Instagram, a social media platform that just recently celebrated its 10th birthday, has become one of the top three social media networks currently available. Not only is it used by teens, boomers, and everything in between, but also small to large brands. This means it’s crucial for a business to create stellar content to try to engage with their customer base. Read below for tips on how to reach some of the 1 billion monthly active Instagram users through great content.

The Basics:

Upload a photo with a width of at least 1080 pixels with an aspect ratio between 1:91:1 and 4:5. For a square, use 1080 pixels x 1080 pixels.
A single post may contain one to ten photos.
When using video, the best format is MP4 and the video can be no longer than 1 minute.
The character limit is 2,200 allowing the brand to tell its full story in a post. *Pro-tip: Just because you can type away, it doesn’t mean you have to. Sometimes a short and sweet message goes a long way!
Keep hashtags to a maximum of 30 per post.
Geotag the location when making a post using either the brick and mortar location, the city the brand is located in or the location the photo was taken. Geotags help expand the reach of the post by allowing the photo to be found anytime an Instagram user clicks on the same geotag on another photo.

Best Practices:

Know the audience. Take a deep dive in your available analytics to find out who your brand speaks to or resonates with the most, because let’s face it, you can’t appeal to everyone. Once you know who you’re targeting, you can find appropriate Instagram influencers to possibly partner with, hashtags that will further your organic reach, and can create stellar content that is most likely to resonate with them.
Research hashtags. Hashtags aren’t only clickable but searchable as well, making them an essential part of a successful post. The key is to use a few brand-related hashtags that people can use when they tag the product or business in their post, but to also use some relevant hashtags outside of the brand such as the city the brand is located in, if that’s relevant to the content or #TravelTuesday for a hospitality brand or something like #CraftBeerLover for a brewery. A mixture of relevant and specific hashtags is excellent when trying to increase both reach and engagement.
Promote experiences, not products. This may sound backward, but people don’t always hop onto Instagram to surf for new items to buy. Instead, they get mesmerized by great photography that makes them want to visit that location, or by foodie pics that make them want to buy food or product without a traditional ad in place. Don’t get scared to get creative and really get out there by showing what the brand has to offer, and shy away from product pushing. The results can be amazing!
Crowdsource content. When someone tags the brand or uses the branded hashtag, don’t be afraid to ask that person for permission to use their photo/video if it aligns with the company’s posts. This changes up the perspective of content, adds creativity, cuts down on photography budgets, and can spice up a feed easily. However, it is crucial that the brand asks for permission before doing so or else it turns into copyright issues that are no fun to deal with and entirely avoidable.
Relevancy matters. Don’t forget to use National Day calendars to include fun posts that are relevant to the brand such as #NationalDogDay, #NationalHotDogDay, etc. Also look for ways to use day of the week hashtags such as #FoodieFriday, #WanderlustWednesday, etc. Another way to stay relevant is by creating content that relates to the current season, sports being played, etc. People crave connection and go to Instagram to find this. Capitalize on this by being current and relevant.

Down to the Business (Source: Omni Core Agency)

Both genders use Instagram almost evenly, 510 million women and 490 million men users
While 130 million Instagram users are from the United States, 89% are from outside the US
72% of teens use Instagram
130 million Instagram users tap on a shopping post to learn more about products every month
Over 200 million Instagram users visit at least one business account daily
There are over 500,000 influencers on Instagram
User-generated content has a 4.5% higher conversion rate on average

Now that you have the tools and framework to create a stellar Instagram post, you’re ready to go live with new content! However, this is not a set it and forget it social network. Make sure to engage with your followers when they comment on your post or send you a DM (direct message). Engaging with Instagram users will help build your follower base and increase your overall engagement. If you find yourself needing assistance after creating a few posts, feel free to drop us a line!

A Guide to Creating Stellar Instagram Content

The Basics: