When you’re launching your business profile on Instagram, your first step should be thinking through the process of Instagram management. Stats show that 90% of Instagram users follow a business on the platform. That’s a huge opportunity for your company! You want to make the most of it, so check out the tips and best practices for Instagram management we’ve outlined in this article.
What Is Instagram Management?
In a very general sense, Instagram management includes all aspects of running a successful account on the platform. From creating posts to establishing connections to answering direct messages and everything in between, Instagram management covers a lot of ground.
For the best chance at success, you’ll want to hire someone who can be dedicated to this role. A social media manager can take it on or you can find someone who specializes just in Instagram. You may even consider hiring a freelancer if your Instagram needs don’t warrant a full-time position.
Understanding The Process And Following Best Practices For Instagram Management
Even when hiring another person to handle your Instagram management, it’s critical that you understand the processes involved in Instagram management yourself. This will help you set better goals and more realistic timelines.
Following best practices is a key factor of Instagram management. When you first launch your Instagram account and start to develop a strategy, you may feel overwhelmed. Rather than getting stuck, you can follow the industry’s best practices as you learn and see what works best for your audience.
Instagram Management Key Areas
There are six key aspects of Instagram management. Here’s what you need to know about each of them so you can get started with your Instagram account today.
1. Content Management
The first, most important and potentially most obvious of the key areas of Instagram management is content management. Chances are high that when you think of Instagram you think of content. You probably think about a photo you saw, an Instagram Live you tuned into, a Reel that made you laugh, or your favorite content creator’s Stories.
Content management is a major part of Instagram management, and it includes planning, creation and scheduling. It can also be used as a strategic marketing tool for your business.
Content Planning
Before you start writing any captions, designing any images or shooting any videos, you want to start with a plan. What kind of content do you want to create? What’s the purpose of creating it? Do you want someone to engage with the post, or do you want them to visit your website and make a purchase?
Once you know why you’re creating your content, you can start planning out the specific kinds of content you’ll want to create. After you’ve put your plan together, you can move onto creation.
Content Creation
Content creation might be the most fun part of Instagram management. Whether you’re filming video footage for an IGTV or feed post, working with lighting to capture a great image or writing a captivating caption, there’s plenty to be done. This is where you get to really let your creativity shine and have some fun.
Content Scheduling
After you’ve created the posts you want to publish, you can schedule them in advance to go out whenever you’d like. There’s no need for you to log into Instagram every single day to post content. There are other reasons you might want to log in, but a scheduling program like Buffer can be a great resource. You can schedule all the content you created ahead of time, and then you can rest assured that you’ll always have fresh content being published.
2. Growth Strategy
Next up on the Instagram management list is growing your following. Now that you have a plan for the content you’ll be creating and sharing on a consistent basis, you’ll want to make sure you have people who will be seeing it. So, you’ll need to create a growth strategy. If you want to get real Instagram followers, you need to hear about engagement marketing.
With engagement marketing, you or an automated growth service will “like” posts made by your ideal followers. This tells them that your account exists and prompts them to check out your profile. After that, they’ll see the excellent content you’ve been creating, and there’s a good chance that they’ll want to follow you to see more.
3. Engagement Strategy
No, we’re not talking about proposals here. Your engagement strategy’s a key part of Instagram management and it involves getting your followers to like, comment, share, or save your posts. Instagram Stories have other engagement options, too.
There are all sorts of trending engagement strategies, but the most common one is putting a strong call to action in your post. Ask your followers a question so they have a reason to leave a comment. If your post is full of valuable information, ask them to share it to their Stories or with a friend. Even a simple “double tap if you agree” can help you increase your likes.
4. Collaboration And Campaign Management
Your Instagram account doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and that’s a good thing. That means you have the chance to work with other brands, influencers and creators on Instagram to promote your product or service. As part of your Instagram management, it’s important to identify accounts you’d like to collaborate with and then spend some time developing those relationships.
There are much better ways to develop good relationships or make a good impression than sending a message out of the blue that says, “Hi, you seem great, do you want to promote this product?” Instead, create a strategy to get to know your potential collaborators. You’ll be able to propose a campaign that benefits both of you, which means they’ll be more likely to accept.
5. Process Automation And Tools
We mentioned this briefly earlier when we talked about Buffer, but there are many different tools and automation services that can help you through your Instagram management journey. Spend some time identifying where you need help, and then I can guarantee you that there are tools and programs to fit your needs.
Depending on what you need, there are tools for follower growth, content scheduling, analytics, and more. There are even programs that will bring your messages into a different app so you can engage with people without needing to go into Instagram itself.
6. Performance Tracking And Analytics
Finally, one of the most important parts of Instagram management is tracking and analytics. When you measure your results you can understand what’s performing well and what’s falling a little flat. Just because videos are incredibly popular and known to help monetize brands on Instagram doesn’t necessarily mean that your audience wants to see videos from you. Maybe they do or maybe they don’t, but the only way you’ll know for sure is by testing it and evaluating your performance.
You can track plenty of things with your analytics, from when the best time of day to post is to what topics your audience likes best to the style of content they engage with the most. Create a system that works for you so you can stay organized and find the relevant information in your analytics.
6 Instagram Management Best Practices And Tips
So now that you know what the fundamentals of Instagram management are, let’s take a look at a tip for each one so that you can make progress starting right now.
1. Content Management
When you’re getting ready to begin working on your content, you want to start with a schedule. Know how often and which days you want to post. Then, create a schedule to batch-produce as much of your content as possible. Sure, there may be some posts that need to be made in-the-moment, but by and large you can probably create your content for the week at one time.
2. Growth Strategy
If you’re not going to use a growth platform, you should have a plan for how you’ll get more followers. This can easily be the engagement marketing strategy we mentioned. Identify your potential followers, engage with some of their posts and then see if they follow you from there.
You can also run promotions or giveaways where people need to tag their friends in order to win. Grow your following more quickly by requiring that both the person entering and the friend they tag must be following you in order for them to win.
3. Engagement Strategy
Speaking of promotions and giveaways, that can be a great way to increase your engagement, too. For example, you could create a habit where every week you pick one person who engaged with your posts that week to win a prize. If you can give them a sample of your product, this is also a great way to promote that, as they’ll likely want to share about their prize on Instagram.
4. Collaboration and Campaign Management
Make a list of your dream collaborations. Try to think of 100 different accounts. These should range from influencers who would be a stretch to someone you know personally who would be happy to work with you on Instagram. Then, start to work through this list. Begin by building relationships and offering to help them before you ask them for something.
5. Process Automation And Tools
The best way to incorporate tools into your Instagram management is by having routines and systems in place before you bring in the technology. This way you’ll know exactly what you’re looking for and you won’t be distracted by something you don’t really need, no matter how interesting it looks.
6. Performance Tracking And Analytics
Establish a routine when it comes to your analytics. How frequently will you look at your insights and compare numbers? When will you make changes based on this information? How long will you wait to evaluate whether those changes were helpful or not?
When you answer these questions up front, you’ll be more than prepared to analyze and make informed decisions for your Instagram account.
Getting Started With Instagram Management
Now that you know the basics and you have some best practices in your pocket, you should feel comfortable and confident in trying your hand at Instagram management. As with everything, it’ll take some practice, as well as some trial and error. Be ready to learn and grow as you experiment and try new things. Which tip are you going to implement first?