More than 60 million photos were posted on Instagram today. This social media platform has grown into the most popular photo-sharing network. But the question is – how to market on Instagram?

The good news for you is that these 2019 Instagram marketing tips works! Instagram delivers more sales and drives more consumer action than any other social media platform.

Read on for our top Instagram marketing tips for 2019 to learn how to market on Instagram:

Tip #1: Interview your Target Audience

Before you launch a series of campaigns aimed at your target audience, take time to know how they use Instagram.

Understanding your customer is crucial for Instagram marketing.

By taking the time to learn their Instagram habits, you are setting yourself up to better target your potential customers.

Talk to as many people in your target audience as you can. Listen to how they use Instagram. With this data, you can confidently create a marketing strategy that will work for your audience and in any social media platform.

Tip #2: Create a Cross-Channel Strategy

Only 14% of organizations report that they run coordinated marketing campaigns across all social media platforms. These companies are missing out on a huge opportunity. If you create a cross-channel strategy, you’ll be a league ahead of your competition.

72% of consumers say they would rather connect with brands and businesses via multi-channel. Clearly, marketers need to develop coordinated Instagram marketing campaigns that use other channels to leverage the campaign.

You could incorporate channels like email marketing, display ads, direct mail, and live events into your Instagram marketing strategy. As a result, you will better engage your target audience. And you’ll grow your digital presence.

Tip #3: Use Instagram Analytics

There are various Instagram tools that can give insightful Instagram marketing analytics. Analytics can help guide your brand. These tools are designed to help your campaigns be more successful.

Do some research to find an Instagram analytics tool that will suit your needs.

Make sure it has the ability to monitor post-performance. This allows you to see what posts have the best reach, the best engagement, and the best click-through rate.

It’s a good idea to use an app that can schedule posts ahead of time. Most Instagram analytics tools can determine the best time of day to share content so that your post performs well.

Instead of having to manually post these at inconvenient times, schedule your post in advance and watch engagement soar.

Also, look for an Instagram analytics tool that is able to monitor chatter for specific keywords and hashtags. This enables you to connect with your audience in real-time and provide solutions.

Tip #4 Share Videos

Video capture viewers’ attention reliably and for a longer period of time than still photos. That’s why so many brands use video content on Instagram.

Online video accounts for 50% of all internet traffic. This year, that number is projected to grow to 80%.

Your videos can prompt your audience to take action. Your call to action can be to click over to your website or to install your app.

Even if people don’t “like” your video, you’ll be able to know the number of times your video has been viewed.

Remember, videos on Instagram play automatically without audio. So, don’t rely on sound to grab your viewers’ attention.

Your audience wants a good story, so think about what you want to say then turn it into a short story.

Videos should definitely be a large part of your Instagram marketing strategy. Yes, it takes more work than still photos, but the results are higher as well.

Tip #5 Launch an Interactive Hashtag

If you want to get instant engagement, interactive hashtags are a good way to get it.

Customers can then use the tag to post user-generated content. This allows users to search through all posts relating to your brand.

Creating a hashtag that your company (and other users) can search for is essentially free advertising and a genius Instagram marketing technique. Each time someone posts a photo using the tag, they’re exposing your brand to all their followers.

Red Bull has racked up over 299,612 posts featuring their tag, #itgivesyouwings.

The best part is most of the posts that contain this hashtag was used by consumers. You can do a search and see if you want to program any of those user-generated posts on your page.

If you already have a popular brand slogan or phrase, consider making that your branded hashtag.

Pro-Tip: Don’t forget to also include other popular hashtags in your posts. According to HubSpot, the top hashtags of 2018 were: #love, #instagood, #me, #cute, #tbt, #photooftheday, #instamood, #iphonesia, #food and #motivation.

Tip #6 Pay for Sponsored Ads

Sponsored ad is a must for your social media marketing campaigns. The best thing about putting some of your marketing dollars into ads is that you can set an ad budget.

With sponsored ads, you can showcase one ad or multiple ads with the carousel feature.

This enables you to engage with your target audience more broadly. If you don’t pay for sponsored ads, only users following your account will see your posts in their feed.

Sponsored ads let you promote your brand to anyone. You just set your parameters and your budget. This allows you to increase your reach further than ever before.

Make sure to use content that is engaging and appealing. You can turn existing posts into sponsored ads as well. So look at your top performing posts and consider making those sponsored ads.

Tip #7 Partner with Influencers

The fastest way to reach potential customers on Instagram is to partner with influencers who already have a large following.

People trust the opinion of influencers they follow. So they tend to purchase items they endorse. If you partner with the right industry influencer, you can get your brand out to a whole new audience.

Identify a few influencers that have an audience that is relevant to your product or service.

Is it likely that an A-list celebrity will be interested in partnering you with your 1000 followers? Probably not.

Remember that this partnership has to be beneficial for both of you.

Look for influencers that have a larger following than you without it being astronomically different.

Then get to work in making them notice you.

Share their content on your platforms. Comment on their blogs, or even offer to write a post for their blog. Then, ask them to share your posts.

Don’t Overlook Micro Influencers

If targeting your influencers isn’t working, don’t be discouraged. Consider partnering with a smaller, industry-specific influencer who has sway among your target audience. They’re most likely seen using Youtube as their medium of choice for marketing.

Micro influencers are everyday people with a good following. Their followers see them as relatable, genuine and trustworthy.

Launching a micro influencer campaign is basically word-of-mouth marketing. But on a larger scale.

The best thing is that many micro-influencers are willing to accept free products or services in return for promoting you. It’s win-win because it will help keep costs down.

Tip #8: Interact with your Followers

This may seem like common sense, but many businesses fail to do this.

Anytime someone comments on your post, write a comment. You can reply to thank them, praise their good idea, or better still, start a conversation.

This simple engagement shows that there is a person on the other side of the screen. It serves to humanize and personalize your brand. You will start to create a loyal customer base as a result.

Also, look for ways to get your followers to interact with your posts. A simple, “Tag three of your friends that would love this” can quickly put your brand in front of a larger audience. Plus this can get you a bunch of new followers.

Remember to ask questions that your followers will want to answer! Make it fun and light. You can try one or all of the following tactics:

Host a Q&A

“Ask me anything” threads are one of the most popular topics on Reddit. Ask your followers if they have any questions about your brand, product, or industry.

Presenting a thoughtful Q&A makes your audience feel important. A Q&A allows gives you insight into what your followers don’t know about you. Target these areas later to make sure you are providing the content your audience wants.

Post Trivia

One of the most fun and easiest way to engage with your followers is with a trivia question.

For example, ask followers to guess what year your brand was founded. Or post a picture of a skyline and ask them to guess where you are based out of.

Wishful Thinking

Nothing gets people’s mood up as quickly as a hypothetical scenario. Ask your followers something that gets them smiling. Ask about their dream vacation, dream job, or superhero power.

What you ask doesn’t really matter. Bonus points if you can tie it to your brand somehow. If you sell luggage, then ask “what items would you take with you on your dream vacation?”

Make it fun and you’ll see the comments start popping up.

Try These Instagram Marketing Tips Today

Instagram is dominating the social media kingdom. It’s the go-to place for image sharing, with over 800 million monthly users.

Billions of likes are handed out each day, so it’s wise to make sure you are collecting your fair share.

Follow these Instagram marketing tips to help yield super results. Have any questions about how to market on Instagram or want to learn more? Please subscribe to our newsletter and blog.