Information for this blog was obtained from hubspot.com, socialmediatoday.com, and contentmarketinginstitute.com.
Instagram is a platform that has continually evolved over the years. With new designs, layouts, and elements that have come and gone and others that have stayed for the long haul. The days of IGTV are no more, and Instagram Reels have taken their place. Stories have developed over time with the ability to include more elements and make highlights. Like most social media platforms, Instagram is constantly evolving.
Learning how to use each element in the app is a simple process, but learning to use it well to maximize business is another story. There are so many different opportunities for growth within Instagram, they just need to be taken advantage of.
Stories
I believe that stories are one of the most important elements to take advantage of on Instagram. They help a company build an image and reputation online. It makes them more personable. Users are able to easily interact with stories, whether it is through polls, questions, replies, or shares. It is one of the easiest ways to make content specific for individual users due to the different elements offered.
HubSpot emphasizes how beneficial Instagram stories can be. Their short duration is perfect for the attention span of users that is ever dwindling. In just a few short seconds, users can interact directly with your company, view posts about your company, get directed to your website, view products, and watch videos (which are conveniently broken up into 15 second segments).
Take advantage of the question and poll stickers. These allow users to directly engage with your company and when you respond it will help build a relationship with that user! In addition, don’t be scared to add stickers, GIFs, and music to your story. These features are all built into Instagram and can be stylized in a way to fit your brand's aesthetic and make your stories more unique.
As a user, I know I like to see businesses have employees speak about and promote products directly on their stories. While it takes more time than a traditional post, I think this is a great way to add value to the post. Users trust content more when someone is speaking. A great example of this is Lash Next Door. This small business has its owners promote their clothing items and try them on on their Instagram story prior to each new product launch. Users then can engage in polls and ask questions about the products, which drives up engagement and awareness. The stories are later highlighted on their profile.
The amount of different features offered allows Instagram Stories to be a hubspot for engagement, value, and awareness. In addition, stories are only available for 24 hours. While this may seem like a downside, regularly posting on your story will cause users to interact with your company every day. It will create more opportunities outside of traditional posts and promotions for users to see your brand. This exposure and opportunity for engagement are invaluable.
Highlights
Highlights are available for stories you want to be around for more than 24 hours. With the ability to be sorted into different custom categories, the stories you post can be archived to your profile for anyone to revisit at any time. They are displayed right below the bio on your profile page.
In my opinion, highlights are best used by businesses to promote seasonal products, frequently asked questions, and to show some of the company culture and values. They should display what you want everyone to know about your company! Don’t be afraid to have employees speak on the stories and be a voice for the company. Instagram stories are more casual than traditional posts, so take advantage of the different dynamic!
Highlights can also be used to display customers using your products! Oftentimes, if users post on their story with your product, they will tag you. These posts can be reposted to your company’s page and later highlighted for future users to see customer reviews!
Reels
Video is an essential element to any social media page. Instagram Reels are a great way to incorporate video. Reels, which have a maximum length of 60 seconds, can be shared directly to your feed or posted to your story. These high-engagement elements are something that ought not to be ignored.
Social Media Today notes that Reels have up to 40% higher interaction than traditional videos. With the continued popularity of TikTok, users tend to prefer shorter videos in a 9:16 ratio compared to traditional videos that are multiple minutes in length and 16:9 in ratio.
Reels are extremely versatile in how they can be shared. Users can repost them to their stories, they can be found in the traditional feed, and on the explore page. Users will often scroll through videos on the explore page for an extended period of time, and share the videos they see with friends through direct messages or repost them onto their story. Reels are a great way to boost views and interactions with your page.
One thing that content creators need to be wary of is the style of Instagram Reels. It is easy to create a short video that can be used for TikTok and Instagram Reels, however they should have slight differences in their presentation. TikTok is a more casual platform with a younger demographic. Instagram is typically more formal and a company’s profile is curated to maintain a specific look. This does not mean that Instagram Reels cannot be casual and follow other video trends, but it is important to keep in mind the different demographics between platforms and the users that will be engaging with the videos.
While Reels are the most engaging content form on Instagram, it is important to continue to post traditional content. While users enjoy the video content, Instagram is not the platform users go to for video-only content. Photos and graphics should be posted in addition to Reels to stay consistent with what users expect to see on Instagram.
Boosting Your Posts
You may be wondering what good these different elements are if your profile doesn’t have the following and interactions needed for the different elements to make a difference. Content Marketing Institute addresses this problem and provides tips as to how to make the most out of your Instagram.
The algorithm on Instagram tracks your followers' engagement and the audience traditionally reached by your posts. Make sure the call to action is clear within your content! Provide multiple ways for your followers to engage with your content. This could be through encouraging users to share the post on their story, tag friends in the comments, or simply encouraging them to like, comment, and save the post. The more interaction you can elicit from your followers, the more users will see your posts.
You also have the ability to see how your content is performing. Business accounts automatically have insights turned on. Make sure to analyze these! Create the content that gets the most engagement while you are working to boost your following. Third-party tools can also be used to measure analytics on your page and can provide more insight.
After you find out what type of content is performing best on your profile, find ways to make users stay on that post or your page for longer. This can be through longer captions (this is not recommended for videos; put anything you want the user to read directly in the video), or a combination of photos and graphics using the carousel feature (up to 10 photos per post that users can scroll through). Time spent on your profile is important, so develop different strategies for users to stay longer.
Brand image and aesthetic are important to establishing more engagement on your profile. Individuals look for brands that fit the image they are looking for. The profile should be polished and consistent while catering to the target audience. An attractive profile with content that is optimized for sharing and discovery and going to be the most successful.
For a single platform, Instagram provides numerous opportunities for different content types and promotions. With the growth of stories and Reels, it has never been easier to interact with users and encourage engagement on your profile. Companies need to build personal relationships with their users, and Instagram provides the perfect platform to do so.
In addition, Instagram has such a wide demographic of users, that while you’re marketing toward individuals within your target market, it is easy to reach more potential customers. Users who promote their products on your stories are easily reaching hundreds more accounts. Incorporate calls to action that promote user generated content and the reposting of what you have already created.
Due to the nature of Instagram, it is also easy to rework content made for Instagram to fit different platforms. Because of all the different elements, I believe Instagram to be one of the most versatile and effective social media platforms, so take advantage of all it has to offer and use the different elements in your favor!
While you’re learning to master the different elements of Instagram, check out my previous blog post for all the tips you need to create the perfect aesthetic for your company’s social media platforms.
Resources
Becker, M. (2022). What your brand can do to win the Instagram game. Content Marketing Institute. Retrieved April 16, 2023, from https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/articles/brand-win-instagram-game
Bernazzani, S. (2022, October 6). Instagram stories: What they are and how to make one like a pro. HubSpot Blog. Retrieved April 16, 2023, from https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/instagram-stories
Julian, J. (2022, September 27). Brands are driving higher reach and engagement by posting Instagram reels. Social Media Today. Retrieved April 16, 2023, from https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/Brands-Driving-Higher-Reach-and-Engagement-via-Instagram-Reels/632817/
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