Killin’ It on IG - Kicksta · 2018 Strategy Guide: Straight Killin’ It on IG | 10 4. Color Scheme: Find a distinct color scheme that works for you and find ways to sprinkle it

Killin’ It on IGThe 2018 Instagram Strategy Guide

Killin’ It on IGThe 2018 Instagram Strategy Guide

1. Bio Setting the Foundation

2. Signature Style Defining Your Brand

3. Content Creation Curate a Cohesive Image

4. Captions Telling Your Story

5. Hashtags Increasing Exposure

6. Instagram Stories: An Inside Look at Your Brand

7. Contest: Rewarding Your Customers

8. Influencer Marketing: Connecting with the Cool Kids

2018 Strategy Guide: Straight Killin’ It on IG | 2

Table of Contents


Reach and Engage Your Target Audience to Grow Your Brand


FIND OUT MORE

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Real Followers Instagram CoachingAnalytics Dashboard

https://www.kickstagram.io/


Bio SETTING THE FOUNDATION


1

Set the Stage! Show off your brand perSonality.

Imagine greeting someone at your store front. They ask you to tell them about yourself or your brand. Insert that here.

Clearly state your brand name and then add a keyword that describes who you are. Adding a particular niche, job title, hobby, or interest to your headline helps your users get to know you and understand what you do.

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Headline:


1. Bio

The headline is also searchable, make sure you pick a keyword that your followers would associate with you.

1. Bio

URLThis is the only space Instagram has for users to include clickable

links; take advantage of it. You can include a link to your

website, your latest blog post, or use it to connect with other

social accounts. Sky’s the limit!

Call-to-action This is a BIG one! Direct followers

to your link with a clear call-to- action. It can be as simple as “Check out our website,” or a promotion like “Click here for

10% off”.

Mission Statement & Company Slogan:

Find a creative way to clearly state what you do and what the purpose

of your account is. Show some personality and don’t be too “salesy”.

Social Proof Magazine features, certifications, or anything else that gives your

brand credibility.

2018 Strategy Guide: Straight Killin’ It on IG | 62018 Strategy Guide: Straight Killin’ It on IG | 6

the body Section iS the bulk of your bio. here are Some areaS to focuS on:

Signature Style DEFINING YOUR BRAND


2

There should be at least one consistent element that links

all your photos.

The goal of a signature style is that when someone is scrolling

through their newsfeed and comes across your photo they automatically know it’s you.


2. Signature Style

2018 Strategy Guide: Straight Killin’ It on IG

6 trickS to a Signature Style

1. Theme:

Do you have a laid back beach vibe? More city style? Boho-chic?

2. Focus:

First and foremost, your business should be the focus of your page. That means no random selfies or pictures of your dog. Only post photos that complement your brand image.

Once you pinpoint your focus, take your page to the next level to create a cohesive look.

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@Puravidabracelets embraces their coastal roots by implementing a beach theme.

https://www.instagram.com/puravidabracelets/



2. Signature Style


4. Color Scheme:

Find a distinct color scheme that works for you and find ways to sprinkle it in throughout your grid.

3. Filters:

Apply the same filter to all of your photos for a quick and easy way to create flow and cohesion. We love the apps A Color Story and VSCO.

Filters can be especially helpful for Influencers and Bloggers who may cover a wide variety of topic, but still want their feed to have a cohesive look.

https://www.instagram.com/acolorstory/

https://www.instagram.com/vsco/

2. Signature Style


5. Photo Style:

Is your brand bright and colorful? Minimalistic with lots of negative space? Outdoorsy with beautiful sceneries?

6. Quote Templates:

Use a template for all of your quotes and text overlays with consistent fonts, layouts, and colors to solidify your page.

Incorporate a couple or use them all, whatever works best for you!

2. Signature Style


Quality Content:

Posting high-quality photos is crucial since Instagram is THE visual social network. These photos will directly reflect how your consumers view your brand, so be sure they dazzle.

Lifestyle:

Whether you’re a trendy women’s fashion brand or you’re selling the latest kitchen gadget, add some life back into your page. No one wants to look at a product catalogue. Show your product in action! (More on this next!)

Consistency:

Now that you’ve locked down your focus, DO NOT STRAY! The goal is to have a grid where every picture matches one unique identity. Always, always, always stay on brand. Make sure you are posting once a day. Not only is it SO important for you to stay relevant amongst your followers, but this also helps to combat the IG algorithm and increase exposure.

Keep your Instagram page like you would a store front: clean and organized.

Content CreationCURATE A COHESIVE IMAGE


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3. Content Creation


Help your followers visualize themselves using your product

in real life.

Post a photo of your jeans on a model strollin’ the city streets or rockin’ your new headphones at the gym.

These are great for small,

tangible products.

Include props, backgrounds and textures to add character without

distracting from your swag. Staging and lighting are key!

You’ve got great stuff to offer, so show it off!

Take your followers up close and personal to highlight

details of your product.

LIFESTYLE SHOTSFLATLAYSDETAIL SHOTS

3. Content Creation


4 wayS to add to your mix

1. Reposting:

Have a brand you admire or aspire to look like? Repost one of their pictures; just be sure to tag them and/or give them a shout out in your caption.

2. Stock Images:

Stock images are a quick and easy way to gain access to a large amount of high quality photos. BEWARE! Not all stock images are created equally, so be selective.

@sandiegopluse uses the reposting strategy to give shoutouts to local businesses and photographers.

https://www.instagram.com/sandiegopulse/



3. Content Creation


3. Quotes:

Adding a text element is a great way to educate your followers, promote a sale, advertise a new blog, or even add a personal touch. Just make sure the text is the focus point of this post. Save your high quality images for their own post.

Come up with a standardized template with a cohesive layout, font, and color scheme to reflect your vibe.

4. 60/40 Rule:

As a good rule of thumb at least 60% of your grid should include your product or service directly.

The other 40% can be lifestyle shots, stock images, or quotes that all speak to your community. As always, all of your posts should be high quality and reflect your overall brand image.

Check out Canva or the app OVER to take you from newb to graphic designer in no time.

https://www.instagram.com/canva/

https://www.instagram.com/over/

CaptionsTELLING YOUR STORY


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4. Captions


Call-to-ActionInstagram captions with a call-to-action is a guaranteed way to increase follower engagement. Try asking a question, directing followers to the ink in your bio, or our personal favorite, asking them to tag a friend.

Brand Personality Your tone of voice should be shine through here. Are you laid back and casual? Brief and to the point? Witty with lots of puns?

the inStagram algorithm favorS poStS with high engagement.

Add ValueCaptions should enhance your post by providing context, educating, or telling your story.

HashtagsINCREASING EXPOSURE


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Your goal when hashtagging is to maximize exposure and engagement on Instagram.

Using specific hashtags tailored to your industry allows you to find more people

interested in your brand!

5. Hashtags

how to uSe haShtagS:

How ManyYou are allowed to post 30 hashtags on each post. We recommend using all of them. Why miss out on that opportunity to expand your reach?

WherePost the bulk set of your hashtags in the first comment! You read that right, the first comment, NOT the caption. This will still allow you to tag up your image without distracting from your well thought out caption.

That being said, it is a great idea to throw 2-4 hashtags into the caption that relate specifically to that post and/or a branded hashtags.

How Often Don’t limit yourself to the same hashtags over and over again. Create variety with 5-7 different list of 25-30 hashtags to cycle throughout the week to increase your reach.



BE SPECIFIC

Avoid hashtags that are too general. When it comes to hashtaging, it’s all about being as specific as possible.

For example, instead of using a broad hashtag like #fashion, you might decide to target a certain niche like #mommyfashion to focus on a certain demographic.

NUMBER OF POSTS

Look for hashtags that have between 4K- 500K post associated with them. This is the sweet spot to make sure there enough traffic that it is worth your time, but not too much that you are lost in the clutter.

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX

Don’t be afraid to get a little creative with it.

Think about what kind of hashtags your ideal target audience might already be searching or look to see what competitors are using.

Save your hashtags sets in the notes section of your phone for easy access. Just copy and paste into the first comment after your post.

Finding5. Hashtags

5. Hashtags Qualifying

Click on that hashtag for more ideas and to get an idea of the community using that hashtag

to make sure it’s a good fit.

Select “Tags” and type in your

potential keyword. Here you will see the number of posts associated

with that specic hashtag.

In the Instagram App, click the Search Icon at

the bottom of your phone.

Step 3Step 2Step 1


Stories AN INSIDE LOOK AT YOUR BRAND


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6. Stories


Meet the Team check-ins, helpful How-to’s, live Q & A sessions, and office events are all great story opportunities to add to your brand image.

Behind-the-Scenes:While your Instagram feed is filled with polished photos and a perfectly planned grid, let your fans know what goes into making the magic happen.

Give them a glimpse into the daily grind, announce new inventory arrivals, or a sneak peak into new product designs.

Announcements: Is there a new sale coming up? Live webinar starting in 10 minutes? Latest blog was just posted? Share the news on your story!

Exclusive Content: Make your followers feel like a VIP with exclusive deals and content available only on IG Stories. Building Brand Identity: Stories give brands the opportunity to interact with their followers on a more personal level.

This feature is an essential way to build to a new level of trust and connection with your customers.


bring your StorieS to life & have a little fun!

Drawing ToolThis feature is a surefire way to incorporate more creativity to

any plain photo or video and it’s one of our favorites!

StickersEnhance images and add

some personality with these fun add ons.

TextAdding a short comment provides more context to

your story!

FiltersStart with a quality image

and enhance it with exclusive filters only for stories.

Creative Tool Kit6. Stories


vamping up your StorieS for expoSure

Geo-Location and HashtagsUsing the Stickers Feature, tag your story at a certain location or include a relevant hashtag. This allows your story pop up on the corresponding explore page and increase your reach!

Tagging AccountsUsing the Text Feature, tag any Instagram account by applying the “@” followed by their Instagram handle. This can be great for collaborations, shoutouts, or even making a quick link back to your own profile.

6. Stories

Instagram Contests REWARDING YOUR CUSTOMERS


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7. Instagram Contests


What do you want to do? Spike Up Engagement?

Increase Your Following?

Build a Relationship with Your Followers?

Encourage User Generated Content?

All of the Above? (You over achiever, you)


Determine Your Goal

As a marketer and a business person, every action you take should have a certain goal in mind.


typeS of conteStS

Once you have your goals in mind, you’ll want to craft your contest with a format that will help you achieve them.

Like-to-WinContests require participants to like a specific image you have posted on your Instagram. Winners are randomly picked from the pool of users who have liked the photo once the contest is over.

Comment-to-WinSimilar to the contest, entrants will comment on a contest photo and then winners are chosen from the pool of commenters.

Have them tag a buddy in their post and voila double the exposure.



Repost-to-Win This contest requires entrants to repost a particular photo you select on their own feeds to win, grabbing the attention of their own followers.

Post/Hashtag-to-WinAsk followers to post a photo using your products, along with a hashtag you pick. This gives your followers a chance to get creative and gives you free content to use for your feed.


Here’s a great example from @originalgrain, who had their followers post a creative photo to win a free trip to Oktoberfest.

https://www.instagram.com/originalgrain/





IncentivesAlright, let’s get real, the whole point of this contest is to get your followers excited about winning some free goodies. SHOW ME THE MONEY.. or don’t?

Don’t feel pressured to have some extravagant reward. Sometimes the thrill of the chance to win is enough to get people excited.

With that being said, it does need to be enticing enough to spike people’s interest. Try to find the balance between what your followers will find value in and what is realistic your company to give away.

A good way to come up with an incentive is to set a budget and then pick a prize that either matches your theme or brand image.

For example,a giftcard, free yoga gear, movie tickets, office supplies, or free ice cream for a year.


Influencer MarketingCONNECTING WITH THE COOL KIDS


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8. Influencer Marketing

What is an Influencer?

A Social Media Influencer is someone that has au-thority in a certain niche with a large following and a unique voice/image.

Benefits of Using Influencer Marketing

1. Getting your name out there can be tough for any company starting out. Having someone else spread the word can jumpstart this awareness.

2. By picking relevant influencers, your content is displayed right in front of people already inter-ested in your field.

3. Influencer have worked hard to build a trusting audience that has a genuine interest in what they are sharing.

Fun Fact: 74% of Consumer use social media to make purchase decisions.


1. Define Your NicheFigure out who has a voice in that community. When in doubt a simple Google search of the top Instagram account in your field can be a great place to start.

Platforms like Famebit and SocialBlade help you discover and connect with Influencer by interest or category.

2. Set A BudgetFigure out what your budget is and what levelinfluencer you want to target. A general rate is$1,000 per 100,000 followers, but it variesdepending on industry.

3. Start Building a community Engage with their content so they are familiar with your name. Once this is established, reach out with a genuine message that states why you both would work well together.


Check out Influencer Marketing Hub to get an es-timated cost per Instagram Post for your Mi-cro-Influencer vs. a celebrity.

8. Influencer Marketing

how to pick the right influencer for your brand

https://influencermarketinghub.com/micro-influencers-vs-celebrities/

https://influencermarketinghub.com/micro-influencers-vs-celebrities/#account-management

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Killin’ It on IG - Kicksta · 2018 Strategy Guide: Straight Killin’ It on IG | 10 4. Color Scheme: Find a distinct color scheme that works for you and find ways to sprinkle it