Hello fellow marketers, creators and business owners!

Last week’s introduction to Instagram Growth Strategy was a great success, so this week I went deeper, and I mean DEEPER,

So in this week’s edition of Marketing Right Side Up I will explain Instagram Algorithm, the best Content Strategy, whether to focus on video or photo content, best engagement tactics, how to leverage storytelling, deepdive on keywords and hashtags, optimal posting time, posting frequency, balancing promo vs entertainment, user-generate content, how to measure growth, adapting trends, selling AND building a community.

Let’s start!

My name’s Mark Valasik and this is the #011 edition of Marketing Right Side Up (or MKTRSU) newsletter (and also Youtube channel, and daily marketing memes on TikTok and Instagram). 

I help businesses do honest marketing.

And this is possibly the start of my Instagram Masterclass course, so stay tuned!.

This time around the video contains MUCH MORE insights, comments and tidbits, so if you’re in it for the juicy info and not just the basics, consider watching the video here:

And here are the top 8 news from last two weeks:

• Meta publishes new 2024 Meta Holiday Performance Playbook

• Meta won’t bring future mutlimodal AI models to EU 

• Meta suspends Meta AI in Brazil after continuous backlash

• Instagram head confirms short-form video is priority, not long-form or photos

• Meta expands overlay ads to Instagram Reels

• TikTok faces problems with decreasing advertiser will

• Microsoft launches Designer mobile app, it’s Canva competitor

• Apple, Nvidia, Anthropic trained data on Youtube transcripts without consent

• CrowdStrike caused global internet and services outage and my Instagram meme about it went viral

Also, this week NO AIRTABLE WITH NEWS!
If you miss it, PLEASE respond to this email or comment below and I’ll send you the link!

Right, with that out of the way, let’s get to this week’s topic:

15 questions and answers about Instagram Growth Strategy for Small Businesses and Starting Creators.

1. Understanding the Algorithm:

The Instagram algorithm prioritizes content that generates high engagement (likes, comments, shares, and saves). Recent changes focus on boosting Reels, aiming to keep users on the platform longer. For small businesses, this means creating engaging, high-quality content that encourages interaction is more crucial than ever. Consistency and authenticity can also help you stay visible.

2. Content Strategy:

Shift your focus from purely promotional content to a mix that includes:

• More personal aspect to your business.

• Educational content about your industry.

• Entertaining and relatable posts that reflect your brand’s personality.

• Engaging stories and Reels that show your products in action or tell a compelling story.

• User-generated content and testimonials (if you’re lucky)

3. Video Content vs Photo content:

Adam Mosseri, the Head of Instagram, recently confirmed short form video content is the main focus of Instagram, long-format video is NOT in their sights, neither are photo posts.

Photographers and static posts enthusiasts, don’t hold your breath.

Reels, as Instagram’s answer to the short-format video demand, are very effective for reaching new audiences due to their prominent placement in the Explore tab and organic reach through Reels tab..

Create Reels that:

• Are short, snappy, and engaging (15-30 seconds).

• Use trending sounds and hashtags.

• Are more entertainment than promotion.

• Tell a story or demonstrate your products in a fun way.

4. Engagement Tactics:

Focus on:

• Creating content that encourages viewers to watch until the end AND MORE.

• Encouraging shares by making relatable, funny, or informative content.

• Prompting interaction with questions, polls, and calls-to-action in your captions and Stories.

To boost engagement:

• Analyze your Insights to understand what’s working and what isn’t.

• Experiment with different types of content and posting times.

• Engage with your audience by responding to comments and DMs.

• Collaborate with other creators or brands to reach new audiences.

• Consistently post high-quality, engaging content.

5. Storytelling:

Combine storytelling with your product placement by:

• Sharing how-tos, tutorials or hacks showcasing your product/service.

• Sharing customer success stories.

• Showing the behind-the-scenes of creating your product/service.

• Telling personal stories about your business journey.

• Always start with introducing the problem/conflict/stakes and lead to a satisfying payoff.

6. Keyword and Hashtag Use:

Hashtags and keywords can’t on it’s own make you go viral, they can help you with discoverability, when people look for content like yours.

Use relevant keywords and hashtags to make your content discoverable:

• Include maximum 3-5 targeted hashtags in each post.

• Use a mix of popular and niche hashtags.

• Include descriptive keywords in your captions and video titles.

• Research and use trending hashtags relevant to your content.

Focus on hashtags created by community, not by brands/bots to follow.

7. Optimal Posting Times:

The best times to post can vary, but generally:

• Early mornings (7-9 AM) and evenings (6-9 PM) are good times.

• Mid-week (Tuesday to Thursday) often sees higher engagement.

• Use Instagram Insights to identify when your audience is most active and adjust your posting times accordingly.

HOWEVER: there’s no general truth on to “when”. 

Listen to your audience and follow your Instagram Insights.
If business people are your target audience, they might be more active during lunch breaks.
If moms are your target audience, they might be more active after lunch and during night hours, when their babies are asleep.

8. Posting Frequency:

Yes and no - it’s more like a lottery. 

The more you post, the better the chance you hit the jackpot.
BUT! Don’t produce content just for the sake of content. 

If you have nothing to post, don’t post.

It’s way better than posting low quality content people might start to hate.

While there’s no minimal threshold, if you’re a small business - if you focus JUST on creating your product and not on marketing, you won’t have people who would buy your product. So try to find a balance and dedicate at least 1 hour of your day to content creation and 30 minutes to sourcing ideas and engaging with your community. 

For starters. Every day. 

Take it as an investment. 

And if you can scale it after some time, do so.

9. Balancing Promotion and Engagement:

Ditch promotional content entirely.
People need to know you and like you first to buy from you.
Therefore making promotional Reels, as in promotional Awareness level content, makes no sense.
Reserve promotional content for your streams and stories.

If you REALLY have to post promotional Reels, aim for a mix of content types:

• 80/20 Rule: 80% engaging, entertaining, or educational content; 20% promotional.

• Use Stories and Reels for more frequent engagement, and reserve feed posts for higher-quality content.

• Always add value in your promotional posts, such as explaining benefits or sharing customer testimonials, offering freebies etc.

10. User-Generated Content:

YES ABSOLUTELY! 

Uhm, sorry for yelling, but UGC is what you WANT.

You can try your best to be as funny and as relatable, but you will never resonate with everyone in your addressable market.

But when someone shares your content, their audience might be more susceptible to YOUR message, when shared by OTHERS.

As for how to encourage user-generated content:

• Running contests and giveaways where followers share your products.

• Featuring user-generated content on your profile to build community and trust.

• Offering incentives for sharing, like discounts or shout-outs.

It’s either by appealing to their ego or offering prizes. Go figure.

11. Measuring Success:

Always set up your personal KPIs to focus on fully controlled metrics. Like number of posts published, frequency, post times etc. Or subjective matter like quality of said posts to grow with every new post.

As for on-platform metrics that indicate engagement and reach:

• Watch time and Sends are the MOST crucial ones. Make your videos rewatchable and shareable.

• Reach and Impressions are a direct reflection of Watch time and Sends.

• Likes, comments, saves indicate a “social proof” and are not important for the algo.

• Use Instagram Insights to track these metrics over time and adjust your strategy based on what works best.

Fun fact: High impressions and low views might indicate:

• People saw your reel in Explore feed but didn’t get hooked enough to click

OR

• People clicked on your reel in Explore feed but didn’t watch for at least 3 seconds (= a “view” on IG)

Always make sure your thumbnails and first 3 seconds have strong enough hooks.

12. Adapting to Trends:

Keeping up with trends is crucial for visibility and engagement:

• Follow industry influencers and monitor trending hashtags and topics.

• Use Instagram’s creator tools for rising and trending audio.

• Make sure the popular trends fit your brand’s voice and message.

• Act quickly these trends usually live only a day or few.

13. Creating Shareable Content:

Shareable content often:

• Evokes strong emotions (funny, inspirational, relatable).

• Provides value (tips, hacks, insightful information).

• Is visually appealing or unique (the toughest criteria to hit).

• Create content that fits these criteria and encourage sharing in your captions.

14. Leveraging Stories:

Instagram Stories are very effective for real-time engagement and driving traffic:

• Use Stories for behind-the-scenes content, quick updates, polls, and Q&A sessions.

• Keep in mind tho, people are more interested in YOU and behind the scenes, not fancy flashy stories.

• Also, keep in mind if you overdo it, people can easily mute your stories without you noticing!

• Incorporate interactive elements like stickers, quizzes, and swipe-up links.

• When Instagram introduces a new feature for stories, leverage is as much as possible, as there’s an “industry hunch” that Instagram shows these stories to more viewers than just regular plain old photo and video stories.

15. Building a Community:

Build a community by:

• Engaging regularly with your followers through comments and messages.

• Hosting live sessions and Q&As to interact directly, nothing fancy or well produced, just a coffee chat.

• Sharing user-generated content and featuring loyal customers.

• Offering exclusive content or promotions to your followers.

• Bonus tip: once you have dedicated community, consider moving them outside Instagram, to not be overly dependant on Instagram’s reach updates. Discord, Slack, Patreon or own website are always a good option. Or you know, a mailing list with your own newsletter :) 

If you got this far, you have my respect! Comment an obscure emoji you would not use in a regular conversation or comment. To see if herd mentality kicks in and someone comments something very regular to not get consumed by their FOMO :D

Also, please let me know, if you’d like to see a separate article about any of these questions/answers.

Have a great week and take care!

Cheers,

Mark.