[Checklist] Instagram Marketing for Startups in 2022

Instagram is one of the top used social media sites in the world. With now more than 1 billion users consisting of bloggers, entrepreneurs, teens, adults, fan pages, celebrities, and more, it’s a great platform to showcase your startup.

The way startups are marketing has changed a lot in the last few years. Startups are looking for new ways to get noticed on digital channels. Instagram is leading the scoreboard as one of the best channels for startups. Many startups have turned to Instagram as a direct-to-consumer channel to sell their products and services, which has led to profitable results.

Here’s a handy Instagram checklist you can align and empower your entire team to optimize your Instagram marketing strategy:

GETTING STARTED

Create an Instagram marketing strategy

Before you start posting, it’s important to think about what your goals are and how you plan to achieve them. Outline how Instagram marketing will help you define goals and develop plans to achieve them by answering the following questions:

• Why do you want to be on Instagram?
• What personality is your brand going to use?
• What are you planning to post and when?
• How are you measuring success?

Set up your Instagram business account

Create an account specifically dedicated to your business, rather than using personal accounts or ones that don’t align with your brand image:

1. Create an Instagram profile
2. Switch this Instagram profile to a professional account
3. Choose and upload your profile picture (a logo works best, minimum 110×110 pixels)
4. Complete your bio
5. Add your website address
6. Choose a call-to-action button

PLANNING

Decide what you’re going to post

Planning your posts in advance can help you keep to schedule. Posting a variety of posts will make your feed more engaging and interesting. Which of these ideas could you try?

• Meet the team
• Behind the scenes
• Reposts from fans or followers
• Photos of customers
• News
• Your products in action
• Giveaways and promotions
• Case studies
• Tips and tricks
• Tutorials
• Upcoming events

Decide when you’re going to post

Use the following tips to help you decide the best times to post on Instagram:

• Evaluate the performance of previous posts
• Use research; searching for “best times to post on Instagram” will bring up loads of reports and data
• Use your Instagram Insights to find out when your followers are most active

POSTING

Posting to Instagram

It’s time to start posting some great content:

1. Use your mobile device or install a third-party tool to access Instagram’s features on desktop
2. Head to your profile page, click +, and select the photo you want to use
3. Think carefully about what filter you want to use
4. Write your caption
5. Add location if relevant
6. And share!

Adding to your stories

Stories are photos or videos that disappear after 24 hours:

1. Click the blue + on your profile picture
2. Access your photos or take a live picture
3. Add any filters, text, or effects
4. Once you’re ready to post hit the “send to” button and select your story

Going Live

Instagram Live is a live stream that allows you to engage with your followers in real-time. You could go live to announce product launches, hold Q&A sessions, or showcase product demos and tutorials:

1. Click the camera icon
2. Tap Live at the bottom of the screen
3. Click the ‘Go Live’ icon or button
4. When you’ve finished, click “End”
5. Download your video

Choosing hashtags

One of the best ways to get noticed on Instagram is by using hashtags. Unfortunately, it can be tricky to know which hashtags will work best for your account. You want to avoid using too many generic or irrelevant hashtags so that you don’t look like an automated bot (and no one wants that):

1. Create your own hashtag
2. Type phrases into the search bar, and search the “tags” tab for relevant hashtags
3. Use any relevant popular weekly hashtags, e.g. #ThrowbackThursday

Using influencers

Instagram influencers are users who have established credibility and a large following. Influencer marketing involves paying an influencer to promote products. To explore potential influencers in your field:

1. Consider the reach of your ideal influencers based on your goals
2. Think about your budget and the different levels of promotion available
3. Do your research. Keep an eye on their Instagram activity
4. Don’t get caught out with fake followers
5. Approach them to discuss potential partnerships

Advertising to boost your reach

Identify where you might like to advertise on Instagram:

• Stories
• Sponsored posts
• Explore
• Through affiliate marketing

💡 Use your Facebook Ads Manager to set up and monitor your ads.

MONITORING

Monitoring your performance

Monitoring your performance is the only way you’re going to know if your Instagram marketing is a success. Think about which of the following you should be monitoring:

• Followers
• Engagement
• Click-through rate
• Interactions
• Stories
• Ad performance

If you have any related queries, let me know in the comments below.