t read your brand name, then how can they remember you? So choose an IG handle that\u2019s simple to read, recognizable, and easy to find. This makes it easier for them to find you and tag you on their posts.<\/p>\n The image inside that little circle is your representation. It\u2019s present on every post, story, and comment that you\u2019ll make so make sure it stands out.<\/p>\n Use a clear profile picture that draws the attention of every person who sees your post. Make sure that it\u2019s the same picture that you use on Facebook, website, and any other social media platform for easier brand recognition.<\/p>\n Next to your logo and username, the next thing that visitors will read the most is your bio.<\/p>\n You can keep it simple like us<\/a>.<\/p>\n But if you\u2019re a newbie seller, it helps to be a more descriptive as possible so visitors instantly know what you\u2019re selling.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a good example from @theantiqueloft<\/a>. It\u2019s clear that they\u2019re selling handcrafted furniture and decor, but they even went more specific and add \u201cTaekwood\u201d.<\/p>\n A call-to-action (CTA) is the \u201cask\u201d. What do you want your visitors to do the moment they land on your website?<\/p>\n Ultimately, you want them to buy from you, right? Going back to @theantiqueloft<\/a>, they want prospects to talk to them for inquiries. They added their contact address in the bio. Check the previous screenshot.<\/p>\n You might have a different CTA and it could be:<\/p>\n Whatever that is, put that towards the end of your bio.<\/p>\n Stories are vertical photos or videos, usually up to 15 seconds, that disappear after 24 hours after posting. Here\u2019s one.<\/p>\n However, featured stories can appear under your bio. Think of them as different categories about your business.<\/p>\n You can compile stories about your pricing, your available products right now, promos, reviews of your store, mentions of your customers (can be reposted as stories), and FAQs.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s an example.<\/p>\n For the @theantiqueloft<\/a>, they have categorized their stories according to the different furniture that they sell\u2014seating, beds, dining, and study tables.<\/p>\n They also have stories about happy clients and reviews. If you scroll to the right, you can even see more categories.<\/p>\n The little circular icons can be customized to match your brand too. Here\u2019s a guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n It also pays to use a business profile. Follow the steps below:<\/p>\n Unlock this action and, for sure, it\u2019ll be easier for you to track your audience.<\/p>\n Did that make you shiver and sweat already? Keep calm and follow these step by step process:<\/p>\n Switching to a business profile allows you to highlight the nature of your biz, physical address, and other contact info.<\/p>\n Choosing a platform to enhance your online presence is vital to your business. Find a platform that\u2019ll back you up and help you push your company onwards. If you choose IG, it\u2019s most significant to get to know your Instagram algorithm.<\/p>\n Here are tidbits of what the IG algorithm<\/a> does for you:<\/p>\n You get all these and more when you choose IG as your online presence tool.<\/p>\n But here\u2019s an idea: the ones who are running the algorithms are the users, so interact wisely.<\/p>\n Now is the perfect chance to exercise your manipulating skills.<\/p>\n Keeping in touch with your followers is easy, you say.<\/p>\n You can just give out a fake laugh on your rival\u2019s page. Or comment an ode to a product you\u2019ve never even gotten a hold of.<\/p>\n Yep, it can be easy when sprinkled with a mound of effort. And being in the right place at the right time.<\/p>\n You might also want to try these proven tactics:<\/p>\n The dynamic nature of IG stories sits perfectly well with the most active users.<\/p>\n Posting stories literally earn you the top spot. It entices your followers to take a curious look at what’s up with you for the day. Active followers would always, always like to be in the know of current events because of FOMO.<\/p>\n IG stories are quick and are able to keep up with the fast-paced lifestyle. It wouldn\u2019t be a prefixed Insta for nothing.<\/p>\n Starting a company would require you to practice eavesdropping ( or maybe you\u2019re already one, no need to \u201cpractice\u201d ).<\/p>\n Whoever thought that snooping in on other people\u2019s lives would reap you good rewards in the future.<\/p>\n Get to know your targets, especially top ones, and take note of the crucial details you\u2019ll need to pull them closer.<\/p>\n Or maybe you can use an insta-snooper through this note-taking app, Evernote<\/a>. Doing your research couldn\u2019t be any more sophisticated as you type, drag, and drop the essentials into your handy-dandy notebook.<\/p>\n Nope, you\u2019re not gonna participate in an inter-brand Olympics of some sort. Enough with the push-ups.<\/p>\n Keeping your brand strong means playing at your best.<\/p>\n But how do you do this through IG?<\/p>\n Make your visual gaming excellent. After all, that\u2019s what Instagram is all about.<\/p>\n The first three rows matter. It creates a block of story. Since that\u2019s what your audience sees first when they check out your page, your feels, your vibe\u2026make it good.<\/p>\n For example, you can pick a palette like _shopminimalist\u2019s<\/a> page:<\/p>\n Nothing can go wrong with warm earth tones. It definitely works for a home decor page as it gives out a cozy ambiance. It looks like a furniture buffet that tempts you to \u201cadd to cart\u201d away.<\/p>\n Or maybe try the so-called gallery<\/a>. Perfect if you\u2019re selling fashion finds. Check out these carousels by indiamoon_<\/a>:<\/p>\n Google more of these IG-worthy grid styles and millions of results will stare back at you.<\/p>\n In this era, there are already numerous tools that can help you with your marketing strategies. Make use of these social media tools<\/a> to make your life easier, or just your life in general.<\/p>\n For instance, Instagram has its own image-enhancing tool called Boomerang. It makes the image of your product or model come alive by creating a short video loop. Go, try it yourself.<\/p>\n Make sure you do big moves for the cam. Otherwise, you\u2019ll look like a blinking statue.<\/p>\n More than video and photo editing, other tools lend a hand specifically to stories, hashtags, analytics, campaigns, and ads\u2026just like Adspresso<\/a> by Hootsuite.<\/p>\n It promises to \u201canalyze how your campaigns are performing even before you finish the first coffee of the day.\u201d Major plus points since the app helps you work around your finances. There’s no need to worry, you frugal thing.<\/p>\n Funny how a hashtag looks like a macro lens photo of a net and does the same purpose\u2013 to bring in followers.<\/p>\n The hash is known by different names, such as a number sign, a pound, or a musical sharp. With the rise of social media, it has been promoted a new role, the hashtag.<\/p>\n Since then, it\u2019s been lurking in social media platforms like Instagram.<\/p>\n Hashtags lure people into brand pages to increase brand awareness, bait them to perform a CTA, and act as an assassin\u2014quietly spying on and targeting prospects.<\/p>\n If you go hashtagging, include both specific and general terms, and be wise in choosing your keywords. Or, better yet, just copy a big brand\u2019s tags to benefit your page and to save your precious energy.<\/p>\n Hashtagging is fun but not until you obnoxiously use it and look like spam (not the canned meat<\/em>).<\/p>\n You know how Starbucks baristas misspell your name on Ventis? Turns out they do it on purpose<\/a>.<\/p>\n Most customers find it hilarious when their common names like Pauline would get murdered into Pollen or Enola into Ebola. And, you\u2019re right, they\u2019ll immediately take it to social media: the cup with the visible logo, the SB branch, and the intentional blunder.<\/p>\n What a win-win.<\/p>\n Good or slightly bad exposure is still exposure. Just embrace the heck out of it.<\/p>\n Getting your brand mentioned, tagged in posts, and having customers write testimonials with your brand on it brings a surge of User Generated Content<\/a> or simply, UGC.<\/p>\n UGC is \u201cany form of content that is created and shared by the users based on their experiences, opinions, ideas, or feedback.\u201d<\/em> And these days, digital platforms, especially Instagram, are the hubs of user-generated content.<\/p>\n It\u2019s all about real people interacting with your product and that\u2019s what makes the experience authentic. It\u2019s one of the most reliable forms of marketing\u2014can be more reliable than a micro influencer screaming your brand name.<\/p>\n It can be compared to a more modern form of word of mouth. Nowadays, the fingertips do the talking\u2026\ud83d\ude33<\/p>\n Okay, sounds creepy. Forget it.<\/p>\n The situation: Your Instagram following already seems okay but you wanna rummage around for more.<\/p>\n The solution: IG reels.<\/p>\n Reels are 10-to-60-second videos that are in vertical format. They can be published to your feed. What\u2019s great about them is that they have the chance to show up on the Explore page, where they can be seen by thousands of potential new followers.<\/p>\n Amazing, isn\u2019t it? It\u2019ll give you the chance to introduce your products to a wider community.<\/p>\n And it\u2019s not too long, nor too short\u2013absolutely perfect for this generation\u2019s attention span.<\/p>\n Check out this blog<\/a> to get into the reel thing.<\/p>\n It\u2019s all about a healthy competition unless you go straight to copy and pasting their logo which will earn you lawsuits.<\/p>\n But yes, you can downright steal from your competitors\u2026ethically. Sounds neutral evil, yea?<\/p>\n There\u2019s no such thing as minding your own business in a business setting.<\/p>\n So, I suggest you head right into your rival\u2019s IG page right now and look out for:<\/p>\n Sure, you can try IG analytic tools<\/a> to know when it’s the right time to post and all that. But to save yourself some time and effort, you can just post slightly before your rivals\u2019 post too. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n If they\u2019ve got more likes than you, maybe they have better storytelling in their rule of 9s.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a shortcut: follow their followers. If they check you out and follow your page, too, that\u2019ll be instant subscribers for you\u2026hot off your competitors\u2019 lists.<\/p>\n You have to see to it that your posts have all the words that feed the algorithm. The goal is to increase your reach and discoverability.<\/p>\n For example, if you’re an artist selling your crafts, you may want to add \u201cart”<\/em> to your display name. The artsy-fartsy peeps use this keyword most of the time.<\/p>\n Stalk them, do your research, reverse engineer their execution \u2026and, of course, do better!<\/p>\n You might skip this post thinking that you can\u2019t afford influencer marketing<\/a> for your business since yours is just growing.<\/p>\n But chin up, this kind of marketing works for brands of all sizes.<\/p>\n Instagram influencers belong to different tiers<\/a>:<\/p>\n Nano influencers are usually paid $10-$100 per post. You may think, \u201cWhat difference could a Nano make when the Mega ones are top-tier celebrities who magnet followers within a split-second mention of the brand, a hair flip, and a semi-wink?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Nano influencers are generally paid lesser, but they have niche content and a highly-engaged audience<\/a>. Yep, even higher than the celebs.<\/p>\n Well, the heavens heard you:<\/p>\n Aren\u2019t you glad you didn\u2019t skip this post?<\/p>\nFeeling \u201cI missed the bus\u201d already? Here are 10 ways to catch up with\u00a0 Instagram Marketing.<\/h2>\n
1. Optimization is the key<\/h3>\n
![\"Optimized](\"https:\/\/mydukaan.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/optimized-Instagram-profile.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nChoose a simple username<\/h4>\n
Use a branded profile picture<\/h4>\n
Write catchy bios<\/h4>\n
![\"Dukaan](\"https:\/\/mydukaan.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Dukaan-Instagram-Bio.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n![\"theantiqueloft](\"https:\/\/mydukaan.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/theantiqueloft-Instagram-profile.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nInclude a compelling call-to-action<\/h4>\n
\n
Add stories about: your story, reviews, reels, top products, freebies, etc.<\/h4>\n
![\"stories](\"https:\/\/mydukaan.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/stories-on-Instagram-614x1024.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n![\"theantiqueloft](\"https:\/\/mydukaan.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/theantiqueloft-stories.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nSwitch to a business profile<\/h4>\n
\n
2. Know your algorithm<\/h3>\n
\n
3. Engage with your followers<\/h3>\n
3.1. Reach active users through IG stories<\/h4>\n
3.2 Save top targets (a.k.a. prospects) and visit their profile often<\/h4>\n
4. Keep your branding game strong<\/h3>\n
4.1 Rule of 9<\/h4>\n
![\"_shopminimalist\"](\"https:\/\/mydukaan.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/shopminimalist.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n![\"gallery](\"https:\/\/mydukaan.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/gallery-style-instagram-grid-layouts.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n4.2. Use IG tools (to make your life easier)<\/h4>\n
5. Hack the hashtags<\/h3>\n
6. Leverage User Generated Content (UGC)<\/h3>\n
7. Try IG reels<\/h3>\n
![\"IG](\"https:\/\/mydukaan.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IG-reels.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n8. Copy from your competition<\/h3>\n
What they post<\/h4>\n
Who follows them<\/h4>\n
Their SEO keywords<\/h4>\n
![\"Instagram](\"https:\/\/mydukaan.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Instagram-SEO-keywords.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nHow they present their brand<\/h4>\n
9. Do influencer marketing<\/h3>\n
![\"Instagram](\"https:\/\/mydukaan.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Instagram-influencers-tiers.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n10. Use IG ads<\/h3>\n
![\"Instagram](\"https:\/\/mydukaan.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Instagram-ads.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n