8 Efficient Ways Businesses can Advertise on Instagram

instagram growth service

Instagram gives you an excellent opportunity to market your products to a more interested and engaged audience without spending much money on advertising. With a little creativity, you can easily beat the Instagram algorithm and make thousands of dollars from the huge social media.

Using some Instagram tools, it’s now much easier to manage an Instagram account than it used to be. You can use some free tools to schedule your Instagram posts/stories, or you can use some like apps to increase your engagement rate and have the chance to hit the explore page.

In fact, as of January 2018, Instagram made changes to its API, letting its users publish videos and photos on Instagram’s Business Profile through a third-party platform. Thus, making it easier for you to take advantage of what Instagram has to offer.

In this post, we will talk about the seven efficient ways businesses could advertise on Instagram.

1. Switch to Business Instagram Account

When you switch to a business account, you’ll have access to lots of new tools and helpful insights. If you want to work with a Facebook Ads agency, you must have an Instagram business account before the onboarding. That way, they can maximize what Instagram has to offer for your business. This includes advertising features on the platform.

Marketing should be all about your audience and not you. Therefore, your latest photos from your recent vacation should stay in your personal account.

They are not relevant to your customers, and they will not bring you prospects to your store.

2. Use an Instagram Growth Service

Before new updates on the Instagram algorithm, it was much easier to grow an account. You could use some automation tools to automate your activities and boost your growth and engagement. Since June 2019, Instagram has made it impossible to use automation. All bot activities are now detected, and your account will soon get banned. Let’s say using automation today, and you risk losing your account forever.

But there is an alternative solution. Some services like AiGrow, are offering account management services, in which you can hire an Instagram expert to help you grow and professionally manage your account. We haven’t tested the service in detail, but they are offering 1 week of a free trial, which allows you to test it before you pay.

3. Invest in Instagram Ads

Various Instagram ads let you introduce new products and services and promote events, sales, and special offers. 

Photo Ads

This ad type is relatively simple and easy. Whether it is landscape, square, or vertical, as long as you are using the right image and caption, you are sure to leverage Photo ads for your business.

Video Ads

Video ads on Instagram typically run about 60-seconds in length. Most native Instagram videos play without audio (users still have to tap into it to activate the sound). Therefore, it should not solely depend on the audio.

Carousel Ads

It allows you to place multiple videos and images in a single post. Just like with the usual multiple picture post, users can swipe left to see the other images in your ad. 

Stories Ads

It lets you tell an engaging story about your business, which draws your audience in. The key to getting the best results is to get your point quickly and clearly because your audience could not rewind it.

4. Use Brand and Campaign-specific Hashtags

Hashtags have become so popular on Instagram that they have become mandatory.

If you want to find people to come across your content, then use hashtags. If you are launching a campaign on Instagram, then you should use branded and campaign-specific hashtags. It applies to product launches, contests, and influencer shout-outs. 

Remember to use specific hashtags that apply to your brand. It could be something that you created for your campaign, your brand name, or the name of a product or person. 

For instance, Nike has “#justdoit,” while Kitkat has “#HaveABreak. Your brand needs to come up with its own campaign and branded hashtags. 

Read our comprehensive guide on ‘13 Ways to Win with Instagram Hashtags.’

5. Upload High-Quality Video Content

The last thing you want to do is upload something on Instagram, even if it is not of high quality.

If you upload a video with poor quality and sound, it communicates unprofessionalism to your audience. 

You need to invest in great videos through excellent tools and equipment. Not only do videos generate more engagement than static images, but it also builds your audience’s trust and establishes professionalism.

6. Follow and Engage with Influencers

If you want to build a strong presence on Instagram and get more sales, endorsement from influencers is all you need. But you have first to identify the right people to work with.

Great influencers should:

  • Have an ideal audience that is actually interested in buying.
  • Are visible and vocal in your niche.
  • Can influence your followers’ decisions. 

7. Boost Engagement on Instagram

So, now that you have built a steady following, how do you turn your audience into loyal, paying customers? By engaging with your audience, of course!

When you close the gap between your communication with online sellers and buyers, the platform allows you to boost your customer service, receive direct feedback, and create relationships to convert your visitors. 

Here are some effective ways to maximize your engagement:

  • Create active and compelling captions.
  • Run contests, decide what you want to give away, and develop an appealing photo to feature the prize.
  • Respond to notifications and comments of your followers. 
  • Utilize tools for Instagram Shopping.

We have a winning guide on ‘29 Fool-Proof Ways to Get More Instagram Engagement‘.

8. Send Traffic to Your Site

On the platform, you can only add one link that your audience can click on. You can add a clickable link on your bio under your name and description. 

It will redirect your audience to your online shop or on a landing page to drive traffic to your site.

Wrap Up

With over 700 million monthly active users, Instagram has lesser competition and has a more engaged audience than other social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. 

If you are a brand with a visual story to tell, and you want to build a community of dedicated followers, there is certainly a place waiting for you on the platform.