The Top Ten Tips For Brands On Instagram

With over one billion monthly active users, it’s no surprise that brands are turning to Instagram to reach their target audience. After all, a recent study by Pew Research Center found that 67% of adults ages 18 to 29 use Instagram, 60% of whom log into the app multiple times every day. That’s a lot of valuable time spent on the ‘gram but with friends, family, the media and other best-in-class brands competing for users’ attention, cultivating a captive audience takes more than simply launching an account. Here are the top ten tips to increase reach, engage users and maybe even earn some double-taps.  

1.    Blend in: It may sound counterintuitive, but one of the best things brands can do on Instagram is blend in. Visuals should look and feel native to the platform. In fact, ideally the content should be akin to what a friend or a prolific photography account (for example, @natgeo) would post. That’s the same reason Instagram and parent company, Facebook have all sorts of regulations limiting the amount of text allowed on advertisements. They want to preserve the aesthetic integrity of the platforms and avoid looking like a modern stream of billboard ads. Whether you’re boosting a post with paid ad dollars or simply sharing it with your organic following, your profile will benefit from these same standards.

2.    Serialize Content: Rather than over-thinking a one-time post, look for opportunities to serialize your content. Creating episodic content is a great way to engage a broader audience and turn one-time users into repeat visitors. It will also help you round out and maintain your content pipeline. Each “episode” doesn’t need to be a 30-minute video – after all, this is 2019 where anything over 6 seconds is generally considered “long-form video.” An episode could be a photo carousel, an Instagram story, a 30-second in-feed video or a ten minute IGTV post. Just stick to the same content type and publishing cadence for every episode so your users know what and when to expect from your account.

3.    Indulge Nostalgia: Between #ThrowbackThursday and black and white filters, Instagram is the prime platform to indulge in nostalgia. Share photos of long-gone company products, #TBTs of executives and a “then and now” of the technology around the office. Resurfacing and romanticizing the past reinforces the aspirational emotions that are fundamental to Instagram.

4.    Remember the Grid: For the in-feed perfectionist, it’s tempting to accept a mediocre post, share it on Instagram Story and breathe a sigh of relief knowing the post won’t live on your profile for eternity. But as cathartic as ephemeral content can be, it’s still important to post in-feed. That’s where the “grid” comes in. The “grid” of in-feed photos actually offers a huge opportunity for creativity too. Think about how multiple photos posted in a row can come together to create a larger visual or message across the grid. Even if you aren’t directly connecting your posts visually, it’s a good reminder to take a step back from the immediate post to think about how you are diversifying your content. Were the past four posts quote cards or black and white portraits? Think about the overall brand you want to present and do your best to reflect this on your grid.

5.    Diversify Content: Speaking of diversifying the grid...Instagram may have been simpler when it was just a feed of still photos but now brands need to embrace the platform’s suite of content, including photo carousels, IGTV videos, Instagram stories and more. Posting a variety of content will help keep your profile fresh and your followers engaged.

6.    Don’t Over-Filter: In fact, if you can, don’t filter at all. Sure, it’s fine to adjust the lighting in images occasionally but over-filtering is a quick way to make your photos appear grainy, fake and constructed.

7.    Learn From the Best: You could own a chain of car dealerships and still learn a lot about Instagram by following @natgeo and @humansofny. These accounts share incredible visuals paired with captions that serve a purpose and tell a story. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to check out your competitors on the ‘gram but remember to look outside your core set too.

8.    Engage with Fans and Redirect the Critics: Did a customer post about her fantastic in-store experience? Like her post and reply in the comments thanking her for her business. As long as the account is public, it’s fair game for brands to engage. This fan engagement will not only make the happy customer a repeat client, but it will also attract the attention of her friends and family, who may have similar buying behaviors and serve as good client leads.  And on critics…yes, users can be really brutal on social media. If someone complains in the comments, reply acknowledging their concern and redirect them to an email or phone number. It’s never beneficial to let a tiff play out in the public domain.

9.    Customize Content: Don’t just re-post the exact same content that you shared on Facebook and LinkedIn. Modify the caption to match the audience, edit the video to the ideal dimensions and length – in other words, optimize it for the platform where it will be consumed. We are lightyears passed the “mobile first” marketing days. Think “platform first” instead.

10. Tell a Story: The best Instagram Stories are well, just that – a story. They have a beginning, a middle and an end. Structure your content to reveal, educate and delight users. Instagram is your opportunity to control the narrative and tell the story of your brand. Make it memorable, engaging and shareable.