Instagram has been our most popular social media platform and most valuable business marketing tool. If you run a business and don’t have an Instagram account, what are you waiting for? This is where we drive brand awareness, build audience engagement, find new customers and increase sales. Over the years with Instagram’s constant algorithm changes it hasn’t all been smooth sailing, the constant changes have impacted how content is displayed to users and has meant that we have had to constantly shift our strategy, work smarter and go with Instagram’s flow to keep relevant. Here are a few Instagram strategies I believe contributed to our success.
Right place right time
This played a huge role in the rapid growth of our account. When we launched our business on Instagram back in Jan 2017 there weren’t any other accounts like us. Custom vinyl home organisation labels with an element of design were a new thing, something that caught everyone’s attention fast, labelling quickly become huge and addictive. Instagram was so simple back then, all we could post was still images, the story option didn’t even exist. Our account and customer base were rapidly growing without having to really put much effort in.
Influencers/Brand ambassadors/ Giveaways
This has to be one of our most powerful marketing tools. We have been so lucky to connect and work with amazing talent and businesses alike who share the same passion and are as invested in the brand as we are. They drive more traffic into the website by helping create brand awareness and exposure by sharing content. I will never forget, in our first year of business, a lifestyle blogger created a simple post about the business leading to an increase of 3000 followers overnight. Regular competitions and giveaways have also been a great tool when it comes to exposure and gaining new followers. We could gain anywhere between 200 to 2000 followers with every giveaway.
Find your visual aesthetic
Unlike our other social media platforms, I treat our Instagram account as a modern magazine. I’ve always stuck to the 9 layout rule. The first 9 posts of the feed make a grid, it’s what is going to give the first impression of the brand. I like to keep it clean and balanced with a mix of videos, posts and still product images. I believe this consistency throughout the page has captured our audience.
Post consistently
Posting consistently is essential and means your audience is seeing your posts and message frequently enough for it to make an impact. From day dot I have ensured I post at least once a day. This includes posts, stories and reels.
Hashtags
Use of hashtags have always been consistent as they are a great tool to reach new audiences. We also encourage our influencers to use our hashtags as it is a great search tool; when you search #littlelabelco you are exposed to not only all our posts but posts from influencers and customers, more content, more images and more inspiration for new and old customers.
Made it personable
I have always been the face of the brand. Alongside our influencers I constantly engage with our audience to make it fun, relatable and relevant. I try to mix it up between product/sales, giveaways, organisation videos in my own home and behind the scenes videos (these ones are always the ones that do the best).
Understand the Instagram algorithm/analyse your results
When I launched the business on Instagram, stories and videos/reels didn’t exist. There have been so many changes since then. Not only has it been crucial to keep up with Instagram changes but equally important to frequently analyse our insights and results to understand what is working best for the brand. We pay attention to our highest performing posts and adjust our strategy accordingly. For example, posting when your audience is most likely to be active.
Engage with your community
It’s an important strategy for the algorithm again. The more you engage with your community, the more your posts get prioritized by the algorithm. It has also allowed me to build great relationships between my customers, ambassadors and community. I have made life long friends through this amazing community I have built.
Natalie is the founder of Little Label Co. You can find out more about her business here.
