Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock you know that your marketing agency needs to build a presence on Instagram. After all, Instagram is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms in the world. Consequently, growing and managing your agency’s presence on the ‘gram is no longer a “nice to have” it’s now a must-do. 

Why Instagram Works for Marketing Agencies

Instagram provides a unique opportunity to expand your top of the funnel channels. As a marketing agency, you have the opportunity to leverage internal skill sets that your company already performs for your clients.

Instagram marketing requires several important digital marketing skills that most agencies can competently fulfill. These skills include:

• Content Creation
• Media and Design
• Strategy Development
• Organic Optimization
• Paid Reach

Instagram is the perfect visual platform to showcase how you can serve your clients. For example, if you operate a digital marketing agency that focuses on branding your content can focus on positioning the agency as an authority on branding.

How to use Instagram to promote your design agency

If you operate a design agency and you’re looking for more clients Behance is great but Instagram is a high traffic social network. It’s akin to putting your portfolio on a busy street for potential customers to find. To promote your design agency on Instagram focus on showcasing your best work.

For example, if your design agency produce top-notch logos showcase client logos on the ‘Gram. Simple right? However, you can take it a step further by doing the following:

• Offer free critiques for other Instagram accounts that may need help perfecting their logo design
• Provide design tips to highlight your authority on the subject
• Use carousel posts to explain your design process
• Share live videos of crafting designs

Instagram is an excellent platform to showcase your credibility. All you need is a little creative energy and of course some elbow grease.

How to use Instagram to promote your advertising agency

If you run an advertising agency using Instagram to promote your agency’s online presence is a smart option. Apart for Instagram’s mature ad platform you can also use Facebook business manager to tailor and scale your campaigns. Instagram’s connectivity with Facebook provides an excellent opportunity for your agency to reach a larger audience.

As an ad agency creating high performing content is definitely within your wheelhouse. Come up with strategic angles to showcase your content in feed and stories and then leverage your advertising expertise to get more traction.

Using Instagram to find agency customers

At the end of the day we all know that the goal of any marketing activity is to move the needle. Your agency can use Instagram to find real customers. Here are few tips to help you leverage that platform for sales.

Have a High-Quality Instagram Feed

Post only high-quality images. Find opportunities to help your marketing agency standout from the crowd. You can do things like highlight organizational culture or share unique projects your time has worked on in the past. 

Update Your Business Information

Any marketing agency should have a professional profile or logo. Add a business description that will attract your target audience. Use emojis and answer questions about your brand like: 

• Who you are
• What you do
• How your agency is different
• How can clients purchase your services or engage

Post with Purpose

It’s important to remain consistent while building a solid social presence. However, keep in mind your agency should be posting content with a strategy in mind. For example, are you using your social media presence to attract talent? If so, craft content that resonates with the type of employees you are searching for. In contrast, if you’re using Instagram as a sales channel create a funnel that strategically drives leads through your pipeline. 

Observe and engage with your competitors

As a marketing agency, there’s an excellent chance your competitors also use Instagram as a marketing channel. This is a unique way to observe their techniques and interactions with their audience. If your learning how to start a digital marketing agency you can easily get answers by simply observing other competitors.

• How many times a day do they post?
• What type of content are they posting?
• Do they run Instagram contests?

Answering these questions will help you perfect your strategic processes.

Leverage the Platform’s Capabilities

Currently, there are over 700 million users per month on Instagram. So there is potential to reach a vast audience of consumers that you wouldn’t have otherwise. However, every person or company using Instagram engages in content differently. Therefore, you’ll need to leverage their platform’s capabilities to get the best possible return. This means you should: 

• Use Hashtags to increase discoverability
• Leverage different content types like (Feed Posts, Stories, IGTV, Guides, Reels, etc.)
• Use paid advertising to boost your reach
• Use influencer marketing strategies to gain more traction

Leveraging the platform’s features is essential to creating a solid Instagram marketing machine for your agency.

Connect with Customers and source UGC

Out of all social channels, Instagram has one of the highest engagement rates. It shows that Instagram’s audience is very open to branded content. Therefore, if your agency is not on the ‘Gram you may be missing out on opportunities to strengthen customer relationships, enhance brand recognition, and even missing opportunities to connect user generated content. 

The Types of Content Every Marketing Agency Should Be Posting

• Give value through your posts. Cost includes educating, entertaining, or informing your ideal audience.
• Inspire. Many brands use quotes to inspire their audiences daily. Inspiring quotes are highly shared on Instagram, helping to grow and expand your audience.
• Sell Product/Service. Since Instagram isn’t necessarily a sales platform, it’s best to spread out your promotion throughout the week. Focus on engagement first before you promote it heavily.
• Consistent Content. Post regular content daily. If you’re low on content, there are plenty of free stock sites you can use to suit your brand and Instagram theme.
• Connect with Instagram Captions. Compose personable captions that will help tell your brand’s story. Make sure it inspires your audience to interact and engage.
• Call to Action. Of course, you have to motivate your followers to take action. You can ask them directly to comment, like and share, etc.

How to Create Engaging Instagram Feed Content

1. Show the value of your product/service. This tip is useful for any industry. Post both severe and funny videos showing the value of your service.
2. Use Storytelling. You can use videos or pictures to tell a story. Mention your business beginnings and the journey. Be personable and include your team and some behind the scenes footage of your work.
3. Schedule Your Posts. Businesses that post on Instagram consistently increase their chances of growth. It could take a lot of time to create content, descriptions, and then posts. Successful businesses use automatic services to help schedule their content ahead of time. Utilizing this strategy will help you maintain your professionalism and consistency.
4. Collaborate with Influencers. People with a large following or similar to your ideal audience would be great as partners.
5. Post Instagram Stories. Instagram stories are a great way to get audience engagement. Look into doing audience polls as well.
6. Use Call to Action (CTA). Instagram captions serve as a way to be creative and motivate your audience to take action. You can ask questions, encourage sharing, or lead them to your website.
7. Be Personable. Show your relatable side and a human presence by posting people-centric content. Instead of posting apparent promo and advertising, try to use more personal photos throughout your feed.
8. Watch Analytics. Brands need to understand which content performs the best. Consistently using this tip helps you improve and expand your brand in the long run.
9. Instagram Ads. Utilizing ads is a very strategic way to show up in your audience feeds. You can also use this as a tool to promote your brand to other consumers.
10. Contests. If you have a new product, you could run a game to attract interest. It is a perfect chance to use original hashtags and user-generated content.

12 Tips for Creating Instagram Stories for Marketing Agencies

1. Share Announcements on the business’s upcoming products or services.
2. Post Collaborations. Businesses that work with influencers could showcase their collab in their stories.
3. Use story highlights to emphasize your brand’s most substantial assets and let potential customers learn about the business.
4. Polls. Instagram stories offer a way to engage with your audience through surveys.
5. Questions. Asking questions in your story is another way to encourage engagement.
6. Instagram Live is one of the best ways to engage with your audience. Let them know ahead of time to prepare. If many people tune in, it could even make it to the explore page.
7. Add location to your stories. When a business location is known, it helps create a form of camaraderie among others who are also in that geographic location.
8. Add Stickers for amazing aesthetics utilize the Instagram sticker feature. Use emojis and GIFs as well to help your brand stand out.
9. Behind the Scenes. Posting behind the scenes footage is an incredible way to connect with your audience. By doing so, they’ll understand the hard work and effort that puts into the brand.
10. Direct Messages. You can open the door for your audience to connect with you through DM’s. Encourage this behavior throughout your stories to maximize the engagement.
11. Share User-Generated Content. An excellent way to show your product is to use your customer’s tagged photos. It helps them feel like part of a family. They’ll also love the opportunity to be featured in your story.
12. Motivational Stories. Just about everyone loves motivation. Give back to your audience by offering valuable inspirational quotes or stories. Let them understand why supporting your business is the right choice. Provide a chance for them to be a proud consumer.

Using Instagram Story Highlights to Showcase Your Brand

• Highlight Reviews and Testimonials. Share your beautiful reviews on your story. It will attract more support and influence sales.
• Highlight Influencers. If you’ve partnered with influencers, highlight their content into an organized compilation in your stories.
• Highlight Your Customers. If customers tag you in their stories, use it as an opportunity to give a shout-out.

30 Effective Marketing Agency Hashtags

1. #advertising
2. #contentmarketing
3. #marketingstrategy
4. #smallbusiness
5. #instagrammarketing
6. #digitalmarketingagency
7. #instagraminfluencer
8. #startup
9. #entrepreneurship
10. #design
11. #website
12. #ecommerce
13. #digitalmarketingtips
14. #internetmarketing
15. #webdevelopment
16. #marketingagency
17. #instagramgrowth
18. #digitalagency
19. #success
20. #onlinebusiness
21. #technology
22. #motivation
23. #marketingonline
24. #emailmarketing
25. #sales
26. #businessowner
27. #facebook
28. #facebookads
29. #instagramforbusiness
30. #inspirational

Conclusion

Instagram has a broad reach with over 700 million users. Smart marketing techniques and consistently posting high-quality content will help businesses with their Instagram growth, power, and reach. Create an immersive and engaging experience with your audience through igtv, stories, and feed content. Follow these tips to create a strategic marketing plan that will help propel agency’s authority on Instagram.