There is no doubt that many small business owners need to build a presence on Instagram through marketing. The good news is that there are many different ways to keep your Instagram feed updated and keep your followers engaged. Check out our guide on how to gain followers on Instagram and expand your audience to get started.
In this article, we will look at what to post on Instagram, with ideas and examples that you can adapt for your own brand. We will also explore how to create a posting schedule to revitalize your Instagram marketing strategy, and even some ideas on how to make money on Instagram by promoting your products. You can also check out our guide on how to get verified on Instagram for that coveted and highly valuable verification badge.
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20 Awesome Ideas for Instagram Posts
1. Showcase Products Beautifully
High-quality photos and videos of your products are likely one of the easiest (and most expected) places to start on Instagram. Sharing content that showcases your products in all their glory will certainly help you boost sales and promote your business on Instagram.
When taking photos of your products for your feed, you want to avoid making them look like advertisements. In fact, you should display your products in a setting where your audience can envision themselves.
You will also want to include rich and interesting captions, not just the product name and a few popular hashtags on Instagram.
Instead, consider the post as an opportunity to promote the product, discussing the features and benefits or focusing on what makes it special.
2. Tag Products to Convert Customers
Product tags on Instagram and product stickers for Instagram Stories are unique post and story formats, respectively, that allow for direct purchasing through Instagram.
Users can click on product tags, for example, to get more information about the product, such as its name or price. If they click again, they will be taken to a screen where they can make a purchase.
Product tags make it easier and more convenient for users to buy immediately on mobile devices, increasing the likelihood that they will continue with the process. You might consider using product tags when running discounts or special offers.
3. Create Fun Videos on Instagram
Many brands do not use enough video on their social marketing channels overall, but they are particularly lacking in video on Instagram.
Video is important in the current social landscape, and using more of it in your feed will help you stand out. The types of videos you create are up to you. You can share product videos, brand story videos, vlogs, or Q&A sessions.
Video is even more important after the launch of Instagram Reels – an extension of Instagram that allows users to create short videos up to 15 seconds long. You can add sound, effects, and other elements that catch attention, then share them on your feed or through the Explore tab. As a bonus, Instagram’s algorithm tends to prioritize new features and content formats on Instagram, which can give your post a boost.
4. Take Followers Behind the Scenes
Followers love content that shows what happens behind the scenes. This type of content creates transparency that allows them to feel like they are getting to know the “real treasure” behind the brand. This builds trust and is a refreshing change after a series of product photos.
Bonus
Another beautiful one? The behind-the-scenes content doesn’t need to be polished as much as some other images. Because of that, many brands prefer to keep behind-the-scenes content exclusive to their stories.
Check out more ideas on what to post on your Instagram story to make your behind-the-scenes content stand out.
5. Reposting User-Generated Content
User-generated content is one of the most compelling types of content you can use, and your followers love to see it on Instagram. It shows that you’re engaged with your community, which can earn you goodwill and more user-generated content at the same time.
User-generated content should be something you’d like to share on your Instagram story to promote your brand in a subtly effective way. Whether it’s a meme, a testimonial, or just a photo featuring your product, if you’re going to share it on your feed, ensure that it’s executed exceptionally and aligns with your brand.
They do this well on their profile, where they feature many posts like the image below, showcasing their clothing worn in beautiful and exciting locations around the world.
Encourage user-generated content by letting users know what you want to see and giving them a hashtag they can attach to their photos. Search for that hashtag and ask for permission to share relevant posts on your profile.
6. Give Your Employees the Green Light
Employee-focused content is a great option for Instagram. Personal photos and other “sneak peek” Instagram images are another way to show the human side of your brand, making it easier for people to form an emotional connection and trust you more.
Need some inspiration? Tributo shares images of its key artisans behind the scenes as they work on their latest project.
This not only makes the brand relatable but also emphasizes the handcrafted aspect of its products, reminding potential customers that its furniture wasn’t just produced by a machine.
7. Announce New Products / Business Achievements
Here’s a simple but effective idea: announce new products or updates in your business on Instagram with an intriguing image.
This gives you more content to share on the platform and encourages users to follow you, as everyone wants to feel in the loop about a brand they love.
Pop Chart Lab regularly launches new prints, and Instagram is another channel to keep its audience informed.
Alternatively, you could share business/personal achievements, like reaching order number 1000 or becoming a new parent.
8. Host a Contest / Giveaway on Instagram
Want to get a lot of engagement quickly and generate excitement around your brand? Contests and giveaways are the ideal way to go about it.
Contests will get people talking about your brand, and can often lead to strong social proof or user-generated content, if not both at the same time.
For the best results, offer a prize that is most relevant to your target audience, even if the general audience might not be interested. After all, anyone can comment on winning a free iPhone, but what’s more important is getting engagement and shares from users that could become actual customers.
The above example from LEIF does this right by offering a fantastic prize (in collaboration with similar businesses), making it easy to enter via their Instagram bio link, and quickly highlighting the giveaway with the word “gift” at the beginning of the post.
Learn how to organize your own contest in how to run an Instagram contest: Ideas + Tips
9.
Make the most of the moment with seasonal posts
Customers love to get into the holiday spirit. It doesn’t matter whether that holiday is a major one like Thanksgiving or more casual like National Dog Day.
Take advantage of this by creating timely and relevant seasonal posts. Posts about summer and winter holidays or even specific events like meteor showers can work well.
The post below from Prada demonstrates how this can work effectively. It seizes the opportunity to promote the new Prada Holiday store.
One thing you should always keep in mind with seasonal posts is Instagram hashtags. One of the biggest advantages of seasonal posts is that relevant hashtags are trending now, which means more users are likely searching for them. Fill your post description with plenty of seasonal and holiday hashtags to achieve the best results.
Not sure how to implement this? National Ice Cream Day posts can benefit from hashtags like #nationalicecreamday, #iscreamyouscreamweallscreamforicecream, and #sweetstobeattheheat.
Thanksgiving posts can incorporate hashtags like #thanksgiving, #turkeyday, #fall, #autumnweather, #harvestseason, #holidayseason, #almostblackfriday, and more.
10. Encourage followers to tag a friend
The friend tag approach is sometimes used with competition posts but can have a standalone presence as well.
This type of post will encourage followers to tag a friend in the comments who they think might genuinely love the product or who might relate to the theme of your post. An incentive may be offered (as in the case of a competition, as illustrated in the example below from Mahabis), but it’s not necessary.
This strategy will give you a lot of social proof and can introduce new users to your brand. However, you should use this approach with caution or you’ll risk coming off as spammy on Instagram to gain followers. Try to think of creative ways to encourage users to tag their friends.
11. Inspire followers with an inspiring quote
Inspirational quotes are like that good movie we all love. There’s so much negativity online, and after all, we sometimes need to see something positive and uplifting.
This creates positive associations between your followers and your brand, which is always a good thing.
There are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to inspirational quotes. You need to make the image visually appealing, like the example above from gypsy05.
Do this using dynamic colors and layouts. You can use tools like Canva to help you quickly create these images. And don’t forget to credit the person who said the quote.
12. Share your community involvement
One of the quickest ways to build trust and loyalty within your audience is to post content that shows your engagement in your community.
Many businesses on Shopify are online only (though many are not). Community can be a loosely defined term in this case. However, if you have a workspace and/or a physical store in a specific location, you can focus on your local community with Instagram content ideas that spotlight your city or collaborate with relevant brands in your area.
Some brands, like Kutoa Bars, make community a core part of their mission statement on Instagram. Kutoa Bars actively works to reduce hunger around the world, and their posts receive a lot of engagement.
This is not surprising, as it makes followers feel good about supporting the brand while reminding them that by purchasing a tasty snack for themselves, they can do good elsewhere.
13.
Event Coverage
Instagram is a great place to showcase your involvement in any type of event. You can post content before, during, and after the event to generate more buzz. This could be an event organized by your business or one you were invited to attend.
For example, Xterra boards posted the following image about their participation in the races they took part in at Mission Beach. This was a great way to show that they are prominent and engaged in the community, making them more relatable to their target audience while also gaining credibility at the same time.
14. Partnering with Influencers for Content
If you want to help your brand gain some credibility and attention quickly, influencer marketing is a good way to go.
Chaos is a luxury lifestyle brand that uses social media influencers to add some credibility to its name. The post below features an influencer with over 40,000 followers.
Big-name influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers aren’t necessary. In fact, it’s often better for Shopify merchants to reach out to smaller influencers and micro-influencers.
These influencers may only have tens of thousands of followers, but they are likely to be trusted by their audience. They are also probably more willing to work with small businesses and may cost less if they agree.
15. Co-Promotion with Other Brands
Co-promotion with other merchants can be intentional or it can be quick shout-outs. Whether you’re forming a partnership or just mentioning them in a post, it can build valuable relationships and show customers that you’re invested in the community.
The community can be an industry, a local area, or something entirely different. If you sell yoga clothing, you might collaborate with a vendor that sells your favorite mat.
Or if you have a local presence, like GREATS, you can give a quick shout-out to a nearby bakery running a special offer. Even out-of-town business customers will appreciate the gesture, especially if it gives them a sense of camaraderie from supporting small businesses.
16. Asking Questions and Providing Answers
If you’re looking for another way to provide value to your followers, you can’t go wrong with hosting a Q&A session. Answering customers’ questions will encourage more people to follow you (especially if there’s a chance for you to address their specific questions).
Including a call to action in your Instagram caption and getting your audience to comment or share their opinions can have a significant impact when it comes to driving more sales. Taylor Loren, in an excerpt from her course on how to make money on Instagram
You can have written Q&A sessions in text format, with one question and answer per post. Remember that Instagram comments are limited to 2200 characters, so you can fit a lot of writing into your post if you want to.
Instagram has even released question stickers that you can use to gather responses from your audience and share your answer as a photo or video.
Video can be a highly effective way to answer questions. You can share it after recording it or stream it live. Opting for Instagram Live can even allow followers to ask you questions in real-time, which can significantly increase the number of responses.
17. Requesting Feedback/User Content with a Call to Action
In this post, we talked about how effective user-generated content can be. Now, let’s take a look at how you can encourage it exactly.
One of the best ways to get more user-generated content on a certain platform is to create a post designed to motivate users to contribute and share. This may involve leading by example and sharing a story before asking users to share their own stories. In other cases, it could be as simple as asking a question and requesting users to comment.
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In any case, allow users to know that they can upload their photo and tag it with a commercial tag. This way, you will be able to find the content more easily and re-share it. Let users know they have a chance to appear in your feed as well. While no one refuses to win a prize, participation alone is a great incentive for many users.
DripDrop uses this strategy on Instagram, encouraging users to share recipes that include its products and upload photos on Instagram.
18. Offer Video Tutorials
Video tutorials stand out as they are valuable and immediately applicable to your target audience.
Even a short 30-second video showing them how to use or care for your product or prepare it will go a long way. Your customers will be happy to see this content, and if you can show how easy it is to use your products or how valuable they are, you might be able to make some sales as well.
Cheap Cookie Cutters understands this concept as it uses video tutorials (some of which come from users) that promote its products. These videos are short but showcase how you can take its cookie cutters and create decorated masterpieces with icing.
19. Make Them Scroll with Carousel Posts
Carousel posts allow users (and brands!) to upload multiple images or videos in one post. Users can scroll to see separate media on each slide.
As you can imagine, there is so much you can do with this format. Options include: showcasing multiple ways to use one product displaying multiple related products, each with its own product tags showing a series of images taken during an event offering a step-by-step product tutorial
In the example below, Sage Brush Coffee has three different slides showcasing different gift packages for Mother’s Day. All these related products are different, so there’s a greater chance more people will find something to buy when they see it.
20. Go Live!
Live streaming is another type of post that can help you boost engagement on Instagram with your followers. It feels authentic, and users can interact with you in real-time (followers will be notified when you go live).
You can answer questions, showcase behind-the-scenes content, or highlight new products. You can also repost the live stream in your stories afterward, giving you additional content with plenty of social proof.
Announce to your community when you will be going live. You’ll want to add a countdown in a story post so people don’t miss it. Going live also relies on people having push notifications enabled for live streams, and most people do not.
For best results with live streaming, you should: announce it in advance
Source: https://www.shopify.com/blog/what-to-post-instagram-ideas
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