What is Instagram Marketing?

In last blog we examined about what is Email Marketing in these blog we will examine about what is Instagram Marketing which is a part of social media marketing, how to become expert in Instagram marketing so read the blog till the end

Lets start,

What is Instagram marketing?

Instagram marketing is that the way that brands use Instagram to attach with their target audiences and market their offerings. Recently, it’s gained popularity as an exciting method for brands to point out off their cultures, recruit new employees, engage with customers, and boast products during a new light.

Similar to Facebook and Twitter, everybody who creates an Instagram account features a profile and newsfeed. Users can interact with each other by following, being followed, private messaging, and commenting on or liking photos or videos. The in-app filters and editing options Instagram offers make the app unique because it had been the primary app to supply in-app editing to the present extent.

Instagram allows users to upload photos and videos to their profile and edit them with various options. Instagram hosts dozens of original filters that users can increase their photos. These preset filters make various changes to photos, including adding light, giving the image a warm or cool tone, increasing or decreasing saturation, and far more. Additionally, users can edit images directly within the platform, as against employing a third-party photo editor. If they don’t like one particular filter, they will use Instagram’s editing feature, to individually change the contrast, brightness, structure, warmth, saturation, sharpness, and more.

The History of Instagram

Instagram was founded by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger. The two Stanford graduates were pivoting from their original location check-in app, Burbn, thanks to its similarity to Foursquare. They decided to specialise in photo sharing instead and developed the name Instagram as a portmanteau of“instant camera” and “telegram.” Instagram was launched for iOS on Oct. 6, 2010. After almost two years of continuous success, the app was launched for Android phones on April 3, 3012, and was downloaded more than 1 million times in less than a day.

Shortly after, Instagram was acquired by Facebook for $1 billion. Since the acquisition, Instagram has continued to roll out new features. The year 2012 was a big one for the photo-sharing platform, as it also rolled out its website interface in November. The website interface was, and still is, limited in functionality (users are unable to upload photos from a computer – they must use their mobile device). However, it allows users to scroll through their feeds and view other users’ profiles from their desktops.

IGTV

Instagram users also can go survive their Instagram Stories, meaning they will post a video that their followers can see within the moment. Think a giant group FaceTime, with video only on one side while others just watch. As far as new features go, this has certainly been one of the most successful. Multiple studies have shown that consumers go nuts over live video. It creates a sense of urgency and truly allows a viewer to feel in the moment.

That’s not all. In its never-ending quest to continue innovating, Instagram launched Instagram TV (IGTV) in June 2018. For the first time, the app offered long-form, vertical video for users to watch and enjoy. IGTV differentiates itself from typical Instagram videos in a few ways. Unlike typical Instagram videos, IGTV videos don’t have a 60-second limit. Most notably, though, is the video’s vertical orientation. Instagram created this feature keeping in mind not just what users watch from their phones, but how.IGTV is also exclusive to well-known and well-liked Instagram creators. Not just anybody can create or post a video on IGTV, making this content even more desirable.

There’s little question that Instagram will still release new and innovative features. For now, we’ll move on to what this guide is really about – what is Instagram marketing and why do we do it?

How to use Instagram for business

Now that we know what Instagram marketing is, we have to ask why we should use it?

There are dozens of social media platforms for marketers to choose from, with each and every one offering different features, opportunities, and nuances. For marketers, it’s all about understanding where your audience lives and what platform will enable you to best reach it.

With the growing popularity of Instagram marketing over recent years, the worth is obvious . If the features we listed above didn’t convince you of Instagram’s appeal, this might: the photo-sharing app recently celebrated 1 billion monthly active users. More importantly, these users are incredibly engaged, with more than 60 percent logging in every single day.

And that’s still not all. In this section, we’ll discuss the various other reasons marketers are flocking to Instagram to reach old and new audiences alike.

Consider learning the way to Repost a Video on Instagram to further advance your marketing efforts.

Instagram's high levels of engagement

Mentioned above, quite 60 percent of Instagram users are logging in a day . Do you know what that means? Your customers could already be using Instagram to succeed in you or to speak about your business without you even knowing about it! In fact, 75% of Instagram users take action after seeing a business post. Meaning, they'll maybe look for the merchandise , tell a lover about it, or maybe buy your product or service.

If you’ve scrolled through your Instagram feed recently, I’d be willing to bet you saw at least one post of a tasty-looking meal from the trendy restaurant that just opened up down the street. In fact, you almost certainly saw more than simply one post like that. It’s a fact – people love sharing their best life on Instagram. I don’t remember the last time i used to be at brunch where anybody took one bite of their food before whipping out their phone for an image .

If you work at an upscale, trendy restaurant or stylish boutique, it’s likely your offering has already been the subject of a customer’s Instagram post! Find more opportunities for engagement by interacting with customers who have tagged you, and don't forget to tag people on Instagram posts you share, too.

These are excellent opportunities to engage with your customers, but they could be wasted if you’re not on the platform on which they’re happening.

Advertising on Instagram

Because Instagram has more than 1 billion active users, it's no wonder why people are taking advantage of the advertising opportunity the platform offers.

Did you know that 2.2 percent of Instagram users will interact with an ad. This tops all social media networks, with Facebook coming in second at 0.22 percent. Additionally, by 2020, more than $4.5 billion in mobile ad revenue will be generated by Instagram alone. Other social media networks don’t even come close to this.

Whether you're a small business or a large corporation, learning how to advertise on Instagram will be nothing but beneficial when you're trying to broaden your audience.

Instagram's evolution

One of the features that prompted the most chatter and excitement came in June 2013, when Instagram introduced video sharing for the first time. Many speculated that this was to compete with Vine, the short-form video hosting app that was launched in 2012. Video sharing took off quickly and, in 2016, the time limit was increased from 15 seconds to 60 seconds.

In December 2013, Instagram introduced direct private-messaging. These messages can be in photo or text form and can include up to 15 people. However, quite possibly the most notable and controversial updates took place in 2016.

In 2016, Instagram replaced its original logo with a replacement , more modern and colorful version. The original logo was beige and brown, resembling an old-school, polaroid camera. The revamped purple and orange design took some getting used to. And by that, we mean that we all had to search for at least 30 seconds when trying to find and open the Instagram app. Additionally, in June of an equivalent year, Instagram switched from its chronological old-to-new newsfeed to an algorithm-based feed. This change was released with the goal of ensuring the content users were seeing was the content they were most interested in. While its intentions were good, this change was met with quite a bit of controversy. Apparently, change is always difficult, even when it’s something as simple as our favorite social media platforms.

Instagram Stories

That said, one last change in August 2016 has proved to be massively successful – so much so that it gets its own section in this guide!

Instagram released Instagram Stories, a feature that permits users to post photos and videos during a slideshow format that’s only visible thereto user’s followers. Similar to Snapchat stories, these disappeared after 24 hours, as opposed to a normal Instagram post (which only disappears if the user or Instagram deletes or archives it). Stories don’t show up in a user’s Instagram grid but, instead, are indicated by a colored circle around the user’s profile picture.Believe me when I say that leveraging this feature will be more than worth it. They feature the same lighthearted and fun content as Snapchat, without the need to build an entirely new audience on another social networking platform. And, unlike standard Instagram posts which will stray in your audience’s feed, your Instagram stories is definitely accessible sitting right at the highest of the app.

Instagram stories are also incredibly interactive. To dress them up, you'll write or doodle on the pictures , place Instagram filters, tag users, and more. You can even ask a poll-type question to which your audience can respond. Recently, Instagram unrolled the foremost interactive feature yet – the power for your audience to ask you an issue that you simply can then answer on your Instagram story. If your primary objective is to interact together with your audience, then the chances are endless.Unlike a typical Instagram picture, you'll see which users are viewing your Instagram story. If you post more than one image or video, creating a series, you can see if they’re clicking through all the way. This is a simple feature that can be massively intuitive.

Say you posted eight images on your Instagram story, but after the third, there was a big drop off in viewers. You can easily go back to that third image, see what may have gone wrong (Was it boring? Potentially insulting? See? It’s easy to troubleshoot!), and adjust your strategy for next time.

Instagram stories have proved to be invaluable to users, influencers, and marketers alike. Audiences quickly embraced the short-form videos and images. Since its creation, I have yet to open up my Instagram app without seeing a multitude of different users’ Stories stretched across the top of my screen.

Creating an Instagram Marketing Strategy

A social media marketer knows that before you dive into a new platform, you have to first develop your strategy. Because each platform offers different opportunities and nuances, you can’t assume that what works on one will bring you success on another – no matter how similar they may seem.

With Instagram, building a solid strategy is of the utmost importance. Each post needs to contain a unique combination of an eye-catching photo or video, a compelling caption, and relevant hashtags to help users discover your brand. 

The first step is determining what you hope to achieve through this social media platform. Ask yourself what your brand’s purpose will be. Instagram is thrilling in that organizations can use it in tons of different ways, so your options are endless!

Broken down, the steps to creating your Instagram marketing strategy would look like the following:

1. Identify your audience

2. Determine brand goals and objectives

3. Build your team and assign specific roles

4. Establish your brand personality

5. Create your Instagram theme

6. Utilize Instagram Stories

7. Implement a social media calendar

8. Check in on your Instagram Analytics

When you decide what you want to accomplish on Instagram, it's time to create your brand personality, consider your Instagram feed's theme, and implement a social media calendar to keep your content organized. Take a look at our complete guide to developing an Instagram marketing strategy that actually works. Additionally, affiliate Instagram marketing strategies could be a good avenue for you to consider

Hope you understood what is Instagram marketing and how to become expert in it .

Meet you in my next blog

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