Not Finding Success with Instagram Marketing? Here’s Why.

January 15, 2015

Here are the reasons you may not be finding success with your Instagram Marketing yet.


instagram_inspirationSuccessful social media marketing on Instagram doesn’t have to be difficult. Whether you’re a social media marketing agency, a major brand or even a one-man marketing team trying to promote your app with Instagram, it’s possible for everyone to find success with visual marketing. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t take work. There are plenty of resources on how to grow your following on Instagram or how to increase your engagement, but if you’re finding yourself in a position where you still can’t take that next step you shouldn’t feel bad. We’ve laid out some of the top reasons why some people might be struggling with their Instagram marketing and provide tips on how to overcome them. Follow these and you’ll be on your way to the visual marketing promise land!


You don’t know enough about your community


Your community is telling you a lot about themselves with the posts they’re sharing. If you’re not taking the time to measure and analyze this content then you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to better target your posts. The struggles you may have with your social media marketing on Instagram could be a result of not interpreting the content your community is sharing with you. With metrics like Relative Engagement you can analyze the content on a level playing field to gain a better sense of which posts are most resonating with your followers.


You’re not telling a compelling enough story


The most important and obvious aspect of finding success on Instagram is making sure you’re building a human presence and posting the most engaging content for your community to interact with. To achieve this, you need an understanding of what content is performing best with your followers. If you’re trying to learn how to gain followers on Instagram, good posts are the best solution. Metrics like the pIQ Score can give you an understanding of the type of posts that your community is best interacting with to help guide your Instagram strategy. With these posts it’s important that you’re communicating your brand’s visual story. For inspiration on how to tell a great visual story on Instagram look at DICK’s Sporting Goods. They do a great job of not only showing their merchandise but also showcasing the sporting and active lifestyle surrounding their products. Determine the lifestyle your followers identify with your brand and post the visual content they want to see.



Become a stronger you with every stride. #BrooksRunning


A photo posted by DICK’S Sporting Goods (@dickssportinggoods) on Oct 10, 2014 at 9:14am PDT


You’re not engaging with your followers


To encourage more participation and engagement from your community it’s important that you’re constantly interacting with their posts. Commenting on the posts your fans are sharing about your brand and regularly liking their content can help you build a community that can advocates your brand. This also helps build a strong relationship with your fans to increase their passion and loyalty to your brand. If you’re not interacting with your community then you’re not going to find success with your social media marketing on Instagram.


Bath_Body_Works_instagram_fan_reaction


You’re not highlighting any user generated content


On visual networks like Instagram, the most valuable content your brand can benefit from is the user generated content you gain from your community. One reason you may not be finding success on Instagram is that you’re community isn’t sharing enough content promoting your brand to their followers. By highlighting your community’s content you’re not only encouraging them to participate and share more, you’re also giving your brand authentic UGC to promote your products and services. When displayed properly, this content does wonders for your marketing efforts. The Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau is a increasing participation with their #TakeOnPocono contest by showcasing the amazing content their visitors share from the scenic destination.


takeonpoconos_instagram


You’re not promoting with influencers


If you’re finding that you’re not gaining enough awareness for your Instagram marketing campaigns one of the best opportunities to correct this is to use influencers to amplify your promotion. Influencers can help grow your awareness by promoting content to their targeted and engaged following. To fully maximize the use of these influencers it’s important to ensure that you’re leveraging influencers who are fully vetted to not only give you great exposure but also to drive credible engagement to their posts. This requires influencers who have a following matching your target consumers. On your own this is no easy task. But by using thoroughly vetted influencers like those found on the Snapfluence network, you can trust that you’ll be using authentic and reliable influencers for your Instagram promotion.


You’re not running Instagram contests


Instagram contests are one of the most effective ways to improve your use of this social media marketing channel. With Instagram contests you can encourage the creation of authentic user-generated content from your community which helps promote your brand. When tracking these campaigns you can measure the participation from your fans to also understand who the most active and passionate members of your community are.


You’re not using the right hashtags


With all social media marketing it’s imperative that you use the right hashtags for both the posts that you’re sharing and with the campaigns and contests that you run. The hashtags on your visual content will help your community discover your content by injecting it into their conversations. Successful Instagram marketing and fan engagement depends on this discovery and engagement. With your contests and campaigns it’s equally important to create the right hashtag for your campaigns. There is no such thing as one single ‘perfect hashtag’ but the hashtag that you create for your contest can influence the promotion’s success and community involvement. Be sure to think before you hashtag on Instagram.


Have you also struggled with any of these on Instagram, or have you found success following any of these best practices?

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