5 Powerful Tips for Using Instagram Effectively 

Instagram is among the hottest and most popular social media platforms. Currently, the platform has over 800 million users across the globe, making it an effective marketing platform. 

But with so many users posting content by the minute, standing out on this platform may be more complicated than you may assume. The good news is that it can become an excellent source of leads if you master the art of creating successful Instagram marketing campaigns. 

Here are several tips to help you get the best results from the platform if you intend to use Instagram as a marketing avenue for your product and services. 

1. Switch to a Business Profile

The first thing to do if you intend to use your Instagram account as a marketing tool is to create a business profile. 

Thankfully you do not have to create a new account. Instead, you will only need to change your profile by clicking on the settings button. At the bottom of the menu, you will see a switch to the business profile option. On its menu, choose the business profile option. 

There are many benefits of switching to a business account, including:

• Allowing your audience to contact you by clicking on the contact button as they would on a website
• It enables you to create and publish ads without having to use Facebook advertising tools
• You get access to your analytics
• It creates an impression of professionalism, which can help boost trust

2. Create Sponsored Ads

Your following may not be significant as a startup or if you are new to Instagram. That means you will only reach people who follow you every time you post your marketing content on your profile.

The good news is that you can leverage Instagram’s sponsored ads and control how much you want to spend on them. Also, sponsored ads allow you to reach audiences outside your followers as long as they fall within the demographic you set it for. 

3. Find the Right Influencers to Partner With

Influencers have become a big part of marketing and can be a great way of reaching wider audiences for startups and established brands. Influencers help amplify your reach by posting or mentioning your brand to their followers. 

Currently, the leading influencer has over 52 million followers. While you may not afford such influencers as a startup, you can start by having your friends with many followers play the role of an influencer, but the best idea would be to get them online. 

Unfortunately, almost everyone can call themselves an influencer, and you do not want to spend your money where you can’t get returns. This guide on finding influencers on Instagram can offer great insight into getting influencers online.

4. Work on the Quality of Your Post

Content on Instagram is mainly visual, and only the most eye-catching and engaging photos and videos stand out. With phone cameras improving by the day, the quality of visuals posted on Instagram is also improving, making standing out a real challenge. 

But all is not lost for you. You can also improve the quality of your visuals in various ways, including investing in some quality graphic design work, high-quality cameras, lights, and editing tools.

If you cannot afford a quality camera, you may consider hiring one or improving the quality of your phone picture by taking photos in ideal lighting conditions. 

5. Use Hashtags

Hashtags work great for Instagram marketing. Most Instagram users will use hashtags to find relevant content. This means you stand an excellent chance of reaching an audience outside your followers by using hashtags. 

However, you must ensure that your hashtags are relevant to your target audience to get better results. So, you will want to search for popular hashtags that relate to your brand and add them as captions or at the end of your post. 

Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags which are way more than you need. Because too many of them can be a spoiler, you will want to target three to five for maximum impact. 

If you’re unsure which hashtags will work, Instagram’s explorer can help you figure that out. Also, check what other people or businesses in your field use the hashtags.