Do you know? Instagram is the second most accessed network behind Facebook. People can be instantly entertained through shorter-form video — in environments like Feed, Stories and Reels.

There’s over  one billion active monthly users and 500 million daily Instagram Stories, and the numbers are increasing by the day.

So, are your business already on Instagram? If not, here’s why you should be :

• Oberlo estimates that 71% of US businesses use Instagram. 
• Instagram sees over one billion active monthly users and 500 million daily Instagram Stories.
• Users browse for an average of 53 minutes per day.
• Nearly 45% of Instagram’s users are between the ages of 18 and 44.
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We know everyone must have been more than excited to start posting EVERYTHING and ANYTHING about your company, now HOLD ON. Don’t make the mistake of blindly posting on every platform existing just to be present, without a strategy! Since Instagram is very different from other popular social sites, it requires a distinct marketing strategy. Start here to develop your brand’s own unique style.
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1. WHY are you here?

Before you start, ask one thing: Why are you on Instagram? In another words, what’s the goal you want to achieve in here? Some people are doing it for brand awareness, some are doing it for conversion, what’s your true goal? Keep is precise and simple, once you decide your direction, your content will follow through.

2. Who’s your audience?
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Determine the audience you want to reach before you begin marketing on Instagram. It may seem like a good idea to show your content to wider audiences, but imagine marketing your meat products to vegetarians, we wouldn’t want to do that. Don’t forget to consider factors like age, location, gender, income, interests, motivations, and pain points.
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Life Hacks :
See who’s using and engaging with these hashtags and check out their profiles. You can also take a look at your competitor’s followers. Instagram makes it easy to define your audience.

3. Build a consistent editorial calendar & grow a follower base
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Random content confuses your audience and can cause you to lose followers. To prevent this, maintain a consistent brand aesthetic on your Instagram account.

With an editorial calendar, you can keep an eye out for real-time opportunities instead of scrambling for last-minute posts.

For example, your company sells Christmas decorations, plans early way before the season and starts constantly posting ideas on how to decorate different spots of the house, using your products! Link in bio to shop with an early bird discount code,discount is until 30th of November! So you’ll get to ship them out and make sure your customer receives it before the Christmas season!

Your editorial calendar is also a great place to record any key events to highlight on your Instagram account, such as new product launches or special offers. With the right content and consistent posting, a group of right audiences would be in your potential customer list sooner or later!
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4. Promote Your Business on Instagram
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Once you establish a dedicated follower base, you can start converting those followers into paying customers. Here are some strategies.

• Promotions:
  Deals, discounts, birthday promo and other offerings are a great way to drive first-time sales with your Instagram audience.
  Run contests :
  Contest that requires someone to follow your account or post with a hashtag to enter.
• Charity:
  81% of millennials expect companies to make a public commitment to charity. Partner up with NGO and have fun with collaboration, this way both companies get to expand their follower base but without too much conflict of interest.
  
  For example :
  Pet Food Supply company collaborated with PAWS and gave out 10% of profit to everything sold during the campaign.
  
  

5. Be creative with Short Form Video
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Instagram Reels Ads
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Instagram will also begin testing Reels ads in India, Brazil, Germany and Australia with tests expanding to more countries in the coming months. 90% of people follow a business on Instagram, and people are already embracing Reels to discover new creators and businesses.

The ads will be full-screen and immersive, similar to ads in Stories. As with organic Reels content, ads can be up to 30 seconds and people can comment, like, view, save, share and skip Reels ads.
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Instagram will learn from how people and businesses engage with this new format so we can bring the best possible experience to the community.
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Sticker Ads for Facebook Stories
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In the coming weeks, Facebook ’ll be testing custom Sticker Ads for Facebook Stories, announced in March, with select advertisers and creators. These ads allow creators to monetize their Facebook Stories with ads that look like stickers and receive a portion of the resulting revenue. Brands will create bespoke stickers and creators can proactively place these Sticker Ads in their Facebook Stories.
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Lastly, don't forget to leverage the link in your Instagram bio as well as your Instagram Story Highlights as these can connect followers to your website, blog, and product pages. Good luck with your journey! Our team here in Meekco.Asia wishes you all the best of luck! If you need more help on marketing your products, here’s where to find us !

Meekco.Asia is a Official Facebook Global Expansion Partner.
Contact Us > https://www.facebook.com/business/m/cross-border/meekco

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