Using Instagram for Marketing - Baby Steps!

byEartha

4.4K followers

4 years ago

I've had an Instagram account for awhile now and I post a lot of different things on my feed. Recently, I've decided to experiment more with marketing and building an email list from my account.

Part of the process was actually understanding how to use Instagram. The most I would do was post pictures on my feed. I never bothered using the Stories feature and had to get some quick lessons on how to use it from my sister.

Learning all of the features of Instagram has made a big difference. I post way more stories now and they get a lot of views. Moreso than any of the pictures on my feed.

I'm still learning a lot about the platform but the small changes I've implemented have led to more profile views, more clicks to my landing page, and people opting-in to my email list.

Here is a list of changes that I made:

Simplified My Profile Info:

I made my profile information simple and straight to the point stating what I do and placing a call-to-action to my landing page. I tried linking to a web page listing more than one link (like using Linktree) to send people to my blog, YouTube channel, etc. I felt that it was providing too many options when my goal was to get people to sign up to email list. I only link to my landing page to limit any confusion and direct visitors directly to my opt-in form.

Using Stories More Often

The stories that you post are visible by everyone (not just your followers) so long as your account is public. Stories provide a great opportunity for promotion. I post things that I don't necessarily want in my main feed as well as more promotion to sign up to my email list. I was actually surprised at how many views my stories were getting. Now I understand why people utilize them so much (particularly marketers).

Using My Main Feed to Provide Tips, Motivation, Etc.

I post helpful content on my main feed as well as personal/fun posts to mix things up.

What I've Learned Thus Far

Although Instagram is fairly easy to use, there was still a lot I needed to learn. I was under utliizing the platform simply because I didn't know or understand all of the features. Taking the time to learn more about the platform has made a big difference already.

I've only recently implemented what I've learned (it has been about two or three days as of this writing) and I've already received three new subscribers to my email list.

I've also learned that there are limits on having the ability to link directly from your stories. You have to reach a certain amount of followers before that feature is enabled. From what I've read you either have to have 10,000 followers or a verified account.

I have yet to experiment with IGTV. It is something I've seen other people use effectively. I have to learn how that works as well.

It is also important to engage with other users such as liking photos, sending a message on someone's story, and posting comments.

So far it has been interesting and I'm excited that the small changes I've made are actually making a difference. Instagram is one of the social media platforms that I enjoy using the most.

It is great that as marketers we can utilize this platform in a fun way to help grow our businesses.