A Complete Guide to Instagram Content

Instagram has been an incredibly popular marketing channel for brands for years. As one of the most frequently daily accessed social platforms, brands can’t afford to not be active on the platform. However, it isn’t enough to simply have an account. You need to work to build your presence on the platform and provide genuine value to your target audience. 

When focusing on your Instagram strategy, you need to consider the Instagram best practises for the content formats available. Following best practises for Instagram and finding the best time to post on Instagram will keep you on your A-game and help you grow brand visibility, gain new followers and drive audience engagement. 

Instagram best practises

High-quality visuals

Ensuring your page is full of high-quality visuals is one of the most important Instagram best practises to follow. As a visual platform, visuals are everything. A poorly designed graphic or pixelated image won’t perform well. Having high quality images and videos will help you stand out on Instagram.

In addition, another Instagram best practice is to use bright colours and filters. This not only helps you stand out within Instagram’s Home feed, it also gives your own page a consistent aesthetic that fits your brand persona. 

Monitor platform updates

When discussing Instagram best practises, it’s important to always stay on top of any platform changes. This includes any new platform features and algorithm changes. This gives you the foresight to leverage changes and updates ahead of your competition. 

Instagram has various content features including Stories, video, Reels and Shopping. Following Instagram story best practises and Instagram Reels best practises will keep you up to date on new features and options available. 

Monitor audience needs

One of the most effective Instagram best practises is providing content your audience actually wants. Monitor your audience’s behaviour and actions to find out exactly what they want to see. Using insights and analytics, you can see the content they most frequently interact with. 

Perfect your post timing

Finding the best time to post on Instagram is an important practice to follow. The Instagram algorithm changes regularly, but the priority on engagement has remained the same. Posting at the time your audience is most active will translate to high visibility and engagement. 

The optimal time to post will vary based on your industry, location and where your audience is. If your main audience is located in a different country or time zone, you need to cater to this. Find a post scheduling solution that allows you to post outside of your working hours. 

Tell a story with visuals

Instagram is a visual platform. Therefore, storytelling using visuals works very well. This is one of the Instagram best practises that will leave your content memorable. Instagram is the ideal platform to create intriguing and captivating stories about your brand. Tell your brand history, customer stories, or even employee experiences, all through visual storytelling. 

Use hashtags

A simple but effective Instagram best practice: hashtagging. Hashtags help your content show up in search results and in the Explore pages of those who have viewed or interacted with similar content. Using Instagram hashtags can boost content discovery and overall brand visibility. 

Using niche and industry related hashtags will help you hone into the right audience; using popular hashtags could mean you get lost in the noise. You could also use hashtags to monitor user-generated content that you could later repost to your own channels. 

Use influencer marketing

Influencer marketing is one of the most popular and effective Instagram best practises. Influencers have the ability to reach thousands of people through their content, and they can add fuel to your Instagram promotional efforts. Using relevant influencers can place your content in front of relevant audiences who will be interested in your content and offerings. 

When working with influencers, you need to work with those whose audience base overlaps with yours. This usually means those who’ve built an influence in your industry or a related niche. For example, vegan food influencers for brands that produce eco-friendly and organic products.

FAQs

What content works best on Instagram?

High-quality and bold content works best on Instagram. This type of content captures a user’s attention and entices them to pay attention to your messaging. 

Our Influencer marketing agency and Social agency are located worldwide, with our agency network based in the USA, UK, UAE and China.

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