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#ContentWritingChat Recap: Smart Instagram Strategies for Your Business with Sue B. Zimmerman

by | Oct 21, 2016 | ContentWritingChat

#ContentWritingChat Recap: Smart Instagram Strategies for Your Business with Sue B. Zimmerman

Did you miss #ContentWritingChat this week? We have good news for you! We have a recap of our latest Twitter chat, which was packed with amazing tips on effective Instagram strategies for your business. Are you ready to dive in? Just keep reading!

#ContentWritingChat Recap: Smart Instagram Strategies for Your Business with Sue B. Zimmerman


Our guest host this week was Sue B. Zimmerman. Sue is a speaker and a top Creative Live instructor. She’s also known as the “Instagram Expert,” which is why she joined our latest chat. She shared a ton of amazing tips for building a presence on Instagram that you’ll want to put to use today.

Q1: How can you determine if Instagram is the right platform for your business?

With so many social media platforms available today, it can be tricky to determine which ones are best for you to invest your time and energy into. So, how can you figure out if Instagram is right for you? Keep these things in mind:

Sue feels Instagram can work for any business. People process visuals faster than text, which can make it a worthwhile platform for you to use.

Are your customers on Instagram? Are your competitors active there? Can you actually commit to building a presence there? Those are questions you need to answer when deciding whether Instagram is right for you.

Tracy agrees! If your audience is on Instagram, your business should be there.

It all goes back to knowing your audience! Are they on Instagram?

Can you accurately and effectively represent your brand on Instagram? You want to make sure it’s the right fit for your brand.

Bill raises a solid point. Can you provide value to your audience on Instagram?

As Sarah said, try it! You won’t really know if a platform works for you unless you give it a go yourself.

Q2: What are key strategies for growth on Instagram?

What do you need to know to see growth on Instagram? We have the answer! Check out some of the tips the chat participants shared on Tuesday:

Sue recommends having an “Instagram Mindset.” She said you need to make taking great photos a priority. After all, Instagram is a visual platform and your followers expect to see quality posts.

Liliana said consistency, quality content, and commitment are three things you need if you want to see growth on Instagram.

We all know hashtags are a must on Instagram. Pamela recommends choosing the right mix of hashtags. Pick those that are popular (but not so popular that your post will get buried in seconds) and align with your audience. Consistency is key, too!

Make sure you’re posting great content and actively engaging with your audience. You have to be present if you want to see results.

Varun said Instagram requires great visuals, relevant hashtags, engagement with your audience, and trend analysis.

Optimize your Instagram strategy by posting when your audience is actively using Instagram. Don’t forget to add relevant hashtags and be social with others.

It’s simple! Know what your audience likes, what they interact with, and which hashtags they’re using.

Sherri knows consistency is key on all social media platforms. You need to post regularly and engage with your audience.

Julia said you need to consistently post great visuals, add relevant hashtags, and include a link in your profile to direct people back to your site.

Q3: How do you ensure you’re posting quality content on Instagram?

Posting quality content is essential on any social media platform. How can you make sure you’re doing a great job on Instagram? Check out these tips:

Sue said engagement confirms if your content is high quality. Are people commenting and taking action on your posts? That’s key!

Pamela recommends seeing how your content sits together and determining the story it’s telling. Make sure the content you’re posting aligns with your brand.

Brittany brings up some great questions you should ask yourself before you hit that “post” button. Would YOU like what you’re about to post? Does it align with your brand? Does it provide value? These are important things to consider.

Make sure your’e also taking the time to take great photos for your Instagram profile. Don’t rush content creation just so you can get something posted. It’s more important to post something great.

As Julia said, you’ll know you’re on the right track when you see those engagement rates start to rise. When people are engaging with your content and starting to follow you, that’s a great sign.

Q4: What are the qualities of a great Instagram caption?

When it comes to Instagram, not only do you need a great image, but you also need a great caption. Here’s how to write one that stands out:

Sue said your caption should educate, inspire, or entertain your audience.

Kristen feels a great caption is one that is succinct and clever. She also knows asking questions is the best way to increase engagement.

Varun recommends finding a sweet spot with your captions when it comes to length. Don’t forget the important CTA to tell your audience what to do next.

Tell a story with your caption!

Don’t forget to proofread before you submit. No one likes typos!

Q5: What are your tips for choosing the right hashtags? How many should you use?

What’s the secret to mastering hashtags? Keep reading these answers to find out:

Sue recommends thinking about where your customers like to hang out. Which hashtags are they actively using?

You have to do a little research to find the right hashtags for your posts and your audience. Once you’ve chosen the right ones, don’t put them in your caption. Instead, post them in a comment.

It’s important to know the answers to the questions Sarah suggested. Which hashtags are your audience using and engaging with? Which ones fit your brand?

Spot on! Using hashtags that are too popular will only result in your posts getting buried within seconds. Choose hashtags that are still popular, but have a smaller audience.

Gary Vaynerchuk knows social media, right? In his book, Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook, he said 11 is the ideal number of hashtags for an Instagram post.

Pamela likes to use Hashtagify to find the right hashtags for her posts.

Q6: What are your favorite tools for managing Instagram?

Make managing your Instagram account even easier with the addition of a few tools! Check these out:

Sue provided a great list of tools! If you haven’t already, be sure to check these out.

Jason is a big fan of Grum. Have you tried it?

Stacey relies on Planoly to help with her Instagram presence.

Crowdfire is great for tracking followers and growth. Squarelovin provides a lot of statistics, including your best times to post.

Brittany loves Iconosquare and Hootsuite for managing her Instagram.

Michael is also a Hootsuite fan.

Sarah uses Buffer to schedule her Instagram posts. She also likes using the Repost app for reposting content from others.

Although it’s not specifically for Instagram, the team at globalHMA loves to use Trello for tracking post ideas and more.

Q7: How do you convert Instagram followers into ROI customers for your business?

So, how do you take someone from an Instagram follower to paying customers? Here’s what you need to know:

Sue knows that you need to provide a CTA if you want your audience to take that next step with you. Direct people to the link in your profile to get them to take action. It’s also so important to build a community first. They’ll be more likely to take action then.

Pamela recommends making a compelling offer in your caption, then directing people to click the link in your bio. You want to move people from Instagram to your website to make a sale or convert them into an email subscriber.

You can use bit.ly to easily track clicks on the link in your Instagram profile.

Make sure you’re taking the time to and effort to nurture the relationships with your followers.

Engaging with your followers is essential if you want them to convert. Show them why they need whatever it is you’re offering.

Sarah recommends offering coupons or contests on Instagram as well. It’s a great way to grow your audience and get them engaging.

Don’t forget to make sure you have a great bio for them to check out when they visit your profile. Include your website link and contact details.

Q8: Which brands are doing an amazing job on Instagram?

Are you in need of some awesome Instagram inspiration? Check out these brands:

Sue thinks Suja Juice does a great job on Instagram.

These are all great accounts that Julia shared! Especially that last one! 😉

Brittany loves Glitter Guide as well as Brit and Co. She’s also a fan of the creatives who are local to her area.

These accounts are definitely ones to check out!

Lori is a big fan of our very own guest host, Sue!

We look forward to seeing you at the next #ContentWritingChat! Mark your calendars weekly for Tuesday at 10 AM CDT for great chats centered around content writing and marketing. Follow @ExpWriters to stay updated on our new topics and guests!

Tags: Instagram | social media