The Complete Guide to Instagram Marketing 2021

There are 2.4 billion — with a B — people on Instagram. 

That’s a lot of selfies in Italy, Instagram Reels of enchiladas, and, of course, cats doing weird cat stuff. 

With so many people on the platform 24/7, brands and marketers must embrace The Gram. Otherwise, they’re leaving money on the table, considering the average person spends up to thirty-three minutes scrolling daily. (And honestly, that number feels low. Those rabbit holes will get you hours later.)

If you’re not using Instagram as a channel for whatever you’re selling, that’s a huge mistake. An adept social media strategy is critical to how a brand grows and is part of a larger ecosystem. People who may be just cruising past can interact with the brand based on specific posts that appeal to them. A curated look and feel is essential because it dictates the conversation about what you stand for and how your vibe appeals to the masses. Posting random stuff won’t work; there’s too much competition for attention spans. 

If done correctly, Instagram marketing is a surefire way to get new people interested in your products or services. Why do you think so many restaurants take mouth-watering photos of their pizza or pho? Because people eat with their eyes, Instagram is the perfect place. Regarding almost everything else, there are plenty of avenues for sales with the power of Reels and collaborations with powerful influencers and creators. 
But, you’ll need a strategy that provides tangible results because otherwise, people will keep scrolling on by — without even thinking about whatever you’re trying to say. Because Meta approves Manychat as an official partner, we think about Instagram a lot, like constantly. And because we care about you, we wanted to share the best practices we’ve put together with our Instagram guru, Melanie. (She seriously has like 800K followers on TikTok and 115K on IG.)

What is Instagram marketing?

Instagram marketing involves using the platform to help build a thriving community around your brand while promoting your business. However, the content has to be good, and there has to be a plan. The average Instagram user is getting a marketing campaign thrown at them constantly, so yours needs to stick out. A ton of companies are out there, fighting for brand visibility, doing their best to get more eyes on their Instagram Reels. 

Why use Instagram for marketing?

Everyone is on a social media platform. Even Gram-Gram is on Facebook, sharing inspirational quotes. Instagram is the second most popular platform in America, only behind Facebook; globally, it’s third. With so many influencers and creators showing off brands we’d otherwise never know, people shop on the platform a lot. There’s something for everyone; every niche is celebrated, and it’s there no matter what you’re looking for. But it’s one of the pillars of social media marketing that everyone in business needs to embrace. 

How is Instagram used for marketing?

Instagram is all about photos and videos. With so many features on the platform, creative brands and businesses can promote their services or products; the same goes for the platform’s creators. Having a solid Instagram strategy is crucial because a business can connect with its audience in a way that’s different from just a website or video ads on YouTube. 

Those features include:

• IG static posts (1 photo)
• IG carousel (2-10 or 20 photos)
• IG reel (1 to 90 seconds)
• IG stories
• IG story highlights
• Collab posts between accounts (up to 3 accounts can be tagged as collaborators)
• Paid Partnerships (between creator and brand)
• Instagram Shopping
• Creator Portfolio (for creator accounts only)
• Creator Marketplace (to find brand partnerships)
• Threads (not natively within the app)
• Channels (creators/brands have a private channel where only they can post)
• Subscriptions (customers pay monthly fee for exclusive content)

How to create an Instagram business account

Creating an Instagram business profile is pretty straightforward. While it’s different from a standard Instagram profile, a business account can still do the stuff everyone loves like Instagram Reels, Instagram videos, and you can still collab via Instagram influencer marketing. Getting an Instagram business profile is critical for brand visibility and is a key player for digital marketing. 

Here’s a quick breakdown of what you need to do to get people interacting with you:

First, you need to download the app on your phone. While there is a desktop version of Instagram, it’s mobile-first and designed for phones. 

Next, punch in your business email address and choose a password you’ll remember. You’ll get a personal profile first, but you can immediately change it to a business account.

But don’t go too fast yet. Click the “Edit profile” button, and you can upload a profile photo and enter all of the profile information, like a link, bio, and a picture of your logo or building, whatever. 

When using the “Edit profile” page, you can hit the “Switch to professional account” option. This starts the process of going pro with your profile. Next, select your business category: Business or Creator account. After that, put in your contact information, and that’s it. You’ve now got an Instagram business account. Tah-dah.

How to create an Instagram marketing strategy

So here’s the thing: you have to work to make social media marketing effective. You can’t just post a photo on social media of your dog and expect Timmy the Doberman to bring business to your landscaping company. No, there’s more strategy than that. So, what do you need to do to get more people wanting their lawn done in that impressive checker pattern they do? 

Figure out your marketing goals 

Defining the account’s goals is a crucial first step. Brand awareness is the name of the game. You’ve got the Instagram account now, but it’s time to ask these questions:

• Why did you want one in the first place? 
• What will your business gain from having a social media platform? 
• Are you working to build a community or to generate new leads? 
• Where does Instagram fit in your marketing strategy? 

Thinking about these bigger-picture items matters because these goals determine strategy effectiveness and how much time you must dedicate to Instagram. Instagram won’t be a magic bullet, but the return on investment (ROI), aka your time, is something to consider. 

Some retailers focus their strategy on social selling. Their entire feed is dedicated to showing off what they sell while making every post clickable, leading customers directly to a link to buy whatever’s been posted. One thing to also keep in mind: are you trying to open an Instagram shop? How you use Instagram is up to your business and how it wants to crush content marketing. 

Another strategy that some brands swear by is being community-driven. Engaging with the community built around the brand creates a level of fandom who also act as evangelists. This strategy is wholly dedicated to keeping the conversation going in the comments, which requires a lot of time if there’s high engagement. But that’s the price you pay when investing in content marketing. 

By all means, cruise around Instagram, check out what your peers are doing, and look into what people are responding to — it’s important to note that trying to go viral is never realistic; it just happens. But if proven business methods are working, those are worth investing in to keep the business at the forefront of the scrolling folks. Check out your favorite brands, even the ones not in your space.

Consider these are what should be shared goals for Instagram marketing success:

• Increasing brand awareness with new followers
• Improving website traffic 
• Closing new sales 
• Engagement with comments, shares, and saves 

Get that profile optimized

When you set up your profile to be a business account, that was pretty self-explanatory. But we’d like to mention a few pro tips because we’re pals like that. These are just some of the little things to remember for maximum effectiveness when trying to score those lauded Instagram followers. 

Double-check to make sure you converted your profile to business

A business profile differs from a personal one because business profiles can access paid partnerships, CTA buttons, and analytics. Analytics are critical because they offer an authentic look into how your followers interact with your account. 

Know thy audience 

Who is your customer? If you’re publishing content across the Instagram app, they should be targeted. Do you have a customer persona that you are actively considering? That same overall marketing strategy should be considered content creation because what you make is made for that specific audience, which is way better than hoping to catch everyone with a wide net. Niche is ok as long as it’s done with a targeted approach. 

Don’t forget the hashtags

Hashtags are still a thing. Instagram has mentioned that 5-7 per post is the sweet spot. Most hashtags are simple ideas, phrases, or a play on your name. They don’t have to be super complicated; they are just something anyone can punch into Instagram. Keep SEO in mind, what are people searching for and how can those phrases populate via your Instagram content? The crux of having a hashtag is for your followers to tag the brand, and you do the same as a call-to-action to encourage customer photos and stories. 

Speaking of bios…

What you say in your Instagram bio matters. You may only have 150 characters, but the information in your bio is a big deal for your Instagram account. 

This is the first impression, where all newcomers will take in what you do and look at how you position the company. If you can get them excited by your Instagram bio, you’re on track for impact.  It would be best to highlight what you do and why you’re the best. The best practice here is to use your “name” as a place to include your name + a keyword/long keyword that benefits your account. For example, our instagram marketing guru is “Melanie | Austin Travel Creator” as names are optimized in the IG search – because her name is to the point, people find her easily. (Like we said, we listen to her, she’s got a lot of Instagram followers.)

A solid bio should include the following:

• A clear description of what your business does 
• A clear naming convention 
• A call-to-action 
• A link leading them to your product or service (We believe the link in bio is as dead as the dinosaurs, but hey, it can’t hurt.)

Upload a profile photo they’ll love 

Try to use the company logo here. Make it instantly recognizable, so someone who knows the brand will know your profile is legit. Apple, Nike, and Adidas use the logo correctly, making for a bold, eye-catching look. 

Make and keep an Instagram marketing content calendar 

Creating content must be done on a schedule, whether once a week, once a month, or every other day. Regularity is your friend. 

Don’t just snap any old photo

Instagram is so popular because people love the quality of the photos posted. From a smiling model to a fancy cocktail with the proper lighting, whatever the case, the images you post should only be of the highest quality. Take the time to either invest in a good camera or a high-quality Instagram photo app for your smartphone or work with a photographer. The old saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” The Instagram algorithm loves a good photo. 

Social media is for the people

If community is the route you’re choosing to go, highlight the people who support the business. If you’re an exclusive sneaker shop, show off the folks rocking their new kicks. And don’t be afraid to embrace user-generated content. Customers want to show off their support. Let them! These photos show you in the real world in a psychologically pleasing way.

The same goes for all of the people behind the scenes, too. Instagram users love to see a company’s inner workings, how its products are made, and the work that goes into them; this is a simple way to humanize. 

I <3 Video 

Video content is massively popular all across social media. Liking and sharing videos is so common at this point that the format of a quick phone-snapped video is just a part of the culture. There are so many video editing apps like time-lapse and looping, and then there are Reels, which are bite-sized pieces of content that get a ton of attention. A Reel is a fantastic way to show off the brand behind the scenes because it’s not too long or short. A Reel coupled with a popular song is what so many people are doing across Instagram as a big part of their Instagram marketing plan, and is widely considered the most effective way to do impactful Instagram marketing.

Embrace the meme 

Everyone loves a good meme. We trade them all day long. If you’re sharing a lot of internal “how it works” or customer-driven content, a few memes go a long way to show a sense of humor and break up the monotony of branded content. Humor is a great connector, which drives the point of view and helps boost any marketing campaign.

One thing to note on memes: while they are awesome. Instagram does hold priority over new, original content. So, keep that in mind when either planning or jumping on the meme bandwagon of something that’s popular. 

Tell your story 

Instagram Stories are another popular vector in any excellent brand awareness campaign because they have a high reach rate. Instead of a regular post that someone finds through scrolling, Stories go up top and are in the Story queue. And there’s something about the Story queue that makes people want to know what’s going on thanks to the feeling of missing out (immense FOMO energy) because everyone knows a Story is only available for 24 hours. 

PRO TIP from Melanie: 

“Common best practice is to let your story frames expire (wait out the 24hrs) before reposting a new set.”

Be consistent with your content 

Don’t be random. Publish your content with a regular cadence. Every post should have a compelling caption that explains the moment and embraces clarity with a good description of what’s happening.

PRO TIP from Melanie:
“Meta has said optimized posting cadence is 3-5 x week, with no less than 3 posts weekly.”

All posts should feature these key messages: 

• Hashtags 
• An optimized caption with content-related keywords
• A quick bio that lends personality 
• A call-to-action 
• If it’s a Reel, include a captivating cover photo and trending sounds, if possible
  

But, even though you’re cranking out the content, don’t publish something for the sake of just doing so – quality matters. If you’re creating a wellspring of content, it’s ok to make everything and then put everything on a schedule, so that you can set it and forget it. 

Think about what the post says and represents in terms of branding. This also applies to cross-posting on other channels like Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok. But remember that each channel has its own voice, so what you’re doing on Instagram probably won’t translate to Pinterest. 

Stay on top of what’s trending

If you’re going to invest heavily in social media, you’d better start thinking about trends. You need to know what people are talking about and make videos reflective of what’s happening in the larger social conversation. We’re not saying it looks like the “hello fellow kids” meme, but what content is trending in your industry, and what hashtags are used? All of these little things add up.

PRO TIP from Melanie:
“Instagram lets you search trending sounds, and you can also utilize the Reels Tab to see what videos are trending/being pushed at the moment.”

Knowing what your audience wants and is into impacts what the brand does moving forward because digital marketing isn’t one-size-fits-all, but what is trending, is trending. 

Plus, keeping your finger on the pulse of the customer works to gain insight into what they like and, more importantly, what they don’t. Consider it this way: It’s important to identify pain points. That’s marketing 101. Anyone in the business of selling anything should actively listen to their core audience because what feedback they provide usually paints a very clear picture. 

Promote, promote, promote 

If you’re going to have an Instagram, people need to know about it! You’re creating content and making some posts that people could like, but they need to know this stuff is out there. Instagram marketing needs to be the crown jewel of your marketing efforts. Your website should always have buttons for your social accounts, business cards, and stickers. Everything, all the time, should point back to the social accounts. 

As they say, it’s not a sprint; it’s a marathon. 

While some companies have been lucky to blow up fast, that’s not the usual case with everyone else. Building a dedicated Instagram page following takes time. (And savvy posts.) You’re going to have to show up day after day. Respond to followers, engage with other accounts, and talk to influencers and makers, but in a genuine way and not just trying to position the brand with false praise. 

Every comment and engagement matters. (Psst. You can even direct sales from comments.) Being active on Instagram matters because followers see the energy as honest and not just another marketing tactic. 

Do your best to understand the algorithm 

It’s not an easy feat to understand the algorithm. It changes frequently based on recent searches, interest, and what’s been clicked on. It’s a lot. Pay attention to when and what you’re posting, and see if any of these things affect your engagement. Every way you can hack the algorithm is a good thing. Try combinations of hashtags, use keywords, and keep a log of what metrics are hitting. 

As Instagram grows more potent by the week, it’s essential to keep track of the big wins, but those play into the tapestry of what makes an impactful post for your digital marketing efforts. If you want to really supercharge your Instagram, check out Manychat. The download is free and who doesn’t love free? 

Get more from your Instagram marketing efforts with ManyChat. Join the ManyChat for Instagram waitlist now.