How to improve your Instagram Marketing performance?

How to improve your Instagram Marketing performance?

Not so long ago, brands on Instagram used to measure a post’s performance by the number of likes. But today, the norms have changed. Total engagement, follower growth, reach, most engaged hashtags, referral traffic and even story metrics are a part of the performance tracking.

 

So, how do you increase brand awareness through Instagram? What are some Instagram marketing strategies every brand should know?

This Instagram marketing strategy cheat sheet will help you with the answers.

Instagram Marketing Tips

1. Revamp your Bio

Your bio is the first glimpse of your account. This is precisely why your bio must be valuable, interesting, and engaging.

You may use your bio to provide the essential information on your offerings, the type of content your audience can expect, brand hashtags, and lots more. Better yet, also incorporate a trackable URL to which you want to lead people – for example, a link to your website. Ensure to track this link to know the amount of traffic it generates.

Once you write your bio, remember to update it regularly. Reviewing your bio constantly and introducing any important updates is a good practice.

Bio 1

You can see how FableSquare uses its bio space effectively, with a brand hashtag, the brand offering, industry hashtags, and a link to our website. It is one of the most fundamental but important Instagram marketing strategies.

2. Add more Instagram Stories

After Instagram Stories started in August 2016, they became prevalent among the public. Today, it’s a game-changer for most brands. According to Business of Apps, 500 million Instagram users use Stories.

A powerful strategy for Instagram stories is essential to get the full benefit of this feature. You may use Instagram Stories in many ways. For example, to engage with your audience with a poll, tell a story with a series of images, share tips, and much more.

Taking complete advantage of the functionalities like stickers, AR filters, etc., can favour the engagement with the audience. If your follower count is over 10000, you can explore the Instagram Swipe Up feature. This feature allows you to include links in stories instead of repeatedly switching between your bio links to align with your promotions.

Story 1

3. Create an Identity

Since Instagram is all about visuals, the appearance of your profile is important. Your visitors should instantly connect your profile with your brand. You can achieve this by aligning your brand style with your profile – for example, colour palette, font styles, imagery, etc.

A profile with pleasing aesthetics and consistency is appealing and drives people to follow your brand as they connect with your brand. 

IG feed ss

4. Find out the perfect time for you

What is the optimal time to post on Instagram?

As for reaching your people, the very objective lies in learning when your target market spends time on Instagram. Instagram Insights provides a clear picture of the time your followers are active. With access to your business account on Instagram, you can learn the ideal time to post by analysing your Instagram insights.

If you do not have over 100 followers, you can look at your competitors to predict what works for you.

5. Embrace Influencer Marketing

The quickest method to reach your target market is with Instagram influencers.

The existing follower base of the influencers can help increase your brand awareness. To deploy this technique, the initial step is to find an influencer that’s the right fit for your brand.

A significant advantage of influencer marketing is the ease to build brand trust in the audience. Every brand must consider investing in influencer marketing today as it is the most remarkable part of Instagram marketing strategy.

FableSquare offers Influencer marketing as a service for brands. Contact us to get started.

6. Draw attention to User Generated Content

User-generated content on Instagram is a grand prize for brands. It’s an opportunity to include your followers in brand promotions while lowering your marketing spend.

The most significant benefit of user-generated content is that your followers act as your brand advocates by choice.

7. Go Live

Data shows, Instagram Live views have grown by over 60% in India throughout 2020.

The charm the live videos carry lies in that direct connection drawn with your audience. It’s the quickest and easiest way to announce your product launch, educate your audience on how to use your product or service, host Q&A and whatnot!

Another advantage of going live is the push notification that Instagram sends to your followers to tell them you are live.

8. Be deliberate with the Hashtags

A hashtag is an excellent tool for increasing exposure and engaging with your audience.

The only way to excel at hashtags is by being strategic.

Creating a branded hashtag is a way to go about it. It needs to be captivating and incorporate your brand name in a certain way.

A branded hashtag’s advantages are to help your audience find out more about your product or service. You can also create hashtags for your campaigns and contests as a part of the user-generated content strategy.

9. Publish ‘Save’ worthy Content

Like we mentioned earlier, the metrics of success on Instagram today are comments, shares and saves. So, the most effective way to improve your Instagram marketing performance is to create and publish content that drives your followers towards the bookmark symbol.

If your posts are in your audience’s ‘Saved Posts’ section, they will view your content multiple times. So, create content that your audience will find value in. It could be an infographic on using a product, tips and tricks, etc.

Is Instagram marketing profitable in 2021?

Marketing experts say Instagram marketing is here to stay, and more and more brands will enter the game this year. Here are some predictions that may come in useful for brands to get ready with a plan.

 

 

1. Reels are likely to grow

Instagram Reels permits users to produce 15 to 30 second short videos. Within a year of its launch, Reels has become TikTok’s rival.

This shows that the audience is leaning towards bite-sized content. Watch how @fablesquare_india uses Reels to bond with our audience.

 

2. The rise of Instagram SEO

Experts predict Instagram SEO to be one of the major trends for 2021. Keyword search in Instagram offers users an additional path to explore content on the platform.

At present, keyword search outputs only accounts, tags, and places, but all forms of content may appear in the results in the future.

 

3. Physical retailers may move to Instagram

As we turn more and more towards the digital space, brick and mortar stores need to secure their business. With Instagram’s in-app purchasing features, the actions a user needs to take to convert into a customer are very minimal.

To benefit from this, your business should:

  • Study your market’s requirements on a digital platform
  • Explore and test different forms of content
  • Create retargeting ads, and
  • Prioritise user experience

Instagram shopping seems like a continually evolving platform. The sooner the businesses enter this space, the better they will be prepared for the changes in future.

FableSquare helps businesses with Instagram marketing strategy and execution.

 

Closing Comments

It is undeniable that Instagram is a competitive platform, but there are many ways to enhance your marketing performance. Instagram is all about ever-evolving features. Try to follow these tips as a part of your Instagram marketing strategy to see better results.

Let us know your questions and thoughts through the comment section of this article. We will answer them at the earliest.

FableSquare helps brands save time by handling their Instagram marketing alongside other social media channels.

Get Started Now.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best practices for marketing through Instagram?
  1. A consistent content schedule
  2. Instagram Stories
  3. Live videos
  4. Appropriate hashtags
How do I market my website through Instagram?
  1. Include your website URL in your business’s Instagram bio
  2. Host a contest as a part of which people need to visit your website
  3. Include links in IGTV posts
  4. Collaborate with influencers
  5. Add links in stories and highlight them in your profile
What are some tips for using Instagram ads?
  1. Understand your audience
  2. Stay in line with the advertising guidelines
  3. Target the right audience
  4. Incorporate humanised content
What are 5 tips for marketing a restaurant on Instagram?
  1. Create a hashtag that your customers can use when they post photos at your restaurant
  2. Post visually rich photographs that evoke hunger
  3. Write thoughtful captions that speak to your audience and connect with them
  4. Interact with your followers regularly
  5. Always use geotags
Instagram marketing tips for an EDM producer?
  1. Provide accurate details on your name, band name and your production house
  2. Cross-promote with your teammates’ social handles
  3. Submit your tracks to the ‘Music’ sticker on Instagram Stories

Sigma AVIT – Marketing Case Study

Sigma AVIT – Marketing Case Study

Sigma AVIT – Marketing

tTey ask

  • To Rebrand Sigma AVIT with a modern and relevant design aesthetic 

  • To Strategise and Execute Organic Social Media and Digital Marketing 

  • To Redesign the Company Website 

  • To establish Sigma AVIT’s thought leadership in the digital space 

They
Ask

they ask

  • To Rebrand Sigma AVIT with a modern and relevant design aesthetic 

  • To Strategise and Execute Organic Social Media and Digital Marketing 

  • To Redesign the Company Website 

  • To establish Sigma AVIT’s thought leadership in the digital space 

How we positioned Sigma AVIT as an Industry Thought Leader

Rebranding 

We began a search for Sigma AVIT’s core identity.

Who is Sigma AVIT? 

We spent time understanding who Sigma AVIT truly was and how to represent it through design. We learned about their solutions, integrated AV into geometric shapes and even played around with lines. It was an interesting exercise. But soon, we realised that to really get to know a brand; we needed the story of the origin.
It was time to call in someone who was there at the time the brand was born. So, we thought: “Why not just talk to the people that gave birth to Sigma AVIT?”
“Brand is just a perception, and perception will match reality over time.”
– Elon Musk

So how long did it take?
Almost 5 months!
Yes, we know. Rebranding takes time.
It is not just because that will define the company, but because there is plenty of experimentation. Associating “What the brand believes in” with a single visual element takes more than a coffee chat. Because if you really want to get to the core of your business, you need to spend time talking to lots of different people.

Crafting a Brand Element 

“If you don’t give the market the story to talk about, they’ll define your brand’s story for you.”
– David Brier
We had many 1-on-1 interviews with the directors and managers of Sigma AVIT. And we kept asking: What is Sigma AVIT about? What makes you stick around?
One suggestion was “Always on par with technology” – Sigma AVIT is more than just AV integration. The brand’s solutions are always in line with modern technology and upgrading constantly.
This is what makes the brand stand out. The brand’s vision is – To be recognized as a world-class leader in technology solutions through innovation, best practices, well-defined processes and global quality standards.
We boiled this down to three simple words: Adapt and Grow. This is what gave direction to the brand’s element.

Designing an ‘Adapt and Grow’ identity 

We wanted to create a professional brand that helped people connect better. We spent days developing visuals to express what it means to ‘Adapt and Grow’. Our idea was to express the thought through growth while sticking to the brand colours.  

 

Brand element

 

We came up with the above graphic as the brand element. The different colours depict the adaptation, and the forward and scaling movement shows growth. Yes, yes. Of course, this was not the first visual we came up with. We presented different concepts, each with its own unique narratives. They loved some, rejected others. 😛
The above design was a good fit for the brand because its simplicity and clarity matched the brand. 

“A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another. “
– Seth Godin 

Expressing the New Identity 

With the main element defined, it didn’t take long to polish the surface. We took a few days to present the final branding kitAre we sure the new brand will stay for a while? Well, we hope so. 

website development 

We were tasked with developing a website from ground zero. The site had to engage with the visitors and encourage them to take the next step in booking Sigma AVIT for their service requirements in AV integration. 
Every competitor of Sigma AVIT owned a website so we had to create something that stood out from the others while staying within the brand guidelines. 
Our first thought was to make the site rich in visuals consisting of images and videos. We created a dynamic slider for the main banner of the site, displaying AV integrated spaces. The whole website had a modern layout accessible through fluid smooth transitions.  

Content Marketing 

Content marketing is the backbone of an organisation’s marketing efforts. A strategy for creating content includes topic selection, content formats, writing style, design and promotion. 

How did we build a content strategy for Sigma AVIT? 

At first, we put our complete attention to finding audience-focused topics. Finding a topic that the brand’s audience is interested in is very important. Our focus was on creating blog posts to draw attention to the newly built website.  

Website mockup blog e1660827797198

The first blog post we published generated close to 900 views ORGANICALLY! To support our blog content, we brought in custom-designed visuals.
When it comes to content, there’s one thing we’ve found to be true almost 100% of the time. People LOVE real-time examples. It’s because examples make learning easier.
So, our blog posts gave direct attention to real-time applications than theoretic details. The inspiration for our content came directly from people who have implemented it.  

Content UX 

When most people think UX, they think of applications. But every entity used by a person gives an experience. Content is no exception. Content that’s easy to skim through and read is what gives a good experience. That’s what we focused on.  

How do you promote this content? 

Email Newsletters. We designed newsletters around the content we developed. 
Result: Over time, we generated close to 4000 views on the posts.  

Social Media Marketing 

5000+ Organic Impressions in 5 Months! 

Our Digital Mantra to this Success
 #1. Interesting and Valuable Content  – Content that added value to the audience.
#2. Brand Awareness – Bits of content that spoke about the brand’s offerings.
#3. Consistent Brand Communication – Fresh Content + Cutting-edge Design = Engagement 

Resulting in
800+ followers in a span of 5 months!
200+ people engaged with the brand!  and all this through just Organic Marketing! 

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Traffic

Returning Visitors

Top Ranking Keywords

Organic Search

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It all started when we at Sigma AVIT, wanted to endeavour into the digital realm of Service marketing and ensure that our offered services can help strengthen our database while we keep real-time engagement with our associate brands and leads.
We wanted to work with a 360-degree marketing agency that can understand our requirements and cater to executing the same.
So, here’s when we collaborated with Mayur and his team at FableSquare.
My initial response to go with Fable square was as they put forth an execution model as POA for Marketing solutions in the IT Service industry starting from Creating our Website to executing digital Social Media Campaigns.
The team understood our pain areas and brought forth plans that resulted in a structure for all our communications be it internal or external.The young minds that efficiently worked with us were constantly trying new ways to put forth the right ideas to equip us and station us as Thought Leaders in the System integrations domain.

Our primary goal was to inline an agency that will enable Sigma AVIT as

  1. Thought leaders in the domain
  2. Create relevant marketing collaterals to create a structure internally as well as externally
  3. Understand Sigma’s Ideology adding to existing attributes, thus enabling relevant social interactive content.

With the collaboration of the team being in line with the company, we delivered the right constructed content for our engaging period, which propelled Sigma AVIT’s interaction, which was not achieved in its previous days. The task of Marketing is never complete and will always be an ongoing challenge.
Having said this, my feedback on the agency has been great and the rapport build has been exponential. The learnings from both ends have been great and they are always ready to understand levels on where they can contribute to the company’s digital success.
The Agile management of the workforce has been great, and deadlines met at all times. In a nutshell, I would defiantly like to work with them in the future.

Sandeep Upadhyaya

Assistant Marketing Manager , Sigma AVIT

Let's Work Together!

Location

P115, 9th Main, 11th Cross Rd, LIC Colony,
Sector 12, Jeevan Bima Nagar,
Bengaluru, Karnataka 560075

5 Tips for Building a Strong Brand

5 Tips for Building a Strong Brand

5 Tips for Building a Strong Brand 1

What is Branding?

Think about some brands you know and love: Apple, Nike, Starbucks. Why do these brands stand out to you?

Did they have a magic tool? No. Did they just wave a wand and enchant you? Probably not.

The reason behind their popularity is the creativity and originality, and the ingenuity to bring that out. Apart from delivering quality service, they went the extra mile to create an identity for themselves.

Now, let’s take a closer look at branding and what you can do for your brand.

01

Define your archetype

Carl Jung conceptualised archetypes as the recognisable patterns, images and symbols derived from the collective unconscious. For example, Mercedes-Benz, the expensive luxurious high-end vehicle falls under the category of ‘The Ruler’ from the archetypes. Defining your brand using these archetypes helps your audience to connect with and remember your brand effortlessly.

 

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02

Have a professional / creative logo

Once you have your brand archetype defined, you need to have an appropriate logo. Your logo is your identity, so it must be well-thought and professionally designed. It must invoke the emotion of your brand archetype to have maximum impact.

 

03

Shine a light on the unique benefits

Your products/services and their benefits are unique to your brand in at least one way. Identifying what is special about your brand and focusing on the value it brings to the customer makes your brand stand out.

Example: ‘Your friend with a car’ by Lyft where they said their drivers would be fun and the journey would be exciting. ‘Reliance Jio’, focused on providing good service at a price that none of its competitors had even thought about. This approach of positioning themselves made them different from their competitors.

 

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04

Show positivity in your communication

What is special about some successful brands you know? Positivity.

The audience prefers it when the brands make them feel good rather than putting them down. Dove’s #SpeakBeautiful campaign fits very well as an example. Social media, more often than not, makes you feel negative about your looks. Dove partnered with Twitter and built a new tool to measure the impact of words. The tool gave an insight into what one’s words collectively mean, inspiring them to speak positively.

 

05

Be innovative and stay approachable

Make your brand a blend of innovation and customer-centric. People prefer talking to humans over bots. Be there for your customers as you grow as a brand.

We believe these business branding ideas will help you strengthen your brand-building process. If you would like to understand the process of branding in-depth, visit us.

 

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