Ahh, Instagram! We know it, we love it, we are on it non-stop for personal use, but do we know how best to use it for our marketing needs? You don’t have to be a pro to find your target market’s sweet spot! I’ll show you how you can do that with Instagram Analytics 101!
If you know the analytics or you don’t even know what analytics are on Instagram and you just need to figure out your Instagram strategy first…
Start a Business Account
Set up a business account on Instagram. This is super easy! Likes and comments are fun to look at on your personal accounts, but setting up a business account will give you access to important data that can help you make business decisions. How can data help you do that?
As my marketing teacher would always say, “Just like Shakira’s hips, data don’t lie!” Data tells you the truth about how your content is doing. Families and friends are great – you probably have asked them how your Instagram is looking, and they probably said it looked amazing! Maybe they even gave suggestions on how you can improve it. This is helpful, but the most helpful thing you can do is turn to the data to see how your platform is really doing.
Analytics are found on the “Insights” section on the menu bar. From there you will find three tabs: Content, Activity, and Audience.
Content/Activity Tab
These tabs are great to get a true look on how your posts are performing. You can compare posts to see which ones do the best. From there you can make predictions on what type of content will perform well and grow your account. amount of people who have seen your post, engaged with it, how many followers you have gotten from a post, and so much more.
Audience Tab
This is my personal favorite tab. You get to learn who is actually following you! It’s a goldmine of information that can help you know what times to post and Instagram can also give you insights as to what your current audience looks like: where are they from, what is their age, what is their gender, what days and times they are active on Instagram.
Insta-Tip/Strategy
Now you have an understanding of what your audience wants, it’s time to post! But, you’re a busy person! You’re a photographer juggling life and trying to enjoy it at the same time! You probably don’t have time to post on Instagram everyday! So, how do you do it?
Use Planoly!
This is totally not sponsored. Planoly has genuinely made posting on Instagram a little bit easier. We use the free version. Here is how we use it: take a little bit of time one day and upload your photos to the grid. From there, schedule posts with captions, locations, users, and a comment with your hashtags. The amount of posts you choose to share each day is up to you and your business.
Anna also takes free 15 minute phone calls to discuss marketing strategy’s with photographers (and small businesses).
It’s Not An End-All Strategy
In the end, Instagram isn’t everything (despite what we may feel sometimes). The algorithm by Mark Zuckerburg is constantly changing and the amount of engagement and followers you have will also fluctuate. Viewing the analytics on a daily basis may also drive you insane because of how variable it is!
Instagram isn’t a conversion channel. It is a social media platform that can help you reach your target market quickly and drive them to a place you can truly connect with them. As Jenna Kutcher says, “We do not own our social media followers, Mr. Mark Zuckerberg does.” So, use Instagram to build your audience, discover insights about them through Instagram analytics, and then bring them to a place you actually own.
We hope you enjoyed our Instagram Analytics 101 tips! These will prepare you for those constant changes, and help you get your audience to your website.
For example, in Fall 2019 when it was decided that Instagram was going to start hiding likes, Tailwind’s live Facebook video was super helpful for me. Check it out here.
Good luck!
Do you want more tips like this?
Anna offers a free 10 day marketing challenge to help you continue to grow your business and learn key marketing skills! Sign up below.
