presentation on instagram marketing

Instagram Marketing Strategy Guide: Tips for 2024

Instagram marketing is competitive, but not impossible. Follow this guide and try our top strategies to succeed in 2024 and beyond.

Table of Contents

With over 2 billion monthly active users, Instagram is both the O.G. and trendsetter of social media marketing.

It’s not just a place for friends to trade vacation pics. Instagram has shaped social commerce, the creator economy, and how brands use social media for over a decade.

But forget about the big picture: How can you use Instagram marketing to grow your business in 2023? Do you need Instagram ads (or, worse, dancing Reels) for your brand to be successful? Are Instagram’s shopping tools a fun perk or an absolute necessity?

Find out how to use Instagram to grow your business online, no matter your industry or goals.

Bonus: Claim your free pack of 15 creative Instagram post templates made by Hootsuite’s professional graphic designers. Easily customize them in Canva, and start getting more engagement today.

What is Instagram marketing?

Instagram marketing is the practice of using Instagram to grow your brand awareness, audience, leads, and sales. As the most-used social media platform for people ages 16-34 , Instagram is a highly effective marketing platform for brands, entrepreneurs, and creators.

Instagram marketing strategies include:

• Organic content . Photo, video, or carousel posts, Reels, Stories
• Paid content . Instagram ads, including Stories ads, Shopping ads, and more
• Influencer marketing .
• Shopping tools . Shop tab, Product tags and catalogs, Live shopping, Instagram Checkout, Shopping ads

Why market on Instagram?

Instagram has more than 2 billion active monthly users , making it the world’s third-most-used social media platform . If you run a business of any kind, your customers (present and future!) are absolutely on the app.

People also love using Instagram. In a survey about preferred social platforms, Instagram came in hot as the number two overall pick . No wonder Instagram users spend an average of 12 hours a month on the app .

And guess what they’re doing there? Looking for things to buy.

That’s right: 44% of Instagram users use the app to shop on a weekly basis, and 62.4% of social users use Insta to follow or research brands, products, or services.

Some users even go beyond just commercial interactions: 2 out of 3 active users say Instagram allows them to build meaningful relationships with brands.

So get out there! Make some new bffs… in the name of business! (Want more intriguing Instagram statistics? Here’s our extensive list .)

How to set up Instagram for marketing

Creating a professional Instagram account doesn’t just lend your brand an air of legitimacy—it gives you access to important business tools like analytics (called Insights) and advertising options. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to change your Instagram profile to a business profile.

1. Head to your Instagram profile page and hit the hamburger menu in the top right corner.

2. Tap Settings and privacy .

3. Scroll down to Account type and tools .

4. Tap Switch to professional account .

5. Choose Continue and continue through the prompts

6. Choose the category that best describes you or your brand. Depending on your category type, you may be prompted to clarify if you’re a Creator or a Business . Both types of accounts have access to analytics and advertising tools, so choose whichever suits you best. Tap Next .

7. Review your contact information and update it as required.

How to create an Instagram marketing strategy

Sure, some Instagram accounts thrive thanks to pure luck. But for the most part, brands with active Instagram followings and high engagement have executed some time-tested processes and techniques.

Follow these steps to create a winning Instagram marketing strategy for your own Instagram business account.

Understand your audience

If you don’t know who’s reading your posts, it will be hard to create engaging content. A strong Instagram marketing strategy starts with a deep understanding of your target market.

Where do they live? How old are they? Where do they like to hang out online? What kind of hashtags or online communities are they a part of? Look at your analytics and data from your offline marketing efforts, too, to determine who you’re talking to.

These insights will help your team decide on appropriate content, a strong editorial voice and campaigns that will resonate. Just think about it: your Instagram presence will be very different if your followers are teen boys from India or suburban grandmas from Canada.

Learn more about defining your social media target market here.

Make the best Instagram profile possible

Think of your Instagram profile as your digital business card. It’s your first impression, so you’d better do it right.

Like a business card, there’s limited space to share what you need to share, so make sure you have a snappy bio packed with as many SEO keywords as possible.

Or, take a page out of this wine club’s book and get playful with the emojis. (Maybe you want to take advantage of Instagram Story highlights to showcase some past content, too.)

It’s also best practice to make sure all your contact details are filled out and your URL is working. You’ll also want a high-res professional profile image that aligns with your business’ branding.

For more tips on making the best Instagram profile possible, here’s our deep dive into optimizing your social media profiles .

Align your social strategy with your business goals

Before you start posting up a storm, take a beat to make sure your social plan serves your bigger business goals.

Optical company Warby Parker, for example, regularly posts non-glasses-related content—for instance, a meme about soup. We’d take a good guess this sort of content is part of the company’s broader business goal to make the brand seem fun, approachable, relatable and human. (Or maybe they’re about to pivot into DTC soup; we’re speculating here.)

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Warby Parker (@warbyparker)

So, if you’re all about creating brand awareness, make a social plan that is focused on exposure and reach. Or, if you’re hoping to build your database of leads this year, your social strategy should be built around driving traffic into your sales funnel . In other words, there should be a reason behind everything you do.

In case it’s helpful, here’s a primer on how to set social media goals that make sense for your business needs .

Create a content calendar

What’s the best way to plan and organize your content? A content calendar.

As fun as off-the-cuff posts can be, it’s a lot of pressure to find that perfect moment every day that also happens to align perfectly with your business goals. Instead, brainstorm content pillars and plot out your social content in advance.

By carving out dedicated time to plan and prep in advance, you’ll be more efficient (and definitely less prone to typos.) Learn more about creating a social media content calendar here.

Schedule your posts in advance

With a scheduling tool (like Hootsuite, ahem), you can batch-prep a week or month’s worth of posts when you’re in the creative zone for maximum impact.

Scheduling your Instagram posts is also a great way to make sure you’re posting when your audience is most likely to be online . (Hot tip: Hootsuite will actually analyze your past posts and suggest unique-to-you times and dates for maximum engagement. What a sweetie.)

Start your free Hootsuite trial today

You can even schedule Instagram Stories, too!

Never miss a mention (or keep an eye on the competition)

Instagram marketing isn’t just about what you’re putting out into the world. It’s about being responsive and receptive to the people who are talking to and about you, too.

Social listening is a key component of a strong Instagram marketing strategy. With Hootsuite Streams, you can track mentions, keywords and search terms most applicable to your business.

Want a running feed of industry news? Looking to catch all those Tweets that misspell your business name? Custom search streams will make sure you never miss an opportunity to react.

Get familiar with the algorithm(s)

Instagram’s algorithms control what winds up in people’s feeds, what makes the cut on the Explore page, and what winds up languishing in Instagram purgatory. If you wanna succeed on the platform, you better study up.

Put simply, Instagram’s algorithms look at information about content (Reels, feed posts, and Stories) and information about users (interests and behavior on the platform) to serve the right content to the right people.

Each algorithm considers information about the post (like relevance and popularity), the person who posted, your history of interaction with them, and your activity across the platform.

Want to learn more about best practices for mastering Instagram’s algorithms? We’ve got posts on Instagram’s primary algorithm as well as the ones that govern Reels and the Explore Page .

Experiment with different formats

While Instagram started as a simple photo-sharing app in 2010, the platform is a very different beast in 2023. Instagram now offers a variety of formats to explore.

You can cultivate the perfect Instagram grid on your main feed and share photos, videos or even carousels of pictures .

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Native Shoes (@nativeshoes)

Instagram Stories have a prime, top-of-the-feed position, capture millions of views daily…and disappear after 24 hours.

Instagram Reels , meanwhile, are a chance to play with short-form video .

Most businesses try a mix of these different content styles. What’s best for your unique needs? Well, there’s only one way to know what works best for your audience: get postin’, kid.

Try out a livestream

Instagram’s livestream feature offers a unique (and extremely engaging) opportunity to broadcast live to your followers.

Whether you’re giving a behind-the-scenes tour, sharing an exciting product update, taking questions from your audience, interviewing a brand ambassador, or even selling your wonderful wares, Instagram live streams are a thrill to audiences—a chance for an intimate interaction with the brands they love. (And you can repost that Live content to your feed later, too.)

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Western Living (@westernliving)

Here’s everything you need to know about going live on social.

Set up an Instagram Shop

Rather than directing customers from your account to your website, Instagram Shopping allows them to select and purchase products easily from the Instagram app.

An Instagram Shop is a brand’s customizable digital storefront. It allows customers to shop right from your Instagram profile.

Think of it as a landing page where users can discover or browse all your products. If you sell tangible goods, your Instagram Shop is a great opportunity to capture a ready-to-buy market right on the app… especially if you actively tag products in your Stories and Posts.

Find a step-by-step guide to setting up your Instagram Shop here.

Boost top-performing posts

Maybe Instagram advertising isn’t a fit for your business, but you still would love to get some exposure to a new audience. If that’s the case, Instagram’s boosting option is a lifesaver.

Just set the budget at your comfort level, define a target audience, and pay to give a regular Post a little extra juice. You can even boost Instagram posts right in Hootsuite —and then get back to your social media monitoring and scheduling in the very same dashboard.

Measure content performance with analytics

The best Instagram marketing strategy is built on a foundation of knowledge. And the data you need for peak performance is right here in front of you, thanks to our old pal analytics.

Instagram’s own Insights offer plenty of, well, insight into which posts are doing well, which Stories are popping off, and exactly how many people saw your latest Reel. This info is incredible feedback to help you take your next batch of content even further—you’ll see what worked, what didn’t, and where some tweaks might be helpful.

Hootsuite’s own Analytics tool is really, really great for Instagram, too. (Really!) You can even schedule auto-reports that track your preferred metrics in a visually appealing package to really wow your team.

Try Hootsuite Analytics for free

Ultimately, there isn’t really any special trick to creating a great Instagram marketing plan: it’s all the same stuff that will make any of your social media accounts pop.

Check out our video recap of everything you need to know to create the perfect social media strategy here:

Most popular types of content on Instagram

According to a 2023 Statista study , 50% of weekly Instagram users said they prefer to consume funny content on the platform. Forty-six percent seek out “creative” posts, while 41% of active users like informative content.

This Recess post? Definitely funny.. .and definitely creative.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Recess (@takearecess)

Other popular types of content, appealing to around 36% of users, include posts and Stories that are relaxing, inspiring, engaging or trendy.

In 2022, the most popular posts by number of likes were all by celebrities (save for one enigmatic egg ).

But what’s interesting is that the celeb posts that continue to drive engagement are all deeply personal—pregnancy announcements, dramatic makeovers, wedding photos, or jokey posts with friends. They’re not pushing tickets to their soccer games or advertising their movies. They’re being (seemingly) authentic, and fans connect with that in a big way.

So, even if you’re a brand and not a pregnant Kylie Jenner, there are ways to tap into that desire for connection. Get personal. Be silly. Express your values creatively. Showcase the people and personalities behind the scenes.

Helpful Instagram marketing tools: free & paid

1. hootsuite.

Hootsuite helps you plan great content, boost your follower count, and rack up more sales on Instagram — in way less time, with way less effort. Grow your account, manage all of your Instagram marketing in one place, and save time with Hootsuite, your all-in-one social media management tool.

• Create engaging content using built-in creative AI tools, a hashtag generator, Canva editing tools, and more
• Schedule posts, carousels, Stories, and Reels in advance
• Get personalized recommendations for the best times to post on Instagram to reach more people
• Boost organic posts and Reels with just a few clicks
• Answer comments and DMs from all your Instagram accounts
• Keep tabs on competitors, industry leaders, and relevant influencers
• Track your results in real-time
• Download custom reports to showcase your success
• Handle Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Pinterest from one dashboard

Try Hootsuite free for 30 days

2. Ads Manager

Ads Manager serves as a shared platform for both Facebook and Instagram—it’s a tool for creating and monitoring advertisements on Meta’s social networks. Ads Manager offers advertisers access to Facebook’s targeting capabilities and the flexibility to run campaigns on both platforms.

Once your campaign is rolling, you can make modifications, engage with comments, and monitor performance. The Amount spent and Cost per result sections are there to help you gauge the effectiveness of your spend.

3. Instagram hashtag generator

Give your feed posts, Reels, and Stories a dash of viral magic with this Instagram hashtag generator. Everybody knows hashtags are social media’s secret sauce, but who has time to come up with them from scratch? This handy hashtag helper can do it for you.

4. Instagram username generator

Get a list of Instagram name ideas in a few seconds flat. It’s the perfect tool for businesses or individuals looking to nail it on Insta. Just answer a few Qs, and this AI username generator will whip up a list of inspiring handles to get you started on your Instagram marketing journey.

5. Instagram bio generator

Your bio is your chance to tell the world what you’re all about (within the character limit, of course). Give your Instagram profile a refresh with this quick Instagram bio generator. It works for business and personal accounts.

Visuals are everything on Insta, but we aren’t all graphic design specialists. Luckily, Canva can help you create eye-catching images and simplify your content creation process.

It even integrates with Hootsuite, so you can use templates made specifically for social media and save time bringing your ideas to life.

Get Canva for Hootsuite

7. Content ideas generator

We know, we know: saying “build a content calendar” is easier said than done. If you need some help getting the creative juices flowing, this AI-backed content ideas generator is here to help. Answer a few Qs and you’ll be given ideas for social media posts, blog posts, videos, and more.

8. Panoramiq Insights

Panoramiq Insights seamlessly integrates robust Instagram analytics into your Hootsuite dashboard. (Oooh!) With Panoramiq, you can delve into account activity, explore follower demographics (very useful for targeted campaigns), and gauge the effectiveness of your Posts and Stories.

Get Panoramiq Insights for Hootsuite

9. Instagram caption generator

A picture is worth a thousand words, so you gotta think words themselves have a pretty big impact, too, right? (And our experiments with Instagram captions prove it.) Generate Instagram captions in seconds with this AI-powered Instagram caption writer.

10. Engagement rate calculator

Your engagement is everything: it defines just how much you’re connecting with your audience. Determine your social media return on investment (ROI), enhance your media kit, and figure out which posts work and which need work with this easy engagement rate calculator tool for Instagram.

11. Adobe Lightroom

If Instagram’s editing options are falling short, it might be time to experiment with Adobe Lightroom CC. The app simplifies the use of professional photo editing tools and can even be enhanced with downloaded Lightroom presets.

Find more amazing tools marketers should use for Instagram here .

Instagram marketing FAQs

When was instagram created.

Instagram was released to the public in October 2010 . By the end of the first day, it had 25,000 users and hit one million users in under three months.

Does Facebook own Instagram?

Yes, Facebook acquired Instagram in 2012 for $1 billion . Since then, the company has restructured. Now, both Facebook and Instagram are operated by a parent organization called Meta (still helmed by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg). Meta also operates Threads and Whatsapp .

Manage all your Instagram marketing alongside your other social platforms with Hootsuite’s time-saving tools. From a single dashboard, you can schedule posts, Stories, and Reels, engage with your audience, and measure your social ROI. Try it free today.

Get Started

Easily create, analyze, and schedule Instagram posts, Stories, Reels, and Threads with Hootsuite. Save time and get results.

Become a better social marketer.

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Stacey McLachlan is an award-winning writer and editor from Vancouver with more than a decade of experience working for print and digital publications.

She is editor-at-large for Western Living and Vancouver Magazine, author of the National Magazine Award-nominated 'City Informer' column, and a regular contributor to Dwell. Her previous work covers a wide range of topics, from SEO-focused thought-leadership to profiles of mushroom foragers, but her specialties include design, people, social media strategy, and humor.

You can usually find her at the beach, or cleaning sand out of her bag.

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Instagram Marketing: The Definitive Guide (2022 Update)

Chapter 1: instagram marketing: a preface.

When Instagram first popped onto the scene back in 2010, it was just like any other social platform: filled with selfies, pets, and pictures of food.

Fast-forward to 2022 and Instagram's transformation from a simple photo sharing app to a full-on marketing channel is nearly complete.

Just look at some of the platform's newest features! In the last year alone, Instagram has released dozens of new tool for businesses, including advanced analytics, shoppable Instagram posts, and new ways to drive traffic from Instagram Stories, and the new standalone video platform, IGTV.

Whether you work in ecommerce, education, or media and publishing, it pays to build a presence on Instagram. But if you really want to get ahead, you need to know the platform (and your audience) inside and out, including what kind of content resonates most, how to build an Instagram Stories strategy, and how to track your metrics and KPIs.

That's where this guide comes in. In the next 16 chapters, we'll walk you through:

• The fundamentals of a well-rounded Instagram marketing strategy
• Tips on how to create an effective Instagram profile
• Running your first Instagram influencer marketing campaign
• The ins and outs of your Instagram analytics
• Tips on how to use Instagram Stories for business
• And so much more!

But first, let's take a look at why Instagram marketing is so effective for ecommerce businesses in particular.

Chapter 2: Why Instagram Marketing is Key to Ecommerce Success

We all know how great Instagram is for sharing photos and videos with our friends and family, but it's also an incredible channel for ecommerce marketing. But why?

Well, an obvious reason is Instagram's format . Because of this visual nature, Instagram holds massive opportunities for ecommerce 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 compliment their ecommerce marketing.

There's also the fact that Instagram users are more engaged than the average social media user. And while trends do seem to show that Instagram engagement is dropping (something we'll be discussing in the next chapter ), the platform is still producing higher engagement rates for businesses compared to both Twitter and Facebook.

But Instagram users are more than simply engaged — they're also commonly online shoppers . According to a recent study , 72% of Instagram users report making a purchase decision after seeing something on Instagram, with the most popular categories being clothing, makeup, shoes, and jewelry.

This shopping mindset makes Instagram users the perfect audience because they're high-intent and quick to convert.

Another reason Instagram is so great for ecommerce has to do with the platform itself. As we mentioned in the previous chapter , Instagram has recently introduced a ton of new business-facing tools — and there's definitely more to come! Whether through links in Instagram Stories or shoppable Instagram posts , soon enough many of our online shopping experiences will start (and end) on Instagram.

All of this said, it would be a mistake to think that just because you don't sell ecommerce products your business doesn't belong on Instagram! Beyond its unique ability to move products, Instagram is also an incredible place for businesses to build brand awareness and connect with new audiences (and potential customers).

Of course, if you want to build an Instagram marketing strategy that really resonates with your target audience, you first need to understand how the Instagram algorithm works — something we'll be discussing next .

Chapter 3: The Instagram Algorithm

Oh, the ever-mysterious Instagram algorithm. When Instagram first 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.

So why did Instagram make the switch from chronological to algorithm?

Well, it had to do with size. As Instagram grew in popularity, it became harder to keep up with all the photos and videos people share. In fact, according to Instagram , people missed an average of 70% of their feeds when it was chronological.

In light of this, Instagram created an algorithm that re-organized people's feeds so they would theoretically see more content that was relevant to them.

Unfortunately, it also had some undesirable effects.

Whereas a chronological feed requires little-to-no guesswork (all you really have to worry about is posting when your audience is most active), algorithm-based feeds can be influenced by a ton of different factors — like how much engagement a post gets or how long people spend viewing your posts.

And since Instagram is constantly updating the algorithm to improve user-experience and prioritize certain types of content, it can be difficult to know how to optimize your posts to get the most engagement and reach possible…

But it's not impossible!

Last year, Instagram actually went on record about how the Instagram algorithm works, including the factors that determine how your post will perform in the Instagram algorithm (and how many people will see it!). Here they are below, ranked in terms of importance:

#1: Interest

This is Instagram predicting 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 "past behavior on similar content and potentially machine vision analyzing the actual content of the post," according to Instagram.

Think about this one like the Instagram Explore page : once you like one video of slime, your entire explore page is full of slime videos. And if someone in your feed posts a video of slime, Instagram's going to guess that you'll like that too.

#2: Timeliness

How long ago was a photo or video posted? 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 chronological by any means, Instagram is starting to care a lot more about when you post, instead of 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.

#3: Relationship

As a result, 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 feed? If you often comment on someone's photos or you get tagged in photos with them, this signals to Instagram that they fall into your "friends and family" category. As a result, you'll likely see more content that they post (and vice-versa!).

This is great news for businesses because it gives them a way to stay top-of-mind. Just ask your followers to tag you in their posts and make sure you optimize your Instagram posts and stories to get as many comments as possible.

Other factors that influence the Instagram algorithm:

#4: Frequency

How often do you open the Instagram app? If you're a frequent scroller, your feed will look more "chronological" since Instagram tries to "show you the best posts since your last visit."

#5: Following

If you check the Instagram app less often, then your feed will be sorted more 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.

If you spend a lot of time on Instagram, you're going to see more posts as Instagram "digs deeper into its catalog."

If you only spend a few minutes on the app each day, then you're going to just get the highlights from the algorithm.

Further Reading:

• Instagram Algorithm Updates
• This is How the Instagram Algorithm Works in 2022
• 5 Things to Know About the Instagram Algorithm

Chapter 4: Identifying Your Goals and Objectives

Now that we've covered how the Instagram algorithm works, let's talk about how to set your Instagram marketing goals and objectives.

Of course, the first step to identifying your goals and objectives on Instagram is to understand exactly what "success" means for you.

Are you using Instagram to build brand awareness and reach more of your ideal customers? To showcase your products and services? To grow an engaged community? To increase brand loyalty?

Will you use Instagram as a tool for customer service ? Will you rely on it to educate your followers about your business or industry?

There are a lot of possibilities when it comes to using Instagram to meet your business goals and how you use it is ultimately up to you. Just keep in mind that the goals you set will heavily influence the metrics you use to tracks your success on Instagram (something we'll be discussing in a later chapter ).

For example, if you're using Instagram to build a large and engaged audience, you're more likely to focus on engagement metrics, such as likes, comments, and shares.

If you're having trouble deciding on goals for your account, it can help to consider the following questions:

• Why are you using Instagram?
• How can Instagram assist you in achieving your overall marketing goals?
• How much time or budget can you commit to Instagram?
• How does Instagram offer you something different to other platforms?

Finding Your Target Instagram Audience

Once you've determined why you're using Instagram, you need to think about who you're trying to target.

If you already have a good sense of who your ideal customer is, a good strategy is to take that customer profile (or "persona") and extrapolate to Instagram.

What kinds of content do they engage with? What hashtags do they use? What communities are they a part of? Answering these questions is a great way to sure that you're hitting your target audience on Instagram.

If you're still having trouble, another option is to research your competitors. Go to your competitors' profiles and click on their "Followers." You'll be able to see the whole list of users who follow them. (Note: we don't recommend simply going through this list and following each one. Instead, use this information to build a strategy to capture their attention organically).

You can also use this strategy to see what hashtags your competitors are using. Instagram hashtags are still one of the best ways of reaching audiences on Instagram, especially now that you can follow Instagram hashtags like you would other users.

When researching relevant hashtags, try to go as micro as possible. There's a good chance you'll find some ultra-niche hashtags that are teeming with activity from your target audience.

Run Your Own Instagram Audit

With your goals and audience in mind, the next step is to take a constructive look at your Instagram profile by performing an Instagram audit .

By doing this, you'll be taking a critical look at everything you've done on the platform so far, analyzing it, and then decide if it's still serving the needs of your business. (Even if you're just getting started with Instagram marketing, running an audit is a great opportunity to make sure you're on the right track.)

Each element of your Instagram profile should feel intentional, including your profile photo, bio, feed, captions, hashtags, and more.

Even the accounts you currently follow become part of your brand on Instagram. Do you find them inspiring? Do they align with your business? Or are they completely random and disconnected?

Remember to keep your goals in mind while you're auditing your account to ensure that every decision you make moves you closer to them!

Once you've completed your Instagram audit, you should have:

• Defined your Instagram businesses goals and objectives
• A clear understanding of your branding and voice
• Solidified your content aesthetic
• Assessed your current engagement strategy
• Refined your hashtag strategy
• How to Run Your Own Instagram Audit: 5 Steps to Building a Better Profile

Chapter 5: Setting Up Your Instagram Business Profile

It's a question that still pops up from time to time: "Should I switch to an Instagram business profile."

While the answer was less certain in 2017, Instagram recently gave businesses a few more big reasons to convert to a business profile, namely the ability to add links to Instagram Stories , shoppable Instagram posts , and auto-publishing to Instagram .

The fact is that today, as a business on Instagram with clear marketing goals, the benefits that come from switching to a business profile are indisputable.

Ready to make the switch? Here's how to do it:

#1: Create a Facebook Page for Your Business

Before you can set up a business profile on Instagram, you need to have an active Facebook Page. Luckily, setting up a Facebook Business Page can be done in a matter of minutes! If you already have a Facebook Page, you can skip to the next step.

Start by opening Facebook and clicking on "Create Page" from the dropdown menu.

Next, select your business category and give a name to your Page. Your Page name can be your business name or another name that people may search for to find your business.

Upload a profile photo and a cover photo that best represents your business. You can use your logo as your profile photo, or even an image of your store or products.

And that's it! Your business' Facebook Page is now live!

Keep in mind that it's a good idea to spruce up your Facebook Business Page before you connect it your Instagram business profile. At the very least, you should add a description and call-to-action that directs your Page visitors to do something, like visit your website or call your store.

#2: Connect Your Facebook Page to Instagram

In order to switch to a business profile, start by logging into your Instagram account and navigating to your profile.

Next, tap the "gear" icon in the top right corner of the screen to access your account settings.

From here, tap "Switch to Business Profile," and then "Continue" to connect to Facebook.

Make sure your profile is set to Public! If your profile is currently set to Private on Instagram, you won't be able to switch to a business profile.

Tap "Continue As" to connect the Facebook Page. If you don't see your business' Facebook Page as an option, make sure that you're listed as an admin in the settings menu.

Once the correct Facebook Page appears, select it and tap "Next."

#3: Set Up Your Business Profile on Instagram

Next, you'll be prompted to add your contact information, including a phone number, physical address, or email so that customers can get in touch.

Once everything looks good, tap "Done."

That's it! Now that you have a business profile on Instagram, you'll get access to a ton of new features , including the ability to view your Instagram Insights and promote your Instagram posts, all from within the app!

• How to Set Up a Business Profile on Instagram
• Should You Switch to an Instagram Business Profile?

Chapter 6: Optimize Your Instagram Profile

With your Instagram business profile set up, it's time to start thinking about what your Instagram profile looks like.

As we've said many times before, your Instagram profile is an important reflection of your brand — which is why businesses today spend more time than ever planning the overall look of their profiles .

When someone lands on your profile, you only have a few seconds to convert them into a follower, and this is often decided by a quick glance or scroll of your feed.

That's why it's so important to curate the look and feel of your Instagram profile! It's one of the best ways to get more followers.

The good news: by scheduling Instagram posts , you can actively plan and design the look of your Instagram feed before you post.

Here's what you should focus on to create a great first impression:

Build a Consistent Instagram Aesthetic

One of the hardest parts of making your Instagram feed look amazing is figuring out how to make all your individual photos look good beside each other.

Take a step back from posting one photo, and look at your Instagram feed as a whole: how do all of your photos fit together? Here are five tips:

#1: Pick a Color Scheme

It's important that you have a consistent color scheme for your Instagram feed. What this means is that all the colors in your feed seamlessly go together. This could be a warm and cozy feed, a dark and cool feed, or a bright and colourful feed.

Whatever direction you take, having a consistent color palette is a great way to incorporate your branding into your Instagram feed.

#2: Focus on Lighting

Lighting is a key element for curation and aesthetic. Think of an upscale magazine that you love to read. Regardless of the subject matter, what ties it together and makes a theme is the lighting and color choices. The consistency of those choices are the ingredients for your Instagram aesthetic.

#3: Space Out Your Content

This is probably the hardest part in achieving a gorgeous instagram aesthetic. You need to know where to put each of your photos and how to plan your feed so that it all blends together.

The goal is to create a depth of field, similar to how you would in photography. You basically want to space out busy photos with a mix of more clean or minimal photos to achieve a nice balance.

#4: Keep Things Consistent

To help keep your feed flowing naturally, you need to have a consistent approach to editing your photos. This doesn't mean you have to choose one filter and one filter only, but limiting yourself to a few will help you stick to your chosen aesthetic.

Do you prefer warmer tones? Cooler toned images? Whatever your editing style, make sure it's consistent so that your posts flow within your feed. Even just adding a touch of the same filter each time you post can make your brand and Instagram feed seem more cohesive.

#5: Curate with User-Generated Content (UGC)

While more businesses than ever are investing in original content, there's still so much to be gained from incorporating user-generated content (UGC) into your Instagram strategy.

Keep in mind that when choosing photos to repost to your account, it's important to stay aligned with your theme and aesthetic. You'll want to choose photos that are a natural fit and have a similar color scheme and editing style to your own feed. When someone is looking at your Instagram feed, it shouldn't be too obvious which posts are yours and which photos are UGC that you curated.

Tip: The most important rule for using UGC is to always ask for permission before reposting someone else's photo to Instagram. And when giving credit, you always want to reference the original photographer in the caption. Simply tagging them in the photo isn't enough.

Introduce Your Brand Through Instagram Stories Highlights

We're going to get into Instagram Stories in the next chapter , but we'd be amiss not to mention how great Instagram Stories Highlights are for introducing potential followers to what your business is all about.

You can think of Instagram Stories Highlights like a movie trailer for your Instagram feed. They're a creative way to express yourself, show off products, drive traffic, or market your business!

A good strategy is to group your Instagram Stories Highlights together into various categories, events, or topics so that your audience can quickly find content that's of specific interest to them.

Take @anthropologie for example. The fashion and lifestyle brand is constantly updating their Instagram Stories Highlights to draw attention to their latest offerings, such as seasonal collections and new arrivals, or to share sales and other promotions.

All in all, using Instagram Stories Highlights is a great way for you to attract new followers. With Highlights, you can quickly showcase what your business does, what you offer, and why someone should follow you.

Plus, by optimizing your Instagram Stories Highlights , you can even make sales directly from your profile from people who aren't even following you!

Build an Eye-Catching Instagram Bio:

Your Instagram bio is one of the most under-utilized Instagram features, but it's so important! It can be difficult to come up with the perfect description of what you do and why people should follow you.

Here are 6 tips for optimizing your Instagram bio:

#1: Your Name

The first step to creating good Instagram bios is making sure that your name is, in fact, your name! (By this, we mean the "name" field in your profile, not your Instagram username).

People searching for you on Instagram will likely use your name or your company's name, and consistency lets people know that the Instagram profile they're viewing actually belongs to you and not an impostor.

This might seem pretty obvious, but there's actually a bigger reason for it: your name and username are the only fields that Instagram considers in search queries.

So it's really important to make sure that the name you use in your Instagram bio is the one your followers and customers are searching for!

#2: Your Username & Hashtag Links

Thanks to an update in early-2018, you can now turn profile usernames and hashtags within your Instagram bio into clickable hyperlinks.

When you include a "#" or "@" in your bio, it will automatically become a clickable link that will lead visitors to a hashtag or another profile.

By adding hashtags into your Instagram bio, profile visitors are able to click directly through to view the respective content. Adding branded hashtags or hashtags related to your interests makes your bio much more functional, allowing you to highlight branded content and share more of your interests with profile visitors.

Note: Adding hashtags into your bio does not make your profile searchable within those hashtags, so it's probably best to stick to using your own branded hashtag in your bio. This way you won't waste valuable character space in your bio by listing hashtags that won't actually drive traffic back to you!

#3: Your Skills

A good Instagram bio accurately explains what your business is and what you do. So if you want to stand out for a particular skill, profession, hobby, or interest, you should include these details in your Instagram bio as well!

Think about what sets you apart from your competitors. Do you have a unique set of skills or experiences that might be of interest to your followers?

Not only will including these in your Instagram bio serve as an introduction to new viewers, but it can also determine whether they'll follow you.

#4: Keywords

Using keywords won't improve your searchability on Instagram (except, as we mentioned above, your "name" in your Instagram bio) but it will give your account more focus and help you connect with followers who want to engage with your content!

When deciding what keywords to include in your Instagram bio, try to think about both your own core values and the core values of your target audience.

If you use Instagram for business, spend some time creating a "profile" of your ideal follower. What are their pain points or interests? And what keywords will help you resonate with them most?

Using keywords that target your audience and niche will help users better understand who you are, what you have to offer, and whether or not your account is relevant to them!

#5: Your Website Link

Unlike other social networks, Instagram is strict on where clickable links can be placed. Currently, Instagram only gives users one clickable link on their profile, and it's the link in your bio.

A lot of businesses use the link to send followers to their homepage or blog, which is great! But for ecommerce businesses that want to send followers to specific product pages, campaigns, or webinars, the lack of hot links is a huge challenge.

To get around this restriction, some businesses will frequently update their website link to send followers to their latest products or promotions — and then refer to that link in their Instagram captions. The problem is that Instagram's photo feed is no longer chronological, so when a business' post says "link in bio," that link might not correspond to the actual link in their bio.

Since Instagram only gives you one clickable URL, Later created a shoppable Instagram feed called Link in Bio that makes it easy to drive targeted traffic to your online store.

With Link in Bio, you can now add links to any of the Instagram posts you've published through Later, which helps direct your Instagram audience to the right content or products on your site. You can also link to multiple websites and pages, all without changing the link in your bio.

When one of your followers clicks on the link in your bio, they'll be taken to a web and mobile-optimized landing page that resembles your Instagram feed and displays your Instagram posts as clickable images!

#6: Your Contact Information

As we mentioned in the previous chapter , when you switch to an Instagram business profile, you can add a "Contact" button near the top of your profile with the option to include directions, a phone number, and/or an email address.

This feature is highly beneficial for businesses. It gives your followers an opportunity to reach you outside of Instagram — or if your business has a physical location, it's a great way to boost your in-store sales!

Run an Audit on Your Instagram Account

Once you've covered the above steps, the next thing you should do is take a constructive look at your Instagram profile by performing an Instagram audit .

By doing this, you'll be taking a critical look at everything you've done on your profile so far, analyzing it, and then decide if it's still serving the needs of your business. (Even if you're just getting started with Instagram marketing, running an audit is a great opportunity to make sure you're on the right track).

• How to Write Good Instagram Bios to Make an Impression
• 20 Awesome Instagram Themes (and How to Get Them)
• How to Use Instagram Stories Highlights to Wow Your Customers

Chapter 7: Building an Instagram Content Strategy

While having a great-looking Instagram feed is critical today, it's important not to overlook your individual posts! Currently, Instagram allows four types of posts: photos, videos, shopping posts, and carousel posts. Here's a short segmentation of each:

Photo posts

Instagram photo posts continue to be the most popular form of content on Instagram, likely because they're easy to create and edit, and super versatile.

Currently, you can only share photos in landscape, portrait, or square formats. These different formats call for different aspect ratios and dimensions, for example, square photo posts should be 1:1 in aspect ratio (or as close as possible!) and 1080px by 1080px in size.

Here's a breakdown of the optimal size for each:

Video posts

Instagram video posts have evolved quite a bit since they were first introduced in 2013.

No longer limited to 15 seconds, businesses today can create long-form, high-production videos up to 1 minute long that generate a ton of engagement!

And the great thing is that you don't need a DSLR camera or expensive video production equipment to do it. You can build beautiful branded videos using just your phone's built-in camera and a few video editing apps!

While not quite as popular as photos, video posts on Instagram tend to receive a lot of engagement, so it makes sense to include them in your marketing mix.

On top of that, videos tend to be one of the best formats for driving sales, due to their ability to communicate complex stories. That's why so many businesses are investing in creating promotional video content.

In other good news, you can now use Later to schedule videos to Instagram that will automatically publish at their scheduled time! Just upload your video, select a date and time, and your video will automatically publish to Instagram at the scheduled time!

Instagram video scheduling is available now on all of Later's paid plans, starting at $9/ month. Upgrade now to get access!

Shopping posts

While there are lots of different ways for brands (especially ecommerce brands) to weave sales opportunities into their Instagram marketing strategy, having Instagram shopping posts in your feed is a feature you definitely want to take advantage of!

In a nutshell, Instagram shopping posts make it easier for people to shop the products they find on Instagram by "tagging" products in posts.

When your shoppable post appears in your followers' feeds, all they have to do is tap the shopping bag icon on an image to reveal more info about the product.

If a user taps on the info box, they'll be directed to a URL where they can shop and purchase the product!

For brands and businesses, using Instagram shopping posts is a great way to showcase your products and use your Instagram feed to drive more purchases.

Want to learn how to set up and optimize your Instagram shopping posts? Check out our ultimate guide to Instagram shopping .

Carousel posts

While carousel posts were only introduced in mid-2017, they've become a favorite for businesses that want to promote new product lines or share event photos and videos.

The reason is that, like Instagram videos, carousel posts are more versatile than single photos posts. Plus, you can incorporate both photos and videos into your carousel posts, so they're a great place to get creative.

Carousel posts can be shared in landscape, portrait, or square formats — but you have to stick to just one photo format. They can include between two and 10 photos or videos.

How to Drive Results with Instagram Carousel Posts

Since carousel posts were released last year, businesses of all sizes have picked up on the carousel trend and discovered new and creative ways to incorporate them into their Instagram marketing strategy.

Here are three great ways to use carousel posts for your business:

1. Launch a new product line

Whether you're launching a new denim line or a skin care business, the ability to share several product photos in a single post is perfect for driving interest and, ultimately, selling.

A great strategy for this is to incorporate both photos and videos into your carousel post. For example, you can lead off with a promotional video that shows your product in action, and then follow up with 2-3 photos of your product for more context.

2. Share photos and videos from your events

Regular Instagram users do this all time, but using Instagram carousel posts to show off photos from your events is also a great strategy for businesses!

Really, though. The ability to share multiple photos and videos that capture the energy and atmosphere of your events, without having to spam all of your followers with multiple posts, is a huge advantage.

For those who attended your event, it's a great way to tag them in a photo to say thanks and remind them of the fun they had — and for those who missed it, it's perfect for creating FOMO for your next event.

3. Showcase before-and-after sequences

This concept for Instagram carousel posts is a little more obvious, but there are just so many applications for before-and-after sequences! For example, you can share a before-and-after sequence of how your products work in real life.

To create before-and-after sequence using Instagram carousel, all you have to do is select your photos and videos in the correct order, write an engaging Instagram caption, and then post to Instagram. You can even share multiple before-and-after sequences in a single carousel post!

How to Use Instagram Videos for Business

There's really no limit to what you can do with Instagram video posts — that's why it's so common to find them on your feed!

That being said, it's a good idea to have a specific goal in mind, whether it's conveying your brand message, showcasing your products, or introducing your company culture. Here are a few examples of successful video posts:

Promote Your Products

Because videos have the ability to convey a ton of information in a short amount of time, they're a huge asset for businesses that sell products or services.

Just think about how much more of your products you'll be able to showcase in a 60-second video compared to just one image!

More to that point, according to Hubspot , 64% of consumers are more likely to buy a product online after watching a video of it first. So using Instagram video to show your products in action could be a huge way to increase the ROI of your Instagram marketing!

Build Brand Trust

Sharing Instagram videos that convey your brand message or introduce your company culture are a great way to build trust with your followers and customers.

A good example of this comes from @foodora_ca . The meal delivery service often shares loveable video content that's relevant to their target market and provides value to them.

Educate Your Audience

Have a topic you'd like to educate your audience about? Maybe it's a makeup tutorial or a delicious recipe? Whatever your focus, using Instagram video posts to share short, snackable content is a great strategy.

Check out how @buzzfeedtasty uses highly engaging videos to share fun recipes:

Or how @milkmakeup uses Instagram video posts to share makeup tutorials:

The point is that if you have a cool topic that you think you audience would enjoy learning about, using Instagram videos to do it is a great strategy.

Ready to start scheduling videos to Instagram? With Later, you can schedule Instagram video posts, optimize the success of your videos with analytics, and more!

Instagram video scheduling is available now on all of Later's paid plans , starting at $9/ month. Upgrade now to get access!

Tips for Making Great Instagram Video Posts

Now that we've covered how to share your videos on Instagram, let's take a minute to talk about how you can optimize your video posts to get more traction.

Pick an Eye-Catching Cover Photo

In a world where attention is getting more and more scarce, getting your followers to engage with your videos (especially longer ones) can be pretty difficult. But one way to improve your chances is to pick a stellar cover photo.

Just like you spend time finding photos that look great in your feed, you need to invest a good amount of time finding a great cover photo for your video. Otherwise, all that hard work you put into actually creating your video will go to waste!

When picking a cover photo, try to find one that captures the overall message of your video and has the best chance of stopping viewers from scrolling past your content.

Don't Rely on Sound

Instagram videos may auto-play in the feed, but they don't start playing sound automatically. In order to hear sound, viewers have to tap on the video.

Since you're trying to grab people's attention in the first couple seconds, it's important to keep in mind that your videos need to be clearly understood even without sound!

Because of this, your videos should be as beautiful as the photographs your followers are used to seeing on your feed. Even if your viewer doesn't get the overall effect, you want them to be able to see the storyline of the Instagram video — even if it's silent.

Focus on the First Few Seconds of Your Video

With so much else to see on Instagram, it's important to create video content that captures people's attention within the first 3-5 seconds.

By focusing on the first few seconds of your video and making them amazing, you're bound to get better completion and engagement rates on your video.

Find a Video Length that Works for Your Audience

Just because your Instagram videos can be 60 seconds in length doesn't mean they should be. Like all things social media, it's difficult to keep your audience engaged over a longer period.

Try experimenting with different video lengths to find one that works best for your audience. If you notice better metrics on your videos that are under 30 seconds, focus on creating shorter video content. If your longer videos outperform your shorter ones, stick to those.

Use a Third-Party App to Edit Your Instagram Video

There are tons of apps and software that you can use to not only improve the quality of your videos but also add branding to them, whether it's your logo, font, or some other design element.

• 7 Creative Ways to Use Instagram Carousel Posts for Your Business
• Ultimate Guide to Instagram Video
• 14 Apps For Creating Georgeous Instagram Stories
• Ultimate Guide to Instagram Shopping
• Instagram Image Size & Dimensions

Chapter 8: Instagram Stories for Business

This is where things start to get creative.

Since they first arrived on the scene in 2017, Instagram Stories have become an essential part of your Instagram marketing strategy. In fact, according to The State of Instagram Marketing 2018 , 64% of businesses plan to create more Instagram Stories in 2018.

So what explains Instagram Stories' huge success? Well, it partly has to do with the growing popularity of ephemeral video. More and more businesses are seeing the value in creating short-lived video content, whether it's fun and lighthearted or more business-focused.

Here's how to use Instagram Stories for business:

How Often to Post on Instagram Stories

Unlike the case for regular Instagram posts, Instagram won't penalize you for posting too many Instagram Stories — and it all has to do with the ephemeral nature of Instagram Stories.

Because Instagram Stories only live for 24 hours (or forever if you share them as Instagram Stories Highlights), there isn't much pressure for Instagram to prioritize some posts over others on a users' feed. Of course, that doesn't mean that Instagram Stories aren't impacted by the Instagram algorithm… they definitely are!

It's just that the frequency that you post doesn't seem to have much of an impact on how many people will see your Instagram Stories.

That being said, if you post tons and tons of stories every day, there's a good chance that at least some of your followers will mute your account.

That's not to say that posting a ton of Instagram Stories is a bad thing. It really comes down to your content and what your followers expect from you!

Some accounts can get away with posting 10+ stories a day, while others are better off posting just a few times a week.

Take @wework for example. The international shared workspace company often posts 10+ stories each day. And it works for them! People love their rich content and it's become a part of their brand:

While posting multiple times a day works for some accounts, it might not work for you.

It can take a lot of time and management to create 10+ Instagram Stories, so if you think your time is best served elsewhere, it's probably best to stick to just a few stories per week!

Plus, if you consistently post a ton of stories , your followers are going to expect you to continue doing so.

At the end of the day, there's really no "optimal" frequency for stories, but it's good to have enough throughout the week that people look forward to seeing yours without getting tired of your content.

When to Post on Instagram Stories

When it comes to regular Instagram posts, it's very important to post when your followers are most active . But this isn't the case with Instagram Stories for business.

Because Instagram Stories live for a maximum of 24 hours (again, that's only if they aren't shared as highlights), when you post a story, your followers have a 24-hour window to see it at the top of their feeds.

So even if you post a story at a time when most of your followers are asleep, they'll still be able to find your story at the top of their feeds when they wake up.

In other words, don't stress out too much about posting your Instagram Stories at optimal times … Unless you're looking for immediate engagement, in which case posting when your followers are most active will definitely help.

What to Post on Instagram Stories

Like with regular posts, if you're using Instagram Stories for business, it's good to post a mix of informative, fun, and promotional content.

Instagram Stories is a pretty relaxed place in general, and the quality standards are a lot lower than they are for regular posts. So don't be afraid of showing off your goofier side!

The great thing about Instagram Stories is that because they've created so many cool tools, the world is really your oyster. You can get as creative as you like! And the same is true for promotional content on Instagram Stories. It's easy to share promotional content that's also fun and lighthearted.

In any case, it's super important to keep track of your Instagram Stories analytics to see what types of content your audience best responds to. As we mentioned earlier, when your stories get a lot of views and engagement, this signals to the algorithm that you're creating high-quality content, so your future Instagram Stories will appear higher up in your followers' stories queue.

So by creating great Instagram Stories content that your followers love, you have a better chance of getting your future stories seen by more people!

Instagram Stories Features That Are Perfect for Businesses

When it comes to using Instagram Stories for business and Instagram marketing, there are a few features you can make use of to get the most bang for your buck:

#1: Location and Hashtag Stickers

When Instagram first introduced stickers to Instagram Stories in 2017, they were much more fun than useful .

Since that time, Instagram has added a ton of new functionalities to stickers , including the ability to see location-based stories on the Explore page, and, most recently, the ability to search for stories by location and hashtag.

These feature have made a huge difference for businesses. Whereas at first you could only share Instagram Stories with your own followers, these new features make it possible for anyone to see your Instagram Stories!

For example, if you're posting a story from a restaurant in Atlanta, you can tag the location with a sticker, and your story might appear in that location's Instagram Stories.

The same is true for hashtag stickers. When a user tags a hashtag in their Instagram Stories, it will appear on the corresponding hashtag page.

#2: Clickable Links

Instagram recently rolled out the ability to add links to Instagram Stories and it's a pretty big deal. In fact, it's the first time ever that users can add a link to Instagram that isn't the link in their bio!

It goes without saying that the ability to send your followers to specific landing pages from your stories is extremely useful for Instagram marketing. Whether it's a product page or a new blog post, you can use this feature to drive Instagram traffic to all kinds of relevant landing pages!

Tip: The "See More" call-to-action that appears on stories with clickable links is quite small and can easily go unnoticed, so it's a good idea to call it out using text, arrows, or some other design feature.

#3: Tag Other Accounts

We all know how effective Instagram contests are for driving engagement and getting new followers, and with the ability to tag other accounts in Instagram Stories, there's yet another way to drive traffic to your contests.

Tagging other accounts in your stories is also useful if you're running a takeover or influencer campaign.

#4: Tag Businesses in Your Sponsored Instagram Stories

Speaking of influencers, Instagram's new paid partnership feature makes it super easy to tag businesses in your sponsored Instagram Stories!

Only a handful of celebrities, influencers, and businesses have been given access to the feature so far, but a larger-scale rollout is expected in the next few months.

You can learn more about the feature and disclosure in general here .

#5: Polls & Emoji Sliders

Have you ever wanted to survey your Instagram audience about their interests, likes, dislikes, and more? Well, now you can!

Instagram recently launched new interactive poll stickers on Instagram Stories which lets you ask questions and see results from your followers as they vote.

The great thing about poll stickers is that there are so many business uses!

Whether you want to collect feedback on your products, crowdsource ideas, or simply entertain your followers, poll stickers offer an entirely new way to engage with your Instagram audience!

Not sure how to use Instagram Stories polls for your business? Check out our post 6 Create Ways to Use Instagram Stories Polls for some inspiration!

#6: Question Stickers

Unlike poll stickers and emoji sliders , both of which allow users to "vote" on questions that you submit, when you add a question sticker to your Instagram story, others users submit questions for you to answer.

Whether you want to collect feedback on your products or crowdsource ideas, questions stickers offer an entirely new way to engage with your Instagram audience!

#7: Countdown Stickers

Now when you share a story about an upcoming something (like an in-store sale, product launch, or event), you can add a sticker that counts down to a date and time that you set.

Your followers can then subscribe to your countdown event, which will send them a reminder when the time is up and your countdown is complete!

Whether you're looking to promote a sale, event, or something else entirely, the ability to share a countdown on your stories that your followers can get reminders about is a great way to generate better results.

#8: GIF Stickers

In 2017, Instagram teamed up with GIPHY to build a library of high-quality GIFs on Instagram Stories. Now you can add fun, expressive GIF stickers to any photo or video in your story!

Adding GIFs on Instagram Stories is easy — when you tap to add a sticker to a photo or video in stories, you'll now see a new GIF option. Tap it and you'll find a library full of hundreds of thousands of moving stickers powered by GIPHY.

Using this feature in a consistent way can add a ton of personality to your Instagram Stories and help you build a loyal following. You can get a step-by-step Instagram tutorial about how to add GIFs to Instagram Stories here.

#9: Instagram Live Video Replays

Once your Instagram Live video ends, you can share a replay of it. But like other photos and videos you share to Instagram Stories, live video replays will disappear after 24 hours.

#10: Instagram Stories Highlights

As we discussed in the previous chapter , Instagram Stories Highlights are an extremely valuable addition to an Instagram business profile because they allow brands to easily curate and showcase the content they want users to see first.

Unlike regular Instagram Stories that vanish after 24 hours, Instagram Stories Highlights are curated clips that can be grouped by theme or topic and live permanently on your profile until you delete them. They appear directly under your bio and above your Instagram feed and will play as a stand-alone story when someone taps on them.

#11: Share IGTV Videos and Instagram Posts

Did you know you can share IGTV and Instagram posts in stories too?

Posts or IGTV videos shared to Instagram Stories will display the original poster's username, letting users tap it to check out the original post:

With more and more users shifting their attention to Instagram Stories, users have been using stories to cross-promote their posts and IGTV videos. Now, instead of including a screenshot of their feed to stories, users can easily share the post with the new re-share feature.

How to Use Instagram Stories for Business

Using Instagram Stories for business is now an essential part of any Instagram marketing strategy, and can help you drive engagement, interact with customers, and show your products in action.

That being said, it can be hard to find ideas for Instagram Stories and decide on what to post. Need some inspiration? Here are four ways that businesses are using Instagram Stories for business:

#1: Promote Your Products and/or Services

The natural "tapping" progression of Instagram Stories makes it a great place to build anticipation around new products and/or services.

All you have to do is fill up your story with photos of a single product at every angle, on different people, or in different environments, and then hit your followers with a promo code or call-to-action at the end.

If you have the ability to add links to your Instagram Stories, this is a great place to do it.

#2: Build a More Engaged Community

Like with regular posts, if you're using Instagram Stories for business, it's good to post a mix of fun, lighthearted content and promotional content.

Instagram Stories is a pretty relaxed place, so don't be afraid of posting something goofy: a short video of your office dog or a picture of your team out for post-work drinks!

#3: Run an Instagram Stories Takeover

An easy way to switch it up on your Instagram Stories is to do an Instagram Stories takeover or invite someone to guest host your story.

Having regular guest segments is an awesome way to bring both variety and consistency to using Instagram Stories for business. To try it out with your own business: you can choose someone from your company for a "day-in-the-life" story, or you can partner with other businesses in your industry to swap stories for the day. It will help vary your content and keep your customers coming back for more.

How to Plan and Schedule Your Instagram Stories for Business

Posting regularly on Instagram Stories is key to building an audience and increasing your views, and you can plan your stories just like you would plan other social posts in your content calendar.

Planning both your regular Instagram feed content along with your Instagram Stories will help you keep things cohesive and clear.

A great way to get started is to create a quick storyboard of your Instagram story to make sure it flows. By outlining a beginning, middle, and end to your story, you can make sure to cover all the important points, while still making sure everything flows naturally.

How to Schedule Instagram Stories with Later:

1. Start by dragging & dropping your stories on to the storyboard tool, and then re-arrange them to fit the order and look that you want.

You can also easily crop and resize images to fit Instagram Stories 9:16 ratio.

2. Next, you can add links or captions to your scheduled stories, which will be copied to your phone when it's time to post. This helps you drive more traffic and sales by taking the time to write compelling captions and CTAs from your desktop.

3. Next, schedule your Instagram Stories by selecting the time and date from the drop down menu beside the Save Story button.

4. When it's time to post, you'll receive a notification on your phone. And once you open the notification, your stories will be downloaded to your phone and caption or links copied to your clipboard, making it easy to post Instagram Stories in seconds.

Scheduling Instagram Stories is one of the best things you can do to grow your business on Instagram in 2022! Later is free to use , but you'll have to upgrade to a paid plan to schedule stories.

• The Ultimate Guide to Instagram Stories
• 5 Ways to Drive Traffic With Instagram Stories
• How to Design Instagram Stories: 7 Tips to Wow Your Audience!
• Free Instagram Stories Course: How to Use Instagram Stories for Business!

Chapter 9: How to Use Instagram Live for Business

2017 may have been dominated by Instagram Stories, but the future certainly looks bright for live video. If you haven't already, we recommend getting acquainted with the feature soon. According to a recent survey , while only 22% businesses went "live" on Instagram in 2017, 55% planned to use the feature in 2018.

The idea of going "live" on Instagram is, understandably, pretty daunting for most businesses. While Instagram Stories gives you the option of publishing pre-recorded video, there are no "retakes" on Instagram Live.

But the fact is that Instagram Live has huge value for businesses. When used correctly, the feature can be an incredible channel for driving new followers and engagement, as well as your larger business goals.

This is especially true thanks to two new business-focused features for Instagram Live:

Share Your Broadcast on Instagram Stories

As we mentioned in the previous chapter , thanks to a recent update, Instagram Live videos can now be shared post-broadcast on your Instagram Stories.

Once your Instagram Live video ends, you'll see a "Share" button at the bottom of the screen. It's as simple as that! Your live broadcast will then live on your Instagram Stories for 24 hours, unless you decide to add it to your highlights.

Add Guests to Your Instagram Live Broadcast

Instagram recently added another feature to Instagram Live that allows users to add guests to their live streams.

The feature works by letting people who are streaming a video add anyone who is watching the video at that moment, by clicking on the "Add" button in the corner of the screen. When a person gets added, he or she joins you in a separate window below yours on the screen.

Not only can co-hosting an Instagram Live boost the engagement on your broadcast (by reaching a larger pool of users), but it also opens the door to Instagram marketing campaigns where two businesses or influencers partner to promote a product.

How to Use Instagram Live for Business

If you're hoping to achieve some larger Instagram marketing goals, such as driving sales or increasing sign ups, it's really important to have a strategy in place.

Like Instagram Stories, Instagram Live is a relaxed place and you can get as creative as you like! But with all that room for creativity, it's a good idea to have a solid game plan.

1. Tease or launch new products and/or services

A recent trend on Instagram Live is for businesses to use the channel to tease or launch new products. And why not? It's the perfect place to create a ton of hype around your products. Whether you're unveiling a new product line or teasing a future launch, Instagram Live is a great place to drum up excitement around your business.

To make use of this strategy in your live broadcast, take your hottest product and deliberately release very few details about it. The mystery will drive your followers into a frenzy! After the teaser, ask viewers to sign up for more information on your website.

This approach gives your live video an element of exclusivity, which can encourage people to act immediately, increasing the number of leads you get.

2. Run Q&As, workshops, and tutorials to collect emails

There are a ton of different formats that you can follow during your live broadcast, including Q&As, workshops, and tutorials. Each of these formats are valuable and bound to get you a ton of viewers. But if you really want your business to benefit from Instagram Live, use it as a way to collect emails.

One of the best ways to do this is to ask your followers to submit questions beforehand. You can do this by sending your followers to a landing page with an email form (share the landing page URL in the lead-up to your broadcast), or by providing an email address where viewers can send their questions.

3. Promote your sales & campaigns

While Instagram Stories is considered "ephemeral," there's really nothing more ephemeral on Instagram than live video. Use this to your advantage by creating a sense of urgency to watch your broadcast!

One of the best ways to boost your viewership is is to promise limited-time-only promotions that you're only going to offer during the broadcast. If you have a giveaway, discount, promotion, or other campaign that you want to offer to a select few, announce it beforehand! And when you go "live," share the coupon or discount code with your viewers.

• Instagram Live: A Step-By-Step Guide for Businesses

Chapter 10: How to Use IGTV for Business

Despite being just a few months old, IGTV is already making waves in the social media world.

Launched as Instagram's first standalone video platform, IGTV gives businesses a new channel to grow their following, showcase their products, and show-off their creativity.

And the great thing about IGTV is that your videos don't have to be super polished! You can think of it like a step up from your Instagram Stories, but it doesn't have to be as perfect or curated like an Instagram post or video would be.

How to Get Started with IGTV Videos

Before you can upload a video to IGTV, you need to create an IGTV channel. The good news is that Instagram has made IGTV super simple and easy to use!

The first step is to sign into the IGTV app.

Next, tap on the gear icon in the top right corner and select Create Channel.

Once your channel is live, you can upload your first video to IGTV. Start by opening your channel by clicking on your avatar from the main page.

Next, tap the "+" icon to the right of your screen to add a new video to IGTV.

Now you can select a vertical or horizontal video from your camera roll.

In terms of specs, Instagram recommends that vertical IGTV videos should have a maximum aspect ratio of 9:16 and a minimum of 4:5, while horizontal videos should have a maximum aspect ratio of 16:9 and a minimum of 5:4.

Note: If your video doesn't show up it could be that it has the wrong aspect ratio!

Write your title and add a description. Just like on YouTube, you'll want to add in any relevant keywords to your description to make it easier for people to find your videos on IGTV.

You can also add in links! That's right, people will actually be able to click on links in your description and be taken outside of the Instagram or IGTV app.

Finally, add a cover photo! You can upload your own custom cover, or choose a thumbnail from your video. The cover photo is what will show up on your channel page and in the IGTV categories, so make it catchy!

For your cover photo, Instagram recommends an aspect ratio of 1:1.55 (or 420px by 654px).

And that's it! You can now upload your vertical Instagram video to IGTV!

You can also share your IGTV video to your Instagram Stories by tapping the airplane icon at the bottom of your video and then selecting "Add video to your story."

Viewers will now be able to watch a preview of your IGTV video as a story.

What to Share on IGTV

Like Instagram Stories, there's really no limit to what you can post on IGTV.

So far we've seen businesses use it to share how-to's and tutorials, to promote their products, to share company news and so much more.

The goal of IGTV is to be more like YouTube than Netflix. And that's why so many influencers and vloggers have already taken to the channel.

As a business, it's important to think about it from the perspective of what value your videos can provide. As in, how can you create value for your audience and how are you create value for your brand?

If you're already a pro with Instagram Stories, the transition to IGTV shouldn't be too difficult. You can even think of IGTV as an extension of your Instagram Stories. What voice, tone, and style of content do you share on your stories? Your IGTV video content should follow a similar arc.

Tips for Making Great IGTV Videos

Since IGTV videos can be *very* long form, it's important to give yourself plenty of time to prepare, shoot, and edit your videos before jumping right in. Here are some tips to get more from the channel:

Get Comfortable with Vertical Video

Editing vertical videos can be hard if you haven't done it before! And probably the hardest thing to get right when shooting vertical video for IGTV is the aspect ratio.

The reason it can be hard to get right is because unless your video is shot on a smartphone (which will usually record in 9:16 if shot vertically), you may need to edit or crop your video in post-production to get the right aspect ratio for IGTV. We'll discuss this a little more below.

The good news is that you don't need any expensive software to edit your vertical videos — and there are actually a few options for shooting vertically!

Plus, IGTV now supports horizontal videos, so you can always stick with that format if you prefer.

Want to learn how to do it? Check out our guide on how to shoot and edit vertical videos for IGTV !

Keep an Eye on Your IGTV Analytics

Since IGTV is such a new format on Instagram, it's hard to say exactly how different audiences will respond to your videos — especially if you're sharing really long content!

That's why it's so important to keep an eye on your IGTV analytics, which can be accessed directly from your video.

Beyond Views, Likes, and Comments, you can also see your audience retention rate, which is how many people watched your video all the way to the end.

You can even see a drop-off graph which shows you at what point people are swiping away from your video.

Metrics like these are invaluable when deciding what changes (if any) to make to your IGTV strategy. For example, if viewers are dropping off at the 20-minute mark, you can take that as a sign that creating videos that are longer than 20 minutes might not be the best strategy.

• Guide to IGTV
• How to Create and Edit Vertical Video for Instagram's IGTV
• IGTV for Business
• Guide to Instagram Video

Chapter 11: Running an Influencer Marketing Campaign

Instagram influencer marketing is quickly becoming one of the best ways for businesses to increase brand awareness, grow their followers, and drive sales — especially since the Instagram's algorithm is continuing to limit organic reach!

Haven't given Instagram influencer marketing a try yet? In this chapter, we cover everything from how to find the right influencers for your business, to properly disclosing sponsored posts and determining if your influencer marketing strategies are actually working for you:

Why Your Business Needs an Instagram Influencer Marketing Strategy

When it comes to influencer marketing, Instagram is one of the best platforms for brands to partner with influencers on to reach new audiences quickly. In fact, it's the best performing channel for social action, with an average 3.21% engagement rate (compared to 1.5% across all social networks).

A big reason why Instagram influencer marketing is so effective is because it removes the barriers of traditional advertising and introduces your brand to a new audience through a more trustworthy source, your influencer partner.

When an influencer recommends a product or service on their channels, it can come across as an authentic recommendation from a friend.

In fact, 67% of marketers are already using Instagram influencer marketing for promotion– and we expect to see that number continue to increase as organic reach declines.

How Much Does Instagram Influencer Marketing Actually Cost?

There's no question social media influencers have become indispensable for brand campaigns… especially on Instagram! But how do you come up with a fair price when there are so many factors to consider?

The reality is that influencer marketing rates still vary widely among influencers.

According to our 2018 State of Instagram Marketing report , some influencers reported charging as much as $5000 to $10,000 per sponsored post. However, it's much more common for prices to be in the $250 to $1000 range.

Unfortunately, there's no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to how much instagram influencer marketing costs, and there are a variety of factors involved that go well beyond an Instagram influencer's number of followers.

The Rise of Micro-Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing may have grown in popularity thanks to Instagram, but you may not need thousands of dollars to cash in on this trend.

Thanks to a growing trend, more and more businesses are seeing the value in partnering with Instagram influencers who have a small (or "micro") but highly-engaged following. In fact, according to a report by Collectively , micro-influencers reported 15-75% growth in 2017.

So, what exactly is a micro-influencer? Generally speaking, a micro-influencer is someone who has significant, but not massive, social media following. This could range from anywhere between 1,000 and 100,000 followers.

While Instagram influencers have attained a sort of "celebrity status," micro-influencers are more like everyday consumers, so they tend to be very relatable and trustworthy.

A great example is @lauratully.co . Despite having just over 3000 followers, she's partnered with multiple businesses and created a bunch of sponsored Instagram posts. This is likely due to their industry niche and engaged following. As with all things Instagram marketing, businesses can gain a lot by targeting niche audiences.

So what explains the growing number of micro-influencers?

Well, one of the biggest benefits of working with micro-influencers is that they tend to retain higher levels of engagement than top-tier influencers. (According to recent studies , there seems to be a negative correlation between engagement rate and audience size).

So while accounts of all sizes are getting fewer likes, comments, and followers in general than they did in the past (thanks to the Instagram algorithm ), bigger accounts seem to be taking a bigger hit.

But there's also something to be said about how influencers with different follower sizes are perceived.

The reality is that influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers often lead lives that aren't exactly "normal." And if you compare them with someone who has 5000 to 15,000 highly-engaged Instagram followers, who likely isn't paying their rent from cashing in on Instagram sponsorships… Well, it's just way more relatable to the everyday consumer!

Indeed, when a micro-influencer features a product on their channels, it can come across more like a trusted recommendation from a friend, rather than a celebrity endorsement.

How to Find the Right Influencers for Your Business

Finding the right influencers for your Instagram marketing campaign can be a big challenge, but creating clear goals helps. For example, if your goal is to rack up a lot of engagement, it might make sense to partner with micro-influencers with smaller audiences but higher engagement rates. If you're trying to increase your brand awareness, metrics such as reach and traffic will be more useful.

Not sure where to start? Here are four things to keep in mind when deciding whether or not to partner with an Instagram influencer:

1. Check their Instagram Engagement

When an influencer has a high engagement rate, it means their followers are paying attention and taking action on their content. That's why most businesses and social media agencies use engagement to evaluate who is an ideal influencer.

Generally, you want to see an engagement rate of 2-3% on influencers' posts. A ratio of 4-6% is excellent, while posts in the high tens and twenties are considered "viral."

2. Check their Quality of Followers

It goes without saying that you should be aligning your business with influencers who have "pull" with your target audience. For example, if you're a fitness brand, it makes sense to partner with influencers who share a similar audience to your ideal customers, such as yoga instructors or powerlifters.

Aligning your business with an influencer who has "pull" with your target customers is one of the best ways to get in front of the right eyes, increase your brand awareness, and showcase your products in a creative way.

3. Check their Number of Followers

As we discussed above, the number of followers an influencer has isn't quite as important as it used to be — especially now that the Instagram algorithm seems to be impacting the engagement of larger accounts.

As we've learned over the past year, engagement rate tends to decrease as follower count grows. Influencers with fewer followers often retain higher engagement rates on their posts, while influencers with large audiences tend to see decreased engagement rates and less direct communication with their followers.

All of that being said, it's definitely not a bad idea to partner with influencers with big followings! Just make sure they're a good fit for your business.

4. Budget Requirements

Something else to keep in mind when deciding which influencers to partner with is how much they charge.

According to our survey , it's actually very common for businesses to "gift" free products to influencers rather than paying them a flat rate. In fact, 77% of businesses report giving free products and/or services in exchange for sponsored posts.

This isn't always the case, however. Some influencers only accept flat rates, while others charge based on the number of sales or leads they create for the business.

• The Ultimate Guide to Instagram Influencer Marketing
• Free Instagram Influencer Marketing Strategy Guide
• Is Micro-Influencer Marketing Right for Your Business?
• This is How Much Instagram Influencers Really Cost

Chapter 12: How to Get More Instagram Followers

With organic reach on a steep decline, it's harder than ever to get more followers on Instagram… but not impossible!

Growing your Instagram follower count involves a few things. First of all, you need to create high-quality content that resonates with audience. You also need to optimize your content so that it reaches as many users as possible. And finally, you need to optimize your Instagram profile to encourage new visitors to tap the "Follow" button.

In this chapter, we're going to focus on the second step: strategies for optimizing your content to reach a larger audience.

#1: Find the Right Hashtags for Your Business

When used correctly, Instagram hashtags can help you grow your reach, get more engagement, and attract more followers.

But in order to be successful with hashtags, you need to be strategic about what hashtags you use and when you use them.

While the most popular hashtags on Instagram have been used millions of times, that doesn't mean you're going to get a ton of likes and comments simply by adding #love, #happy, or #dog to your posts.

Instead of using the most popular Instagram hashtags, it's better to use the top Instagram hashtags that have an engaging community behind them and are relevant to your audience or industry.

So, how are you supposed to find these cool, creative, and community-oriented hashtags?

Well, the best way is to look and see what Instagram hashtags your audience, competitors, and industry leaders are already using. The narrower the scope of the hashtag, the more engaged the users tend to be. And you'd be shocked by how niche hashtags can get!

For example, a Toronto-based coffee shop would want to use hashtags like #specialtycoffee (describes their business), #coffeeshopvibes (describes the purpose of your account), and #TOcoffee or #coffeelovers (describes your target market). Then, you can add location specific hashtags, like #spadina, #chinatownTO, or even #toronto.

You can also use Instagram hashtags that have a strong community around them, so instead of using #coffee you could use #dailycortado, which has less posts but a more engaged audience.

If you need some help finding niche and industry-specific hashtags then you may want to check out Later's Hashtag Suggestions feature.

Hashtag Suggestions works by automatically finding relevant hashtags for your posts based on other hashtags that you use.

For example, let's say you're posting a photo of a beautiful bedroom to promote your business that sells linens. All you have to do is know one relevant hashtag (like #livesimply), put it into Hashtag Suggestions, hit "Suggest," and the feature will immediately generate 30 other hashtags, sorted by relevance.

You can then pick and choose which of these hashtags to add you to your post. All you have to do is click "Insert Hashtags" and they'll be added to the end of your caption.

Tip: If you have an Instagram business account, you can check your Instagram Insights to see how many views are coming from hashtags. If you find the number is low, try adding some different tags to see if you can increase it.

We'll talk a bit more about tracking your Instagram analytics in the next chapter.

#2: Hack Your Instagram Stories for More Exposure

2018 was a huge year for Instagram Stories . And as organic reach continues to drop for regular Instagram posts, we expect stories to become even more key for business to engage with their followers and stay top of mind.

But did you know that Instagram Stories can also help you get Instagram followers?

Instagram Stories appear on the Instagram Explore page, which means that people who don't even follow you can still find and watch your stories.

And if they like what they see, they might even give you a follow! This is another great reason to try to have an active Instagram story up at all times.

But besides appearing in the Explore page, your stories can also appear in the Search pages for different locations and hashtags.

As we wrote in an earlier chapter, most Instagram geo-locations and hashtags have their own stories attached to them. While this is an under-utilized Instagram feature, we expect it to become more popular in the coming year as Instagram users get more comfortable with watching and creating stories.

How to Add Hashtags to Instagram Stories:

It's pretty easy to add a hashtag to Instagram Stories. You can either just type in the hashtag, or you can use the hashtag sticker to add the hashtag of your choice.

When people search for the hashtag on Instagram, if it's popular enough they will be able to view an active, real time Instagram story on the hashtag too.

How to Add Locations to Instagram Stories:

To add a location to your Instagram story, just click on the location sticker and add the location of your story.

Instagram Stories for locations work for both cities and individual businesses, landmarks, etc. For example, if you tagged your story from the Golden Gate Bridge, your story could end up in the story for both "Golden Gate Bridge" and the general "San Francisco" story.

When your story is added to the Search page for a location, you'll usually receive a notification from Instagram. And when a photo or video from your story is visible on a hashtag or location page, you'll see the name of that page when you look at who's seen your story .

#3: Boost Your Instagram Posts to Reach New Audiences

Instagram advertising may not be as popular as Facebook advertising, but with organic reach declining on Instagram, it's not a bad idea to start investing in boosting Instagram posts if you want to get more Instagram followers this year.

Running your own Instagram ad campaign isn't that difficult, but it can be intimidating to many small business owners and influencers who haven't done it before.

Thankfully, boosting Instagram posts to get Instagram followers is really, really easy!

You don't need to create complicated Instagram ads in Facebook business manager, all you have to do is just create an Instagram post like your normally do and then hit the "promote" button once it's posted.

Instagram already pulls in a "similar audience" that you can share the post to, or you can easily create your own audience in the app by choosing an interest, age range, and the genders you want to promote to.

For example, if you're posting a photo about a taco shop in Los Angeles that's frequented by millennials, you can boost your post to people who are interested in tacos, live in LA, and are between the age of 20 to 35.

Make sure that you set the goal to "profile visits," and ensure that you have an eye-catching image and an engaging caption.

Your Instagram post then appears in the feed like normal, the only difference being the "sponsored" notation at the top and the call-to-action button.

Start with a small daily budget, and run your ad for 1-2 days to start. Instagram ads are a science, so be ready to tweak your boosted posts and audiences until you get the results you want!

• 5 New Ways to Get More Instagram Followers in 2022
• Free Instagram Followers
• 21 Instagram Tools to Help You Get More Followers
• 5 New Instagram Features That Will Help Grow Your Instagram Account

Chapter 13: How to Track Your Instagram Analytics

Now that we've covered different strategies for getting more followers on Instagram, let's take a look at how to track your performance.

Instagram analytics are key to understanding your demographic, optimizing your content, and evaluating your overall Instagram marketing performance — but all of the different metrics and terms can be overwhelming.

In this chapter, we'll we walk you through the ins and outs of your Instagram analytics, what each metric means, and how you can use this knowledge to improve your Instagram marketing:

Why Instagram Analytics Matter

Diving into your Instagram analytics is more than just finding out which photo, video, or story performed best. By defining and tracking key metrics over time, you'll be able to develop a robust content strategy for your Instagram account that's guaranteed to get you better results.

It's also important to look both at how individual posts and different content types perform against each other.

For example, if you're using Instagram to promote your online store, you'll want to keep track of how your different product photos perform. Do photos with a light or dark background perform better? Does your audience prefer cityscape photos or photos taken in nature?

By using engagement data such as likes, comments, or clicks, you'll be able to tell which type of product shots perform best so you know what you should be posting more of.

From here, you can then compare all product shots against, say, lifestyle content to determine which your audience prefers. If you find that your audience is more interested in product content, you may decide to invest more heavily in product photoshoots and scale back on the lifestyle photoshoots.

Whatever category your Instagram account falls into, diving into your Instagram analytics will allow you to better understand your audience's wants, improve your content, and ultimately drive better results with your Instagram marketing!

How to Use Instagram Insights to Track Your Audience

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of content performance, it's important to understand your audience demographics — where your audience lives, how old they are, and when they're most activeon Instagram.

Luckily, Instagram's native analytics feature Insights makes discovering this information very simple, and you can access it right from your app when you switch to an Instagram business account!

Gender and Age Range

Instagram offers basic demographic information about your audience, including their gender and age range (as well as a breakdown of age range by gender).

It's a good idea to use this information in your content planning. For example, if your audience skews younger, you may want to post more frequently to align with how often they're on their mobile device.

Top Locations

Like the gender and age range breakdown, knowing your audience's top locations can help you improve your posting schedule.

While a large portion of your audience might be located in English-speaking countries, if you also have a sizeable audience in non-English locations, you might consider adjusting your content strategy to be less copy heavy for broader understanding.

By viewing your top cities, you're also able to learn what time zones most of your users are in, which can help you find your best time to post on Instagram .

Hours vs. Days

Beyond audience demographics, Instagram also offers information around the average times and days that your followers are active on Instagram.

This data is especially handy when determining what time of day to post and which days see the highest engagement. Just keep in mind that these times don't represent when your followers is most likely to engage with your account — it's simply when they're most active on Instagram.

How to Track Your Impressions, Reach, Engagement, and More

Now let's look at Instagram's content metrics and what each of them means. Within Instagram Insights, under the "Content" heading, you'll be able to find tons of information about your content performance.

You can sort this data by content type (photos, videos, carousel posts, and shopping posts), as well as by days, months, and years.

Impressions

Impressions are the total number of times your post has been seen. This number includes users scrolling by in their feed, clicking through your business' profile to view a photo, or viewing content directly through an Instagram Direct Message.

Like impressions, reach also relates to the total number of views on your content, but this time it's the number of unique views (unique users that viewed your content).

Engagements

This is the total number of times that your post was liked, saved, or commented on. Just note that Instagram won't count multiple comments from the same user, which could happen in the case of giveaways where users tend to post multiple times to better their chances.

Engagement Rate

While Instagram Insights doesn't include data about your engagement rate, it's still a very important metric for Instagram marketing.

Engagement rate is the percentage of followers or viewers that engage with your posts. Generally, if you want to calculate your average engagement rate for Instagram, you would divide the number of likes and comments by your follower count, which will give you a percentage.

On a per post basis, you can take the total number of comments and likes you received, say 1200, and divide it by your followers, like 15,000, and then multiply that by 100 to get your percentage. In this case, the engagement rate on that post would be 8%.

Profile Visits & Followers

Instagram Insights will also tell you how many times your profile was viewed and the number of accounts that started following you.

Unfortunately, Instagram doesn't include data about your follower growth, which is the number of followers you have gained or lost over a certain period of time. That being said, it isn't too difficult to calculate this number manually. You can also use a third-party Instagram marketing app to do it for you.

Speaking of third-party tools, if you're in search of a powerful and comprehensive Instagram analytics tool, you may want to check out Later's new Instagram Analytics .

When you track your account's analytics with Later, you can easily review your insights and apply your learnings to your strategy when you're scheduling Instagram posts and planning your feed.

For example, if you notice that you get more comments on Instagram posts that feature people in them, you can take that insight and immediately apply it your content strategy by scheduling more people-focused posts.

Tracking your Instagram engagement rate is one of the best ways to identify which types of content resonate the most with your audience. And once you pinpoint what works best for your audience, you can easily integrate more of that content into your strategy.

Later's Instagram Analytics also tracks up to 3 months' worth of Instagram Stories metrics , so you can easily find insights related to your stories and optimize them to get more views, reach, replies, and more!

For example, you can find out what times of day your Instagram Stories get the most views and then schedule your future stories at those times. Or you can review your analytics to find the optimal number of stories you should be posting each day or week.

The Difference Between Photos, Videos & Carousel Posts

As we mentioned above, you can sort your content metrics by the types of content your post, whether its photos, videos, carousel posts, or shopping posts. But is there really a difference?

While photos, videos, and carousel posts all appear in-feed, the way users interact with each type of content is vastly different and can affect performance.

Think of it like this: as you scroll through your feed, you can pretty quickly determine if you want to like a photo. But with video, you have to take a moment for the content to load and to watch at least some portion of it to see if it interests you. The same is true for carousel posts.

If you're looking for a more accurate way to track the performance of your Instagram videos, you can use views. Views tend to be calculated differently from platform to platform, but on Instagram, a view is counted after 3 seconds and is the same whether the video is 30 seconds long, a Boomerang GIF, or a Hyperlapse video.

So if you can't count on likes to help note video performance, what can you look to? Enter views. Now, views are calculated.

Unique Metrics for Instagram Stories

For the most part, the metrics for photos, videos, and Instagram Stories are calculated the same way, but there are some differences.

Compared to videos and photos, Instagram Stories require more active engagement by users. A user must tap into your business' story at the top of the feed to engage with the content and from here they can watch it in full, tap through, or swipe out of stories completely.

Here's a breakdown of your Instagram Stories metrics:

Taps Forward

Taps Forward is the number of times a viewer tapped the right side of the screen to jump to the next story in the queue. Since a lot of people "speed tap" their way through watching Instagram Stories, Taps Backward, Next Story, and Exits are all better indications of how your Stories are performing.

Taps Backward

Taps Backward is the number of times a viewer tapped the left side of the screen to rewatch the previous story.

When a viewer taps backwards, it can mean they think content is worth re-watching or that it caught their attention while they were speed tapping through their Stories. If a post has a lot of taps backward, make note of the type of content and keep testing it in your future Stories!

Next Story & Exits

Exits are the number of times someone has swiped out of your story, while Next Story indicates the number of taps to the next account's story.

While these two metrics are similar, exits have a less negative connotation. For example, if someone exits your story, it could just mean that the viewer was running out of time to watch stories. Also, if you include a clickable link in your story , they may have swiped up to learn more.

Next Story is more of an indicator that the viewer was over watching your story and wanted to skip to the next one. This data can help you determine how long your optimal Instagram Stories posts should be, whether it's 3 slides or 13 slides.

Last year, Instagram rolled out the ability to add links to Instagram Stories and it's a pretty big deal. In fact, it's the first time ever that users can add links to Instagram that aren't the link in their bio! (The feature is only available Instagram business profiles with 10,000+ followers, or verified profiles).

Similar to engagements for photos and videos, replies are the number of times someone has directly responded to a portion of your story. But unlike comments on a photo or video, these responses end up in your inbox and don't appear publicly.

Selecting the Right KPIs for Your Instagram Marketing Strategy

Now that you're familiar with all the different Instagram marketing metrics (and other free Instagram analytics tools), it's time to go a step further and determine your key performance indicators (KPIs).

A KPI is your selected metric that specifically measures the success of your content or campaign. Like we discussed in Chapter 4 , the KPIs you define for your account ultimately depend on your business goals and what you want to achieve with your Instagram marketing.

If your business thrives on community, you may want to look to engagements as your KPI for photos and videos. However, if you boost an individual post, you may want to switch that KPI and focus on reach to see what kind of impact your content has made on the Instagram community as a whole.

If you decide to run a contest or giveaway and require users to comment to enter, looking at comments as your KPI may be a great choice in determining how your contest performs. You could then use this metric as a way to compare the success of your contests moving forward, by seeing which contest got the most comments.

Whatever your KPIs, ideally you should focus on certain ones for evergreen content and select different ones on a campaign-by-campaign basis. It all comes down to your overall Instagram marketing goals!

• The Ultimate Guide to Instagram Analytics
• Instagram Stories Analytics
• New Instagram Analytics
• Instagram Analytics Tools to Help You Grow
• Instagram Metrics to Track in 2022

Chapter 14: Proven Instagram Marketing Campaigns You Can Steal

#1: create an instagram hashtag strategy.

Like we mentioned in an earlier chapter , Instagram hashtags became a controversial subject in 2017 thanks to the "Instagram shadowban" which essentially hid users posts from showing up on the hashtags they use.

Despite this, hashtags are still an effective way of getting more eyes on your content, and creating a solid Instagram hashtag strategy should also be a top priority for any business that wants to get more engagement on Instagram.

It's important to think of hashtags like categories. Where do you want your Instagram post to show up? If you're an ecommerce business that sells sunglasses, it makes sense to use relevant hashtags that expose you to Instagram users who might be interested in buying your products.

On top of that, the Instagram's algorithm favors the use of specific and relevant hashtags — especially with the new ability to follow hashtags on Instagram. So instead of tagging posts with general hashtags like #love or #happy, choose hashtags that describe your business, the purpose of your account, your target market, and your location.

#2: Run an Instagram Contest or Giveaway

Running an Instagram contest or giveaway is a fun and easy way to promote your business and gain exposure on Instagram.

If you're looking for an effective Instagram contest idea, try partnering with another business or influencer. It's a great way to promote your Instagram contest to both of your audiences, and also share each other's followers.

Start by looking for a cool business to partner with, and then organize a 3-5 day giveaway where Instagram users are rewarded with prizes for following both accounts, and tagging their friends in the comments.

Here's a quick breakdown of our proven Instagram contest formula:

• Partner with a brand or influencer with a similar target market and audience
• Choose a prize that gets your community excited
• If you're partnering with an influencer, have them host the contest on their account (if you're partnering with a brand, you can determine the best account to host the contest)
• Create clear rules: to enter, follow @youraccount and @yourpartner and tag X # of friends in a comment
• Run your contest for a short period of time: no more than 5 days, ideally 2-3 days

Once the Instagram contest is over and you've selected a winner or winners, you should see a massive boost in your Instagram followers — but that doesn't mean your work is done! You need to pay attention to your new followers and make them feel like they're a part of your community. Otherwise, you risk losing them.

#3: Use Instagram Live to Tease New Products and/or Services

A lot of businesses are understandably hesitant to use Instagram Live. The idea of going "live" on Instagram is pretty daunting for most. While Instagram Stories gives you the option of publishing pre-recorded video, there are no "retakes" on Instagram Live.

That's why we're seeing a recent trend of businesses using the channel to tease or launch new products.

To make use of this strategy in your live broadcast, take your hottest product and deliberately release very few details about it. You can do this over the course of a few days or even a few weeks. Either way, the mystery will drive your followers into a frenzy!

After the teaser, ask viewers to sign up for more information on your website. This approach gives your live video an element of exclusivity, which can encourage people to act immediately, increasing the number of leads you get.

You can also share your Instagram Live broadcast on your Instagram Stories afterwards to increase your reach! Just tap the "Share" button that appears once your broadcast is over. Your live broadcast will then live on your Instagram Stories for 24 hours, unless you decide to add it to your highlights.

• How to Get 500+ Instagram Followers with a Single Post
• Should You Run an Instagram Loop Giveaway?
• The Ultimate Guide to Instagram Hashtags in 2017
• New Rules for Instagram Hashtags: How to Find the Right Hashtags for Your Business in 2018

Chapter 15: Tips for Effective Instagram Marketing

We're nearly done! So far, you've learned how to optimize your Instagram profile, use Instagram Stories for business, grow your Instagram followers, and much, much more.

To cap things off, we're going to discuss 3 actionable tips to help you better manage your Instagram marketing:

#1: Post When Your Audience is Most Active

To find the best time to post on Instagram to get the most engagement in 2022, we analyzed 35 million Instagram posts , posted in multiple time zones around the world from accounts ranging from 100 to 1 million+ followers.

Here are the top 3 global best times to post on Instagram for each day of the week, represented in Eastern Standard Time:

That being said, here at Later, we have found that if you want to get more engagement, it's best to find out what your personalized best times to post are based on your unique audience.

Timeliness has always been an important factor in the Instagram algorithm, but with the new algorithm updates, when you post to Instagram is more important than ever!

Since 2018, Instagram has been continually updated their algorithm to make it more chronological and "ensure the posts you see are timely."

As a result, if you want to beat the Instagram algorithm in 2022, you need to schedule your Instagram posts for when the majority of your followers are online.

Think of it this way: Since Instagram is now prioritizing "new" content on people's feeds, your best shot at getting your content in front of your followers is by posting when most of them are actively scrolling the app.

That's why it's so important to find your own personalized best time to post on Instagram: you can hack the algorithm to increase your reach and get more likes and followers.

#2: Respond to Your Instagram Followers

Did you know that 80 percent of customer inquiries on social media go unanswered?

That's a pretty startling figure considering that 88 percent of consumers are less likely to purchase from a company that doesn't respond to questions on social media, and 30 percent will go to a competitor if they don't receive a response.

The fact is that responding to customer inquiries on social isn't just about good manners — it's about growing your business as well.

Of course, we understand how difficult it can be to keep track of all your Instagram comments. It's easy to miss comments in the Instagram app, especially if someone is commenting on an older post.

A great way around this is by using Later's Conversations feature . With Conversations, you can view all of your most recent Instagram comments in a feed on your desktop computer. You can also reply from your computer instead of your phone, and view your conversation history with a commenter.

It's the perfect tool to provide customer service and improve response times with Instagram comments.

In the case of a customer complaint, social teams can view the full conversation history with a customer, provide an in-depth response from their desktop computer, and respond promptly to Instagram comments.

Remember that while responding to a follower or customer on Instagram might seem like a small thing to you, it can mean a lot to them. And there's really no better way to build a connection with your audience than by actively engaging with them.

#3: Schedule Your Instagram Posts

Every business owner knows that time is money. And if you're looking to make better use of that ever-so-precious commodity, it makes sense to enlist the help of a free Instagram scheduler .

Just think about it. Would you rather take 30 minutes out your day every day to rummage through your photos, find one that fits with your Instagram aesthetic, and come up with a witty caption? Or take 1-2 hours on one day to schedule your Instagram posts for the whole week?

Here are 3 more reasons to schedule your Instagram posts:

#1: Upload Instagram Posts from Your PC or Desktop

If you're using a camera to take your photos for Instagram, you're most likely editing your photos on your computer too.

Using an Instagram scheduler that lets you upload Instagram posts from your desktop will save you a ton of time, not to mention the frustration of trying to get your photos from your computer to your phone.

And think about what you can do with all of that saved time! Whether it's growing your reach with an effective Instagram hashtag strategy , hosting an Instagram contest or giveaway , or fine-tuning your Instagram Stories strategy , by saving time with an Instagram scheduler you can focus more on achieving your larger business goals!

#2: Create Better Instagram Captions

Coming up with good Instagram captions is a challenge for everyone, but it's even harder if you have to write the caption on the fly, every single day.

It's also often more time-consuming to come up with new content ideas, hashtags, and captions on the spot, instead of sitting down to write them all when you're in a creative or "writing" mood.

By writing your Instagram captions ahead of time, you can save yourself the daily stress and dedicate your time and energy to other important tasks, like engaging with your audience and building deeper connections with your followers.

Using an Instagram scheduler can also help with your Instagram hashtag strategy.

With Later's Saved Captions feature, you can create templates of your most commonly used hashtags. And when it's time to schedule, you can simply select one of your Saved Captions to add it to your post.

Not only does this cut the time you spend writing your hashtags and captions, but it can help increase the reach of your posts as well. Plus, since the Instagram algorithm favors posts with specific, relevant hashtags, a great strategy is to create multiple Saved Captions with different hashtag blocks and to switch them up based on what you're posting.

#3: Plan a Beautiful Instagram Feed

Scheduling your Instagram posts ahead of time can also give you a better 'big picture' perspective of your Instagram feed and social media strategy as a whole.

By planning your Instagram posts ahead of time, you can choose the order of your photos and rearrange them to design the perfect Instagram feed.

Plus, it's much easier to create a more balanced feed overall. For example, you'll be able to see if you're posting too many product and promotional photos and not enough lifestyle shots, or if you need space out your darker photos with some brighter ones.

This overview can help you get a consistent brand experience on your Instagram feed, which is key to getting more Instagram followers .

Later's visual Instagram planner makes it super easy to design the perfect Instagram aesthetic. You can easily drag and drop your photos onto the visual planner, rearrange them to see how they'll look in your Instagram feed, and then save to schedule them.

• 6 Tips for Using Instagram for Social Media Customer Service
• The Best Time to Post on Instagram in 2022

Chapter 16: Instagram Marketing Final Thoughts

As Instagram continues to grow and evolve as a marketing platform, it's more important than ever for businesses to build effective Instagram marketing strategies. And that means having a thorough understanding of the Instagram marketing landscape and measurable insights into what works and what doesn't.

At the end of the day, businesses of all types have so much to gain from building a presence on Instagram, whether it's growing an engaged community, reaching new customers, or even ecommerce selling. It just takes a little effort!

If you're really thinking about taking your Instagram marketing seriously, it's a good idea to enlist the help of Later , a free Instagram marketing platform.

Not only can you plan your feed and manage all your photos and videos with Later, but you'll also be able to track your analytics and automatically schedule your Instagram posts — all from a single dashboard!

Plan, schedule, and automatically publish your social media posts with Later.

Send us an email

Instagram Marketing

Instagram marketing: update your strategy for 2024

This comprehensive guide breaks down the world of Instagram marketing. It offers a roadmap for businesses looking to leverage the Instagram platform to connect with customers and grow their brand.

Reading time  16 minutes

Published on  April 30, 2024

Table of Contents

• Instagram marketing starts with defining your goals and target audience. Establish what you want to achieve with Instagram (brand awareness, sales, etc.) and identify who you want to reach (potential customers).
• For businesses new to Instagram marketing, it’s important to convert to a business profile, craft a compelling bio with a call to action and link and design an eye-catching profile picture.
• A successful marketing strategy includes creating high quality content, publishing consistently, growing your followers and tracking your results to adjust your strategy accordingly.

As social media users across many demographics continue to embrace Instagram as their platform of choice, brands and marketers must prioritize Instagram marketing.

Instagram is currently one of the most-used social media platforms with over 2 billion monthly active users . The reality is that Instagram is an absolute goldmine for businesses of all shapes and sizes. However, it's no longer about silly photos with filters and borders. Instead, you need to have a perfectly curated and visually appealing feed to stand out. Many brands struggle to grow or adopt Instagram as part of their  social strategy  and we totally understand why.

You can’t afford to “wing it” on Instagram. You need a clear-cut, actionable Instagram strategy if you want to grow a presence and attract customers.

We’ve broken it down into an Instagram marketing strategy guide—and created a video—to help you get started on the platform or refresh your strategy with best practices for growth:

What is Instagram marketing?

Instagram marketing is a strategy that refers to the use of Instagram and its features to build a community and promote your business. Brands using Instagram for marketing will need to create captivating content for the platform. They’ll need to build out a cohesive plan for said content and creatively engage with their target audience to see success.

Why use Instagram for marketing?

Social media marketing is a wildly popular strategy as there are more than 5 billion social media users worldwide.

And Instagram is a popular choice among these users, being the second most visited social media platform in the United States and third most visited globally .

Not only that but the latest Instagram stats show that 70% of shoppers use the platform to find purchase inspiration. It’s the most used platform for consumers to follow and research brands. That’s why they look to Instagram to discover new products and inform their purchase decisions.

With a pretty solid distribution of ages and genders, you're likely to find at least one segment of your target audience on the app.

Source: Statista

How is Instagram used for marketing?

Instagram is a visual platform with a heavy focus on photo and video. Brands and businesses can use Instagram features to creatively promote their products/services. It even allows creators to set up dedicated accounts with useful tools to market their content. Some features include:

• Carousel posts

Instagram Stories

• Story highlights
• Instagram Reels
• Instagram shopping
• Paid partnerships for influencer marketing campaigns
• Collab posts with other accounts
• Sponsored posts with creators and influencers

How to create an Instagram business account

Ready to get started with your own  Instagram business profile ? It's easy to create one and start sharing content immediately. Let's walk you through the process.

• Download the Instagram app onto your smartphone. While there is a desktop version, the app is mobile-first and most tasks are easiest to complete on the mobile app.
• Input your business email address and choose a password. Follow the instructions until you're taken to your new profile. Instagram only lets you create a personal account first, which you’ll need to convert into a business profile.

• Select your business category and choose whether you want to create a Business or Creator account. Then review your contact info to complete the process. You can also opt to not let Instagram use your contact info in your profile.

How to create an Instagram marketing strategy

Now that we’ve outlined why you should be marketing on Instagram and how to create a business profile, let’s get to work in creating an Instagram strategy.

1.      Define your Instagram marketing goals

This might seem like a no-brainer, but you need to be able to answer exactly  why  you want to have an Instagram presence in the first place. What's in it for your business? Do you want to generate leads? Build a community? Increase brand awareness?

Setting  social media goals  is an essential step in any strategy. These goals determine everything from your content strategy to how much time you need to spend on the platform to accomplish them.

There's no “right” or single goal you have to commit to, either. It's going to fully depend on your overall business goals and what you're hoping to achieve. And your ROI from Instagram really boils down to these goals.

For example,  West Elm  is a shining example of a retail brand whose Instagram strategy is laser-focused on  social selling . Its entire feed centers around showing off its products and encouraging followers to check them out as well. The furniture brand creates shoppable posts so shoppers can buy directly on the app. It even has a stunning Instagram storefront showcasing its products.

Meanwhile,  beauty brands often focus on highlighting their products in use. They also aim to build a community by constantly going back and forth with followers.

Local, brick-and-mortar businesses want to keep customers in the loop on their latest promotions while simultaneously building relationships. Notice how  Cedar Palace Chicago  takes the time to respond to their customer comments in addition to showing off their mouth-watering Mediterranean food options.

Source: Instagram

And many B2B brands use the platform as a means of education. Creating branded graphics can go a long way in providing visually appealing information for your audience, like we see here from  Leadpages .

The beauty of Instagram is the sheer amount of creative freedom available to you. Either way, deciding on the Instagram tactics you’ll use starts with your goals.

Dig through Instagram yourself to help inspire your business’ strategy.

Follow some of your favorite brands. Follow some competitors, too. Experiencing the platform as a user is the best way to understand how businesses and consumers interact with each other.

If you're still in need of some inspiration, here are some common goals that businesses use for their Instagram marketing strategy:

• Increase brand awareness via followers and reach
• Generate engagement via comments and shares
• Improve website traffic via link-in-bio and Stories clicks
• Ramp up sales via clicks or social sales

2.      Optimize your Instagram profile

Here’s some good news: in terms of setting up your profile, Instagram is relatively straightforward. However, there are a few small details to watch out for as you put together your profile.

Before you worry about creating content for Instagram, make sure you’ve ticked the following boxes. This rings true for new profiles and brands looking to fine-tune their Instagram marketing.

Convert to a business profile

We covered this earlier, but it's a big one.

Instagram business profiles give you access to features like analytics, paid partnerships, CTA buttons and more. So you need to make sure that you’ve switched your account. This will give you the option to highlight additional information about your business in your Instagram bio. This includes important details such as your industry, location and contact info.

Additionally, Instagram business profiles have access to analytics to help you see how followers are interacting with your account. Of course, we recommend that you go beyond base-level metrics with the help of  Sprout Social  (but more on that later).

Decide on your brand creatives

Although they’re easy to overlook, your brand creatives are integral to your Instagram marketing strategy.

Specifically, your hashtags and bio.

The process of  creating a hashtag  doesn’t have to be daunting. For example, most hashtags are either a brand name or slight variations of a brand name.

#Topshop #MyAnthropologie #TargetFinds

The purpose of having a hashtag is to encourage followers to tag your brand and enable you to do the same. Hashtags serve as a call-to-action to encourage customer photos and stories. You can also include your branded hashtags within your bio to encourage even more usage.

Craft a compelling Instagram bio

Despite being only 150 characters, your  Instagram bio  is invaluable real estate.

This is your brand’s first impression with customers and potential followers. It represents an opportunity to highlight what your brand is all about and encourage followers to take action.

And it’s the only place where you can funnel Instagram traffic to your promotions or website.

As part of your Instagram strategy, make sure that your bio includes the following.

• A clear, concise description of what your business does
• Hashtag(s) related to your business
• Some sort of call-to-action
• A trackable  link in bio to monitor the behavior of your Instagram traffic

For example, Whole Foods’ Instagram manages to achieve all of the above.

Upload your profile picture

Instagram limits your profile picture to only 110×110 pixels.

Therefore, sleek, minimalist and high-res is the way to go. And to increase brand recognition and make sure your Instagram looks legitimate. It's best to keep this to your logo—or as much of it as you can reasonably fit in.

For example, Casper includes only the first letter of their stylized brand font for a bold profile pic.

Meanwhile, BarkBox manages to include its entire name with clean, legible text.

3.      Pinpoint your Instagram target audience

Before you start creating and publishing content, you need to know who your target audience is. Which of your customer segments have a presence on Instagram? Make sure you understand  Instagram's overall demographics  and have a  customer profile or persona  filled out so that you can align the two.

This way, you can make sure that your content strategy is only geared toward people who are actually interested in your product or service. This is much more effective than marketing out into the void hoping that something resonates to anyone.

4.      Create your Instagram content calendar

Now let’s get into the meat of your Instagram strategy: creating content.

Let’s highlight some specific Instagram marketing tips that showcase the types of content that crush it. Although these aren’t the  only   types of content you can publish, consider these post types to be cornerstones of your Instagram marketing.

Eye-popping imagery

Stylish snapshots.

That’s exactly what put Instagram on the map.

Photos featuring some sort of striking creative trademark are the types of posts that reel in the likes and comments. This could be anything from a photo featuring a stunning setting or a fun color scheme.

Thankfully, most modern smartphones can take compelling photos of just about anything. So you don’t necessarily have to rely on professional photographers for your Instagram marketing content.

Also, there are plenty of   Instagram apps  that include filters and style options to step up your photos.

People-centric photos

Social media is social.

That means centering your content strategy around people. Specifically, highlighting the humans who support your business.

For example, user-generated content and customer photos are staples of Instagram. Sharing such snapshots allows you to show off your satisfied customers and put your products in a real-world setting.

Don’t forget about showing your team some love, too. Going behind the scenes and celebrating your colleagues is a simple yet effective way to humanize your brand.

Videos and Reels

Video content is among the most popular and shared around social media, Instagram included.

If you’re not a professional videographer, don’t panic. Many brands share bite-sized promos in lieu of big productions.

And yes, you can create video that sells with little more than a smartphone. Think timelapse videos and looping videos edited using third-party apps.

Or you could even put together Reels right within the app. Instagram Reels are among the most popular types of content on the platform today. They get a ton of engagement and help you boost your visibility.

There’s so much potential to use Reels for Instagram marketing. Behind-the-scenes glimpses and product highlights are just a few ideas.

Creating Reels is easy, put together several photos or uploading a video from your camera roll. Instagram even lets you shoot videos natively to share as a Reel.

Try using popular soundtracks and music to make your Reels more engaging (and increase visibility).

Memes and image macros

Not everything on Instagram needs to be staged or come from a camera roll.

Memes are perfect for humor or inspiration.

In fact, memes and image macros are a way to break up the monotony of your feed and engage your followers on a personal level. Even screenshots of Tweets have made their way onto Instagram.

Jokes? Tips? Inspirational quotes? If you’re strapped for ideas, such posts can do the trick. Use tools like  Canva  and  Visme  to create these engaging posts.

Instagram Stories are also an incredibly popular content type and have a great reach rate.

Why? For starters, Stories enables you to “skip the line” in your followers’ feeds by putting your account at the front of their Story queue. Furthermore, time-sensitive content taps into your customers’ sense of FOMO (fear of missing out).

Furthermore, 50% of Instagram users have visited a website to buy a product or sign up for a service after seeing it in Stories.

Great for deals, company updates or just plain playful content, Stories are something you should strive to create on a daily basis.

5.      Publish content consistently

You have your content ready to publish. Simply posting at random isn’t going to do you any good.

As part of your marketing strategy for Instagram, take note of the following before you put out your next post.

Craft compelling captions

Each post you publish should have a unique caption. Even the seemingly smallest details of those captions can impact your engagement rate and whether or not your post is discoverable.

With 2,000+ characters to work with, you certainly have creative freedom. However, you’ll notice that many businesses take a “less is more” approach to their Instagram captions.

No matter what you’re saying or selling, make sure that you include a combination of the following in your captions.

• A call-to-action (a question, “check out our bio,” etc)
• A touch of personality (use emojis, take up a conversational tone)
• Hashtags (including your branded hashtags)

Still not sure how to write interesting captions? Check out our collection of 400+ Instagram caption ideas for inspiration.

Pay attention to timing and frequency

When and how often you publish your content matters when it comes to engagement.

Most brands publish daily or on a near-daily basis. But don’t want to sacrifice quality for quantity.

Also, the timing of your posts impacts how likely your followers are to see them. For reference, here are the  best times to post on Instagram based on Sprout's research.

Having to worry about posting in real-time can be a pain. That’s why we again recommend using an  Instagram marketing tool  such as Sprout to do the heavy lifting. For example, features such as  ViralPost  can clue you in on when your specific account scores the most engagement. Then, you can automatically schedule your content in advance to hit those times.

Cross-post to promote Instagram marketing

For many brands, it makes sense to cross-post your Instagram content across networks such as Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest. Doing so saves you some serious time and keeps you from bouncing from network to network. With Sprout, you can cross-post  and  edit your individual posts to ensure they’re optimized specifically for Instagram.

6.      Schedule Instagram posts

While maintaining a consistent posting schedule is crucial, it's the easiest thing to miss. A missed post here and there could add up to an erratic and unreliable posting strategy.

As such, scheduling your Instagram posts is the best way to maintain the level of consistency you need.

Scheduling lets you create content ahead of time and set it to automatically go out at the desired time. This ensures that you never miss a post again.

It also helps you save time and improve efficiency as you dedicate time slots for content creation. Moreover, you won’t have to set aside time just to manually push out a post.

Instagram scheduling allows you to always post at optimal times for higher engagements. This comes in handy when you’re targeting different time zones or you want to send out posts at different times of the day.

Make use of tools such as Sprout’s scheduler to schedule your Instagram posts ahead of time. Sprout’s social media publishing tools let you create and customize posts for Instagram. You can then set the posts to go out at a custom time or use Sprout-suggested Optimal Times.

7.      Social listening for Instagram marketing

Effective Instagram marketing requires an understanding of the topics people are talking about.

Which topics are trending in your industry? What types of content are they posting on specific topics? Which hashtags are they using?

These are all important questions that can inform your strategy. That’s why you need Instagram listening to gain insights into the topics that matter to your business. This will help you keep tabs on your industry and identify trends that will inspire your content.

Listening insights will help you understand what your audience wants and what matters to them. You can even use social media listening to identify customer service opportunities. It can reveal negative comments and experiences, allowing for timely management.

Sprout’s social media listening tool lets you monitor relevant conversations across networks. It helps you identify trending topics and measure sentiment around them.

This provides you with insights on what content to create based on what resonates with your audience. It also provides you with timely alerts so you can jump in with an appropriate response or solution.

8.      Grow your Instagram followers

No matter what Instagram strategies you’re experimenting with, so much of your engagement depends on how you  promote your Instagram  so you can  grow your Instagram follower count .

Followers and customers don’t show up by accident. As a result, you need to put your Instagram front and center across your other marketing channels.

For example, make a point to prominently feature your Instagram on-site. Whether it’s social buttons or a feed of your followers’ photos, customers should know that you’re active on Instagram.

And of course, growing your Instagram followers also means showing up day after day.

Respond to followers. Engage with other accounts. Committing to Instagram means being an active participant on the platform. Even if you  automate common responses to queries or comments (done tactfully), it shows followers you're active.

Oh, and don’t forget to monitor your analytics! In-depth insights like the ones provided via Sprout can be huge motivations and eye-openers to brands growing on Instagram. Rather than second-guess what to post next, your analytics more than likely have the answer.

9.      Get familiar with the Instagram algorithm

Marketing on Instagram is just as much about knowing how to work the algorithm as it is about creating great content.

The Instagram algorithm determines which content to show to people based on several factors. It looks at things like how popular a post is, who posted it and when. Based on this, it displays the content to people who are most likely to enjoy it based on their past interactions.

This makes it crucial to strategically publish content so that the algorithm prioritizes it in people’s Feeds and Explore pages.

Post consistently and at times when your audience is most active. This increases the chance of driving engagements, which will add to the post’s popularity signals. Encouraging people to comment and responding to their comments will also help you drive visibility.

10.                 Measure Instagram performance

At the start of your Instagram marketing, you may be going in blindly with industry best practices and tips. But once you start posting regularly, you should have enough data to inform your strategy.

Unless you see how people engage with a particular piece of content, you won’t know whether it’s something that they like to see. At best, you may be wasting your time and resources on content that doesn’t contribute to your bottom line.

Consistently measure your Instagram performance to see what’s working and what’s not. Keep track of vital Instagram metrics to see what types of content resonate with your audience and which campaigns are paying off. Then use those insights to fine-tune your strategy and optimize your results.

Instagram analytics and tools

On that same note, the last part of any strategy involves monitoring your performance and keeping an eye on analytics. While Instagram comes with its own built-in analytics, investing in a more comprehensive  analytics tool  can help. This will give you a bird's eye view of all your social media analytics at once.

Here are a few analytics tools you might consider:

Sprout Social

Obviously, we have to tout our own analytics dashboard. Connect your Instagram business profile to monitor your Instagram performance data. The platform gives you access to all the vital metrics including impressions, likes and comments.

It automatically analyzes your data so you don’t have to manually calculate things like engagement rate and average reach per post. Sprout breaks down these performance metrics at the post level, allowing you to quickly identify your best posts.

You can even report across more than one profile. This allows you to compare metrics such as follower growth and engagements.

Iconosquare

Iconosquare  is another analytics option that's tailored more to agencies that manage multiple brand profiles at once. This way, social media managers are able to easily switch from client to client. Iconosquare also offers a free account audit for business profiles to make sure you're adhering to Instagram best practices.

IZEA is a tool that helps brands identify influencers to work with. It boasts a creator marketplace with a database of over 650,000 influencers to pinpoint the ones that would be best for your specific offerings. You can look through the database to find influencers based on keywords and check out their rates to streamline your search.

Curalate  is a tool that analyzes and shares potential user-generated content with brands so they can easily bulk up their  content calendar . It uses an affiliated tool Like2Buy to curate posts added via that link and put them in front of the brands tagged so they can easily repost the images onto their own profiles.

Bitly  is a link-shortening tool that also tracks clicks and can be a great option for your Instagram bio link. This way you can keep track of how many clicks you're getting just from your Instagram bio as a way of tracking website traffic ROI.

Get started with Instagram marketing today

The best practices and tips highlighted above are fair game for brands of all shapes and sizes.

From optimizing your profile to engaging your followers and beyond, knowing what clicks with customers is a matter of consistency and experimentation.

With the help of tools such as Sprout, you can easily manage the many moving pieces of your  brand’s Instagram strategy .

Additional resources for Instagram Marketing

• Social Media Content

400+ Instagram captions and ideas to get you through every season in 2024

• Social Media Trends

9 Instagram trends to watch in 2024

• Social Media Analytics

20 Best Instagram tools to level up your presence

• Social Listening

Instagram automation: Strategy and tools to do it right

• Branding & Creative

How to use Instagram for business: a complete guide

9 Instagram growth tools to grow your presence in 2024

• Social Media Engagement

How to get more followers on Instagram: 15 tips to grow your real audience

47 Instagram hacks every marketer needs to know

Instagram for Brands: How To Build A Creative, Engaging, High-Impact Strategy

Instagram insights demystified: How to access and analyze your metrics

The complete guide to finding your Instagram target audience

The Instagram algorithm: How it works and strategies for 2024

Instagram Stories: The complete guide for your brand

How to craft an impactful Instagram bio for business (+ examples)

The complete list of Instagram features for marketing experts

How to use Instagram for B2B marketing

What IGTV’s rebranding means for you & how to make the most of your Instagram video strategy

10 Instagram best practices to build your audience

13 ways to use Instagram for small business

Organic Instagram growth strategies to build your brand

24 Instagram apps for producing must-see content

How to strengthen your Instagram branding

How to promote your Instagram: 13 ways that actually work

How to be successful on Instagram in 5 steps

The top 12 Instagram tips your brand needs to act on

• Social Media Advertising

Instagram campaigns failing? Learn from these highly-successful brands

Build and grow stronger relationships on social

Sprout Social helps you understand and reach your audience, engage your community and measure performance with the only all-in-one social media management platform built for connection.

Instagram Marketing

How to Create Captivating Visuals, Grow Your Following, and Drive Engagement on Instagram

Watch the full video

Instagram is the second most accessed network behind Facebook. The popular visual-first social medium sees over one billion active monthly users and 500 million daily Instagram Stories .

Everyone and their dog ( literally ) is on the social media platform.

“Everyone” includes individuals, pets, and, you guessed it, businesses.

The increase in brands who've developed a presence on the platform has skyrocketed. Oberlo estimates that 71% of US businesses use Instagram. But is it worth their time, and should your business also be on the platform? The answer is yes, and here’s why:

• Instagram sees over one billion active monthly users and 500 million daily Instagram Stories .
• There are 140 million Instagram users in the U.S.
• Instagram is the second most accessed network behind Facebook. Users browse for an average of 53 minutes per day .
• About 71% of US businesses use Instagram.
• Nearly 45% of Instagram’s users are between the ages of 18 and 44 .

of Instagram users follow at least one business

There are more than

active monthly Instagram users

of Instagram users have discovered a new product or service on the platform

It’s clear that Instagram isn’t just for personal use anymore. It’s now a global platform that allows brands to humanize their content, recruit new talent, showcase products, and inspire their audience.

Moreover, Instagram users aren’t just active — they’re engaged. About 59% of the platform’s active users visit the site daily, and spend at least 7 hours per week browsing content and interacting with friends and brands.

Instagram can also help you grow your brand awareness and introduce new products. Every month, 130 million Instagram users engage with shopping content. Instagram allows you to promote your brand and product in a friendly, authentic way without hard selling to your customers.

Even with all these Instagram statistics, you may still be unsure of how to get started. We know the platform can be a little intimidating at first, and that’s why we’ve created this guide.

Why Market on Instagram?

Instagram’s primary advantage over other social media platforms is its visual nature. If you have a business that benefits from the design of your product or if you have a service that has a visibly noticeable end result, Instagram is the best platform to showcase that content.

Video, imagery, and illustration are all great content fits for this social media platform, but your marketing strategy will ultimately determine what type of content to publish and how often to post it. Establishing a strategy before diving right into a new social media platform, no matter how well it works for everyone else’s business, will keep you focused on your goals and — most importantly — your audience.

Build Your Instagram Marketing Strategy

• Set your goals for Instagram
• Determine your Instagram target audience.
• Conduct a competitive analysis.
• Configure an editorial calendar
• Build a consistent brand on Instagram
• Grow your Instagram follower base.

Many businesses feel pressured to be present on every social media platform … and they forget about strategy. Don’t make this mistake.

Since Instagram is very different from other popular social sites, it requires a distinct marketing strategy . Start here to develop your brand’s own unique style.

1. Set your goals for Instagram.

Before you start posting on Instagram, ask yourself (or your team) one thing: Why are you on Instagram? As popular as the platform is, your answer shouldn't be, " ... because everyone else is ." To be successful on Instagram in the long-run, you must have a set purpose and goals so you can justify your time, energy, and monetary investment.

There's no right answer here. Maybe you'd like to use your Instagram feed to post and sell your products to customers, like Anthropologie . (Many ecommerce and physical products businesses are on Instagram for this reason.)

Maybe you're leveraging Instagram to share portfolio content so followers can see your product (or service) in action, like my esthetician, The Wicked Waxer .

Perhaps you're on Instagram to simply build brand awareness by posting motivational quotes and fun visuals, like one of my favorite organizations, The Blurt Foundation .

Maybe you'd like to use Instagram to share user-generated content so that followers can see real people using your product or service as Orangetheory does. (Many worldwide businesses or businesses with franchises do this, too.)

Whatever the reason, be sure to define your Instagram goals first thing. And, guess what? Your Instagram can have multiple goals — you can post product images while also sharing user-generated content (UGC). It's less about the type of posts you share and more about why you're sharing them. If you know the why, you can know how to measure your performance and use Instagram Analytics tools.

2. Determine your Instagram target audience.

Determine the audience you want to reach before you begin marketing on Instagram. If you have other marketing strategies in place, draw from those to keep your efforts consistent. Don’t forget to consider factors like age, location, gender, income, interests, motivations, and pain points.

Don’t know where to start? Monitor popular events and interest hashtags related to your business. See who’s using and engaging with these hashtags and check out their profiles. You can also take a look at your competitor’s followers. Instagram makes it easy to define your audience.

3. Conduct a competitive analysis.

After you determine your Instagram audience, do a competitive analysis to see what other marketers in your field are posting.

If you already know your top competitors, start by reviewing their Instagram profiles. If not, search for terms related to your business and industry to find similar accounts.

Conduct a quick audit of related accounts to see what posts are getting the highest engagement, what popular hashtags they’re using, what their captions are, how often they post, and how quickly they’re growing. This information can serve as a benchmark as you start growing your own account.

While auditing your competitors’ content, take note of any opportunities they might’ve missed. Adding unique content into the mix will help your business to stand out from the rest.

4. Configure an editorial calendar.

Creating an editorial calendar can help you save time and manage your Instagram presence. Fill in your calendar with some Instagram post types and plan your captions, hashtags, and posting times in advance.

Your editorial calendar is also a great place to record any key events to highlight on your Instagram account, such as new product launches or special offers. With an editorial calendar , you can keep an eye out for real-time opportunities instead of scrambling for last-minute posts.

Manage and plan your Instagram content with our free calendar guide and template.

5. Build a consistent brand on Instagram.

Random or disjointed content confuses your audience and can cause you to lose followers. To prevent this, maintain a consistent brand aesthetic on your Instagram account.

Determine what this looks like by thinking about your brand personality. What are your brand values? How would your customers and employees define your brand? Are you bold, playful, gritty, or adventurous?

Apartment Therapy 's brand personality is bright, clean, and organized, and its account reflects all three of those traits. Ideally, brand aesthetic helps your brand become recognizable, meaning someone could see your picture in their feed and instantly know it’s yours … without seeing the name.

Taco Bell is another great example of brand aesthetic. Its feed focuses on the bold, on-the-go lifestyle of its millennial audience and features fun images to drive engagement.

Once you determine your brand personality, refine your content to match. This can even apply to the color palette used in your photos.

Brand aesthetic doesn’t just apply to visuals. Aim to post images with your brand narrative in mind, too. Including compelling stories in your captions can make your brand more relatable.

For example, Red Bull ’s feed features plenty of high-energy images and videos that add to its brand’s story.

6. Grow your Instagram follower base.

Growing your following takes serious time and energy. You may be tempted to take the easy way out and buy followers … don’t do this! Purchasing followers won’t actually drive engagement, which is really what you need to ensure your posts are being seen. (Also, Instagram's recent API changes will automatically delete those followers!)

Here’s what you can focus on to build a following the right way.

• Make sure your username is recognizable and searchable. If people can’t find you, they can’t follow you! Fill out your bio. It’s the last thing someone sees before they make the decision to follow you so be sure to include who you are and what you do.
• Once your profile is optimized (which we talked about in this section ), start posting. It’s a good idea to populate your feed with ten to 15 high-quality posts before you really start engaging people. If users visit your profile and find it empty, they probably won’t follow you.
• Then, start following accounts that interest you and relate to your business. Think of Instagram like a community and look for other businesses in your area or influencers who might enjoy your product or service. As you follow accounts, Instagram will suggest related ones that you can follow, too.

• After you follow an account, interact with their content. This is the most natural way to draw attention to your own Instagram account without being spammy. When you follow or interact with an account, the account owner will get a notification. This could prompt them to check out your account and start following you. Always appreciate your followers by responding to their comments and engaging with their content.
• Encourage others to share your content. Invite brand ambassadors to share your account or collaborate with similar accounts.

For a comprehensive guide to getting more followers for your business on Instagram, check out our blog post here .

Promote Your Business on Instagram

Once you establish a dedicated follower base, you can start converting those followers into paying customers. Here are some strategies.

• Promotions: Deals, discounts, BOGOs, and other offerings are a great way to drive first-time sales with your Instagram audience. Be sure to include what your followers need to do to receive the offer, and mention a deadline to create a sense of urgency.
• Contests: What better way to make someone a customer than by letting them try your product? Run contests that require someone to follow your account or post with a hashtag to enter.
• Charity: 81% of millennials expect companies to make a public commitment to charity. Doing so can build affinity for your brand and help turn followers into customers. For example, Gap partnered with The Global Fund to help fight AIDS in Africa. Since 2006, it has helped raise over $130 million.
• Teasers: Instagram is a great platform to show your audience glimpses of new products before they’re available. While you don’t want to spam your followers’ feeds with only product photos, a few images can build excitement.
• Live launches: Consider showcasing a new product or service using Instagram Live. Then, drive users to purchase by including a purchase link in your bio.

Also, don't forget to leverage the link in your Instagram bio as well as your Instagram Story Highlights as these can connect followers to your website, blog, and product pages.

Lastly, be sure to promote your Instagram on other channels. Include an Instagram social share button on your website and share your Instagram on other social platforms. Sometimes the fastest way to gain more followers is to simply ask for them!

How to Present & Prove Social ROI

How to Create an Instagram Business Account

Before we begin, it’s important to note that Instagram is intended for in-the-moment content. To stay relevant among your audience, you’ll need to invest the resources required to post regularly.

The best way to keep your followers engaged is to keep your Instagram profile up-to-date. Below, we’ll dive into how to build and maintain a successful Instagram profile.

If you don’t have it already, download the Instagram app from the App Store or Google Play Store . You can view content on Instagram’s website, but you can’t upload it via your desktop. You’ll need the app for that.

Step 1: Open the Instagram app and click Sign Up With iPhone or Email

When you open the Instagram app, you’ll have two choices for creating an Instagram account for your business — Log In With Facebook or Sign Up With Phone or Email . Be sure to sign up with a business email so your Instagram profile isn’t linked to your personal Facebook account. ( Trust us , you don’t want to do that!)

Step 2: Enter your account details.

Under Full Name, enter your actual business name so your profile is recognizable to visitors. This name is what’s displayed on your profile; it isn’t your account username (or handle, for those Twitter folks).

Step 3: Pick a username.

The Username is a name unique to your profile and allows other accounts to engage with your brand. HubSpot’s username is @HubSpot .

Pick a username that is recognizable and easy to find. If your business name is taken, try to keep the first part of your business name in your username. Note : You can update your username later in your account settings, so don’t worry if you want to change it in the future.

Optimizing Your Instagram Account

After you’ve set up the basics of your Instagram account, it’s time to optimize it. Follow these steps to create a profile people will want to see on their news feed every day.

Step 4: Choose a profile picture. 

Your profile picture is your first impression on new visitors. For this reason, keep your image consistent with your branding and visual markers.

Consider using your logo or another familiar image. Instagram profile pictures are automatically cropped into a circle, so leave room around the corners of your image.

Step 5: Next up — your Instagram bio. 

Instagram bios have a 150-character maximum , so your goal here is a direct, concise summary of who you are and why people should follow you. Tell your audience about your business using a hint of personality. Instagram bios aren’t searchable, so don’t worry about keywords or hashtags (which we cover more below) .

In your bio, you can encourage users to take a specific action, such as using a certain hashtag or visiting your website. Your bio is the only place where you can feature a clickable URL and drive traffic to an external site.

For this reason, it’s common for businesses to update their featured URL to align with their most recent post. If you decide to add a link, be sure to use a link shortener like HubSpot's Tracking URL builder or a tool like Bitly, Goo.gl , or Linktr.ee to keep your profile from looking cluttered. Tracked URLs also help you better understand the amount of traffic Instagram is driving to your website.

Pro tip: For future edits, click on the Edit Profile button on your profile to change your photo, name, username, bio, and URL.

Managing Your Instagram Settings

Lastly, let’s review your account settings. In this section, you’ll be able to update contact information, privacy settings, and more.

Step 6: Adjust your settings.

Click on the three stacked lines in the upper right-hand corner of your profile, then click on Settings at the bottom of the window. (Under your username, you’ll see a few links that we’ll cover below.)

Within your settings, you’ll be able to do things like change your password, see posts you’ve liked, enable notifications, and much more. Here are a few things you should check out right away.

Manage your story settings — where you can manage who can see and reply to your Instagram Stories ( which we discuss below ). We recommend allowing all your followers to see and reply to your Stories to increase brand engagement. From your settings, click Privacy > Story to access your Story Controls. (You can also access this by clicking the gear icon in the top left corner when posting a story.)

Instagram will automatically import relevant information from your Facebook page for you to edit. You now have an Instagram business profile. Don’t forget to use the features that come with this type of account like profile insights.

Private Account — Here you can change your profile from public to private. Instagram will automatically set your profile to public — we don’t recommend changing it! As a business, you’ll want users to see your posts and follow your business without any obstacles. From your settings, click Privacy > Account Privacy , and make sure that's turned off.

Comments — This setting allows you to hide comments with certain keywords or phrases. To do this, you must enter the specific words and phrases into your Instagram settings and turn on the feature. Receiving comments is exciting and encouraging, but certain comments may go against brand values or offend your audience. From your settings, click Privacy > Comments to update these.

Adding Additional Instagram Accounts — Add up to five accounts and switch between them without logging in and out. This feature also allows you to have multiple people logged into an account at one time. To add an account, click Add Account at the bottom of your settings. Enter the username and password of the account you’d like to add. To switch between accounts, go to your profile and tap your username at the top of the screen. Choose the account you’d like to switch to.

The Beginner's Guide to Video Marketing

Types of Instagram Posts

Now that you’ve created and optimized your Instagram account, it’s time to start posting awesome content. Instagram allows you to post several types of content, including photos, videos, and Stories.

Let’s talk about the different Instagram post types and some best practices for encouraging engagement.

The most common post on Instagram is an image post. When posting images, share a variety of photos. Variety will show your brand is diverse and engage your followers in different ways.

It’s also important to remember that Instagram users are looking for genuine posts from brands — not blatant advertisements. Try to capture your company culture with lifestyle shots and behind-the-scenes looks. Avoid posting too many photos of your product.

Example: Nike’s Instagram includes product photos, but the majority show real athletes, concerts, and other types of content that promote the Nike brand personality as a whole.

As you start to explore the platform, you’ll see there are countless kinds of images you can post to your account. Get creative! Take note of any concepts or styles you think would work well for your brand.

To get you started, we’ve compiled a list of some successful Instagram image types .

Behind-the-Scenes Posts

These posts offer a glimpse into the part of your business that people don’t normally see. It’s important that they don’t look staged — authenticity is key!

Example: Aeronaut Brewing Company provided an inside look at its company culture by showcasing its employees at work..

Reposts From Employees

Great content can be right in front of you … on your employees’ Instagrams. (Just be sure to tag or credit the original poster.) Reposting photos from your employees is an easy way to curate authentic content and humanize your business. Not only will your audience engage with your brand, but they’ll also start to “bond” with your employees.

Example: Fenway Park often reposts images shared by the grounds crew as they prepare the stadium.

Educational Posts

Educational posts offer snackable tips on how to do or make something. The photos or videos usually present the instructions in a way that is quick and easy to follow.

Influencer Posts

Influencer posts use the fame of a celebrity or well-known public figure to promote your brand. These posts often include a visual of the influencer using or interacting with your product. One of the main benefits of influencer posts is gaining the attention of another audience.

Example: Goal Zero shows renowned rock climber and photographer Alex Honnold using one of its solar power charging stations. Not only is Goal Zero reaching its own audience, but it's also reaching Alex’s 500,000-plus Instagram follower base.

Motivational Posts

A motivational post combines a simple visual with an overlaid quote or uplifting text. These posts encourage your audience and amplify your brand values. While effective, try to post these sparingly to avoid looking cheesy. Apps like Quipio and Typic can help you add text to photos in a way that’s consistent with your brand guidelines.

Example: Foundr often shares motivational posts to encourage its follower base of entrepreneurs, small business owners, and marketers. The posts also align with their mission as a business media company.

User-Generated Content

Similar to employee reposts, user-generated content (UGC) is curated content from your fans and followers. Your tagged posts and posts with your brand hashtag are a great source for UGC.

Sharing your fans’ and followers’ photos not only make the original poster feel good, but it also shows that you truly care about your customers. Just be sure to credit the original post with a tag or in the caption. To repost user-generated content, screenshot and crop the original post or use a reposting app like Repost for Instagram .

Example: WeWork conducts an annual #DogsOfWeWork campaign and compiles the best submissions together into a yearly calendar. Although WeWork doesn’t repost every tagged image, their campaign helps create invaluable reach and engagement.

Newsjacking (Trending Holiday Posts)

It seems like there’s a “holiday” for everything these days. Events like National Sibling Day and National Ice Cream Day generate a ton of engagement on social media. Join in the fun by participating in a local, national, or world trend. A newsjacking post is a great way to post humorous content that relates to light-hearted events.

Example: Corridor Brewing celebrated the Cubs' Opening Day. Through this post, the American restaurant chain tapped into a popular American pastime.

30 Days of Instagram [Free Plan & Templates]

Capturing and Editing Instagram Photos

Now that we’ve explored what you can post on Instagram, let’s review some ways to make sure your content is successful. Unlike other social media platforms, Instagram’s simple profile layout forces you to focus on the quality of content … not the quantity.

While this is great for engagement, it also means that you can’t hide mediocre content. Do your very best to use high-resolution images on your Instagram feed.

Square images should be 1080 x 1080px. Landscape images should be 1080 x 566px, and profile images should be 1350 x 1080px. Regardless of what size you upload, every image will be shown as a square in your profile feed.

How to Take a Great Photo With Your Smartphone

You might be thinking How am I supposed to capture the perfect, high-quality shot without a high-quality camera ? No worries! Phone camera technology has become so advanced that it now rivals thousand-dollar cameras.

Amazing photography is no longer limited to those with professional cameras. You (yes, you!) can take eye-catching photos your audience will love using a tool you already have in your hands. Here are some tips to drive follower growth and Instagram engagement.

1. Follow the rule of thirds.

To instantly improve your photo composition, turn on your camera grid lines. Aim to place your subject at the intersection of one set of vertical and horizontal lines. This technique, known as the rule of thirds, is popular among painters, illustrators, and photographers.

Placing your subject off-center creates a slight imbalance that catches your viewer’s eye. To turn on your grid lines (on an iPhone), go to Settings > Photos & Camera and switch Grid to on.

2. Focus on a single subject.

3. Take advantage of negative space.

Negative space is the empty space around your subject. Leaving negative space around your subject will draw attention to the desired focus of your image and prevent it from looking crowded.

4. Look for interesting perspectives.

People are used to seeing the world from eye level. To create interesting and fresh photos, use shots from different perspectives. Change up your shooting perspective to capture a bird’s eye view or worm’s eye view. Experiment with different angles to find new perspectives on common sights.

5. Leverage symmetry and patterns.

The human eye is naturally drawn to symmetrical shapes and objects. Sometimes, it’s best to break the rule of thirds and center the scene in your frame. Leading lines are another more specific form of symmetry that pulls the eye into the photo. People are also drawn to patterns. A pattern could be man-made, such as a tiled floor, or natural, such as petals on a flower or vines on a wall. To make things really interesting, break up the pattern with your subject.

6. Use natural light.

Standard overhead lighting creates harsh shadows and highlights that create unwanted dark and light areas in your photos. To prevent this from happening, use soft natural light wherever possible. Try taking photos next to a window, and for outdoor shots, the half-hour just before sunset and after sunrise often offers the most striking lighting as the sun is low on the horizon.

How to Add Filters and Edit Photos

Ever wonder why some photos just look so good? It probably has to do with how it’s edited. Editing photos only takes a few minutes and can massively impact the quality. Thanks to Instagram’s built-in tools and filters, editing photos is very simple. Follow these tips to make that photo of your homemade lunch look like a culinary masterpiece.

First, start with a great photo (using our tips above). No amount of editing can fix photos if they have poor composition or lighting.

Consider using other apps to edit your photo. Facetune 2 is a free editing app that allows you to apply effects like HDR and tonal contrast as well as adjust brightness, contrast, and saturation. VSCO is also another popular editing app with numerous free filters that resemble popular film stocks.

Step 1: Upload your photo and choose a filter.

When you upload your edited photo to Instagram, it’ll automatically crop your photo into a square. To change it back to the original width, press the icon with the two outward-facing arrows. At this stage, you can add additional Instagram filters — but don’t go too crazy. Each Instagram filter has its own personality that can drastically change a photo.

Step 2: Next, try adjusting your photo lux.

According to Instagram , “Lux balances the exposure and provides much-needed brightness” to photos. Lux make can make your image more vibrant and bring out details. To do this, press the wand icon at the top of the screen and adjust the level.

Step 3: Make any final tweaks using Instagram’s editing tools.

Press Edit to adjust your photo’s alignment, brightness, contrast, structure, and more. Press Next when you’re done to add final details and publish.

Instagram also lets you upload videos — as long as they’re a minute or less in length.

You can download professionally edited videos from your computer or videos you’ve edited in a mobile app. Splice is a free editing tool (from the same guys that made GoPro) that allows you to cut together multiple clips and add transitions, titles, and music.

Instagram videos default to playing without sound. Because of this, make sure at least the first few seconds of your videos don’t need sound to be understood. You can use your caption or prompt viewers to turn on the sound.

Open your Instagram and tap the camera icon in the top left-hand corner of the home screen. This is the in-app camera. You can also access this by swiping right on the screen.

Notice the settings on the bottom. The Normal setting, to which the camera defaults, takes still photos. You’ll see that the first setting to the right is Boomerang , which takes three-second, looping videos that play forward and backward. (We’ll cover the other settings later in this guide.)

Boomerangs allow you to put a quirky spin on traditional video. Boomerangs created using a burst of photos and stitching them together for a short, repetitive video. These kinds of posts are fun for circumstances like jumping, toasting glasses, or high-fiving.

You can also download Instagram’s Boomerang app to have a separate place to capture boomerang videos.

Do you have a video that’s too long for Instagram? Check out Hyperlapse from Instagram , which allows you to condense lengthy videos into shorter, post-able content.

It creates smooth, time-lapse videos with built-in stabilization. To create your own Hyperlapse videos, download the app and give it to access your camera. Tap the circle once to stop and start your recordings. Once you’re done recording, you can choose a playback speed between 1x and 12x. Save the final Hyperlapse video to your camera roll to upload later.

Instagram Reels

A direct competitor of the viral sensation TikTok, Reels is one of the newest Instagram features. Users can create fun, captivating 15 or 30-second loops of content for nearly any purpose. Quick tutorials, dance challenges, and informational videos all find a place in Reels.

Reels have their own explore page filled with content created using this feature. Regular videos, images, stories, and IG TV posts won’t show up here, so your business could have a great opportunity to see engagement from your audience with this content type.

How to Post to Instagram Reels

Step 1: open the reels feature..

Tap the plus icon at the top of the home screen. Then, tap Reels at the bottom right of the screen.

Step 2: Adjust your settings. 

There are five customizable settings you can configure before recording your Reel.

Select either a 15 or 30-second Reel .

Choose music from your favorite artists and genres by searching the song or composer in the search bar .

Create a slow-mo or sped-up version of your Reel by selecting a slower or faster pace for the recording.

Apply any filters or effects to your Reel recording.

Set a timer to self-record a Reel. The feature will give a three or ten-second countdown before the Reel recording begins. 

Step 3: Record your Reel. 

Record your first clip of the Reel by tapping the clapperboard icon in the middle of the screen. You only need to tap this button once for the camera to begin recording. Tap the button again to pause the recording and switch to a new scene. To view how much time is left available to record in the Reel, check the progress bar at the top of the screen.

Step 4. Finalize the Reel. 

Tap the right arrow on the right side of the clapperboard icon to review your Reel. After reviewing it, you can go back to edit it by selecting the arrow in the top left corner . If you’re satisfied with your Reel, select Share To at the bottom right of the screen.

Step 5: Share your Reel.

Create a caption for your Reel and decide where to share it. The sharing options include:

• Share to Reels
• Share to Feed

Share to Reels.

Here, your Reel will appear publicly on the dedicated Reels page. You can also toggle the Also Share to Feed button on to share the Reel to your feed. Tag people, crop the profile image for the Reel, or include a business partner with additional settings. If you’re not ready to post the Reel yet, save it as a draft to publish later.

Share to Stories. 

Here, you can share your Reel directly to your story, your close friends, or individual people you follow.

Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories allow users to post at a higher frequency without overposting and clogging up their main feed. Stories usually feature less-polished, more organic images and videos. Like Snapchat Stories, your Instagram Story disappears after 24 hours.

Stories are all about authenticity. While your Instagram feed should feature polished photos, Stories can be a little more experimental. Use the feature to give a behind-the-scenes look at your brand or showcase your company culture. Do you have a dog-friendly office? Share photos and videos of the dogs in your Story. Stories are also a helpful tool to showcase live events your business hosts or attends, as this feature is much more time-sensitive.

How to Post to Your Instagram Story

Instagram offers three options for posting to your Story. You can tap the camera in the upper left corner, tap Your Story above your feed, or just swipe right to access the camera.

Your camera will default to Normal , but let’s review the other camera settings that we didn’t cover above.

• Type: Creates a text post
• Music: Pairs a music clip of your choice to an image or video
• Live: Captures and publishes live content to your Instagram for your followers to watch
• Superzoom: Adds an animated zoom to a video
• Focus: Focuses on a subject and blurs the background
• Hands-Free: This allows you to capture video without having to hold the record button

Like your typical phone camera, the thunderbolt icon controls the flash and the arrow icon switches the camera view between front and forward-facing. Instagram has recently added filters (like on Snapchat) that you can access by tapping the smiling face next to the arrow icon.

Step 1: Upload your photo and add a filter.

Stories make it easy to add personality to your content! Swipe to the left or right to access the filters. Select the pen icon to choose a color and add a doodle.

Step 2: Press the Aa icon to add text with your keyboard.

The smile icon allows you to add a location, GIF, music, poll, and many more fun features.

Instagram also allows you to tag another account in your Story, which is a great way to connect with other businesses and your followers. To tag someone, type the @ symbol followed by the username you’d like to mention. This makes the tag clickable so that viewers can visit the tagging profile. You’ll receive a notification if you’ve been mentioned in someone’s story.

Step 3: Publish your story.

When you’re ready to publish, press the Your Story icon or save it to your camera roll to publish later. You can also tap Send To to add to your Story as well as send directly to other users. Stories appear at the top of the Instagram feed and through your profile picture. To see who viewed your content, swipe up when viewing your Story.

Instagram Stories are very similar to Snapchat — yes, Snapchat has facial recognition and Lenses (or filters). But, Instagram’s active user base combined with its search capabilities provide a great opportunity for businesses to be discovered. So if you’re wondering if your business should use Stories, the answer is “yes”.

How to Add Instagram Story Highlights

Instagram Story Highlights are Instagram Stories that have been preserved past their 24-hour limit and posted to an Instagram profile. You can find them in the small circles under an Instagram bio. Story Highlights are a fantastic way to showcase your best stories and post them semi-permanently to your account for your followers to see. They're also useful ways to showcase products, services, promotions, and more as your Highlights can include links to external sites.

Instagram Story Highlights can also serve as a menu of sorts. Many Instagram businesses use Story Highlights to post their business hours, current promotions or sales, team member or shop location information, behind-the-scenes video, and more. Because Story Highlights are located at the top of an Instagram profile, they're almost an extension of your bio. Instagram also allows you to add Highlight Covers (at 2000 x 2000 px and an aspect ratio of 1:1) to illustrate your Story Highlights and keep your profile on-brand.

There are multiple ways to add Instagram Story Highlights. It's important to note, however, that you can't add images or video directly to your Story Highlights. Your Story Highlights need to be a previously posted (or currently live) or Instagram Story before you can pin it to a Highlight (or create a new Highlight).

One way to create and/or post to a Story Highlight is with a current Instagram Story.

Add an Instagram Highlight from Story

Step 1: open your current instagram story and click the heart icon labeled highlight ..

At this point, Instagram will ask you which Highlight you'd like to pin the Story to, or it will ask you to create a Highlight if you don't have any yet.

Step 2: Edit the Highlight.

Once you add the Story to an existing Highlight (or use it to create a new one), you'll see the Highlight show up on your Instagram profile, below your Instagram bio. Once posted, Story Highlights can be edited to change the cover image, pick a new name, remove posts, or even add new ones from your Story Archive (which we'll talk about next). To edit a Highlight, click the three dots at the bottom of a Story Highlight and tap Edit Highlight .

Add an Instagram Highlight from Archive

You can also create or add to Story Highlights from your Archive, which is where your Instagram Stories are saved after their 24-hour limit expires.

Step 1: Access the archive.

You can access your Archive by tapping the three lines in the top right corner of your profile and clicking Archive . Your Archive also includes posts that you've removed from your Instagram profile; to toggle between Posts and Stories , tap Archive in the top bar for the drop-down menu.

Step 2: Add the highlight.

From your Archive, you can choose old Instagram Stories to add to Story Highlights. Simply open an archived Story, click Highlight at the bottom menu, and choose which Highlight to add it to.

Highlights are useful ways to engage your audience by making temporary content permanent on your profile. Story Highlights are also close to your Instagram bio, making them noticeable parts of your Instagram profile. Use your Story Highlights to engage, inform, and delight your Instagram audience — much like HubSpot does.

Instagram Live

As we talked about above, Instagram has a live video option that allows you to share content real-time. To start a live video stream, open the Instagram camera, swipe to the Live setting, and click the button to Start Live Video .

Once you start the live video, any followers currently on the app will receive a notification that you’re live. Live viewers can also comment on the live video using the built-in chat feature. Live video should be used sparingly to showcase exciting, real-time content or engaging moments like Q&As or reveals.

Instagram TV, or IGTV , is Instagram’s newest video offering. Available to watch through the Instagram app or the standalone IGTV app , users can view long-form, vertical video from Instagram creators. Think: Cooking videos, interviews with celebrities, product reviews, and tutorials ... this is the content you’ll typically find on IGTV.

What's the difference between Instagram Live and IGTV? IGTV is uploaded footage, which gives users the opportunity to edit and fine-tune their video. Instagram Live is filmed and uploaded live .

To begin posting, download the IGTV app, create a channel, and upload a video between 15 seconds and 10 minutes in length. Verified accounts can run videos up to an hour long. At this time, IGTV videos can only be viewed on mobile devices using the Instagram or IGTV app — the platform does not support desktop viewing.

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How to Write Instagram Captions

One picture may be worth a thousand words, but there’s something to be said about the context words bring.

Writing remarkable captions can be tough, and that’s why we’ve come up with some tips to relieve some of that pressure.

1. Don’t rush the process.

Write several drafts and ask your friends or co-workers for their opinion. Yes, your content should be timely, but it should also be engaging. Instagram recently changed its algorithm to organize each user’s feed to show what they’ll likely find engaging. The visibility of each post will depend on the number of likes and comments it receives. Take the time to create content that will delight and engage your customers.

2. Consider the caption length.

Your captions can be up to 2,200 characters. (For comparison, Twitter allows 140.) Regardless of length, users can only see the first 3 to 4 lines of each caption. They have to click More… to see the rest. Because of this, place the most important content at the beginning of the caption so it’s always visible.

That being said, don’t shy away from long captions. In fact, Instagram can be a great storytelling medium. For example, Humans of New York writes longer captions with quotes from the people they photograph.

3. Engage, engage, and engage some more.

Always include a call-to-action in your caption. Encourage your audience to like, comment on, and share your photo.

You can also use your caption to direct people to your bio link, where they can check out a new product or blog post. Just remember to change the link so it corresponds with your most recent post. Tip: Use shortened tracking links in your URL so you can see how much traffic came from your Instagram account or a specific post.

Include a geotag. Adding a geotag gives users another way to find your content, which can lead to higher engagement.

4. Find your Instagram voice.

Every social platform has a distinct voice. What works Twitter may not work on Instagram. On Instagram, posts with a lighthearted, authentic tone tend to perform the best. Experiment with emojis and other fun tools to give your brand a distinct feel. Don’t expect to get it right the first time — it can take a while to develop your brand’s voice.

If you’re ever in doubt about what to write, keep it short. There’s little correlation between caption length and engagement , but short captions allow your visuals do the talking.

How to Use Hashtags on Instagram

Hashtags have taken over the internet. Hashtags refer to keywords or keyword phrases that are spelled without spaces and prefaced with a pound (#) sign. They are generally used to reference events, conferences, pop culture, entertainment, or reoccurring themes and are a great way to make your content more visible.

Originally popularized by Twitter, hashtags are now on multiple social networks.

Using Hashtags on Instagram

Instagram feeds are always changing, which makes sense considering that 95 million photos are shared everyday . With that much content, it can be difficult for your account to get noticed. That’s where hashtags come in handy.

On Instagram, hashtags aggregate posts from a wide variety of users into a single feed … although only public accounts can be shown when searching hashtags.

Instagram makes it simple and easy for users to find tagged content. When you search a word or phrase, the search results page shows you four parts:

• Top, which displays the top Instagram accounts, hashtags, and locations that include your keyword (typically accounts that are popular or that you're following)
• Accounts, which shows you the top Instagram accounts that include your keyword
• Tags, which suggests popular hashtags that include your keyword and how many other Instagram posts have been shared with that hashtag
• Places, which displays nearby locations that include your keyword

For example, if you’re planning on tagging your post with #coffee, you may want to tag related hashtags like #coffeebar, #coffeeholic, or #coffeehouse to broaden your post reach.

Using hashtags is easy! Simply create hashtags using characters, numbers, or emojis; you can add up to thirty to the caption. Just remember — your account must be public for your posts to appear on hashtag feeds.

Choosing an Instagram Hashtag

How do you choose which hashtags are best for each post? Our best answer is by brainstorming related keywords and researching relevant trends, which is actually easiest within Instagram itself.

Start in the Explore tab (the magnifying glass icon on the bottom menu). There, you’ll find popular posts and see what hashtags were used.

If you already have a hashtag in mind, you can also use this page to find popular, related hashtags. Just type the hashtag in the search bar, and filter your results by Tags to see how many posts have used that hashtag as well as other related hashtags.

Try to blend general, trending hashtags and specific hashtags to increase your post reach and relevance. Also, consider creating your own branded hashtag .

Many businesses use their own hashtags to roll out a new product, manage an Instagram campaign, promote an event, and collect user-generated content. If you’d like to do this for your business, make sure yours isn’t being used for another purpose … and then encourage your audience to use it!

Formatting an Instagram Hashtag

Now, let’s discuss how to incorporate hashtags in your content.

First and foremost, don’t be spammy. Hashtags should be natural in your caption. Aim to use one to four hashtags to avoid overwhelming your audience and making your captions hard to read.

If your hashtags don’t naturally blend into your caption, tack them onto the end or even in the first comment. They’ll work the same no matter where they’re placed.

How to Create Videos for Social Media

Instagram Hacks and Best Practices

Let’s explore a few little-known Instagram hacks to make the most of the platform. We recommend downloading the latest version of the app to follow along.

1. Post to Instagram at the best times.

Instagram users are active at all times of the day. However, there are a handful of optimal times to post on Instagram . For peak engagement, the best times to post on Instagram across industries are 1 p.m, and 5 p.m. This is for the time zone of your target audience. Many users tend to engage with more content during off-work hours on weekdays.

2. Link Instagram to your Facebook page.

One thing that makes Instagram unique is that you can share your content seamlessly across other social networks.

We don’t recommend automatically linking to your other social platforms like Twitter and Facebook; what works on Instagram won’t always yield the same results on other channels, especially as you get up and running. For this reason, tailor your content to each platform.

However, linking your Instagram to your other social accounts like Facebook does increase the number of eyes on your posts. Remember, your Facebook Page will already be linked to your Instagram if you set up an Instagram business profile.

If you do decide to do this, go to your Instagram settings and click Linked Accounts under Privacy and Security . Log into Facebook and pick the Facebook Business Page to which you’d like to link. Next, under the Share Settings menu, the Facebook logo should be blue to indicate that sharing is on.

3. See posts you’ve liked.

You can see all the posts you’ve Liked in your Instagram settings menu. (Remember, tap the three lines in the top right corner of your profile and click Settings at the bottom.) From there, click Account Posts You've Liked.

4. Reorder Instagram filters.

To maximize productivity, Instagram lets you reorder filters to position the ones you use most often at the beginning. To reorder or hide filters, open the Instagram editor. Scroll to the far right and click the Manage gear icon. Hold down the three gray lines to reorder the filters, or uncheck to hide it.

5. Hide posts you’ve been tagged in.

If someone tags you in a post, it’ll show up when you click the person icon in the menu under your Instagram bio. Your followers can see this, too.

You can hide a tagged post in two ways. One way is through each individual picture. Open a photo you want to hide and click the three dots in the top right corner. Click Photo Options , and from there you can select Remove Me From Post (remove the tag and hide altogether) or Hide from My Profile (leave tag but hide on profile).

If you don’t want to have to continually check and remove tagged posts, you can manually choose just to include the ones you do like. To do this, go to Settings Privacy Tags and turn off the Add Automatically option. Moving forward, you’ll be notified when someone tags you in a photo. When that happens, tap on the photo you were tagged in and choose Show on Profile .

From this screen, you can manually hide multiple photos and videos from your profile, too.

6. Save photos and build collections.

There’s lots of incredible content on Instagram. Maybe you’ve seen content by competitors that you want to emulate, or maybe you’ve found some user-generated content you’d like to repost. How can you save this content to access later? Well, Instagram makes it easy — through Saved content.

On your Instagram feed, you can like, comment, and message posts. You can also save them, using the ribbon icon in the right corner. When you tap it, you’ll see Save to Collection pop up along the bottom of the post. If the image or video you’ve saved falls into a collection, such as UGC content or inspiration, you can create a collection for that content.

Access your Saved content through your profile. Tap the three horizontal lines in the top right-hand corner and click Saved in the list. Under All , you’ll see all your saved content in chronological order. Under Collections , you’ll find that content organized into Collections.

7. Leverage user-generated content.

Keeping up with your Instagram can be a lot of work, especially if you're managing multiple social networks at a time. As I mentioned at the beginning of this guide, in order for you to find success on Instagram you must be prepared to post content and engage regularly. If this sounds intimidating, don't fret; I've found the perfect solution for both — user-generated content .

User-generated content (UGC) is content featuring your brand or product that your customers, users, and followers post on their networks. UGC is a fantastic example of word-of-mouth marketing and helps drive brand awareness and conversions. Better yet? You can use that content for your own networks.

There are a few different ways to use UGC. Some brands share a branded hashtag and ask their customers to use it when posting about their products. The company then follows that hashtag to discover new content and asks the person permission to share their image. Other brands run specific UGC campaigns and contests to gather a lot of UGC at once and "flood" follower timelines with brand-specific content.

UGC campaigns don't have to happen on social media, either. My favorite example of UGC by the pet product brand, Chewy. We all know how much pets love boxes, and so do the folks at Chewy. They encourage customers to post pictures of their pets in Chewy boxes (seriously — it says it right there on the box!), and Chewy shares them on its social media. Not only does this provide the Chewy social media team with endless new content, but it shows potential customers real photos of real customers and their cute pets.

8. Feature guest takeovers.

Your social media manager or management team deserves a break now and then! Consider featuring guest "managers" or employee takeovers on your Instagram. This strategy allows you to mix up your content and provide your followers with a behind-the-scenes look at what it's like to work for your company. (Or, if you feature customers, what it's like to buy from your company.)

The HubSpotLife Instagram does this with HubSpot employees around the world. Each employee takes over for a day and showcases their workspace, hobbies, and other parts of their life.

9. Make your Instagram an interactive space.

While likes and comments are important parts of Instagram engagement, there are other ways to turn your Instagram feed into a space to interact with your followers. Consider these tips:

• Conduct a weekly or monthly "ask me anything" (AMA) with employees or executives where followers can leave questions in the comments.
• Post a daily countdown to a product release or event (like INBOUND ).
• Run a contest that asks followers to comment and/or share your posts in their Instagram Stories as entry methods.
• Post information about your products and ask for feedback and reviews in the comments.

These are all strategies for making your Instagram a more interactive, conversational space.

Instagram Analytics

Instagram doesn't have a built-in, in-depth analytics platform like Facebook … yet.

When you switch to a Business Account, you do gain access to some limited analytics, such as follower growth, impressions, reach, and engagement. Access these by clicking on the View Insights option below your uploaded images and videos.

You can also track Instagram impressions, spend, and engagement on ad campaigns through Facebook’s Ad Manager. While helpful, these metrics are limited to individual posts and campaigns.

You can access more in-depth Instagram metrics using third-party apps. Iconosquare and Sprout Social allow you to track additional metrics such as followers and engagement over time, optimal post time based on previous posts, and performance compared to selected competitors. Although both platforms require you to pay to use them, you can start with a free trial to see if their analytics offerings are right for you.

The individual metrics you track on Instagram will vary depending on your goals, but you should always keep an eye on engagement (likes and comments) and your number of followers over time. If you’re posting valuable content, your account will steadily gain followers and engagement.

Whether or not you have the budget for more in-depth analytics tools, track these basic metrics to make sure your account is growing and performing well.

For a full list of free Instagram analytics tools, check out our blog post here .

Social Media Strategy Kit

Getting Started With Instagram Advertising

Let’s discuss Instagram advertising . Instagram advertising offers a unique opportunity for brands to engage with their audience. Since Instagram ads appear in feeds like any other post, they aren’t as obvious or disruptive as typical ads. They provide a natural way to encourage users to learn more about your business or product.

How Create an Instagram Ad

If you’ve ever set up a Facebook ad, you know the drill — setting up Instagram ads is done through Facebook’s ad platform.

To create your ad, select a current Instagram post you’d like to boost or create a new one in Facebook Ad Manager. If you haven’t run ads through Facebook before, you’ll first need to set up an account. You’ll also need to claim your Instagram Business account to link it to your Facebook page.

To claim your Instagram account, go to your Business Manager and, on the left side of the page, hover over the menu to click Instagram Accounts . Then click on Claim Instagram Account . Add your account information and click Next .

Pick an objective and name your campaign. While Facebook offers many different choices, only a few include Instagram advertising as an option. To ensure you’re on the right track, pick from any of the following options:

• Brand Awareness
• App Installs
• Video Views
• Conversions

Once you’ve selected your objective, you’ll be prompted to name your ad set.

If you select the Traffic option, you’ll be prompted to select a destination for your traffic. Facebook lets you pick between a website and an application.

Next, target your ad with demographic and psychographic factors, such as age, gender, location, language, work, financial status, behaviors, and connections. You can also load previously-used custom audiences.

Select Edit Placements under the placements options and select Instagram under the available platforms. Don’t forget this step! Otherwise, your ad will only show up on Facebook. If you only want to run your ad on Instagram, make sure that no other placements are selected.

After you select Instagram as your placement, you’ll be asked to set the budget and schedule for your ad. Set a daily spend budget or a lifetime budget for the ad and indicate start and end dates for your campaign.

If you don’t set dates or a lifetime budget, your ad will run indefinitely on the daily budget you allocate. You can find more budget and scheduling options under the Advanced Options menu, which allows you to schedule your ad to run during certain hours of the day or set your ad to generate results as quickly as possible using the “Accelerated” delivery type. This option is useful for ads focused around timely events.

Next, set up your ad content. You can boost an existing post or upload new content to run as your ad. Instagram allows you to create Single Image or Video Ads, Carousel Ads, and Story Ads.

To maximize ad delivery, Facebook recommends using images that are 1,200 x 628 for news feed ads and 1,080 x 1920 for story ads. Facebook also recommends limiting your text on the image or video thumbnail.

Once your ad creative is uploaded, place your order and start running your first Instagram ad campaign!

How much should you spend on Instagram ads?

How much you invest in Instagram advertising campaigns should be tied to your campaign goal.

If you’re trying to gather more leads, consider the cost-per-lead and how that compares to other channels and your customer lifetime value (CLV). (For example, if your CLV is $3000, then it might be worth spending $500 on a campaign. These are just arbitrary numbers, but you get the gist.)

This is different for every business and industry. It also applies to other goals like increased website clicks and sales.

No matter your goal, it’s important to monitor and optimize your Instagram ads to make the most of your budget.

Instagram Marketing Helps You Grow Better

With one billion monthly active users, there’s no denying Instagram’s power and reach. What was once a simple photo-sharing app has transformed into an immersive social experience that allows users to explore a company’s visual identity.

Instagram users value high-quality content. Create visuals that provide your audience with interesting information or showcase your brand in a new, unique way. Optimize your content by writing entertaining captions that engage.

Creating and maintaining a platform that captures your brand’s visual identity may seem intimidating, but Instagram makes it fun and easy. Follow our guide and get inspired to make the most out of your Instagram marketing strategy.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in April 2017 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Allie Decker

Content Strategy @ HubSpot

Read More About Instagram Marketing on HubSpot's Blog

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Jun 22, 2018

Presentation: A Guide to Marketing on Instagram

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Written by Kate Talbot

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Kate Talbot is a marketing consultant working with global clients. Based in Silicon Valley, she has led content marketing and social media at Virgin America and Kiva, scaled user growth at B2B and B2C startups, and crafted thought leadership strategies and content for top tier venture capitalists. She is a senior contributor to Forbes , and the author of the bestselling book ' Oh Snap! You Can Use Snapchat for Business '. She has been featured on NBC News, CNBC, Huffington Post, Newsday, TechCrunch and VentureBeat. You can find her at her website and on Twitter . 

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The Complete Guide to Growing Your Business with Instagram Marketing

Instagram is one of the fastest-growing – if not the fastest-growing – social media platforms out there. Since its launch, its user base skyrocketed to 1 billion . Also, Instagram has won the battle for engagement – the platform generates 4x more interactions compared to Facebook. These statistics indicate why so many businesses are keen to jump on the Instagram marketing bandwagon. But let’s get one thing straight: getting Instagram marketing right is no simple task. You must learn the ins and outs of the platform to run campaigns that bring in conversions. The good news? This guide will take you through the moving parts of Instagram marketing in an actionable, clear-cut way. 

Let’s start from the basics.

What Is Instagram Marketing?

Instagram marketing definition.

Instagram marketing is a type of social media marketing in which marketers use the Instagram platform to promote their business. If “promote their business” sounds broad, that’s because it is: Instagram marketing can involve a number of different strategies and tactics, used to accomplish all kinds of goals a business might have.

When looking at various ways to use Instagram for marketing, you can split the activity into two main categories:

• Paid tactics like advertising and influencer marketing
• Unpaid tactics like creating organic content, such as posts, Instagram Stories, and comments, as well as engaging with other users’ content

Typical business goals might include selling your products or services, getting more followers and engagement, building relationships with potential customers and other brands, and generally boosting a brand’s reputation.

A little later, we’ll get into the specifics of how to set goals, and how to use certain tactics to accomplish them.

Marketing on Instagram: The Importance of the Algorithm

You may have heard the term “algorithm,” which is a widely misunderstood term. You don’t need to be a master of the Instagram algorithm, but a basic understanding of it can help achieve your goals faster and with fewer headaches.

While some marketers feel that the Instagram algorithm is their arch enemy, it’s actually a friend. That’s because its ultimate goal – like every other online algorithm – is to deliver relevant, entertaining, and engaging content to each user.

Algorithms do this by carefully studying their users’ activities and behaviors, then using this data to make informed guesses on what those users will want to see in the future. If your content happens to pass the “test,” you’re teed up for success.

We could go on for hours about the Instagram algorithm, but the main takeaway is that you should always, always focus on creating quality content that really provides a benefit for your audience.

No spammy posts or comments, and no content just for the sake of creating something. Be thoughtful and strategic, while constantly asking what your audience wants and how you can serve them through your efforts.

What You Need to Start Marketing on Instagram

Before you dive into Instagram marketing , make sure you have a proper business profile – not just a regular personal profile. This way, you can reap the benefits of Instagram business marketing features and Instagram Insights, which we’ll discuss later in this post. Plus, it’s more credible in the eyes of your audience.

Let’s take a look at how to create a business profile and some best practices that can turn a good profile into an awesome one.

How to Create an Instagram Business Profile

To create an Instagram business profile, you’ll need two things:

• An Instagram account, which can be your existing personal profile or a new one you’ve created just for this purpose. We recommend creating a new handle with your company’s name for brand recognition.
• A Facebook business page for your company. Instagram requires this for verification purposes, so go ahead and make one first. Here’s a step-by-step guide to create your Facebook business page .

Without further ado, here’s an overview of how to make an Instagram business profile:

• On your smartphone, log in to Instagram with your company handle.
• Tap the circular icon in the bottom right corner. The screen will expand to show another menu. Tap “Settings” in the bottom right corner.

• On the Settings page, scroll down until you find “Switch to Business Profile.”

• Instagram will then ask you to connect the account to your Facebook business page and edit your business’s public contact info: email address, phone number, and location. This will be public on your profile, so avoid adding private info.

And voilà. You’re ready to use Instagram for marketing your business .

How to Market on Instagram: Creating Your Strategy

Just like any other type of strategy, your Instagram marketing strategy will work best if you have a clear goal, choose individual tactics that will gradually build toward that goal, and keep track of your progress along the way so you can tweak where needed.

And that’s exactly what we’ll discuss now.

Identify Goals and Objectives

Your goals and objectives are the pillars of your marketing plan . We like to follow the SMART acronym for goal setting:

• S pecific: Give exact numbers and milestones instead of a vague goal.
• M easurable: Choose goals that are trackable and measurable with analytics and insights.
• A ttainable: Be realistic. A million followers in a week is prooooobably not going to happen. ( Unless you’re an egg .) 
• R elevant: Stay aligned with your industry, business, and outlook.
• T ime-bound: Give yourself a timeframe to accomplish the goal.

So instead of saying, “I want more followers,” try something like, “My goal is to gain 500 authentic followers in three months.”

Instead of, “I want more sales,” try, “My goal is to earn $1,000 in revenue from Instagram Ads sales this month.”

And instead of, “I want a more engaged following,” try, “My goal is to grow my engagement rate by 1 percent in six months.” ( Check out this article to learn how to calculate and grow your engagement rate.)

Once you set a goal, it’s time to flesh out your Instagram content strategy.

Build Your Instagram Content Strategy

As we discussed earlier, you have several posting options for building your Instagram content strategy. Choosing the right ones depends largely on knowing your audience.

Ask yourself: What are the key demographics of my audience? What do they like to do, see, and experience? What entices and entertains them? How do brands generate trust and motivate them to make a purchase?

You probably won’t know all these answers right away, which is perfectly normal. It’s a learning process that you’ll get the hang of as you go. But you’ll find that as you get a laser-focused understanding of your audience and what makes them tick, your Instagram marketing strategy will perform better and better.

Here are some pointers for building a strong Instagram content strategy:

• Make sure every post is aligned with your branding and aesthetic.

Keep a consistent “vibe.” For example, if your brand is high-fashion, ensure that all of your images are high-quality, conjuring feelings of elegance and sophistication. If your brand is quirky or funny, Instagram is a great place to let your true colors shine.

Shoe company Allbirds knows that their audience loves animals and memes, so they incorporate these regularly into their content strategy.

Like this post, which shows a photo of some lambs wearing sweaters, with a caption that reads: “When the whole squad has their fall fashion looks down.” Cute.

• Get valuable intel from your friends and enemies.

If you’re just starting out, it can be a huge help to peep at what other companies are up to. Check out top-performing posts from similar brands, your biggest competitors, leaders in specific niches, and the most broadly popular accounts on the platform.

Doing this competitive research will tip you off when it comes to important trends, best practices, and little-known tricks and Instagram hacks to take you to the next level.

• Create a social media content calendar to stay on track. 

Create a social media content calendar so that you can always stay on top of your Instagram content strategy, ensuring that it’s cohesive and consistent.

To start, write out all of your posts for the next month, scheduling at least three posts per week. If you’re looking for inspiration or having trouble filling in all the spots, take advantage of free Instagram templates that follow common post styles and popular posts from other brands.

If you have a few bucks to spare, you can buy full packs that feature several templates with consistent visual themes, like this 48-template Instagram Commerce Pack from Tugcu Design Co.

If you really want to stay on top of things, you can use a tool like Later or Buffer to schedule automatic publishing for your posts. We’ll cover some of these apps a bit later, but in the meantime, here’s a handy guide for scheduling Instagram posts .

• Use Instagram Insights to track your performance.

Instagram Insights is a free tool that’s available for everyone with a business profile. It gives you a valuable look at key performance metrics of your account, like how much attention your posts are getting and how engaged users are.

You can also see demographic info on your followers, giving you better intel on finding your target audience on Instagram. While this built-in analytics tool isn’t mind-blowingly comprehensive, it’s a fantastic tool for starters.

The Most Powerful Instagram Features for Businesses

Instagram has plenty of cool features that help connect users and enrich relationships. Even if you’re not a religious Instagram user, you’re probably familiar with the most popular ones.

Let’s look at a few features that can help boost your Instagram marketing strategy.

Instagram Hashtags

It seems that hashtags are virtually everywhere on the internet these days. When applied to your marketing strategy, Instagram hashtags are a clear signal to users that your posts are relevant to what they’re looking for.

In fact, many users look for content based on hashtags alone. So if your posts are related to a trending topic, be sure to include the associated hashtag. This can help you get in front of the eyes of people who are genuinely interested in what you have to say.

You can search directly in the Instagram search bar to find trending hashtags and scope out content that others are posting.

Other cool tools like Keyword Tool will generate hashtags for you based on your keywords. Many of these tools offer some free results, but require a paid upgrade for more extensive lists.

It’s also a smart idea to create a branded hashtag and use it frequently. This hashtag might include your company’s name or the name of a particular campaign, event, or promotion.

Instagram Stories

As of January 2019, more than 500 million people use Instagram Stories . The psychology makes sense: they’re a more exciting and ephemeral way to share with your followers, since they can only be 15 seconds long, they disappear after 24 hours, and they aren’t listed on your main profile or feed.

Stories are a worthy addition to your Instagram marketing strategy, as they give you an opportunity to touch on things that are more timely or in-depth, or don’t quite warrant a standard post.

Here are a few ideas for how you can use Instagram Stories:

• Answer popular questions within your company’s niche or about your company specifically
• Show “behind-the-scenes” content to give your audience a peek at how you do your thing
• Promote your content, like a new blog, ebook, or infographic
• Have a “takeover” where one of your employees (or an influencer) posts their own content for a day
• Poll your audience on a popular topic or ask them for feedback about your company
• Host a contest or giveaway in which you ask users to create a post a story that tags your account or includes a branded hashtag

Men’s clothing brand Chubbies has a creative “Welcome Back from the Weekender” series every Monday, which features a compilation of stories that act as a fun news-style show.

Be sure you mind your Instagram Story dimensions so your images and videos don’t look wonky to your viewers.

Instagram Live

Just as the name suggests, Instagram Live is a feature that allows you to engage your audience in a real time “live broadcast” format. This is an especially helpful feature for if you’re attending an event or discussing anything timely or urgent.

The cool thing about Instagram Live is that your story will show up first in your followers’ Story feed, and they’ll also get a notification that it’s happening when they open the app. But with great power comes great responsibility: don’t use this feature unless you have some truly good content to share, or you might push users away for wasting their time.

While each Story can only be 15 seconds long, IGTV was made especially for long-form videos. These can be 10 minutes, or up to an hour for accounts with more followers. You can think of it as Instagram’s take on YouTube.

IGTV allows users to search for videos that pique their interest, and also makes recommendations based on their past behavior and activity. This helps make sure that audiences are connected with content they’ll like.

If you’re just starting out, IGTV may not necessarily suit your needs or goals. But if you’re a media company, or otherwise produce long videos, it can be a useful tool for getting your message across and engaging your audience.

How to Market with Instagram : 5 Strategies to Adopt

There are several marketing strategies for Instagram that work even if you’re starting from scratch. Here are some of the proven methods you can implement right now to grow your Instagram presence.

1. Host a Giveaway with Another Business

Partnering with another business to host a contest or giveaway can work wonders for your brand. 

Low-sugar chocolate brand Truth Bar, for example, partnered with sugar-free Belgian chocolate brand SkinnyMe Chocolate to host a giveaway that generated solid engagement.  

The idea here is that if both of you have similar customer profiles , you’ll both gain high-quality followers. Request that everybody who enters the competition ‘likes’ the post and does some secondary action, like a tag or a follow.

2. Repost Other Companies’ Content

If you’re looking to gain a huge following on Instagram, consider sharing other brands’ content on your account.

This is both a smart and a natural way to get more exposure for your business. When you tag another business in your post and promote their content, they’re likely to reciprocate.

In some cases, they’ll follow you back and promote your business as well. And just as crucial, their followers are likely to take notice of your profile.

You can do this manually or use an app like Repost for Instagram for the purpose.

We suggest you go for the app because it lets you quickly select the accounts you’d like to repost. Plus, it automatically tags the original profile, giving it the credit for the content.

3. Give and Receive Instagram Shoutouts

Another version of the reposting strategy involves shoutouts.  

This is where you ask another business in your industry if they would like to post your content, and in return you post theirs. The cool part of it is that you can give and receive shoutouts in various ways.

Digital cameras brand Canon , for instance, allows photographers who own a Canon camera to give it a shoutout using the hashtag #MyCanonStory in the description of their post. 

Canon regularly returns the favor by sharing some of the most enticing work from those photographers. Here is an example: 

This is a brilliant Instagram marketing strategy that benefits both the brand and its partners, who experience a significant uptick in their following and credibility.

You can learn more about shoutouts in our ultimate guide to Instagram shoutouts . All it takes is finding the right partners who’re open to offering a mutual value exchange.

4. Let an Influencer Takeover

Next on our list of Instagram marketing tips is influencer takeovers. This is where you connect your business with an influential person who’s prominent within your industry.

For example, if you’re in the business of selling athleisure, you might collaborate with an athlete or fitness model.

This will expose your company to the influencer’s followers as they announce the Instagram takeover in the days leading up to it.

You can find relevant businesses and individuals to partner with by signing up to influencer marketing platforms . These are online tools that automate the discovery, vetting, and reporting processes, enabling you to focus more on developing influencer relationships and planning memorable takeovers.

5. Write Captions That Move Your Audience

Many people scroll through their Instagram feed when they’re bored or trudging through a mundane daily routine. You can attract and get this audience to follow you by creating intriguing Instagram captions .

The goal is to convey the story or feeling behind your video or image.

If the video or image is about a product, the caption is your canvas to fill in a quick description of your item. Explain why people should care, and don’t forget to include a few emojis.

In general, posts with strong captions can help shape your company’s personality and story. The key is to craft a copy that encourages engagement and makes people realize they need what you’re offering. 

These four Instagram marketing ideas offer a simple and effective way to strengthen your brand image. That said, it can take some time for results to come in if you’re starting from scratch. That’s because no one knows who you are yet, which makes it hard to get initial traction.

But don’t let that deter you. To hit the ground running, check out our recommended strategies on how to gain followers on Instagram . Who knows, you might get 10,000 followers in as little as six months.

The Best Instagram Marketing Apps for 2021

Instagram itself offers tons of useful tools and filters, but sometimes you need a little extra push to set yourself apart from other businesses in a crowded feed.  

Fortunately, there are plenty of Instagram apps available to help you do just that.

The best Instagram marketing apps will make your posts memorable, distinguishable, and share-worthy. While you might not be able to entice all 1 billion users, you should be able to attract the attention of those that matter most to your business.

Whether you’re looking to create better images, schedule posts in advance, or delete inactive followers, we’ve rounded up the essential apps that every business should add to their Instagram marketing toolbox. Note : Most of the Instagram apps in the list below are available for both iOS and Android devices. 

Photo Editing Apps

There are dozens of flavors of photo editor apps to help you perfect your images. Some of our favorites include:

Snapseed ( iOS and Android )

Snapseed’s brush tool enables you to adjust for saturation, color temperature, and exposure, which is ideal for situations where you don’t want to auto-enhance every detail in your image.

VSCO ( iOS and Android )

VSCO is popular for its movie-like filters and editing features that often beat Instagram’s in-app offerings in terms of creativity. You can use it to adjust contrast, enhance skin color, darken edges, and more.

Afterlight 2 ( iOS )

With this app, you can add text and special typography to your photos. This is an opportunity for you to do something like create hype for a product or promote a sale.

You can also download Instagram video editor apps to edit your clips. Thanks to features like clip trimming and noise reduction, you can create good-looking videos without hiring a pro.

Scheduling Apps

Once you figure out the best time to post on Instagram , you can use scheduling apps to create and push more content to your audience. Here are our picks:  

Later ( iOS and Android )

Later is extremely simple to use. You just have to upload a media item from your phone’s library into Later’s dashboard, and the scheduler will pop up. You can also write a caption, tag the location where the image or video was captured, and tag profiles of other users to increase your content’s discoverability.

Hootsuite ( iOS and Android )

Hootsuite’s “Compose” window lets you decide whether you want to post content now, save it as a draft, schedule it manually, or queue it for later. Other Hootsuite features allow you to measure content performance, follower growth, and more.

Content Apps

If you want to get more followers on Instagram, you have to publish content that stands out. That’s where content apps come in. Our favorites include:

StoryLuxe ( iOS )

This is one of the best Instagram Story apps out there. You can use it to apply a variety of stylish filters, colors, textures, and templates to your Stories. Most of these are trendy and creative, often inspired by cinematic photography.

Layout ( iOS and Android )

Layout is a super-smooth, feature-rich image mixer that instantly lays out up to nine images in several combinations to create a collage. You can select photos from your camera roll or capture them with the built-in image booth as you go.

  Splice ( iOS )

GoPro’s Splice comes with simple-yet-powerful editing features. You can use it to combine your favorite images and videos into one cohesive media clip, and then use the integrated music library and transition effects to create a masterpiece. 

It’s worth experimenting with these apps and using Instagram Insights to monitor how they’re impacting your marketing strategy. Use the ones that have made a positive impact in conjunction with other mobile marketing apps to grow your business. With all the incredible apps available in the market, you’re sure to land some good combinations. 

Making Money with Instagram Marketing

If you love being active on Instagram and have a decent number of engaged followers, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to make money on Instagram.

While top influencers make millions per post, even those with a following between 1,000 and 10,000 have the potential to turn Instagram into a healthy source of income.

To help get you started, check out these three ideas to start making money with Instagram marketing.

1. Sell Your Own Products

You can start making money by selling any digital or physical product that you manufacture yourself or buy from suppliers.

Physical products require keeping some inventory, meaning you’d need to spend some money to rent a place where you can keep the items. However, not everyone has the startup capital or funds to rent storage space.

The good news is that you can always sell dropshipped products . This technique lets you sell on Instagram without ever holding any inventory.

Once you’ve made a sale the supplier will ship the ordered goods from their facility, straight to the customer’s home. You’ll never need to worry about shipping, storing, or packaging your products.

2. Sign Up For an Affiliate Program

Alternatively, you can sell other people’s products as an affiliate and receive a cut. There are many people and companies that make money from Instagram like this. Make sure to use relevant hashtags on all affiliate posts to reach more audiences who might be interested in taking up your offer. 

Affiliates earn their bounty via a promo code or a trackable link (most Instagrammers put it in their bio) to ensure any clicks are converted to sales. You can use these eye-catching post ideas to ensure your content draws people in to check out your affiliate product or service.

Find an affiliate program that pays the commission you want, and is related to the niche of your business in some way. For example, if you’re a veterinarian by profession, you may sign up for an affiliate program promoting a certain pet food brand or supplement.  

The best way to do this is to search for your niche or profession on Google, along with the keyword “affiliate programs.” A veterinarian can search for “pet affiliate programs” or “dog food affiliate programs,” for instance.

3. Become an Influencer

With an influencer status, you can start pitching brands to promote their products and services in your posts.  

Companies tend to partner with influencers to create sponsored content that helps spread the word about their offerings. Common types of content include an Instagram story or Instagram post that will include an explanation of the business or its products.

So, once you have increased your follower count above a thousand and have a good engagement rate , start your influencer outreach. The easiest way to do this is to send direct messages to brands you think are relevant to your business. If you’ve seen them collaborate with other influencers of your level, they’re likely to be open to hearing what you have to offer. 

Top influencers make hundreds to thousands of dollars per sponsored story or post. If you create one piece of sponsored content per day, you can potentially make thousands of dollars per month.  

With all of the new features and opportunities available on Instagram (and more to come), the platform is becoming one of the more popular channels for people and companies to make some cash.

Don’t let a small follower count discourage you from selling what you have to offer. 

As long as you’re selling high-quality products, signing up for the right affiliate programs, and collaborating with relevant businesses, you’re on the right path to earning money via Instagram marketing.

Or, if you’re looking for tips that will help you create additional streams of potential revenue, check out our detailed guide on how to make money on Instagram .

Instagram Campaign Examples for Inspiration

To get your creative juices flowing, let’s look at a few common examples of Instagram marketing.

1. Fitbit’s bonus Spotify playlists

FitBit does a great job of promoting their product while giving their followers a “bonus” in the form of a Spotify playlist to listen to during their workout. The post features a fun visual of a FitBit displaying Spotify playlists. .

  View this post on Instagram   Turn up the volume on playlists that get your heart pumping when you play DJ on Fitbit smartwatches like #FitbitVersa2, now with the @spotify app. Tune in to our story to learn more. A post shared by fitbit (@fitbit) on Sep 3, 2019 at 12:39pm PDT

2. Audible Canada’s influencer shoutout

When you can find the right influencers to match your brand, it can give you a serious boost in followers, sales, and overall brand recognition. The key here is that it’s imperative to find the right influencers.

In this example, Audible’s Canada division partnered with tech influencer @thetrendytechie . In her typical post style, she explains what she’s listening to and why she likes using Audible.

She sealed the deal with a relevant hashtag, # yougottahearthis, which makes the post searchable to Instagram users looking for a convenient way to keep and hear audiobooks.

3. DeLallo Foods and Room & Board’s Cross-Promotion

Another best Instagram marketing tactic is partnering with other brands to cross-promote contests and giveaways.

In this example, recipe curator @thefeedfeed partnered with DeLallo Foods and furniture company Room & Board to host a contest with prizes from each of the three brands.

As an added bonus, the image used to promote the contest is an actual entry – a gorgeous and mouth-watering appetizer spread from one of TheFeedFeed’s existing followers.

Start selling online now with Shopify

Harness the Power of Instagram Marketing

Instagram is an absolute powerhouse in the social media world. For brands, there’s a virtually infinite amount of untapped potential to get attention, stimulate engagement, build strong relationships, and cruise past those annual financial goals.

While it can seem like a vast and intimidating world of its own, new companies have nothing to worry about – as long as they’re constantly watching, listening, and learning as they go. If you start your Instagram marketing strategy with a growth mindset, you’ll find that it gets easier and more lucrative as you go. It also gets pretty fun, if you play your cards right.

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How To Create Monthly Instagram Marketing Strategy Template

Instagram has become one of the most highly used social media today, with over 2 billion monthly active users . If you run a brand, Instagram can help you build an online presence and reach younger audiences.

However, leveraging Instagram for your business isn’t a simple job. The right strategy is necessary to make your efforts worth it. But how do you structure an effective Instagram marketing strategy?

From content creation to optimization and distribution, we’ve curated some of the best practices you can try. Keep scrolling to explore the best practices for creating a good Instagram marketing strategy template.

Table of Contents

Why an Instagram marketing strategy is important

Step #1. define goals aligned with your business objectives, step #2. understand your target audience, step #3. choose the content you want to create, step #4. create a content calendar, step #5. collaborate with influencers, step #6. provide interactive moments, step #7. consider instagram ads, step #8. perform competitor analysis, step #9. do instagram audit, step #10. track performance and make adjustments, wrapping up, 1. how can businesses effectively use instagram stories for marketing purposes, 2. what strategies can businesses employ to increase their instagram followers organically, 3. how can businesses effectively use instagram live for marketing purposes.

Incorporating Instagram marketing for your business is vital to stay competitive in the industry. In fact, marketers place Instagram as their third priority among social media platforms when it comes to investing time and money.

There are many ways to leverage Instagram for marketing your products. You can create informative videos , reels, stories, and more. You can also try Instagram ads and influencer marketing for more impactful results.

For example, a SaaS business that provides social media analytics tools promotes its product on Instagram by creating engaging content, such as infographics and data visualizations. Through its content, they showcase the insights and benefits its software offers. 

They can also collaborate with popular Instagram influencers in the marketing industry to create sponsored posts or stories highlighting their analytics platform’s value. Using targeted hashtags can improve the visibility of their posts.

Here are some other benefits of incorporating Instagram marketing for businesses:

Massive user base : Instagram’s large user base presents a significant potential market for businesses. 

Enhanced brand awareness : Through consistent and strategic posting, your businesses can raise brand awareness on Instagram.

Engaging with the audience : Instagram offers various features , such as comments, likes, and direct messaging, facilitating direct interaction between businesses and their audience.

Influencer marketing : Instagram is a hub for influencer marketing, where businesses collaborate with popular Instagram users to promote their products or services. 

E-commerce integration : You can use product tagging, shoppable posts, and Instagram Checkout, making it easier for your brand to sell products directly within the app. 

Analytics and insights : Instagram’s business tools have valuable in-built analytics and insights to help businesses understand their audience better. 

10 Steps to create an Instagram marketing strategy template

While you build your Instagram marketing strategy, it’s better to use a template or a business plan presentation  to execute your plan well. An Instagram marketing strategy template helps you maintain consistency and efficiency. We’ve curated vital practices to help you create an Instagram marketing strategy template.

When you start working on your SaaS business idea , defining business objectives is essential because it provides a clear direction for your Instagram marketing strategy.

Make your brand focus on what matters most and ensure that your content contributes to the growth and success of your business. Consider aspects such as increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, generating leads, boosting sales, or improving customer engagement rate . 

Ensure that your goals are realistic, relevant, and time-bound. Therefore you can choose the most suitable content and features to leverage on the platform.

Understanding your target audience is crucial in your Instagram marketing strategy. Get insights about your audience’s pain points, demographics, interests, behaviors, and preferences. This helps you produce content that resonates with audiences and maximize engagement. 

Keyhole is a tool that can help you gather detailed profile analytics and gain valuable audience insights. It provides information about your audience’s age, gender, location, interests, and even their most active hours on Instagram.

Getting relevant and comprehensive data about your target audience helps you create targeted and relevant content. Moreover, content that directly addresses your audience’s needs will increase your content performance. 

One of the biggest challenges of Instagram marketing is content creation. It’s normal to wonder what kind of content can attract and engage audiences effectively. Fortunately, Instagram has various features you can use to produce engaging content.

Every content type has advantages, from Insta stories to reels and feeds. Consider leveraging each content feature to enrich your brand account. Below are some tips on creating and optimizing your content:

• Explore different content and evaluate which type generates the most engagement.
• Invest in short videos for reels and Insta Stories.
• Consider interactive posts like quizzes and live video streaming.
• Write story-driven captions and encourage audiences to give responses.
• Produce high-quality visuals.
• Incorporate relevant and branded hashtags for better reach.

Tip: Upon adding your profile to Keyhole, you can discover your top posts and most engaging content type. You can do the same for your competitors’ and create an ideal content marketing plan.

A content calendar plan helps you stay organized throughout the month and year. You can schedule content creation and publishing on a single platform. You can consider using marketing tools , but we recommend Keyhole as one of the best options out there as you can schedule unlimited posts to your favourite platforms.

Keyhole has a feature that enhances its real-time social media publishing and scheduling for top social media platforms. This addition complements Keyhole’s existing suite of tools, including data-driven strategy planning, social media campaign management, influencer marketing, and social listening.

You can plan and execute your social content strategy directly within the Keyhole platform. This all-in-one solution saves you and your team countless hours by eliminating the need for manual content scheduling and execution across multiple platforms. This way, you also benefit from cost reduction and increased efficiency.

Influencer marketing is also a strategy worth trying when leveraging Instagram. You can find niche-specific influencers and work with them for content collaboration. Many marketers have proved that influencer marketing is an effective strategy for generating significant results.

Search for influencers related to your brand values, industry, or niche. They must know about your product and audience to deliver marketing messages and influence others. Also, they must have an impressive content engagement to be impactful.

You can use Keyhole’s tracking feature to help you look for relevant influencers. The platform also allows you to onboard multiple influencers and track their engagement and ROI for a specific campaign. 

Interactive moments on Instagram allow you to engage and interact with your audience actively. These moments create a sense of involvement and connection, which can increase engagement, strengthen relationships, and generate buzz around your brand. 

You can create timed quizzes , polls, and written Q&A using Insta Story features. But an effective way you can try is hosting live streaming. It allows you to talk with your audiences in real-time virtually.

Live streaming enables direct communication with your audience, making it the most engaging and interactive content on Instagram. You can leverage live streaming for many purposes, such as Q&A sessions, product launches, demonstrations, interviews, and influencer collaborations. Some brands also use live streaming to sell products.

Instagram Ads is a paid advertising feature on the platform that allows you to create targeted promotions for your brand, products, or services. Instagram Ads can be highly effective for audience reach and targeting.

You can try several types of Instagram ads. Each type offers unique features and opportunities for user engagement. At least there are six types of paid ads on Instagram; photo ads, video ads, carousel ads, stories ads, explore ads, and IGTV ads.

With several options available, one big question may arise: Which one will be the best for my product and brand? Here is an explanation of each ad type that you can consider.

Photo Ads: Photo ads allow businesses to showcase their products, services, or brand through high-quality images.

Video Ads: Video ads on Instagram can be up to 60 seconds long and captivate the audience with dynamic visuals, sound, and storytelling. 

Carousel Ads: Carousel ads enable businesses to showcase multiple pictures or videos in a single ad. Users can swipe through the carousel to view different content pieces. 

Stories Ads: Stories ads are discoverable on the Instagram Stories section, a popular feature with high user engagement. These immersive and full-screen ads appear between organic Stories from the user’s network. 

Explore Ads: Explore ads appear within the Explore feed, where users discover content tailored to their interests. These ads seamlessly blend in with organic content, providing an opportunity to engage users as they browse through the Explore section.

IGTV Ads: IGTV ads come in long-form vertical videos on the IGTV platform. You can publish up to 60 seconds of videos for most accounts and up to 3 minutes for larger accounts.

Competitor analysis is crucial if you want your business to stand out and thrive. It helps you understand your competitive landscape and gain insights to help you create, optimize, and manage your Instagram marketing strategy.

Competitor analysis helps you discover industry trends, uncover opportunities, and competitors’ performance metrics. You can identify your competitors by analyzing their content strategies, monitoring their audience engagement, and tracking their campaigns and promotions.

The entire process may sound complicated. But you can use Keyhole’s competitor analysis to streamline this process easily. You will gain insights into your competitors’ performance metrics, engagement rates, follower growth , and audience demographics. It also lets you track multiple competitors simultaneously.

Conducting an Instagram audit helps you assess the performance and effectiveness of your current Instagram presence. It requires you to evaluate various aspects of your account, content strategy, and engagement metrics .

You can start by reviewing your brand account. Ensure that your Instagram name, bio, profile picture, username, and overall aesthetics represent your brand. Use distinct visual styles to make your brand more memorable. 

Continue the audit with your content, audience, and engagement. You can use Instagram analytics tools like Keyhole to gain more insights. 

Content evaluation: Analyze the performance of different posts, such as photos, videos, stories, or carousel posts. Identify high-performing content and areas for improvement.

Audience assessment: Dive into your follower demographics. Understand your audience and identify gaps or opportunities to refine your content and targeting strategies.

Engagement metrics: Analyze your engagement metrics, such as likes, comments, shares, and saves, to understand how your audience interacts with your content. Look for trends or patterns in engagement rates and identify strategies to increase engagement.

Hashtag analysis : Evaluate the effectiveness of your hashtag strategy by identifying which hashtags generate the most engagement and reach. Consider using industry-specific or trending hashtags to expand your reach and attract a relevant audience.

You need to track content performance to know whether or not your marketing strategy works. Tracking content performance helps you spot gaps and identify necessary adjustments for your plan.

You can measure success by tracking key performance metrics, such as engagement rates, conversions, sales, and follower growth. Moreover, you can identify opportunities and trends to help you invest in high-performing content.

Keyhole can help you track, monitor, and analyze your Instagram content. It offers comprehensive analytics and reporting features specifically designed for social media marketers. You can monitor performance metrics, use hashtag analytics, and create visualized reports.

The competitive nature of the market today has required businesses to use Instagram to create a solid online presence. The above points can help your business create an Instagram marketing strategy and leverage the platform.

Start by defining your business objectives, identifying the target audience, and creating valuable content for them. You must also analyze competitors and track content performance to optimize and improve your marketing efforts for future campaigns.

Instagram also provides quick ways to strengthen your marketing. Consider trying paid ads or influencer marketing for more impactful results. Using third-party analytics such as Keyhole is also worth considering to get valuable insights and recommendations. Check out Keyhole’s free trial now!

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When Is The Best Time To Post On Instagram?

Instagram Posts vs Instagram Stories: Is One Better Than the Other?

Frequently Asked Questions

To use Instagram stories effectively, you can create engaging and visually appealing content, such as behind-the-scenes glimpses, product demonstrations, or exclusive promotions. They can also utilize interactive features like polls, quizzes, and question stickers to encourage audience participation and feedback. Additionally, businesses can leverage Instagram Stories’ swipe-up feature to drive traffic to their website or specific landing pages.

You can focus on distributing high-quality and relevant content that resonates with your target audience. Engaging with the community through liking, commenting, and responding to followers’ messages can also help foster connections and attract new followers. Also, collaborating with influencers or running contests and giveaways can further boost follower growth.

You can use Instagram Live to host Q&A sessions, product launches, tutorials, interviews, or behind-the-scenes broadcasts. Additionally, cross-promoting the live session on other social media platforms or collaborating with influencers can help attract a larger audience.

A Quick Overview of Instagram Marketing

In 2018, Instagram has grown to dominate the social media world as the go-to place for video and image sharing, with over 800 million monthly users. Those hundreds of millions of users share billions of likes on each other’s post everyday on Instagram, so businesses need to do their part to capture their share of the market by joining the conversation.

As a business, the very first step is to set up an  Instagram Business Profile  if you haven’t already. This will give you tons of free tools and insights on your account, content and your audience. Once you have done this, you should be able to switch between your accounts easily and effortlessly.  Here’s a quick video  that we’ve created to show you how you can accomplish this.

Social Post Mix

Next, take advantage of Instagram’s insights to figure out your social post mix. Check out your audience’s demographics, like their age or top locations.

Include relevant and engaging  hashtags in your captions  to reach your target audience and get more user interactions out of your posts. Instagram allows you to use up to 30. However, the more hashtags may not necessarily be better. There are also various types of hashtags and hashtag strategies to use. This is something you have to test out to learn what your magic number is and what your strategy needs to be to accomplish your goals.

Post product teasers to urge people to buy your products or services without being overly pushy. They’ll be more likely to buy if they do not feel pressured.

You can even turn your posts into sponsored ads to reach target audiences that may not be following you yet. One great post might just have them hooked.

Since social media is a two-way conversation, respond to your comments to help build good  lasting relationships with your audiences. You just may get a lifetime fan that champions your brand.

Use Instagram Stories to post behind-the-scenes photos or videos. Followers will appreciate the insider posts that show what your true and honest character is, which helps to further build your relationship with customers.

Partnering with Influencers

Partner  with other high profile businesses and/or influencers that have a wide reach in your industry. Their followers trust their recommendations, which will help you boost your reputation if they see that you are partners with them.

Be sure to leverage the power of user-generated content by  reposting  images that your customers share. You can turn this into a contest with an interactive branded hashtag. Use apps like Repost to share other user’s content.

Among the many types of posts you will include in your social posting mix, make sure to throw in a photo to share every week or every month that aligns with your brand’s message. This helps tie in your posts with your overall identity.

Keep  track of your metrics  so you can see when are the right times to post. At the same time, avoid overposting so that you do not overwhelm your audience, get flagged for spam or have your reach lowered by Instagram’s algorithm. Post one to two times every day and check out when your followers are most active. Schedule posts to go live during those days and times. You can also use your metrics to follow your Instagram marketing efforts and see if they are paying off. Keep an eye on follower growth rate, engagement rate, and your URL click-through rate.

Finally, don’t forget to have fun!

If you are seeking marketing for your business or want to improve your social media strategies, look no further than Presentation Multimedia!  Contact us today  to find out how we can take your business to the next level. Call now  (914) 236-1522 .

Meta's AI search is weird and uncanny — and I'm not sure who it's for

• Facebook and Instagram now have Llama 3 integrated into their search fields.
• This is confusing. We're used to using the search bar for looking up people, groups, or tags.
• And the suggestions for searches are oddly chipper and G-rated.

Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram have integrated Meta AI into the search fields of their mobile apps. And it's getting weird.

The search bar in the Facebook and Instagram apps is one place you probably know very well. You've searched plenty of things there —the names of people you went to high school with, a local business whose page you want to find, a celebrity whose latest controversial post everyone is talking about.

We all know what to expect in the search bar of Facebook and Instagram : You find things — people, pages, groups, tags, locations — that already exist on Facebook and Instagram.

What you are not expecting is an artificial-intelligence chatbot interface that can do any number of things completely unrelated to Instagram or Facebook: generate an image for you, answer questions, give advice about things, etc.

This creates a really odd situation. You come to the Facebook search bar to type in the name of your local Buy Nothing group, but instead, you see an animated blue circle with "Ask Meta AI anything."

This intrusion into the sacred space of the search bar isn't the only thing Meta is doing with AI that feels a little off.

Fast Company describes how it feels like AI has made Meta's apps "unusable," with the proliferation of clickbait-y AI images like shrimp Jesus or a creepy comment in a parents' group from the Meta AI bot saying it had a gifted and disabled child.

What makes the "Ask Meta AI anything" prompt in the search tab even stranger is the list of suggestions it gives you for searches. Meta wisely realized that most humans would be somewhat baffled by an AI chatbot — most people have never even knowingly interacted with AI. Pew reported that as of March, only 23% of US adults had tried ChatGPT , and 34% had never even heard of it.

Related stories

So there are a ton of suggestions for what to search or ask for. And these suggestions are, I guess, fine ? But they make me feel like I've been living in some saccharine alternate-reality bubble where everyone is focused on their unproblematic hobbies. Here are a few of my top suggestions:

🏡 Landscaping 101.

🐕 Dog breed recs for me.

🌱 Eco DIY home decor ideas.

🏙️ Tips to roam a new city.

📺 Top ocean docs.

🚀 Can you sleep in space?

These are all fine. Pleasant. A mix of helpful, curious facts and fun things. (There are a few suggestions, like "Imagine a 70s living room," that lead to image generation.)

But, like ... Facebook. You know me. Come on, it's me , Katie! We've been together for, what, 15 years? I've given you so much data. You know I don't want to roam new cities or learn about eco-DIY home decor. I'm a garbage gremlin who logged onto Facebook eight times today to do the same gremlin stuff I've been doing for years. I'm not suddenly interested in improving myself! I don't want to know about space! I want to know what people are complaining about in my neighborhood group, and I want to shop for used furniture on Marketplace , and I want to feel bad when I'm done.

This arrangement has satisfied and nourished my spirit for years — and I've been a loyal user. Now you think I want to do landscaping ??? I'm hurt.

A representative for Meta told me that these suggestions could change based on popular searches. That might explain at least one surprising search suggestion I got: "Rick Lax net worth." ( Rick Lax is a magician behind a lot of Facebook viral content and largely popular only ON Facebook.)

On Instagram, the search suggestions are slightly more Instagram-y, like "5 tips for glowing skin," "Cheerleading reels," and "Write a spring fashion guide." The request for cheerleading reels does lead to a suggestion of a bunch of other reels.

I asked the Meta AI whether there was a difference between the AI used for Facebook and Instagram, and it told me, "While the core LLaMA 3 model remains the same, its applications and fine-tuning differ on Instagram and Facebook to cater to each platform's unique requirements and user experiences." A representative for Meta didn't respond to a question about whether this was accurate.

For me, what feels strangest isn't whether Llama 3 is "good" at answering these queries — or noticeably better or worse than any competing AI. It works, but the best things going for it are that it's fast with its output, it's free, and it's right there in an app I already use a lot.

And if Meta's goal here is to get people's feet wet with the idea of using generative AI — without having to download a different app or think up ideas of what to ask it — well, mission accomplished.

It's part of Meta's push into an AI arms race, and one where it's well equipped with more compute power . Meta also has an edge when it comes to getting its large language model into the hands of as many users as possible to try it out: It has a lot of humans who open its apps every day and search stuff in the search bar.

So, yes, jamming Meta AI into the search bar feels really weird and confusing, but Meta isn't shy about muscling new features on users — even if they complain — to get the new feature adopted by a critical mass of users ( cough reels cough ).

But for we gremlins who are used to searching for old flames, new acquaintances, celebrities, and embarrassing other things in the Instagram search bar, this is certainly a strange new world.

Watch: AI will drive personalization, not creativity, says Roku's VP of growth marketing, Sweta Patel

• Main content

Phio Pharmaceuticals Announces Upcoming Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)

MARLBOROUGH, Mass., April 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Phio Pharmaceuticals Corp. (Nasdaq: PHIO), a clinical stage biotechnology company whose proprietary INTASYL™ siRNA gene silencing technology is designed to make immune cells more effective in killing tumor cells, today announced it is presenting new data about its lead product candidate, PH-762, an INTASYL compound.

PH-762 is currently being studied in a US clinical trial to assess safety and efficacy in specific skin cancers. (NCT 06014086). This open-label Phase 1b clinical study (NCT 06014086) is designed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of neoadjuvant use of IT PH-762 in Stages 1,2 and 4 cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, Stage 4 melanoma and Stage 4 Merkel cell carcinoma. Stages 1 and 2 cSCC represent 77% of all new cSCC annually. There are no drug products approved for treatment of Stages 1 and 2 cSCC.

The data will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) to be held in Chicago, Illinois.

Title:   INTASYL™ PH-762: PD-1 Intratumoral Immunotherapy for Cutaneous Carcinoma

About Phio Pharmaceuticals Corp. Phio Pharmaceuticals Corp. (Nasdaq: PHIO) is a clinical stage biotechnology company whose proprietary INTASYL™ RNAi technology is designed to make immune cells more effective in killing tumor cells. INTASYL is the only self-delivering RNAi technology focused on immuno-oncology therapeutics. INTASYL drugs precisely target specific proteins that reduce the body’s ability to fight cancer, without the need for specialized formulations or drug delivery systems.

For additional information, visit the Company’s website, www.phiopharma.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "intends," "believes," "anticipates," "indicates," "plans," "expects," "suggests," "may," "would," "should," "potential," "designed to," "will," "ongoing," "estimate," "forecast," "target," "predict," "could" and similar references, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. These statements are based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions and are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Our actual results may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of important factors, including, but not limited to, the impact to our business and operations by inflationary pressures, rising interest rates, recession fears, the development of our product candidates, results from our preclinical and clinical activities, our ability to execute on business strategies, our ability to develop our product candidates with collaboration partners, and the success of any such collaborations, the timeline and duration for advancing our product candidates into clinical development, the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals, the success of our efforts to commercialize our product candidates if approved, our ability to manufacture and supply our product candidates for clinical activities, and for commercial use if approved, the scope of protection we are able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights covering our technology platform, our ability to obtain future financing, market and other conditions and those identified in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q under the caption "Risk Factors" and in other filings the Company periodically makes with the SEC. Readers are urged to review these risk factors and to not act in reliance on any forward-looking statements, as actual results may differ from those contemplated by our forward-looking statements. Phio does not undertake to update forward-looking statements to reflect a change in its views, events or circumstances that occur after the date of this release, except as required by law.

Contact: Phio Pharmaceuticals Corp. [email protected]

PR Contact Michael Adams Bridge View Media [email protected]

Phio Pharmaceuticals Corporation Registered Shs News MORE

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Oral presentations, session I

10-11:15 a.m., special event, hanson 102 (session d).

"A People of Vision" Presented by Dr. Sandra Boham, President, Salish Kootenai College, Pablo, Mont. Sponsored by the Augustana Center for the Study of Ethics

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Featured presentation

Olin auditorium (session a).

"Tales from the HEAR-T lab" Presented by Dr. Ann Perreau, Kierstyn Rogers '24, Brook Fieldman '24 and Christina Harvey '25

The HEAR-T (Hearing+Tinnitus) lab, under the leadership of Dr. Ann Perreau, has developed a strong model providing a unique research experience to multiple undergraduate students. In this presentation, we will discuss the lab’s current research projects that includes development of remote counseling programs for patients with tinnitus and/or hyperacusis. Student researchers will share their experiences working on the Hyperacusis Activities Treatment-Online Study, which is a three-year, NIH-sponsored clinical trial. Students will describe the steps involved in counseling and sound therapy in the study and their interactions with our first two cohorts of participants. We will conclude our presentation with a panel discussion with the student researchers to learn more about perceived barriers, opportunities for networking and mentorship, and student growth through undergraduate research.

Communication Studies; Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Old main 117 (session b).

"Adultification & Advertising" Communication Studies Presented by Genevieve Ryan, Birashma Sapkota, Lauren Hoffman, Leah Wieland Project advisor: Dr. David Snowball

This presentation examines the adultification of teenage girls by comparing the types of products being advertised, the age, and the attire of female models in advertisements in women's and teens' magazines in recent years. Our findings suggest that advertisements targeting teen girls are strikingly similar to advertisements targeting women, and we think it's cause for concern.

"Navigating Nepal's Legal Requirements for Transgender Inclusion Beyond Labels" Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Presented by Krisha Silwal Project advisor: Dr. Kiki Kosnick

In 2007, Nepal was the first South Asian country to legally recognize a third gender category beyond the traditional male or female binary. This law allowed individuals to choose Other in their legal documents according to their “self-feeling”. By resisting the western belief of the gender binary prevalent in the Global South, Nepal has been widely recognized as a queer-friendly nation that strives to protect the rights of the queer community. However, for transgender individuals to identify as Other within the administrative system, the government established specific requirements for them to fulfill. As a result, the law did not fully meet the diverse needs of the community it aimed to support. I will talk about how these requirements for individuals seeking to alter their gender identity uphold the established power structures as the prerequisites are difficult to fulfill, making them inaccessible. I will also talk about how the intersection of wealth and caste influences this accessibility of gender recognition, further maintaining the status quo.

Physics, Mathematics

Hanson annex 127 (session c).

"Methods for Improving Position Determination with SiPMs at TUNL" Physics Presented by Colin Hogan Project advisor: Dr. Nathan Frank

This presentation discusses various Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM) detector setups with a program to accurately determine the location of a radioactive source. A SiPM is itself an array of small avalanche photodiode cells on a silicon chip. Applying a low voltage just above the breakdown allows for massive output pulses from the detection of single photons. SiPMs are an option for radiation detection when connected to scintillating materials, which produce photons when particles interact within them. Scintillators are clear materials that allow direct photon travel from a scintillator to a detector, and different wrapping materials allow for different signal responses in terms of precision and strength. Lab tests performed at Augustana verified certain performance characteristics. This presentation will discuss these results and the results of using these in an experiment run at Triangle Universities Nuclear Lab (TUNL) by the MoNA Collaboration, a nuclear physics research collaboration based out of Michigan State University, done with the prospect of designing a new neutron detector array.

"Updated High-Resolution Diffraction Grating Holder" Physics Presented by William Murillo Project advisor: Dr. William Peterson

Advanced spectroscopic capabilities are typically reserved for large optical telescopes and are noticeably absent from smaller (<1m) telescopes operated by colleges and universities. The miniature grism consists of a simple 3D-printed housing containing five optical elements that can be installed inside standard filter wheels that hold various filters for viewing light at a specific wavelength. The previous generation grism had 600 lines/mm volume phase holographic (VPH) grating with a peak spectral resolution of 1.1nm. The updated grism has a compound grating-prism with a 2000lines/mm grating with a max throughput of 70% at 656nm. With a maximum resolution of <0.3nm (<150km/s at H-alpha), we are able to make precise measurements of H-alpha Doppler broadening caused by young Be stars near critical rotation causing the nuclear material to slide off near the equator. We plan to observe a survey of these stars to characterize the semi-periodic behavior of the discretion properties. 

"A Coordinate Transform Method for Solving Maxwell's Equations" Mathematics Presented by Hoang Trieu Project advisor: Dr. Benjamin Civiletti

Optimizing nanophotonic devices requires finding an efficient numerical method to solve electromagnetic scattering problems. One common application is thin-film solar cells, wherein the geometry of the cell is optimized to maximize efficiency.  In this research, we implemented the hybrid numerical method C-RCWA, which is a combination of the C-method and Rigorous Coupled-Wave Approach (RCWA), to solve Helmholtz equations in inhomogeneous thin-film solar cells with periodic interfaces. The C-method transforms the problem into a new coordinate system such that the material interfaces are flat. The benefit of simpler geometry is traded against more complicated anisotropic materials, which results in a more efficient solver compared to the standard RCWA. We will first review the method to solve the transformation optics problem, and then, preliminary numerical results will be presented. We conclude with plans for future applications of the C-RCWA method.

Texas Medical Center

Old main 28 (session e).

"Analyzing Cell Cycle Effects, Compensation, and Rescue of P53 and Caspase-2 in Human Colorectal Carcinoma Cells" Texas Medical Center Presented by Leslie Bandera Project advisors: Dr. Patrick Crawford, Dr. Rayford Harrison and Dr. Heidi Storl

The p53 gene is the most commonly mutated tumor suppressor gene in cancer cells leading to p53 protein disfunction. If p53 function is lost, then cell cycle arrest and apoptosis is inhibited causing tumor proliferation. However, if normal p53 function is restored, then normal cell cycle progress would continue. By re-activating existing p53 or compensating for its function through different cell cycle regulators such as caspase-2, the normal phenotype could be rescued thereby restoring tumor suppression mechanisms in human colorectal carcinoma cells. If protein function compensation occurs, then p53 potentially works in a separate pathway from caspase-2. In order to determine whether caspase-2 activity increased without p53 present, a fluorescent reporter was used to visualize caspase-2 activation. The resulting fluorescence showed increased caspase-2 activation in cells lacking p53 suggesting potential compensation and deviation in activation pathways. The corresponding p53 compensation for caspase-2 concluded that the p53 half-life remains the same even if compensation is occurring. Additionally, the dysregulation of the G1 cell cycle checkpoint seen in cancer cells containing p53 loss-of-function mutations was then rescued by re-activating existing p53 and restoring normal function with p53ERTAM systems inserted into cells via viral vector. Results showed increased G1 arrest when tamoxifen increases p53 activity. Overall, the results suggest that p53 and caspase-2 work in separate pathways allowing for functional compensation between them. Additionally, p53 reactivation by tamoxifen can trigger normal phenotypic responses. With a better understanding of cell cycle responses, caspase-2 compensation and p53 rescue are potential targets of cancer cell cycle regulation.

"Fixing the Broken Circuit: The Role of the LKB1 Gene in Cell Fate" Texas Medical Center Presented by Amen Bekele Project advisor: Dr. Heidi Storl

Neurons assume their identity during development and undergo selective division, which traditionally limits their ability to change cell types. With our overall goal being fixing broken brain circuits, we wondered if it was possible to convert these cell types from one to another, even after their fate had been determined. This conversion approach could help us replace cells that lack connections, potentially restoring proper neuronal circuit functionality. We sought to understand if we could manipulate the LKB1 gene to fix the broken circuit by changing neuron identity, particularly in the context of amacrine cells in the retina. By using the cre-lox system and knocking out the LKB1 gene in the amacrine cell layer of the retina, we observed an increase in dopaminergic amacrine cells (d-ACs). This indicates that there might be an increase in the birth of d-ACs or a change in the cell fate of non-dopaminergic amacrine cells into becoming d-ACs. As part of our analysis, I examined the mosaic cell pattern of these neurotransmitter amacrine cells to observe changes in terms of the increase or decrease of d-ACs and other non-dopaminergic amacrine cells. We believe that by examining the underlying mechanisms, we can use LKB1 to induce nearby amacrine cells to transform into d-ACs. This will help us take a step forward in therapeutic treatments for neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's, which stems from the loss of dopaminergic cells. 

"LATINO: Beyond OCD Genetic Bounds" Texas Medical Center Presented by Rachel Nandelenga Project advisor: Dr. Heidi Storl

Did you check the door this morning? Are you sure, imagine checking again and again? Individuals with OCD or obsessive-compulsive disorder suffer from obsessions and compulsions daily and pathologically. Currently, 95% of OCD genetic research is focused on individuals of European Ancestry, leaving a mere 5% for all other minority groups worldwide.

Recognizing this glaring health disparity, the Storch Lab acted. They launched LATINO (The Latin American Trans-Ancestry INitiative for OCD Genomics), a groundbreaking project aimed at building a genomic database specifically for Latino and Hispanic individuals. By conducting clinical assessments and collecting saliva samples, LATINO seeks to identify the factors contributing to OCD development within this community. Over the past three years, LATINO has expanded to include over 50 testing sites across the United States, Canada, and Latin America, ensuring a comprehensive representation. My name is Rachel and as a member of this project, my role involves recruiting individuals and cataloging the data we collect.

Once we achieve our recruitment goal of 5,000 Latino and Hispanic individuals, genetic analysis will be conducted to discover and map OCD genomic loci with a more diversified sample in mind. Our ultimate vision is to provide every Latino and Hispanic individual with OCD the confidence that there is an understanding of their condition, as well as treatments and assessments available in their communities that respect and embrace their rich ancestry.

Art History, Graphic Design, Studio Art

Wallenberg hall (10-10:45 a.m.) and thomas tredway library (10:45-11:30 a.m.) (session f).

Senior Art Show Art History, Graphic Design, Studio Art Presented by Francesca Anduray, Quinn Au, Lillian Hart, Liam Haskill, Linh Hoang, Abby Holtan, Hannah Johnson, Eleanor Klink, Emmie Kulak, Ceu Lian, Christina O'Connell, Esme O'Rourke, Jessica Peters, Karen Rizzo, Aykeem Spivey, Ilsa Strelow, Emily Torres

Scandinavian Studies, Kinesiology, Philosophy

Old main 132 (session g).

"Nils Holgersson: Compassion for Animals in a Swedish Children's Book" Scandinavian Studies Presented by Jack Brandt Project advisor: Dr. Mark Safstrom

What accounts for Sweden's reputation as a global leader in equality and happiness? In part, culture. I researched Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige, or in English, Nils Holgersson's wonderful trip across Sweden, to learn more. Selma Lagerlöf, Sweden's first Nobel prize winner in literature, wrote this book in the early 1900s. It was used in schools and arguably reflects the same values that also led to Sweden's welfare state. At face value it's just a book about Sweden that follows a farm boy, cursed to be a small elf after taunting one himself, who travels across Sweden on the back of a goose. His trip familiarizes him with the people and landscapes of Sweden. A second look at the book reveals the notion of equality that underlies it. Scandinavia is famous for its equality and relative lack of hierarchies, from using first names with superiors to how companies are run, compared to other places in the world, including the USA. I researched how this impacts environmental views, in particular how it's increasingly difficult to reconcile with the demands of our tech-driven world.

"Effects of Periodic Heat Extraction on Power, Velocity, Blood Lactate, and RPE during Bench Press" Kinesiology Presented by Timothy Swaney Project advisor: Dr. Jeff Mettler

PURPOSE: To determine the effects of Palmar Cooling (PC) on power, velocity, blood lactate, and RPE during bench press in resistance-trained individuals.

METHODS: 18 resistance-trained individuals completed 3 separate sessions for the study. The 1st session consisted of a 1RM bench press testing protocol. The training protocol for the 2nd and 3rd sessions consisted of 4 sets of 5 repetitions at 80% of the individual’s 1RM with rest intervals. One of the training sessions was randomly chosen as the experimental (PC) condition and the other a control (NO PC).  Blood lactate and RPE were recorded after each set. Linear mixed-effects modeling was used for data analysis.

RESULTS: There was a significant main effect for condition, where the peak power was greater for the PC condition than no PC (p< 0.001). There was a significant main effect for condition, where the peak velocity for the PC condition was greater than NO PC (p<0.001). There was a significant main effect for condition and set, where the average (AVG) power decreased (p<0.007, p<0.001). There was a significant main effect for condition and set, where the AVG velocity decreased (p<0.007, p<0.001). The main effects seen for both AVG power and velocity are expected to decrease amongst both conditions as the number of sets increase. There was a main effect for condition, where the RPE was decreased in the PC condition compared to NO PC (p<0.001). There was a main effect for set, which as sets increase so will fatigue (p<0.001).  

CONCLUSION: The greater peak power and velocity and average power and velocity may suggest an improved anaerobic capacity in the PC condition. The lower average RPE in the PC condition and insignificance of blood lactate may suggest limited central nervous system fatigue.

"Anchoring the AAA Model" Philosophy Presented by Luca James Barba Project advisor: Dr. Deke Gould

My goal in this paper is to expose two—but resolve one—major issues facing one of the foremost endeavors in the theory of knowledge: Virtue Epistemology. In Part 1 of this paper, I propose the epistemic criterion of "anchoring”  as an addition to Ernest Sosa's AAA model of knowledge. It is a solution to an internal inconsistency that arises from Sosa's response to Duncan Pritchard's (2009) environmentalist luck critique of the AAA model that allows performances to spatiotemporally extend beyond their performers. By modifying the AAA model to the A4 (AAA + Anchoring) model, I can address Pritchard’s critique without disturbing traditional conceptualizations of the locations of mental performances. I end Part 1 by exploring three significant objections to anchoring.

In Part 2 of this paper, I explore issues that the AAA/A4 model has with accuracy and epistemic verification. While Sosa succeeds in granting someone who has insight into animal knowledge further access to reflective knowledge or the awareness of knowing, I argue that reflective knowledge cannot retroactively verify an apt belief’s truthfulness without circular reasoning. This issue arises from Sosa’s reliance on a Cartesian argument to support foundationalism in the face of the Pyrrhonian Problematic and Sextus’s Dark Room Scenario. The conclusion of Descartes’s conclusion that the treasure hunter in the Dark Room is required to gain awareness of the truth cannot be drawn from the premises Sosa has available. 

Larson Hall, Bergendoff Hall (Session K)

"Kali Yuga - Augustana College Improvisation Ensemble" Presented by John Flannery, Liam Haynes, Adele Shirkey and Dr. Randall Hall

Uniting composition and performance into a single action, Kali Yuga performs free improvisations; the ensemble creates the music as it is heard without prearranged musical material (no tunes, scales, chords, etc.) It is the collective expression of our different personalities communicated through sounds.

The name Kali Yuga comes from Hindu philosophy -- it is the final stage of the cycle of time, the iron age of destruction and dissolution before the rebirth of the golden age.

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April 2024: Faculty Scholarship & Impact

Ben Means (with Doug Moll) Against Contractual Formalism in Shareholder Oppression Law , Harvard Law Forum on Corporate Governance April 30, 2024

USC professors to release first report on groundbreaking study of S.C. protective orders Columbia Star (ft. Lisa Martin ) April 4, 2024

Tesla's bet on robotaxis is a long way from paying off Reuters (ft. Bryant Walker Smith ) April 6, 2024

Tesla is headed to trial over deadly 2018 Autopilot crash Business Insider (ft. Bryant Walker Smith ) April 8, 2024

Tesla settles fatal autopilot crash lawsuit Axios (ft. Bryant Walker Smith ) April 8, 2024

Tesla settles case over fatal Autopilot crash of Apple engineer Reuters (ft. Bryant Walker Smith ) April 8, 2024

Tesla Settles Over Fatal Autopilot Crash on Eve of Trial Bloomberg News (ft. Bryant Walker Smith ) April 8, 2024

Tesla Autopilot Death Settlement CJAD 800 - The Elias Makos Show (ft. Bryant Walker Smith ) April 10, 2024

SC lawmaker accused of filing court document with forged signature, offering hush money Post & Courier (ft. Michael Virzi ) April 11, 2024

Report reveals alarming scope of domestic violence in South Carolina, calls for policy changes WLTX (ft. Lisa Martin ) April 12, 2024

Stockton Settles $6 Million Lawsuit Over Man's Police Restraint Death KQED (ft. Seth Stoughton ) April 12, 2024

When Will Elon Musk’s Driverless Car Claims Have Credibility? Wall Street Journal (ft. Bryant Walker Smith ) April 13, 2024

AI was supposed to make police bodycams better. What happened? MIT Technology Review (ft. Seth Stoughton ) April 16, 2024

Tesla Wants To Pivot To Robotaxis. It Still Won't Answer One Key Question InsideEVs (ft. Bryant Walker Smith ) April 16, 2024

USC study on domestic violence protection orders shows statewide legal gaps, inconsistencies Carolina News & Reporter (ft. Lisa Martin ) April 19, 2024

Prosecutors rest case in trial of former sheriff’s deputy charged in Christian Glass death CPR News (ft. Seth Stoughton ) April 19, 2024

You Finished I.V.F. and Want to Donate Embryos. Is There a Tax Benefit? NY Times (ft. Tessa Davis ) April 20, 2024

SC Charter Institute has close ties to school it will oversee, raising ethical questions The State (ft. Derek Black ) April 23, 2024

Mark Yancey Mark Yancey on Floyd's Trial Hello, John Doe Podcast April 23, 2024

Presentations

Kevin Brown "Where Do We Go From Here" Belinda Sutton Symposium at Harvard Law School (hosted by the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race & Justice) April 11, 2024

Jan Baker Tips for Becoming a Storyteller at Law 33rd Annual DePaul Law Review Symposium: The Power of Legal Storytelling April 12, 2024

Aleksandra Chauhan Juvenile Defense Essentials: Direct & Collateral Consequences of Adjudications South Carolina Commission of Indigent Defense April 12, 2024

Bryant Walker Smith AI and Evidence in Civil Litigation: An Introduction and Discussion of the Issues UC Berkley School of Law April 12, 2024

Bryant Walker Smith Automated Driving National Council of Insurance Legislators April 14, 2024

Clint Wallace Moore, “Incomes,” and the Limits of Time UC Irvine Tax Symposium on Moore and the Future of the Realization Doctrine April 18, 2024

Aparna Polavarapu Restorative Justice in the South National Center on Restorative Justice Webinar April 24, 2024

Lisa Martin Orders of Protection in South Carolina April 9, 2024

Scholarship

Benjamin Means Logan Roy as King Lear: How Not to Succeed , 73 DePaul L. Rev. 921 (2024)

Rebecca Plevel (with Amber Madole and Bonnie Shucha) Integrating Tribal Law into the Legal Research and Writing Curriculum: Benefits, Challenges, and Strategies. Perspectives: Teaching Legal Research and Writing. Forthcoming 2024.

Rebecca Plevel (with Rebecca Chapman) Indigenous Copyright Concepts for Comparison: How Librarians Can Help Support Indigenous Data Sovereignty . Law Library Journal. Forthcoming 2024.

Aparna Polavarapu Human Rights, Human Duties: Making a Rights-Based Case for Community-Based Restorative Justice , 30 Wm. & Mary J. Race Gender. & Soc. J. 53 (2024).

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• Read receipt
• Save a file or draft
• Change display name
• Create a folder
• Use inbox rules
• Conditional formatting
• Use Favorites
• Custom views
• Message font size
• Message list view
• Focused Inbox
• View as conversations
• Filter and sort messages
• Number of messages
• Chat with recipients
• Share an email
• Status in Outlook
• Phishing and suspicious behavior
• Blocked senders
• Protected messages
• Open a protected message
• More to explore

Create and add an email signature in Outlook

In Outlook, you can create one or more personalized signatures for your email messages. Your signature can include text, links, pictures, and images (such as your handwritten signature or a logo).

Note:  If the steps under this New Outlook tab don't work, you may not be using new Outlook for Windows yet. Select Classic Outlook  and follow those steps instead.

Create and add an email signature

On the View tab, select   View Settings . 

Select Accounts > Signatures .

Select    New signature , then give it a distinct name.

In the editing box below the new name, type your signature, then format it with the font, color, and styles to get the appearance you want.

Select Save when you're done.

With your new signature selected from the list above the editing box, go to  Select default signatures and choose whether to apply the signature to new messages and to replies and forwards.

Select Save again.

Note:  If you have a Microsoft account, and you use Outlook and Outlook on the web or Outlook on the web for business, you need to create a signature in both products.

Create your signature and choose when Outlook adds a signature to your messages

If you want to watch how it's done, you can go directly to  the video below .

Open a new email message.

Under Select signature to edit , choose New , and in the New Signature dialog box, type a name for the signature.

Under Edit signature , compose your signature. You can change fonts, font colors, and sizes, as well as text alignment. If you want to create a more robust signature with bullets, tables, or borders, use Word to create and format your signature text, then copy and paste it into the Edit signature box. You can also use a pre-designed template  to create your signature. Download the templates in Word, customize with your personal information, and then copy and paste into the Edit signature box. 

You can add links and images to your email signature, change fonts and colors, and justify the text using the mini formatting bar under Edit signature .

You can also add social media icons and links in your signature or customize one of our pre-designed temlates. For more information, see Create a signature from a template .

To add images to your signature, see Add a logo or image to your signature .

Under Choose default signature , set the following options. 

In the E-mail account drop-down box, choose an email account to associate with the signature. You can have different signatures for each email account.

You can have a signature automatically added to all new messages. Go to in the New messages drop-down box and select one of your signatures. If you don't want to automatically add a signature to new messages, choose (none). This option does not add a signature to any messages you reply to or forward. 

You can select to have your signature automatically appear in reply and forward messages. In the  Replies/forwards drop-down, select one of your signatures. Otherwise, accept the default option of (none). 

Choose OK to save your new signature and return to your message. Outlook doesn't add your new signature to the message you opened in Step 1, even if you chose to apply the signature to all new messages. You'll have to add the signature manually to this one message. All future messages will have the signature added automatically. To add the signature manually, select Signature from the Message menu and then pick the signature you just created.

Add a logo or image to your signature

If you have a company logo or an image to add to your signature, use the following steps.

Open a new message and then select Signature > Signatures .

In the Select signature to edit box, choose the signature you want to add a logo or image to.

To resize your image, right-click the image, then choose Picture . Select the Size tab and use the options to resize your image. To keep the image proportions, make sure to keep the Lock aspect ratio checkbox checked.

When you're done, select OK , then select OK again to save the changes to your signature.

Insert a signature manually

If you don't choose to insert a signature for all new messages or replies and forwards, you can still insert a signature manually.

In your email message, on the Message tab, select Signature .

Choose your signature from the fly-out menu that appears. If you have more than one signature, you can select any of the signatures you've created.

See how it's done

Top of page

Note:  Outlook on the web is the web version of Outlook for business users with a work or school account.

Automatically add a signature to a message

You can create an email signature that you can add automatically to all outgoing messages or add manually to specific ones.

Select Settings   at the top of the page.

Select Mail >  Compose and reply .

Under Email signature , type your signature and use the available formatting options to change its appearance.

Select the default signature for new messages and replies.

Manually add your signature to a new message

If you've created a signature but didn't choose to automatically add it to all outgoing messages, you can add it later when you write an email message.

In a new message or reply, type your message.

If you created multiple signatures, choose the signature you want to use for your new message or reply.

When your email message is ready, choose Send .

Note:  Outlook.com is the web version of Outlook for users signing in with a personal Microsoft account such as an Outlook.com or Hotmail.com account.

Related articles

Create and add an email signature in Outlook for Mac

Create an email signature from a template

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Here is a list of Broward schools under ‘consideration’ for closure, changes

Andrea Torres , Digital Journalist

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – According to a presentation Broward County Public Schools released on Monday night , the district plans to close some schools due to under-enrollment.

The presentation reported the utilization was under 55% and the district’s leaders were considering closing 42 schools — including 32 elementary schools, eight middle schools, and two high schools.

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The presentation only identified 26 of the 32 elementary schools, four of the eight middle schools, and none of the high schools.

The district is holding seven town hall meetings from Monday to May 9. The vote on the final plan is June 18.

Here is the list:

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

• Oakridge (Close)
• Broward Estates (Close)
• Silver Palms (Boundary change)
• Silver Shores (Repurposing)
• Silver Lakes (Boundary change)
• Panther Run (Program shift)
• Hollywood Central (Grade reconfiguration)
• Collins (Boundary change)
• Mary M. Bethune (Boundary change)
• Stirling (Boundary change)
• Hollywood Hills (Boundary change)
• Colbert (Boundary change)
• Thurgood Marshall (Boundary change)
• Sunland Park Academy (Boundary change/Grade reconfiguration)
• Westwood Heights (Boundary change)
• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Montessori Academy (Boundary change/Program change)
• Plantation (Boundary change)
• Bennett (Repurposing/Program change/Full choice school)
• Harbordale (Boundary change)
• Virginia Shuman Young (Repurposing/Boundary change/Program change)
• North Fork (Repurposing/Full choice school)
• Walker (Boundary change)
• North Side (Boundary change)
• Deerfield Beach (Public-private partnership P3)
• Quiet Waters (Public-private partnership P3)
• Tedder (Public-private partnership P3)

MIDDLE SCHOOLS

• Olsen (Close)
• Pines (Grade reconfiguration)
• Attucks (Boundary change)
• McNicol (Boundary change)

According to the presentation’s slide on page 18, these schools were part of the total district realignment: Annabel C. Perry PK-8, Beachside Montessori Village, Dillard 6-12, Lauderhill 6-12, Millennium 6-12 Collegiate Academy, and Parkway.

FIRST TOWN HALL: Olsen Middle, Oakridge and Broward Estates elementary are among schools to close in superintendent’s new proposed plan

NEXT TOWN HALL MEETINGS

After the town hall meeting in District 1, the next meeting with Hepburn will be in District 4 at 6 p.m., at J.P. Taravella High School, 10600 Riverside Drive, in Coral Springs.

The meeting at District 5 is at 6 p.m., on May 1, at Dillard High 6-12, at 2501 NW 11 St., in Fort Lauderdale. The meeting at District 3 is at 6 p.m., on May 6, at Fort Lauderdale High School, at 1600 NE 4 Ave.

The meeting at District 2 is at 6 p.m., on May 7, at Charles W. Flanagan High School at 12800 Taft St., in Pembroke Pines.

The meeting at District 6 is at 6 p.m., on May 8, at Western High School, at 1200 SW 136 Ave., in Davie. The meeting at District 7 is at 6 p.m., on May 9, at Deerfield Beach High School, at 910 Buck Pride Way.

For more information about the meetings, visit this page .

Presentation on April 29, 2024

BCPS Redefining Our Schools presentation on April 29, 2024 by Andrea Torres on Scribd

Copyright 2024 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.

About the Author

Andrea torres.

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.

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