Instagram has been one of the most effective marketing platforms in recent years. The best thing about Instagram marketing is that it is free; not a single penny is charged for your presence on the Instagram marketing platform. You can spend less money to reach your targeted audience.
So you should be clear about targets, goals, and objectives. If you consistently work on Instagram marketing, there is a good chance that your audience will recognize you.
The best Instagram marketing campaign of 2023
When Instagram first popped onto the scene in 2010, it was just like any other social platform: filled with selfies, pets, and pictures of food.
Fast forward to 2023: Instagram’s transformation from a simple photo-sharing app to a full-on marketing channel and business model
Al Ries, the American marketing author, famously says, “Marketing is not a battle of products; it’s a battle of perceptions.” And he’s right. But successfully shifting consumer perceptions in today’s media world is no easy feat.
He says, “Khali shabd kuch nahin hota.” If you don’t have the right emotion behind them, the words will be hollow. “The right time, the right emotion, and the right delivery are what make it.” —Prasoon Joshi
The fastest-moving consumer trends are urging marketers to be bolder in their approach, sparking more data-led campaigns and audience-centric storytelling.
And now the brands had a host of channels at their fingertips, from social media to email marketing, from brand awareness campaigns to Google ads—the online and offline worlds. But each channel requires a different kind of finesse—you need to tell the same story in different ways.
To keep up with other platforms, Instagram is constantly rolling out new features to benefit brands and creators. It seems like every time I log in to Instagram, I discover several new tools and features to help create, organize, and promote new content.
Why? Instagram marketing will be critical to e-commerce success in 2023.
We all know how prominent Instagram is for sharing photos and videos with our friends and family, but it’s also an incredible channel for e-commerce marketing. But why?
Well, an obvious reason is Instagram’s format. Because of its visual format, Instagram holds huge opportunities for e-commerce businesses looking to showcase their products. Whether through regular photos, videos, or Instagram Stories, millions of businesses have learned that building a visual presence on Instagram can hugely complement their e-commerce marketing. While trends appear to show that Instagram engagement is declining, the platform is still producing higher engagement rates for businesses than both Twitter and Facebook.
According to recent research, 72% of Instagram users report making a purchase decision after seeing something on Instagram, with the most engaging categories being clothing, makeup, shoes, and jewelry.
This shopping mindset makes Instagram users the perfect audience because they’re high-intent and quick converters. Another reason Instagram is so great for e-commerce has to do with the platform itself: the new Instagram feature, the new business-leading tool link in Instagram stories, or shoppable Instagram posts. Soon, many of our online shopping experiences will start (and end) on Instagram.
It would be a mistake to think that just because you don’t sell e-commerce products, your business doesn’t belong on Instagram! Aside from its unrivaled ability to move products, Instagram is an excellent place to begin building brand awareness and connecting with new audiences (and potential customers).
The Instagram Algorithm
Oh, the Instagram algorithm is even simpler than the ever-mysterious algorithm of youtube. When Instagram announced in 2016 that they were replacing the chronological feed with an algorithm, most people responded with a less-than-joyous reaction, and not much has changed since then.
So why did Instagram make the switch from chronological to algorithmic feeds?
Well, it had to do with the size. As Instagram grew in popularity, it became harder to keep track of all the photos and videos people shared. According to Instagram, people missed 70% of their feeds when it was a chronological feed.
Take into consideration that Instagram created an algorithm that reorganized people’s feeds so they would apparently see more content that was relevant to them.
Unfortunately, it also had some drawbacks.
While a chronological feed requires little to no guesswork and only requires you to post when your audience is most active, algorithm-based feeds can be influenced by thousands of different factors, such as how much engagement a post receives or how long people spend on your posts.
And Instagram’s algorithm is constantly being updated to improve the user experience and prioritize certain types of content, so it can be difficult to know how to optimize your posts to get the most engagement and reach.
But it’s not impossible!
In former times, Instagram went on record about how the Instagram algorithm works, including the factors that determine how your post will perform in the algorithm and how many viewers will see it! Here it is below, ranked in terms of importance:
- Interest
- Timeline
- Relationship
- Frequency
- Following
- Usage
INTEREST: Instagram can predict how much you’ll care about a post.
The more they think you’ll “like” that post, the higher it appears in your feed. This is based on “previous performance on similar content and potentially machine learning analyzing the social interaction of the post,” according to Instagram.
TIMELINE: How long has it been since you posted a photo or video?
The new Instagram algorithm will prioritize recent posts, so you’ll hopefully see fewer posts from over a week ago.
While the feed isn’t going back to being a chronological feed by any means, Instagram is starting to care a lot more about when you post than just the content or engagement on the post.
This was confirmed in late 2017 when Instagram pledged to prevent older posts from showing on people’s feeds.
Yet sometimes you will see a post or a reel that is a week or a month old, Why? Instagram is focusing on the most-viewed content and displays it repeatedly to increase the timeline of content and views.
RELATIONSHIP: How much do you interact with an account?
Businesses will need to be more aware of when their audience is most active on Instagram, so they can optimize their posts to appear at that time.
How do you know the accounts that appear on your feeds? If you frequently comment on someone’s posts or are tagged in some of theirs, Instagram will recognize them as “friends and family.” As a result, you’ll likely see more content that they post, and vice versa! This is great news for brands and businesses because it gives them a way to stay top-of-mind.
FREQUENCY: How often do you open your Instagram app?
The more you open your Instagram application, the more data is generated. “More data, more frequency.”
However, the rate of reach and engagement per individual post varies as more posts are shared, and this changes even more depending on how many followers an account has.
- For accounts with under 1K followers, posting 14–15 times per week delivers the highest reach and engagement rates per post.
- For accounts with 1K–250K followers*, posting 14–20 times per week delivers the highest reach rate per post, while posting once per week delivers the highest engagement rate per post.
- For accounts with 250K+ followers, posting only once per week delivers the highest reach rate and engagement rates per post.
It is generally recommended to post to your Instagram feed 2-3 times per week and no more than once per day. Stories can be posted more frequently. This is based on the constant serve on over 1500+ brands over the last few months, where they posted one to five times per day.
FOLLOWING: How many accounts are you following?
If you check the Instagram app less, then your feed will be sorted more according to what Instagram thinks you’ll like instead of chronologically.
How many people do you follow on Instagram? If you follow a lot of people, then Instagram has more options to choose from, so you probably won’t see all of the posts from every account.
USAGE: How long do you stay on the app once you open it?
If you spend a lot of time on Instagram, you’re going to see more posts as Instagram “digs deeper into its catalog.”
NEW FEATURES FOR INSTAGRAM BRANDING AND CONTENT CREATING
If you are like me and need help keeping track of all the changes, here are some new features you should be using. Instagram has released dozens of new tools for businesses, including advanced analytics, links in Instagram stories or shoppable Instagram posts, new ways to drive traffic from Instagram Stories, and the new standalone video platform, IGTV, reels.
Reels Templates:
According to Instagram, 91% of active Instagram users watch videos on the app.
Reels are thus a marketing tool. If creating reels seems daunting, the app’s new feature “Reels Template” could be what you want to make more creative and faster videos.
Reel templates are pre-built templates that can be used by anyone to make reels the easiest, quickest, and most efficient.
Once you find the video or content you want to create, follow these steps:
- Step 1: Tap the three dots on the button right of the reels you want to use.
- Step 2: Tap it to use as a template.
- Step 3: Tap “Add to Media” at the bottom and select the photos and video clips you want to use. These images will replace the ones in the original reel.
- Step 4: Click “done” or “next,” preview your reel, and share when you’re satisfied with the results.
Dual camera:
The dual camera is one of the best features for capturing a moment and your reaction to it at the same time. For example, you can use it to capture your reaction to a concert or show and a selfie of you enjoying it at the same time. It is an excellent method for capturing all aspects of memory at the same time.
The dual camera is also great for travel photography and vlogging; you can use it to take videos and make reels. This is especially useful for capturing a once-in-a-lifetime moment and how you react to it, like seeing a famous landmark while traveling for the first time. But the dual feature is only available when you are recording reels, not photos.
Remix photos:
Users have been using Remix Reels to create their content, collaborate with creators, or react to videos. The remix feature is now available for Instagram photos as well. You can attach your video or image to someone else’s reel or photos and upload it as a reel. You can also add stickers, polls, and text to further “remix” the content.
Interactive Stickers:
Instagram stories: many interactive stickers that were previously available are now available on Reels. Content creators and marketers can use the following interactive stickers in their reels to engage the audience:
- Poll: Get followers’ opinions or then vote on what your next piece of content should be.
- Quiz: Test your audience’s knowledge or use this feature to teach them something new on a specific topic.
- Emoji sliders: Allow our viewers to show how your content or specific content makes them feel.
Grid pinning:
What piece of content do you not want to lose from your grid? You can pin it to the top of your profile using Instagram’s grid-pinning feature. To do this, first select the reel or photo you want to pin. In the top right corner of the post, tap a three-dotted button, and then “pin to your profile.” Afterward, that post will appear on the top of your profile grid. The pinning feature is excellent for
- Bringing attention to an ongoing promotion
- showcasing an event.
- Highlighting your most favorite or popular content
Partnership Inbox:
The days are gone; don’t miss the opportunity because of a busy inbox. Now, brands and creators can quickly find and manage the interaction in one location: Partnership Messaging.
Partnership messages have their own sub-folder in the Direct Messages tab. These features are making it easier than ever to find and manage branded content partnerships.
Find creative collaborators (creators):
Instagram is playing matchmaker with a new suite of tools to help brands and creators connect.
Let’s start on the creator side: users can add brands to a preferred brand list. When a brand search for creators to partner with, those who have the brand on their list will appear at the top of the search results. This makes it easier for brands to find creators who already show an interest.
Brands can also screen creators by follower count, age, gender, and location, which Instagram believes will help brands. Organize shortlists to easily manage multiple campaigns.
Tools used for Instagram marketing include:
LeeTags
Analyzing the top and most relevant hashtags and generating hundreds of relevant hashtags to copy and paste into your Instagram posts
LeeTags is an Instagram hashtag generator that offers relevant, related, and popular hashtags for your posts.
VSCO
Editing pictures and videos for Instagram with a choice of different filters and presets.
A great way to capture your community’s attention and make your brand stand out is by posting beautiful, mesmerizing pictures. The kind that makes users stop what they’re doing and stare! However, Instagram only offers a set number of filters.
Iconosquare
Monitoring all your posts using an end-to-end Instagram analytics tool.
Iconosquare is designed to help businesses manage their social media efforts more effectively and efficiently. This tool gives you the data that you need to monitor your Instagram campaign’s performance.
Gleam
Driving engagement and capturing leads by running contests on social media.
Every marketer that looks to expand their brand reach and engage with their target audience on Instagram has thought about running Instagram contests.
Magisto
This app creates winning Instagram videos from scratch. It takes the raw footage provided by the user, the user’s choice of video style from their collection of styles and formats, and the user’s choice of preferred music.
Hopper HQ
With Instagram, posting content at the right time of day when your followers are active is critical. Hopper HQ helps you do this by letting you manage a content calendar and schedule posts in advance.
Tailwind
This is a tailor-made application with strong analytical tools that determines your trend, standard, profile rate, and engagement curve very easily. Tailwind is officially partnered with Instagram, and thus, you can post directly on Instagram using such a tool.
It has a very strong hashtag recommendation tool that has been appreciated by many people lately.
Buffer
Buffer helps you build an audience organically. We’re a values-driven company that provides affordable, intuitive, marketing tools for ambitious people.
20 top Instagram post ideas
- Show off with product posts.
- Convert customers with product tags.
- Make amusing Instagram reels.
- Take followers behind the scenes.
- Repost user-generated content.
- Give your employees the spotlight.
- Announce new products or business milestones.
- Run an Instagram contest or giveaway.
- Seize the moment with seasonal posts.
- Encourage followers to tag a friend.
- Inspire followers with a quote.
- Share your community involvement.
- Cover an event.
- Partner with influencers for content
- Collaboration with other brands
- Ask questions and provide answers.
- Solicit comments or content with a prompt.
- Provide video tutorials.
- Get them swiping with carousel posts.
- Go Live!
PR Campaign
An Instagram campaign is when an Instagram business profile shares content designed to achieve a marketing goal. That goal could be general, like increasing brand engagement. Or it could be more specific, like generating a certain number of purchases. An Instagram campaign is when an Instagram business profile shares content designed to achieve a marketing goal. That goal could be general, like increasing brand engagement. Or it could be more specific, like generating a certain number of purchases.
What are PR campaigns?
A PR campaign is a series of planned activities designed to give a company or brand publicity. Most PR campaigns have specific business goals, such as driving website traffic, getting notice about a new product, or drawing attention to a cause. Activities are carried out in a specific time frame relevant to the overarching goal.
PR campaigns play a very important role in Instagram marketing. A successful PR campaign hinges on a strong communication strategy. Create the right message for your intended audience. Choose the correct channels for your message. know who else might be listening (your competitors). With communication as the foundation of your organization, your brand can begin to establish a positive connection with viewers and the general public.
“Advertising must be entertaining, or it will be ignored.”
—Alyque Padamsee
Similarly, PR campaigns should be informative and entertaining, or they will be ignored.
Some of the best PR campaigns we have noticed so far:
Spotify:
It launched in 2008; by now, there are over 70 million tracks that you can either listen to for free (and get interrupted by ads) or for a fixed monthly price. The latter gives you access to features such as offline mode, improved sound quality, and ad-free listening.
In the second quarter of 2021, Spotify boasted 356 million monthly active listeners, which is approximately four times more than what its main competitor, Apple Music, has.
Well, there is something else Spotify is famous for its holiday marketing campaigns. They are inspired by the culture we live in. They are endlessly relatable. Each campaign hits its target audience straight in the heart.
Zomato
The brand often plays around with humor and metaphors, garnering a social media following that may not be interested in its core products. They share updates and announce things that matter to them, big and small. The faces behind the brand have grown into people who stand by their values, irrespective of consequences. They have even tried their hand at original content!
Here’s a walk down memory lane to some of their best moments.
“Ghar Ka Khana”
For Zomato, a food delivery app, to ask people to eat home-cooked food (before the lockdown) was a surprising moment. It was noticed and leveraged by several brands as they took to Twitter to make their ironic statements in response.
“Guys, kabhi kabhi ghar ka khana bhi kha lena chahiye”
Nykaa
Do you know what’s the meaning behind the name of our most-loved brand, “Nykaa?” Nykaa is derived from the Sanskrit word Nayaka which translates to “the one in the spotlight.” Well, they sure have been in the spotlight for the past few years and have a promising future in the cosmetics and e-commerce industry.
Nykaa has grown through leaps and bounds ever since its inception. Their growth is evident by introducing their makeup and skincare line, their successful IPO release, and much more! Even when the Covid-19 pandemic brought many businesses to a standstill, Nykaa continued to thrive and make its way to one of the largest e-commerce platforms.
Nykaa was founded in 2012, and it started earning crores in the first four years. They generated a revenue of INR 220 crores in the year 2014-16 with 95% of the customers being repeated ones.
Delivering something new to customers is a significant component of Nykaa’s marketing approach.
Burger King
The Burger King “You Rule” campaign will be rolling out nationwide beginning Oct.10
Burger King® unveils its new brand positioning and campaign, kicking off with its modernized tagline, “You Rule.” This work is part of the change Guests nationwide will experience as the brand implements its “reclaim the flame” plan, which was announced on Sept. 9. As part of this plan, a historic “Fuel the Flame” advertising co-investment agreement between BK® and its Franchisees was announced, and “You Rule” is the first campaign to start reclaiming the brand’s rightful share of voice in terms of both media investment and relevancy to Guests.
Starbucks
#theredcupconcept
Starbucks red cups became a tradition, the ultimate sign that Christmas is here, and sometimes even a reason for hype and controversy. Seemed like there’s no reason to take the matter further and involve social media marketing into the matter, but Starbucks did that anyway.
In 2014 and 2015 they introduced a holiday #redcupcontest on Instagram. The users had to share and tag photos of their red cups for a chance to win one of five prizes, and of course to include the #redcupcontest hashtag.
What Are the Benefits of Using Hashtags?
Hashtags are the best way to expand your reach and likes and increase engagement on social media platforms like TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook. Here are some benefits you will get from using hashtags:
- Engagement
- Brand awareness and brand affinity
- Brand Values
- Target Audience
Use the Right Hashtags for Your Brand
- If you want to use hashtags to make your content stand out, you’ll need to take the time to find and use the right hashtags for your brand. It means you need to find balance in the hashtags you choose for your content. Using the most popular Instagram hashtags might seem like a good way to get your content found, but popular hashtags are typically popular because more people use them.
- When selecting hashtags for your Instagram Reels content as a creator, we recommend following standard SEO best practices. Instagram content creators have an easier time getting eyes on their content when they use targeted hashtags.
What are Instagram Reels?
Instagram Reels is a new feature by Instagram that’s intended to be used as a TikTok alternative. Like TikTok, Instagram Reels is used to create short-form content set to music or other sounds. Instagram Reels can be shared to creators’ Stories, the Reels tab on their profile, and, if their profile is public, on the Explore Feed as well. Creators can also add hashtags to their Instagram Reels to increase their likes and views, so that the right viewers will find their way to the right content. Instagram reels are one the best ways to get organic to follow and one of the best features for Instagram marketing.
Website Links For The Best Trending Music For Reels on Instagram:
https://instavideosave.net/audio/
https://reelsdownloader.io/audio
https://www.downloadvideosfrom.com/Instagram.php