How to make digital marketing on Instagram work for you

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There’s a massive pool of Instagram users - and they could be your next customers. 

Gone are the days of “follow for follow.” If you want a powerful, well-rounded Instagram marketing strategy that will scale your business, there are several things that need to happen from the start. 

Here is your beginner’s guide on how to work digital marketing on Instagram. We’ll discuss Instagram marketing basics, what types of content to use and how to create that content. 

As a bonus: We’ll give you a total brain dump of 25 content ideas that will prime your account for the most conversions possible!

Instagram digital marketing 101: Success from the start

Let’s go over the essentials that you need to know when marketing on Instagram. 

This background knowledge and our suggestions will help you monetize your account and make digital marketing on Instagram a game-changer for your business. 

Set up your account correctly

In order to unlock all of the helpful business features on Instagram, make sure you have a business account. 

If you have an existing Instagram account that you want to use, it’s really easy to switch over. Just a few clicks in your profile settings. 

Doing that will give you all sorts of great features like analytics and tips. 

Dive into paid ads, wisely

Many small business owners want to dive into paid Instagram advertising. They want to get their products in front of as many people as possible, hoping that paid ads will lead to more conversions. 

While paid ads for Instagram can boost sales, be sure to conduct a cost-sales analysis. If you’re going to invest in paid Instagram marketing, run your ad, test it and then reassess if you’re (at least) breaking even. 

There are various types of paid ads available on the Instagram platform, including:

• Video ads
• Photo ads
• Carousel sliders
• Stories
• Stories canvas

Make sure to optimize the visuals so they stand out. The ad copy should be compelling for your target customers.

Prioritize your free content

Luckily, you can be wildly successful without doing paid ads! What kinds of free content can you post? We’ll explain your options:

• Feed content: Posts that show up and stay on your profile as a scrolling grid. From a marketing standpoint, this is where your branding comes into play with colors, messaging and iconic visuals.
   
• Tagged content: Pictures and videos that other people can add of you. From a marketing perspective, you can beef up this section by being interactive with the Instagram community. Host challenges, create a hashtag, do giveaways - be creative!
  
• Live videos: Video interactions that are done in real time. In light of interacting with your audience, these are a great way to answer questions and get followers excited about you.
  
• IGTV: Long-form content (up to 60 minutes) that you can share with the community. If you’re a service provider, consider giving your audience a “small win” with an educational bit. They can always come to you for your full services in the future.
  
• Instagram stories: Video and picture content that disappears after 24 hours. You can create polls, let people ask you questions and show behind the scenes stuff. 
  
• Reels: Short videos (up to 60 seconds) where you can get creative and fun! These videos can be spliced together and remain on your profile.  

You’ll want to give your Instagram account a “look.” Instead of worrying about each individual post, think about how your entire scroll of photos and videos will look on the screen. Try to establish a color scheme, patterns and diversity within your posts. 

Get to know digital marketing on Instagram Insights

There is a wealth of information in Instagram Insights! In fact, not utilizing this Instagram business tool could make you lose out on higher engagement and conversions. 

Use these insights to test marketing strategies, such as the best times to post on Instagram.  

Make an effort to consistently analyze the data found on Instagram Insights. Whether it is weekly or monthly, you’ll gain new ideas about what is working and what could be trimmed from your Instagram digital marketing strategy.

How to create content on Instagram

You’ll need several tools in your arsenal to create (and to keep up with) great Instagram content. Here is a checklist of what every business owner needs to get started marketing on Instagram:

• Editorial calendar: It’s best to have a plan when it comes to posting on Instagram. If you already use an editorial calendar for your website’s blog, great! You can create waterfall content from your blog posts.
   
• Video creation app: Put your best foot forward with a video creation app that can transform your content ideas into on-brand professional videos. That’s where Mojo can help! 
  
• Scheduling software for posts: You could manually post all of your reels and pictures (or you could not). Let an automatic scheduler do that for you. Get your profile set up months in advance to minimize the stress of posting.  

Bonus: 25 ideas to post on Instagram

A huge hurdle to paid and unpaid Instagram marketing is coming up with the topic ideas (and how to keep it fresh). 

Here is a list of ideas about what you can post on your account. Some of this content even works for paid advertisements! 

1. User product reviews
2. Product highlights
3. Employee spotlight
4. Discounts and promo codes
5. Brand origin story
6. Testimonials
7. Philanthropic efforts
8. Launches
9. Holiday campaigns
10. Challenges
11. Q&A or FAQs
12. User-generated content
13. Milestone and company success updates
14. Tag-a-friend prompts
15. Key messaging points
16. Freebies, contests and giveaways
17. Educational content
18. Product demos
19. Inspiration
20. Relevant tutorials
21. Myth busters related to your industry
22. Event updates
23. Partnerships and collaborations
24. Influencer highlights
25. Behind the scenes fun 

We didn’t want to leave you hanging with no Instagram post ideas! Now, you have at least 25 ideas you can use to start digital marketing on Instagram.

And if you want a video app to create Instagram posts, check out the magic of the Mojo app! We automatically optimize everything like Instagram stories size, special effects and more.

Looking to upgrade your social content? Subscribe to Mojo Pro today and get started!