Instagram is a battleground for brands. Arming yourself with a content plan is key for success.
Search Engine Journal has put together a 4-step guide to planning your Instagram content.
Step 1: Be prepared
As any good Scout knows, planning ahead is key.
Creating and scheduling content in advance means you can post regularly enough to keep up your brand profile. It also helps to ensure your brand image is consistent.
Using tools like Later and Facebook’s Creator Studio, you can schedule all your content ahead of time. But do allow a bit of flexibility to respond to unexpected events.
Step 2: Find your tribe
Including relevant hashtags in your posts will help the right people discover your content. Use general or trending hashtags as well as those which are niche to your business or industry.
Tools like Hashtagify, All Hashtag, or Seekmetrics can suggest relevant hashtags but don’t get carried away. Recent research shows nine is the magic number for the best engagement.
Step 3: Get the timing right
According to SproutSocial, the best times to post on Instagram are Wednesday at 11am and Friday between 10 and 11am. Avoid Sundays, research shows this is the worst day for engagement.
To find out when your target audience is most active, check the Follower info in the Instagram analytics ‘Audience’ tab.
Step 4: Check what’s working
How many people are seeing your posts? Who’s commenting? And what are they saying? If people take the time to write a comment, it’s worth listening to what they are saying.
Instagram Insights can also help you find the reach of each post. For the engagement rate, divide the number of likes and comments by your total number of followers.
Planning your content will make you look (and feel) more organised and professional. However, social media doesn’t stay still for long so make sure you tweak your content plan to keep up with the changing trends.