Whether you’re a blogger or entrepreneur, you know the headache that comes with trying to create consistent content on social media platforms that engages your customer base. If I can use an overused cliche – the struggle is real!
The good news is that there are ways to mitigate this migraine and develop a content strategy that makes sure you know what to post and when to post it. Keep in mind though, that just because I’m showing you this strategy does NOT mean that you should be on Instagram. You need to be where your customers are and if they’re not on Instagram, then stay tuned because I’m going to expand this series to cover content marketing tips and ideas for more social media platforms soon.
Creating a Content Strategy for Instagram
Ready for my favorite content marketing tips and ideas specifically related to Instagram? Let’s dive into the basics of what your content strategy should be when you’re brainstorming Instagram content ideas for posts:
1. Set aside specific days for selling/promotion
For me, blog post pics on Instagram go live on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Wednesdays are content about products, Fridays are IGTV videos, and Saturdays are (or will be next month) audiograms from my podcast. This leaves me Sunday and Monday that are open for value-based posts that are not directly about driving traffic to my other platforms. Remember that your time on social media isn’t just about making pretty pics with filters, it’s about promoting your business or blog, so don’t feel shy about it. Give your followers the content that helps them the most, especially when it’s better served on other platforms like your Shopify store or your blog!
2. Create dedicated themes for days
Like #monsterramonday or #womancrushwednesday when brainstorming Instagram content ideas for posts your content strategy should have an expectation of a themed piece of content for each day. For me, Sundays are insights into my life and Mondays are “3 tips for” days where I try to give a quick summary of ways my followers can do something to grow their business.
3. Utilize ways to alleviate the burden of live updating
You know I’m a fan of Planoly and how much time it saves me. Because of it, I’m able to map out a week’s worth of posts in about 2 hours. In addition, I utilize a link in my bio that lets me add links for each post so I don’t have to go into the app every day and update my bio link for each blog post or product I mention. I use Metricool for this (and if you don’t want to pay for a scheduler, Metricool will automatically add links to any images pushed through their Instagram app, though they don’t yet have the ability to auto-post to Instagram).
4. Switch it up!
Not all content marketing tips and ideas will work for everyone so remember to test your strategy for a few weeks and switch things around if your engagement isn’t where you want it to be. Nothing about this is set in stone, which is one of my favorite things about marketing!
5. More you, less stock
Jenna Kutcher did an experiment where she posted images for a month that were only of her and not generic or stock images and her engagement shot through the roof. Remember that this is a time when people buy from people, not faceless conglomerates so embrace that and show your beautiful face. If you’ve got employees, show them off working in your space, too (ask for their permission first, of course). If you’ve got fan pics, even better! Try to show the real people/fans behind the brand to get your followers to feel closer to you than your competitors.
If you want more in-depth strategies about things like engagement or hashtags, I cover that hardcore in Gram Crackers so sign up here to get on the waitlist for the v2.0 release!
Want more content marketing tips and ideas for Instagram? here are some of my favorite posts
- How to be popular on Instagram
- How to grow your business with Instagram Stories
- How to increase your reach on Instagram
- Content Ideas for Instagram and Pinterest
- Plann, Planoly, or Later, What’s the Best Instagram Scheduling App?
