Instagram marketing is becoming increasingly important for many organisations, especially those in highly visual industries, such as retailers, restaurants, entertainment, and travel companies. The channel has seen explosive growth since it first appeared on the scene in 2010, and is showing no signs of slowing. Here is a quick look on why Instagram marketing matters, how companies can increase engagement across the platform, and how they can measure their successes.

So, Why Instagram?

Instagram revealed that the app has more than 400 million monthly users, 80 million daily photos, 3.5 billion daily likes, and lots of opportunity to marketers. Forrester named Instagram the “King of social engagement,” citing that top brands’ Instagram posts generated a per-follower engagement rate of 4.2 percent. That is 58 times more engagement per follower than Facebook, and 120 times more engagement per follower than Twitter! Instagram marketing is powerful as it allows our audience to visually consume ideas and make decisions about our brand without us being too pushy.

So how can we generate ROI from Instagram marketing engagement?

Step 1: Content First
First, we need to share interesting content that resonates with our audience.

Step 2: Wise Words
Second, use captions wisely. If Instagram is all about a company’s visual identity, then the caption adds context to the visual. Don’t state the obvious, but share a story. Remember that people tend to read a caption once the image has their attention.

Also, don’t forget to include hashtags as they make for the perfect discover mechanism, as does location tagging! While Instagram allows for up to 30 tags, common consensus recommends 1-5 tags per post so we don’t #spam. If we want to include more, add them in the comments so they are searchable but will be hidden after more people start commenting. Before we start strategizing on what links to include in our caption, we’ll want to know that Instagram does not allow them. The only place we can include a link (just one) is in our profile. We suggest using this space to link back to a company website.

Step 3: Be Exclusive

Third, post exclusive deals or competitions on Instagram. Deals are a tangible reward for followers, and brands reap the benefit of having a network of people talking about them on their personal pages.

Increased Engagement. Now What?

Once we increase our engagement, it’s critical to monitor our Instagram marketing efforts. Engagement analytics help marketers understand which types of posts our audience likes most, so we can better focus our strategy.