Engaging the target audience with the help of effective and captivating visuals as well as videos is especially relevant for the social media platform Instagram.
The platform has been active since 2010 and now has over 1 billion monthly active users. 500 million use Instagram every day. In addition, more than 3.5 billion likes are given out every day.
This means that Instagram has established itself as the second most-used platform behind Facebook, but is primarily used by a younger target group compared to Facebook. Over 60% of users are between 18 and 24 years old.
But it’s not just private users who are on Instagram. For most companies, too, having their own brand account on Instagram has become indispensable. Around 25 million brand accounts are active on Instagram. What’s more, they generate significantly higher engagement on Instagram than on any other platform. On Instagram, potential customers are therefore most likely to come into contact with a brand or company for the first time within the user journey. According to current statistics, around 60% of Instagram users discover new products via the platform.
What content formats does Instagram offer?
On Instagram, there are currently four overarching ways to display content: through regular posts, stories, IGTV, as well as reels.
A regular post consists of one or more images or a video. Photo posts are still the most common type of post on Instagram. Posts are displayed on the home page and recorded in the profile feed.
Added in 2015 is the Story format. An Instagram story is a short-lived photo and video format that is played out to users for 24 hours in the feed or on the profile of the person or company instead of the display image. Therefore, it is particularly suitable for user or customer retention, but should be adapted accordingly to the target group. Non-followers can see such stories in Discover mode or on the public profile by clicking on the corresponding logo.
Three years later, Instagram TV (IGTV) was introduced. With IGTV, it is possible to upload videos with a running time of up to one hour. However, this only applies to verified accounts. Most users publish videos that last up to ten minutes. The IGTV videos are displayed on the profiles as a separate tab next to the regular posts.
It was not until 2020 that the so-called reels were introduced. These are videos that last a maximum of 15 seconds and can be used particularly openly in terms of their creative design. Instagram distinguishes some reels as “featured”. To do so, Instagram says they must not only foster a safe and respectful community and support diversity and inclusion, but also provide an entertaining or meaningful experience and inspire creativity through originality.
What content should my company publish?
There is a wide range of content formats on Instagram, but which content will make Instagram users loyal to your company and – depending on the channel’s goal – turn them into loyal customers? Based on the goal of increasing brand awareness and building a community, content must inspire and excite. The drugstore chain DM, for example, shows how this can also look with pure product posts, which can be considered a no-go on other social media channels.
On the Instagram account, products are presented by employees themselves. Very authentic – very approachable. The discount grocer Lidl also showcases its products on Instagram:
Behind the scenes
In addition to effective product presentations, it is also posts that take a look behind the scenes of a company and tell something about the history of the company or the philosophy and people that are positively received by users and lead to engagement. This content can also be very easily converted into stories to give followers a very up-to-date insight. It also creates trust and gives a “face” to even rather abstract products and services.
For example, series in which employees from the company are regularly presented are a good way to make the company appear closer and more personal.
Inspiration & Knowledge
Users on Instagram want to be inspired and also learn something! This works especially well with tips and tricks and “Did you know? Whether it’s tips that describe how to best use a company’s own products or tips that users can easily apply in their everyday lives – both are popular with users. Many companies already offer their own guides or tips sections on their websites or have included these as their own guides on Instagram. It makes sense to prepare this content for Instagram in order to save time and create synergies.
With a smile into the heart of followers
Anyone who can make their followers laugh on Instagram is on a very good path and ahead of many other Instagram company accounts. Because in addition to exciting facts or inspiring quotes, tips and tricks or evergreens such as sweepstakes, humorous posts in the form of puns or self-irony in particular can ensure high levels of interaction. Those who scroll through the feed are often looking for distraction, to escape from everyday life for a short while and to get other thoughts.
The TV station pro7 shows how simple humorous posts can be with so-called memes. Take popular characters from films and series and put a humorous saying next to them that a broad target group can identify with, or regularly offer users little riddles that motivate them to interact.
Conclusion: Instagram – THE channel for various ideas
Even in a customer relationship, it takes time to find out the individual preferences, wishes, and interests of the target group. This credo also applies to the organic content strategy on Instagram. That’s why it’s perfectly okay to test in the first phases of content planning and publication which organic content is particularly well received by users and ensures high interaction. This needs to be analyzed and the editorial plan continuously optimized accordingly.
Learn how to create appropriate content for LinkedIn in our next post.
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