Facebook is an engagement powerhouse for the 25-45 audience. For anyone who was in college between 2000-2006 is a testament to this. But with the aging population, Facebook knew they needed the next hot thing that speaks to the younger generation; hence Instagram. However, adoption of marketing in social channels has always been slow with so many failed social media channels like Google +, MySpace, and most recently Vine.

So it is understandable that small businesses are hesitant to put their time and money into something until it is proven. Earlier adopters of social channels are the pioneers that ford the rivers before the bridges are built and tough out a snake bite just like our forefathers (mothers) on Oregon Trail.

These brave souls take the time to figure out what works and make it safer for those that travel behind them. However, during their quest for new lands, they often forget and/or do not have time to measure their results along the way.

Pioneering Instagram Marketing

SBVA Snaps Photography is one of those small business pioneers that has been blazing a trail and killing it in the process. Shout out to Sarah and allowing What’s What Marketing to chronicle her efforts.

As mentioned before, business owners just do not have the time to do it all. There simply are not enough hours in the day. If you are creating your own content, you probably do not know if it is converting. If you are measuring your content, then you probably do not have enough time to optimize it with the insights gained.

This is why I have created a short list of steps to help give you a leg up as you build your Instagram marketing plan.

Time needed: 3 hours

6 Easy Steps to Instagram Marketing

Set up profile
Set up profile with customer ease of use in mind. Bullet points are a great way to highlight the who, what, where, when, and why of your business. Think of your profile as an extension of your website geared toward a specific audience. SBVA Snaps did a great job by including national awards that speak to her target audience (High School Seniors/Parents of High School Seniors).
Know your audience
Know your audience. Understanding your customer demographic is key to deciding on what social channel to invest your time and most importantly money. A PPC/Google Analytics audit can help you determine where to start.
Plan your content and test it
Have a plan. Now that you know who your customer is, it is time to plan out what your customer wants to hear and test it. In SBVA Snaps’s case, high school students are their target market and they directly engage with their customers and personalize the message.
Use templates
Speed to market is essential. The average adult is engaging with media on their phone 7 hours/day and their attention can be pulled away by a myriad of distractions. Having a pre-made template will allow you to quickly insert content and get it out to your audience. Adobe Spark Post is one of the many template builders out there.
Create stories
Create engaging stories. Stories can be generic or extremely personal. SBVA Snaps posts their stories in real time and engages with their audience. Utilizing Instagram handles and #hashtags increase the chance of posts being seen by creating a list for users to follow. Behind the scenes is a very authentic way to engage your audience.
Measure
Measurement is key. If you do not measure, you could be wasting your time creating content that no one wants. What is your purpose? Are you branding, are you driving leads, or are you providing useful information to your audience…whatever your purpose there always needs to be a key performance indicator to measure your efforts.

Results

I have been working with SBVA Snaps Photography to find out just how well her Senior Street Team campaign on Instagram is doing. Connecting the dots between marketing and revenue generated is key to understand if the campaign cost and time was worth it.