Instagram has made significant strides since its inception. In just ten years, it has grown immensely and introduced the square-shaped photo format that businesses and individuals love. 

Are you currently using Instagram for marketing or considering it in 2023? If so, staying updated with the latest developments and adopting effective Instagram marketing strategies are critical for the success of your efforts. With such a large user base, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and lost on the platform. Instagram is a fantastic tool for engaging with potential customers, but consistency is crucial, regardless of your goals. 

In this blog post, we have compiled some proven and effective Instagram marketing strategies to help you gain followers, increase engagement, and even drive sales. Let’s get started!

What Exactly is Instagram Marketing, and Why Should You Care?

Instagram marketing involves using the platform to expand your audience, generate leads, and drive sales. With a whopping 2 billion active users, Instagram provides a vast potential customer base for your business.

One of the main advantages of Instagram is its emphasis on visual content, including images, graphics, and animations, alongside text. This is particularly beneficial for businesses, as posts with visuals receive a staggering 650% more engagement than plain text posts.

Through captivating images and videos, Instagram lets you engage with your followers compellingly. However, effective Instagram marketing goes far beyond just that. Here are a few reasons why incorporating Instagram marketing strategies into your business growth is essential:

• Enhance Engagement: Instagram boasts one of the strongest engagement rates among social media platforms. This means that, if executed properly, you can quickly accumulate likes, followers, and comments.

• Shopping Capabilities: You can directly sell your products through Instagram ads, shopping ads, story ads, and more. Instagram provides various avenues for selling your merchandise, leveraging its extensive user base, shopping features, and diverse ad formats. At least 75% of Instagram users have bought something on the platform. Instagram also offers shopping tools like a shop tab, product tags and catalogs, live shopping, and Instagram checkout to promote your products.

• Diverse Content Creation: Instagram enables you to create a wide range of content, including photos, videos, carousels, reels, and stories, maximizing your potential for engagement.

• Drive Traffic to Your Website: By adding links to your Instagram stories and bio, you can easily increase traffic to your website.

• Keep an Eye on Competitors: Instagram has become a focal point for numerous businesses. Consequently, you can closely monitor your competitors and their strategies.

6 Effective Instagram Marketing Strategies You Need to Know

To help you take your business to the next level, we’ve compiled a list of the top six Instagram marketing strategies.

#1. Prioritize Quality Content

It’s no surprise that high-quality content remains the cornerstone of an effective Instagram marketing strategy. In recent years, brands have moved away from overly polished and heavily filtered content in favor of authenticity. 

What sets you apart is relatable and unfiltered imagery that showcases your product, team, or office. Genuine content that demonstrates your true self and solves a problem resonates well on Instagram. 

Take, for example, General Electric’s Instagram account. Despite not having products as visually appealing as makeup or clothing or as glamorous as vehicles or vacations, GE has created an intriguing content mix. It includes motivational quotes, geometric designs on machinery, and authentic human interest stories, proving that any brand can thrive on the platform.

Pro Tips

• Use More Video Content

As Instagram aims to compete with TikTok, video content will continue to dominate. The engagement rate for Instagram videos is twice as high as that of image posts. In 2023, use more Instagram videos, as well as Instagram Live and Instagram Reels. To enhance your video content, consider using video editing software tools that suit your needs.

• Use Hashtags

Hashtags can significantly expand your reach and attract a new audience. Use relevant hashtags that align with your target demographic. The best part is that you can create hashtags tailored to your brand. Customers are more likely to follow your brand if they find your hashtags catchy and relevant. 

Take a cue from WeWork, a shared office space brand, which not only uses appealing images but also includes clever hashtags to promote itself on its Instagram business account and increase exposure.

• Promote Behind-the-Scenes Content

Building brand awareness is crucial, and showcasing your team or people on social media adds credibility to your company. Take inspiration from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which shares stories about its creators. They allow the audience to appreciate the artwork displayed in the museum and learn about the lives and stories behind them.

#2. Embrace the Power of Reels and Stories

Instagram reels and stories have quickly become one of the most popular features globally, as indicated by Google Trends.

Instagram reels allow you to create and edit short-form video content up to 60 seconds long. From launching trends to sharing funny and informative product clips, reels can help you boost engagement. 

Nike, among many other brands, has successfully mastered the reel game. One of their most popular reels has amassed an impressive 11.5 million views. (Link below)

On the flip side, if you are looking to engage with your followers, Instagram stories can be an incredible marketing tool. Since stories are only visible for 24 hours, it creates a sense of urgency for viewers to catch your content before it disappears.

However, Instagram allows you to save selected stories as highlights, which won’t expire. These highlights can be presented as clickable icons on your profile, providing a way for followers to access important and evergreen candid stories even after the initial 24-hour period.

Pro Tips

• Grab Attention Quickly

Ensure your messaging is clear and concise within the first few seconds to capture your viewer’s interest.

• Maintain Brand Style

Emulate your brand’s distinctive style in your reels and stories. For example, NASA uses captivating space photos, images of unique equipment, and updates on space discoveries to engage science enthusiasts. Your brand can showcase new products, behind-the-scenes moments, or interesting facts relevant to your industry.

• Utilize Stickers

Use stickers to display hashtags, descriptions, location tags, and other information to enhance the engagement and discoverability of your stories.

• Call to Action

Add a call to action using a QR Code created using any QR Code maker or hyperlinks to drive traffic to your website or specific landing pages. Certain QR Code solutions like Beaconstac will enable you to create Instagram QR Codes as well. 

• Leverage Instagram Feed Pro

Use tools like Instagram Feed Pro to direct viewers from your stories to your website, increasing views and driving traffic.

#3. Timing is Key: Post strategically and Avoid Overposting

If you want to increase interactions with your Instagram content, pay attention to the timing of your posts. By strategically publishing at times when your audience is most active, you can leverage Instagram’s algorithm to expand your reach and boost engagement.

Instagram’s algorithm prioritizes recently posted content, pushing older posts down. This means that your content may only be seen by your target audience if they are online when you post. So, how can you tackle this challenge? Read our pro tips. 

Pro Tips

• Optimal Posting Time

A simple approach is to publish posts between 9 am and 11 am when most people actively use Instagram. You can also aim for the ideal Instagram posting window between 10 am and 11 am on Fridays and 11 am on Wednesdays, as these times tend to generate higher engagement. Try Instagram’s new app scheduling feature to schedule your posts 75 days in advance.

• Avoid Overposting

It’s important not to overwhelm your audience with excessive posts. Overposting can come across as desperate and may result in users unfollowing your account. Professional marketers utilize social media scheduling tools to plan and schedule their posts, allowing them to maximize engagement while avoiding the pitfall of over-posting.

#4. Leverage User-generated Content (UGC)

When it comes to effective and cost-free Instagram boosting strategies, user-generated content (UGC) takes the spotlight.

Encourage your followers and community to share images or videos featuring your products on Instagram. While not every photo will be professional-grade, nothing beats the authenticity of customer images and stories.

A great example of leveraging UGC is GoPro. With over 20 million followers on Instagram, GoPro’s business account maximizes the synergy between the platform and its adaptable video cameras. Their feed is flooded with UGC created by customers, bringing their products to life through real experiences.

Pro Tips

• Instagram’s Tagged Tab

Encourage your followers to share content with you and tag your brand in their posts. 

• Start a Hashtag Trend

Follow in the footsteps of Red Bull, which created the hashtag #givesyouwings, used in nearly 500,000 posts. Develop a unique hashtag that resonates with your brand and encourage your followers to use it when sharing their experiences.

• Reshare Positive Customer Experiences

If someone is raving about your brand, repurpose and reshare their content on your networks. 

• Leverage Customer Reviews

If you have collected testimonials or customer reviews, put them to use! Share the reviews on other social media platforms as well or, for better results, use them to create an image or video, as Dove did in its Instagram ad.

#5. Collaborate With Influencers

Influencer marketing continues to captivate audiences in 2023. With the rising demand for authentic content, brands must collaborate with influencers who align well with their values. The global influencer market has more than doubled from 2019 to $16.4 billion in 2022.

Pro Tips

• Define Your Goals

When selecting an Instagram influencer to promote your brand, consider not only celebrities but also individuals who resonate with the everyday Instagram user. 

• Find Relevant Influencers and Develop a Campaign

Choose influencers who align with your brand’s values and have a similar target audience. Collaborate with them to create a campaign that effectively showcases your product or service.

• Tap Into the Nano and Micro-influencer Market 

If you’re working with a limited budget, consider partnering with nano and micro-influencers who may have a few thousand followers. Despite their smaller following, these influencers often have higher engagement rates because they can maintain a closer connection with their audience.

For instance, shoe company Sperry focused its marketing efforts on Instagram and successfully collaborated with over 100 micro-influencers to promote their business. By identifying individuals who were already posting high-quality content about the brand, Sperry engaged them to create exceptional visual content for their own Instagram accounts.

#6. Ensure you Use Instagram Ads

While it’s possible to develop a strong Instagram content strategy and follower base organically, investing in sponsored ad campaigns can boost engagement significantly. Sponsored ads allow you to draw attention to your most engaging Instagram campaigns among your target market using tools like “Sponsored Ads.” 

Instagram offers the same robust targeting options as Facebook, enabling you to focus your efforts on the customers most likely to view your ads and convert. A digital marketing specialist can help you use Insta ads more skillfully.

Pro Tips

• Craft Actionable Captions

Encourage customers to follow and engage with your page by including compelling calls to action in your ad copy.

• Monitor and Optimize Your Campaigns

Track the performance of your ads. Analyzing the data from each ad will provide valuable insights and help you optimize future campaigns.

• Emphasize Visuals and Video Content

Visuals and video content tend to perform well on Instagram. Use features like reels, stories, and video ads to showcase your products or services effectively.

• Tell a Story About Your Products

Reels, stories, and video ads are great platforms for demonstrating how your product functions and the benefits it offers. Take inspiration from brands like Vessi, a shoe brand known for its effective use of storytelling through video advertising.

Key Takeaway

Establishing a strong brand presence on Instagram is a crucial element of any successful social media marketing strategy. Instagram, the go-to platform for influencers, marketers, and business owners, provides a wealth of tools and educational resources to assist brands in expanding their reach.

With these six best Instagram marketing strategies for 2023, we hope you develop a clever, enjoyable, and successful Instagram marketing strategy that will help you outperform your competitors at every turn.