A plethora of Instagram marketing tools, case studies and tactics from #ClickZChat
We’ve been talking a lot about the importance of visual content recently, so it seemed only right to dedicate a #ClickZchat to the subject.
We thought it might be fun to narrow the field a little though, so we decided to question our followers about how, why and when they are using Instagram to power their marketing (or just to share cat selfies).
As usual we asked three questions in one hour, looking at ROI, measurement, tools and best practice, and finally a quick glance at brands doing really good work. Here’s what we learned this week.
Q1: Is Instagram bringing in the money for marketers?
Alright people, first question: Q1: Does @Instagram offer marketers real ROI? #ClickZChat pic.twitter.com/1J0fkHNpSQ
— ClickZ (@ClickZ) April 20, 2016
Lots of users felt that there was strong ROI to be had, but it was not one that came from direct conversion. As with many social networks, marketers need a consistent content calendar to see significant returns:
A1: Definitely, but only as part of an extended attribution model – don’t always rely on direct conversion to make money! #ClickZChat
— Matt Owen (@lexx2099) April 20, 2016
The platform format may also be an important issue here. The way content is displayed is unique and may have a positive effect on both advertising and influencer marketing campaigns:
#ClickZChat A1: Not sure on ads, but it’s much harder to notice / avoid ‘influencer’ posts on the Instagram feed. https://t.co/gkRUYpMqLt
— Anastasia Yates (@AniAreYouOkay) April 20, 2016
Or as @JJ_Stockwell put it:
A1. The old social media ROI trick. #ClickZChathttps://t.co/yRPFkQflty
— jason (@jj_stockwell) April 20, 2016
This may seem flippant, but is actually an excellent point. Benchmarking returns from social is often extremely difficult, as it varies so much between sectors and businesses. In the case of Instagram, it may be several months before the effect begins to become apparent.
Q2: What does “success” mean on Instagram?
Q2: What do you think ‘success’ looks like on Instagram? Likes & followers, or something else? #ClickZChatpic.twitter.com/u4NNWlr7zL
— ClickZ (@ClickZ) April 20, 2016
Amalia Yointic mentioned that while it is important to measure beyond simple metrics, Likes do have an inherent value:
A2. Likes are the response of your followers #ClickZChat
— Amalia G- Yointic (@amalein) April 20, 2016
Our own @latialondon went further, with a suggested engagement ratio for accounts to aim for. Certainly in comparison to Twitter benchmarks this seems reasonably high, but as our recent post mentioned, Instagram is capable of driving a high volume of interactions.
@ClickZ A2: Having +10% of your followers liking your posts consistently and having more ‘followers’ than ‘following’ #ClickZChat
— La’Tia (@latialondon) April 20, 2016
— La’Tia (@latialondon) April 20, 2016
@rainbowbex Preach. Social media success is relative to your organisation. #ClickZChat
— jason (@jj_stockwell) April 20, 2016
Overall, marketers felt that regular engagement mattered, and was more valuable overall than driving ‘spikes’ of viral engagement around irregular posts.
@sewatch 2/2 Regular engagement from genuine fans / advocates is better than large spikes of followers who don’t interact #ClickZChat
— Chris Williams (@christentive) April 20, 2016
And it’s important to remember not think of channels in isolation:
@ClickZ Q2: I think the best brands inspire engage people on Instagram while inspiring them to do something off the platform. #ClickZChat
— Mike O’Brien (@MikeO13rien) April 20, 2016
Q3: What tools and best practices should Instagram marketers be aware of?
Q3: Lets get practical – marketers: Which tools and tricks do you think work well on @Instagram? #ClickZChat pic.twitter.com/5iAw9k5K68
— ClickZ (@ClickZ) April 20, 2016
Many of you felt that there was a huge case for simple consistency, and focusing on the mood of the audience each time you posted:
A3. Using the actual trends in specific #Hashtags #ClickZChat
— Amalia G- Yointic (@amalein) April 20, 2016
@ClickZ @instagram A3: Posting at specific times in the day/night and sticking to these times for all posts! #ClickZChat
— La’Tia (@latialondon) April 20, 2016
While a number of tools are available for Instagram, they seem to be relatively unknown, so I thought it would be useful to list some of the most common ones here:
1: Soldsie
Soldsie utilises your bio link to drive ecommerce traffic, and comes with conversion analytics built in.
2: Later
A number of scheduling apps are available for Instagram, but Later is one of the more elegant, with a useful content planning feature built in.
3: Iconosquare
If you need more powerful analytics for reporting, then this is a good option. The usual suspects like total and most liked images are included, as well as follower growth, audience breakdowns and more.
4: Simply Measured
An interesting tool with the focus on engagement. Reports can be exported to Excel and include all sorts of info on which times, posts and even filters are performing well for you.
5: Minter
Yet more analytics, this time with enterprise use firmly in mind, with all the features you’d expect. Track and manage content, segment your audiences and track shares and conversions.
Bonus question: Who is doing Instagram well?
Finally, which brands are leading the way on Instagram? We had a lot of suggestions, so I’ve narrowed it down to a few of the biggest and best – click on the images to head to their accounts for a dose of Instagram inspiration.
Final bonus question – we’ve heard about @Lowes & @saks so far. Who else does @instagram well? #ClickZChat pic.twitter.com/1zHWX6lAOm
— ClickZ (@ClickZ) April 20, 2016
Lowes
The US Home improvement store practices what it preaches. Posts are cleverly tied into events and trending topics, and feature useful tips and guides while directing the audience to delve deeper.
A photo posted by Lowe’s Home Improvement (@loweshomeimprovement) on Apr 22, 2016 at 9:25am PDT
Saks
The famous department store is doing a great job here. There’s clever use of imagery, relevent hashtags and the captions create curiosity and drive action from the viewer.
A photo posted by Saks Fifth Avenue (@saks) on Apr 22, 2016 at 4:40am PDT
Nike
As you’d expect from a business that encourages movement, there’s fantastic use of video from Nike. The company maintains a number of different accounts for various products, but the main account is pure inspiration.
A video posted by nike (@nike) on Mar 27, 2016 at 2:32pm PDT
Gap
Not afraid of a terrible pun, Gap showcases it’s collections in a variety of interesting locations, giving plenty of ‘real world’ ideas to customers.
Travel off the cuff. #nothingbutdenim #styldby: @lusttforlife exploring Mexico with @CNTraveler
A photo posted by Gap (@gap) on Apr 14, 2016 at 10:01am PDT
Protein World
An interesting example that combines inspirational quotes with more overt commercial messaging, proving that you can sell on social.
A photo posted by Protein World (@proteinworld) on Apr 24, 2016 at 3:09am PDT
National Geographic
As you’d expect, the @natGeo account is crammed full of eye-popping wonders, showcasing some of the finest photographers from around the globe. Follow along and revel in the beautiful images.
Frooti
Finally, a smaller brand doing interesting things. Beverage company Frooti has a great feed full of whimsical and colourful images and slogan that make it stand out.
As always a huge thanks to everyone who joined in this week. If you’d like to take part, follow the @ClickZChat hashtag on Twitter every Wednesday at Noon EST, and let us know if you have an idea for a future chat.
If you’d like to know more about Instagram marketing, go check out these 23 up-to-date stats and facts about Instagram.
