Instagram is an incredible platform for brands to share their story and connect with customers. With the right strategy and some elbow grease you can grow your following and create brand awareness with this social media platform, but the world’s most popular app isn’t always easy to manage. Luckily, there are a few tips you can follow to make it easier. We’ve put together this blog post with some of our favorite Instagram management tricks that will help any brand better use the platform.

Provide Useful Educational Information

According to Ryan Brown, an Integrated Marketing Director at Kenra Professional, providing useful educational information has proven to be a great way to grow their engagement rates. Ryan has grown best-in-class haircare brands to scale their digital and social platforms with over 10 years of experience in the beauty industry. Kenra Professional is a purely professional brand dedicated to understanding and serving today’s stylists. Their passion is developing best-in-class innovations, delivering superior and reliable results. Kenra Professional strives to elevate the stylists’ artistry and craft. Here is Ryan’s Instagram management tip below:

Providing useful educational info has proven to be a great way to grow our engagement rates. Social media users are seeking relevant details to better understand products, including the process behind how they’re made. Just be careful not to pack too much information into one post; graphics and quick videos are great ways to educate, and you can give more context in the caption.

Educate, Entertain, Convince, and Inspire

According to Syed Rizvi, an Online Medical Educator at REV MED, a brand’s focus on Instagram should always be to educate, entertain, convince and inspire. Syed is successfully reaching over 163k+ users from all across the world using social media. He is the founder & lead educator for REV MED, an online medical education platform for healthcare students which was an overnight success in its niche.

As a lover of medicine and a lifelong learner, Syed understands that most learners are drained by the monotonous lectures and complicated course material. REV MED handles this problem by delivering simple, high yield, and effective content to empower students in learning difficult subjects like Anatomy.

His aesthetic and stimulating content approach is an inviting space for students to learn, with an average of 400-700 followers a day, and even achieving feats like a 10k user increase in just 12 days. His goals in marketing have always been getting inside the brain of his audience and understanding what the user actually wants. Currently, he is incorporating mindfulness, better study habits & motivation into the mix. Here is Syed’s Instagram management tip below:

Managing an Instagram with a large audience and daily engagement is not an easy task to take on, but totally do-able! Here’s some important things to know:

A brand’s focus on Instagram should always be to educate, entertain, and/or convince/inspire. This doesn’t mean you can’t sell or market your product or service, it just means your Instagram page should primarily be about the above mentioned points and NOT to just ‘sell’.

Instagram offers a variety of different forms of content, (posts, IG Live, IG TV, Reels, Stories, Guides). While all forms of sharing are excellent to harbor interest in your brand and grow your audience, Instagram Story is a feature that you should be using daily. Stories can be used to update your audience, provide announcements, share live content, share other creators (collaboration), and use stickers to ask questions/polls from your
audience.

Instagram story allows one piece of content to be uploaded for a time length of 15 seconds. This can be in the form of static text/illustration, or video. Pro tip for uploading Instagram stories is to have at least 3 or 4 pieces of content on your story per day. Why? Well the standard understanding in marketing is that a consumer has to see a piece of content targeting their interest at least seven times before the content begins to become a part of their lives. In fact, the Direct Marketing Association will tell you the average person needs to see an ad SEVEN TIMES before he/she responds to it

How can I manage to post an Instagram Story everyday?

Simple! Just schedule out your Instagram stories. Head over to the app store on your mobile device and download ‘Facebook Business Suite’. Businesses and brands on Facebook and Instagram can now schedule out their stories using this app.

Steps to Schedule IG Stories:

1. Open Facebook Business Suite mobile app
2. Navigate to Posts & Stories tab
3. Select whether you’d like to create or schedule a post for Facebook, Instagram, or both.
4. Click on Upload Media to add photo or video to your story
5. Add stickers and customize your post as you would on Instagram
6. Preview your story for Facebook and/or Instagram
7. Hit Publish Story to publish immediately, or click the blue arrow to ‘Schedule Story’ to publish it on a later date/time.
8. Repeat steps to schedule multiple stories at different times and days for at least a week’s worth of content that is scheduled and ready to go!

Using Facebook Business Suite to schedule out your Instagram stories will allow you the time to manage and engage with incoming comments/direct messages and the ability to feel less stressed about having the stories manually uploaded everyday! Sit back and engage.

Offer Tips, Tricks, and Helpful Advice

According to Courtney Buhler, CEO & Founder of SugarLash, offering other kinds of tips, tricks, and helpful advice while showcasing their products sets them apart from competitors and similar accounts. Courtney is a passionate and driven CEO who’s setting the bar for lash industry developments globally. She was named Young Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young and is the founder and CEO of Sugarlash PRO.

Courtney’s mission is to change the beauty landscape and to empower women and men in the lash industry through courses, business development, and innovative professional lash products. Proudly serving over 160,000 lash artists in 90+ countries globally, Sugarlash PRO is the leader within the lash industry with unparalleled entrepreneurial support for lash artists starting, or leveling up their lash careers. Here is Courtney’s Instagram management tip below:

Don’t be afraid to branch out from the norm when it comes to creating content for your Instagram account. At SugarLash, we serve lash artists by offering certifications for installing eyelash extensions, as well as products that help these artists provide services to their clients.

You’d think we’d focus on content that showcases our products and certifications, and while we do post that kind of content, we also offer other kinds of tips, tricks, and helpful advice. For example, we shared a video by a lash artist that demonstrates a simple stretching routine to help our audience stay on top of their self-care. This kind of content can help set you apart from competitors and similar accounts. You have to think outside of the box sometimes if you want to wow and delight your audience.

Have an Ambassador Program

According to Jeff Goodwin, Sr. Director on Performance Marketing & e-Commerce of Orgain, having an ambassador program has been a great marketing tool for them to leverage their current customer base. Jeff has 20 years of experience in building, leading, and growing digital marketing and e-Commerce organizations within all sizes of organizations from start-up to Fortune 500.

Prior to his role at Orgain, he held executive positions at Western Digital, Activision|Blizzard, and Mattel, among other companies. Orgain believes that good and clean nutrition has the power to change lives. They believe that healthy, organic foods can taste amazing and that eating better doesn’t have to mean eating boring. Most of all, they know that ingredients made from real foods make a real difference. Here is Jeff’s Instagram management tip below:

At Orgain, our ambassador program has been a great marketing tool for us to leverage our current customer base and have them spread the word of our brand through their own social media pages. By giving incentives to get discounts, becoming an ambassador helps our most loyal customers stay with us for longer while also getting more people to buy our protein powders, shakes, and bars. This in return has given us more profit in finding people we may not have otherwise reached through typical marketing methods. Our own social media is then complimented by the earned media employed by our audience.

Give Your Audience a Behind-The-Scenes Look

According to Mike Nemeroff, CEO & Co-Founder of Rush Order Tees, one technique that’s really worked for them on Instagram is giving their audience a behind-the-scenes look. Take a look at Mike’s Instagram management tip:

One technique that’s really worked for us on Instagram is giving your audience a behind-the-scenes look. It’s very easy for a brand or company to come across as an advertising pump channel on its socials, but by providing a view behind the curtain you show your followers something they likely haven’t seen before. What may seem routine to you is novel to an audience that has little familiarity with how your industry works, and therefore you can stand out from the rest of the content in their feed. It certainly helped us gain a stronger following on Instagram!

Keep Content Authentic to your Brand and Audience

According to Jared Pobre, Co-Founder of Caldera + Lab, keeping their content authentic to their brand and audience makes their Instagram management easier. Caldera + Lab is a performance luxury skincare brand for men that harnesses pharmaceutical-grade science and nature’s purest, most potent ingredients. Jared’s personal wellness journey began when he met Stacy, who educated him on the importance of using non-toxic natural products and living a healthier, cleaner lifestyle. When they had their first child in 2014, both Stacy and Jared transformed their lives, ensuring everything they used in and on their bodies was as organic, non-toxic, and sustainable as possible. This passion for clean living was the animating spirit for Caldera + Lab and its mission to produce clinically verified, uncompromised, natural formulas and a sustainable business model.

Jared works closely with the Caldera + Lab team on a day-to-day basis, focusing on overall company strategy and product development as Caldera + Lab expands its offerings and expands its growing legion of fans. Prior to his work at Caldera + Lab, Jared was a successful Tech Entrepreneur. He’s the recipient of a variety of entrepreneurship and technology innovation awards, including Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year, The Inc.. 500 Awards, and an American Business Award for Fastest Growing Company of the Year. An avid skier and biker, Jared currently resides in Jackson, Wyoming, with his wife Stacey Keibler, and their three children. Here is Jared’s Instagram management tip below:

Managing your Instagram content is easier when you keep it authentic to your brand and your audience. By diving into your Instagram Insights, you can identify which posts your followers like and engage with the most. This information will give you an overview of their interests and opinions, which can help you determine the kind of content you should deliver to keep them engaged with your brand.

We know this because our followers love watching the long-form videos we post on wild harvesting the botanical ingredients for our skincare products, as well as our engaging and informative reviews from our community members. And we love sharing videos of us outside having fun in the surreal beauty of the Wyoming landscape. And with the thousands of views, likes, and shares we receive on our posts and videos, we’re going to keep delivering what our audience enjoys. When you keep it real in your Instagram feed, your content’s authenticity builds trust with your customers and loyalty for your business.

Create Visually Compelling Content

According to James Sun, Founder of Beauty Tap, creating visually compelling content boost their engagement and increases their follower count. BeautyTap is an online site that features reviews of trending beauty products by professionals, such as stylists and aestheticians. James also worked in multiple fields from management consulting to media production. He worked as an engineer at Intel and as a management consultant at Deloitte Consulting, where he advised Microsoft, Daimler Chrysler, and Boeing.

In the media space, James produced the BBC television show Sun Tzu War on Business, was a finalist on NBC’s “The Apprentice” and is the creator of the largest English-language Korean drama (K-drama) digital destination, Dramabeans. A speaker and advocate for diversity in the workplace and society, James is a TED Talk speaker and has given over 300 speeches about the importance of inclusivity. Here is James’ Instagram management tip below:

For Instagram management, you’ll want to create visually compelling content that will delight your followers. You can do quotes and text-based images or videos as well as pictures from behind the scenes. This will help boost engagement and increase your follower count. Also, try to post daily, if possible.

Customer Engagement

According to Jeff Henretig, President of Apothecanna, customer engagement is the most important aspect of managing a brand on Instagram. Apothecanna is a leading and established U.S. brand with an all-natural body care line supercharged by plant power since 2009. Jeff is an industry-leading CBD skincare brand focused on bringing all-natural, plant-based remedies into the mainstream. Jeff was previously the CFO at Lord Jones, a celebrity favorite, luxury CBD brand where he was responsible for growth strategy, planning, analytics, budgeting, and corporate development.

Prior to Lord Jones, Jeff was Head of Finance & Operations at Verst, a software startup that was acquired by Dropbox in 2017. Jeff started his career in finance at Goldman Sachs where he was an analyst in the Private Equity Group within GSAM. He received his MBA in Entrepreneurship from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and his BA in Psychology from Columbia University. Here is Jeff’s Instagram management tip below:

Among the most important aspects of managing a brand Instagram is customer engagement. If you are not giving your consumers, ambassadors, and followers opportunities to engage with your brand, you are losing the opportunity to build a self-sustaining community around your product(s). This can be done through interactive stories, questions for comment sections, and frequent sharing of photos and stories tagged in.

Feature User-Generated Content

According to Benjamin Smith, Founder of Disco, featuring user-generated content makes their Instagram account successful. Benjamin attended Wake Forest University, where he graduated in Communications and Entrepreneurship and launched two boutique gyms during his Junior year. He was raised outside funding, scaled the businesses, and eventually sold both in the fall of 2018. He also worked as a Marketing Director at Houston-based En-Plast Technology, where he oversaw all marketing efforts. Take a look at Benjamin’s Instagram management tip below:

We have seen a lot of success on our Instagram by featuring user-generated content. Using a mix of partnerships and organic content gives our feed a good variety and helps show our products being used by different people for different things. For example, while our products are marketed primarily towards men, we recently featured photos of our face mask being used by a woman. This was a good way to show inclusivity and also that your products can be used by anyone.

Stick to a Content Calendar

According to Hector Gutierrez, CEO of JOI, sticking to a content calendar really helps in managing their brand on Instagram. Hector is a Miami native and Cuban-American, who is passionate about the intersection of food and technology. He is also a founder and entrepreneur with over 12 years of experience in the food industry, both at startups and large corporations including as former COO of cold-pressed juice company, JugoFresh. Take a look at Hector’s Instagram management tip below:

Plan ahead, and follow that plan (mostly). Things can change rapidly and you may want to add or delete posts here and there, but sticking to a content calendar as much as possible will only help you down the line. Don’t overthink it; it can be super helpful having a copywriter and/or social media strategist help you figure this out. The options are endless, and they will know how to hone your strategy and focus on what matters.

Explore Instagram Features

According to Sanket Shah, one of the founders and CEO at InVideo, exploring Instagram features helps them to get a grasp on their brand’s acceptability in the market. InVideo is a SAAS business founded in 2017. They are a video creation platform that helps users transform content effortlessly into some amazing videos. Here is Sanket’s Instagram management tip:

Yes, we do manage our brand, InVideo, on Instagram where we have 17.8k followers. Being an online video editing tool, Instagram is a highly relevant platform for us. We get to explore and understand different short video features and learn how to improvise our content in order to nurture our tool according to social media needs.

Instagram is the platform where users look for visual content and expect to be able to perceive your product/service. Hence when it comes to branding on Instagram, you need to make sure that your organization along with its products and services are visible to your followers. Hence, establish a vision for your brand and display the same to your followers on Instagram. Explore its features as much as you can. This will help you get a grasp on your brand’s acceptability in the market and help you understand ways to improvise your visions.

Hone Your Brand Voice

According to Lisa Odenweller, Founder and CEO of Kroma Wellness, finding a unique voice is a key to how you will show up on social media. Kroma Wellness is a functional nutrition and next-generation superfood company on a mission to help people realize the power of food as medicine. Lisa’s personal mission to empower human health and transform well-being led her to the forefront of the global superfood movement and to create a revolutionary new approach to the ‘detox/cleansing’ process.

Lisa is recognized as a visionary leader upon founding Beaming, one of the most well-respected wellness companies based in Southern California. Her innovative approach for marrying function and flavor and creating products and programs that have a transformative impact on the world has made her a sought-after consultant, speaker, educator, and business coach. Here is Lisa’s Instagram management tip:

There is so much content and chatter on social media, and as a brand it’s super important to hone your brand voice. What is the story you want to tell, and how will you tell it? Will you be funny? Informative? Both? Finding a unique voice is a really key step in figuring out how you will show up on social media.

Post Content Consistently

According to Teo Vanyo, CEO of Stealth Agents, posting consistently makes their audience understand that they can always count on them. Stealth Agents is a virtual assistant service company that can significantly minimize overhead costs for businesses. We have a solid foundation, built on advanced technology and a highly trained workforce. Our number one priority is to provide all clients with incredible results. Here is Teo’s Instagram management tip:

To effectively manage an account and keep your brand visible, I strongly advise you to post consistently. If you’re serious about working an Instagram account for your brand, you need to demonstrate that to your followers as well. It is not sufficient to publish high-quality content regularly. You must post it consistently so that your audience understands they can always count on you to deliver a steady stream of exciting and helpful content, thus making your brand worth following.

Host an Instagram Giveaway

According to Matthew Mundt, CEO of Hug Sleep, hosting an Instagram giveaway gives their brand a high success rate and a high engagement rate. With a background in product design, Matt developed the Hug Sleep Pod in order to help people fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. Take a look at Matt’s Instagram management tip below:

Part of people’s strategies on Instagram could include giveaways, which is quite common on the platform. Instagram giveaways are not just about the product you are giving away, but the hype around it. People need to be excited about the giveaway and want to share it with others. For example, if you are giving away your own products, make sure you already have a loyal customer base to the product, as people will not put extra effort into products they aren’t familiar with. However, if you use content marketing, for example, to get people excited about your brand and the products you are giving away, you will have a much higher success rate and a higher engagement throughout the campaign.​

Develop a Consistent Visual Aesthetic

According to Brandon Maciel, Director of Marketing at Hair Craft Co., developing a consistent visual aesthetic makes their Instagram account successful. Hair Craft Co. is a men’s grooming and hairstyling company. With accolades ranging from Amazon’s Choice to Best Deal For Your Hair – GQ, over 100,000 men trust and use Hair Craft Co.’s men’s grooming products every day. Here is Brandon’s Instagram management tip below:

Take Time to Develop a Consistent Visual Aesthetic – On Instagram, it’s all about visual cohesiveness. Before you start publishing posts, be sure to map it out and do your best to make your posts clearly look like they belong on the same profile together. To do this, start off by thinking about what aesthetic and message you want to present to your audience, then design clear branding guidelines to help you can stay as consistent as possible.

Furthermore, pay close attention to your color palette and overall post vibe. Many successful Instagram accounts use distinct color palettes and images unique to their brand, helping them create a consistent brand-specific style. For example, per brand guidelines, the vast majority of Hair Craft Co.’s IG posts consist of modern lifestyle images rooted in various shades of white, grey, and black.

Post an Instagram Reel

According to Yvonne Ivanescu, Brand Strategist & Founder of Now in Rio Swim, posting an Instagram reel helps them to show up consistently and authentically. Yvonne is a marketing and brand strategist with over 10 years of experience. Here is Yvonne’s Instagram management tip below:

Don’t let the need to be perfect get in the way of posting consistent content on Instagram. Post the REEL even if you feel like it isn’t professional enough. Make sure you show up consistently and authentically. This matters so much more than whether your photos were shot in a professional studio. For my brand Now in Rio Swim, I shoot, model for, and even edit all the REELS myself. They aren’t perfect, but that’s ok – we all have to start somewhere.

Create Genuine Connections with Your Audience

According to Katie Butler, Social Media Manager & Creative Director of Bow Wow Labs, communicating genuinely with their audience really helps Instagram growth. Katie has been helping brands perfect their personal voice, look, and strategies for 7 years now. From Supplements to Hair Salons to Local Artists, she loves helping people find their ideal audience and connect with them. She also creates art and runs her own small business from home. Here is Katie’s Instagram management tip:

Genuinely communicating with your audience is my #1 advice, always. It is so important to create genuine connections with your customers. People love buying from PEOPLE! They love knowing that the people behind the brand are passionate about what they do and that they take the time to create this relationship with each individual. I have yet to read an article or attend a social media webinar that has mentioned the absolute power behind this!

I have lots of tips that I could have shared today, but I’m sure you’ll see a lot of the same answers. There is a recipe for Instagram growth, but I wanted to give you my secret ingredient. I make sure that the customer I am interacting with knows exactly who I am and what I do. Introduce yourself! Voice notes are my favorite… while it can be nerve-wracking at first to record your voice- it is much appreciated. Practice makes perfect! T

his will have you standing out from any other company they are engaging with! They feel as if they know you, trust you, and they want to support what you do and what you stand for. Voice notes stay in your Instagram messages and are able to be replayed, so they can always go back to it! Recording a simple, Thanks so much for sharing that super cute video using our products, we appreciate you! means so much more (and actually takes less time!) than a simple thanks for sharing text. Human connection is lacking more than ever in our society and I feel that these simple changes could make a world of difference. Hopefully while reading this you thought of some cool ways you could be connecting better with your audience!

Have a Dedicated Plan for Your Profile

According to Daniel Veiga, Founder of Danny Veiga Marketing, having a dedicated plan for his profile takes his business forward in terms of brand recognition. Danny is a 7-Figure Online Business Growth Expert, one of the Most Successful Entrepreneurs under 40, and a Growth Revenue Strategist who’s helped scale his clients to over $50M worth of sales online.

He is also a ClickFunnels 2 Comma Club Award Winner, a Digital Marketing Conference Speaker, and has helped train over 700 entrepreneurs and business owners by merging Technology & Direct Marketing on Social Media through his training programs. He also built one of the fastest-growing Entrepreneur groups on Facebook which has over 65,000 members. Take a look at Daniel’s Instagram management tip below:

Building a strong following takes time and dedication. The first step is to have a dedicated plan for your profile so you know what to post from day to day, week to week. Look closely at your followers and think about what they might enjoy seeing from you. Figure out topics that interest them, take note of their favorite celebrities or shows.

But whatever it is that they care about most will likely be the best discovery tool for content ideas that speak directly to the values of people who would like to follow you as well. Your followers matter. The most obvious is that the more people follow you, the greater chance you’ll enjoy a steady following and high engagement rates on your posts. It makes it easier for brands to reach their target audience under the assumption that if they could acquire a package deal, so can everyone else. And obviously, if this is true, it’s one way to take your business forward in terms of brand recognition instantly.

Conclusion

If you think your Instagram management efforts are not yielding the type of results you want, it may be time to rethink your strategy. With new features becoming available and more brands using this platform for their business, putting management tips by these brands to good use will give your Instagram marketing efforts a jumpstart against your competitors. If you enjoyed this article be sure to send these Instagram brand managers a shoutout on IG.