How to Develop a Content Strategy for Instagram?

Hey there, social media marketer! Have you been scratching your head trying to figure out how to make it big on Instagram? Don't worry, you're not alone. Developing an effective Instagram content strategy is challenging but oh so important these days.   

An Instagram content strategy involves creating a plan to effectively manage your content on the platform. This involves identifying content gaps, generating evergreen ideas, maintaining engagement, and premeditating your actions. It outlines your content goals and the methods to attain them.   

Having an effective Instagram content strategy will not only save time and resources, but also enhance engagement, brand recognition, and overall impact, making it an indispensable tool for successful social media marketing.   

So you want to up your Instagram game, huh? Developing a solid content strategy is key. Here are some tips to get you started:   

Create a Content Theme

Crafting a captivating content theme on Instagram is an essential aspect of your overall Instagram content strategy. As a visual platform, your feed should present a consistent and coherent theme that resonates with your brand identity.    The first step is choosing a theme to focus your account on. It could be your business, a hobby, or lifestyle. Stick to that theme so your followers know what to expect. Provide value to your audience with consistent and cohesive content.   

Create Content Based on The 4 Pillars of Content Marketing

Post a mix of Instagram content that entertains, educates, inspires, or convinces your followers.

Pillar 1: Entertain Creating an effective Instagram content strategy involves a balance between educational content and building a genuine human connection. While educational and helpful content is valuable, it's equally important to connect with your audience on a personal level.

Content that entertains, evokes humour, and is highly shareable plays a pivotal role in this strategy. Such content has the power to swiftly transform a faceless "company" into a relatable "group of people just like me." This relatability is key to nurturing trust and differentiating true fans from casual visitors.

“Let's say you're a fitness brand aiming to create an engaging Instagram content strategy. Alongside your informative workout tutorials and nutrition tips, you can introduce entertaining and relatable content.

For example, you can create a series of humourous workout blooper videos where trainers showcase their occasional struggles while exercising. These relatable moments not only induce laughter but also humanize your brand. By sharing experiences that your audience can identify with, you're creating that "just like me" connection.

Additionally, you might post before-and-after transformation stories of your customers, sharing their personal fitness journeys. These narratives not only showcase your brand's effectiveness but also highlight the real people behind the success stories. This approach makes your brand more approachable and builds trust among your followers.”

Pillar 2: Educate

Creating an effective Instagram social media strategy involves a thoughtful approach that balances entertainment and education to engage and resonate with your audience. While entertaining content appeals to emotions, educational content serves as a logical and informative extension.

Start by identifying the core purpose of your content strategy. Consider what you want to achieve and how Instagram fits into your overall marketing goals. From there, focus on producing content that educates your audience.

Case Study of SkinCareGlow

“SkinCareGlow is a skincare brand on Instagram, specializing in natural skincare products. Their goal is to educate the audience about the benefits of different skincare ingredients. Here's how they create an Instagram social media strategy that balances entertainment and education:”

• **Educational Posts: ** SkinCareGlow creates a series of educational posts dedicated to spotlighting different natural skincare ingredients such as aloe vera, jojoba oil, and green tea extract.

• Visuals: Each post includes a visually appealing image of the ingredient and a detailed caption explaining its benefits for the skin.

• Interactive: The brand uses Instagram Stories to host polls and quizzes related to skincare. For instance, they run a poll asking, "Which natural ingredient do you think is best for soothing sensitive skin?" This interactive approach encourages audience participation and learning.

• User-Generated Content: SkinCareGlow encourages its customers to share their skincare routines featuring their products. They repost user-generated content on their Instagram feed, showcasing real results and building a sense of community among their customers.

• Behind-the-Scene: The brand occasionally shares behind-the-scenes content, such as footage of their product sourcing process, emphasizing their commitment to using high-quality natural ingredients.

• Seasonal Tips: SkinCareGlow provides seasonal skincare tips, such as how to adjust skincare routines for different weather conditions. These tips show the brand's expertise and dedication to customer well-being.

Balancing education with engagement and entertainment builds trust and knowledge, boosting brand credibility. By implementing this educational and engaging Instagram strategy, SkinCareGlow experiences significant growth in its follower count and engagement metrics.

Pillar 3: Inspire

Aim to create content that strikes an emotional chord and resonates deeply. Case studies, customer testimonials, and stories of individuals overcoming challenges are highly effective in conveying real-life inspiration.You can ever conclude your posts with a clear call to action.

Source: Instagram @herbalife

Case Study of HerbalLife

“HearbaLife" used real stories of individuals who transformed their lives through healthier eating. By sharing personal journeys, before-and-after photos, and authentic struggles, they inspired followers to make positive changes, fostering a community of support and motivation."

Pillar 4: Convince

The goal of your instagram content should be to guide readers toward taking meaningful steps, such as subscribing to a newsletter, participating in a free e-course, or making a purchase.

By strategically creating content that highlights the value and benefits of the action, brands can inspire their followers to move from passive observers to active participants.

Case Study of Fashionista   

Consider the case study of Fashionista’s Instagram convincing strategy that encourages its followers to take action and make purchases from their online store:   

• Product Showcases: The brand creates high-quality visuals featuring its latest clothing collections, styled in trendy and relatable ways. Each image is accompanied by a persuasive caption that highlights the unique features and benefits of the products, such as comfort, versatility, and on-trend design.

• User-Generated Content: The brand encourages customers to share photos of themselves wearing FashionistaStyle products. These user-generated posts serve as social proof, demonstrating real people enjoying the products and looking stylish, which can convince other followers to make a purchase.   

• Customer Testimonials: The brand shares customer testimonials and reviews as Instagram posts. These testimonials highlight the positive experiences and satisfaction of previous customers, building trust and credibility among the audience.   

• Interactive Stories: FashionistaStyle uses Instagram Stories to conduct polls, quizzes, and "swipe up" features that lead directly to product pages. This interactive content engages the audience and provides a seamless path to purchase.    By implementing this conversion-focused Instagram strategy, FashionistaStyle’s curated product showcases, time-sensitive offers, and influencer collaborations effectively nudge followers towards making purchasing decisions.   

8 Steps to Develop a Content Strategy for Instagram

   Developing a winning Instagram content strategy takes time and effort, but the payoff can be huge. Here are 8 steps to build your own:

Step 1: Define your goal First, decide what you want to achieve. Do you want to increase brand awareness, drive traffic to your website, or boost sales? Your goal will shape the type of content you create.

Step 2: Define your Audience

Get specific about who you want to reach. Are they millennials, busy parents, or outdoor enthusiasts? Learn their interests and pain points. Tailor your content and visuals to them. Plot following points for them:

• What’s the target group?
• What’s the age?
• What’s the gender?
• Where do they live? (Tier 1 cities, Delhi, Mumbai, etc.)
• What are their interests and hobbies?
• What are their pain points?
• What’s their literacy level? (Illeterate, highly-educated or decent education.)
• What’s their financial situation? (Fincially weak, Financially strong, etc.)
• What are their life goals?

Step 3: Run a Content Audit

Running an Instagram content audit is a crucial step to enhance your Instagram presence and align your content with your goals. The audit provides a comprehensive view of your current strategy, allowing you to optimize your profile, content, and objectives. Here's how to conduct a thorough Instagram content audit:

• Profile Evaluation: Start by assessing your Instagram profile. Ensure that your profile is complete, including contact details, services, and a relevant website link. Review your bio—does it effectively communicate your value proposition and resonate with your target audience?

• Content Analysis: Examine your Instagram feed as a curated magazine. Assess whether your posts predominantly consist of promotions or offer informative, engaging content. Make sure your content aligns with the message conveyed in your bio. Check if your feed maintains a consistent brand look. Are you incorporating a variety of content types that educate, entertain, or inspire your followers?

• Goal Alignment: Clarify the purpose of your Instagram presence. Evaluate how your Instagram goals support your overall business objectives. This step helps you identify the type of content needed to achieve your goals. For instance, if your goal is to drive website traffic, consider sharing snippets of top articles in your feed and using Stories for behind-the-scenes content or interviews.

• Content Strategy Review: Analyze your content strategy's effectiveness in achieving your goals. Are you using the right mix of content formats to engage your audience? Are you leveraging Stories and Highlights to foster a deeper connection with your followers?

• Engagement Metrics: Review your engagement metrics, such as likes, comments, shares, and follower growth. Identify which types of content resonate the most with your audience and contribute to higher engagement rates.

• Competitor Analysis: Take a look at your competitors' Instagram profiles. Analyze what's working well for them and identify opportunities to differentiate your content.

• Audience Feedback: Consider any feedback received from your followers. Are there recurring comments, questions, or suggestions that can guide your content strategy?

• Action Plan: Based on your audit findings, develop an action plan. This could involve refining your bio, diversifying your content mix, aligning content with your goals, and optimizing your posting schedule.

Step 4: Define Which Content You Want to Prepare  

Defining the content you want to prepare is a crucial step in shaping a successful Instagram content strategy. This involves determining the types of posts, themes, and formats that best align with your brand and goals.

By clarifying your content focus, you create a roadmap for consistent and engaging posts that resonate with your audience. This can include a mix of educational, entertaining, and promotional content tailored to your target demographic.

Step 5: Create a Content Matrix  

Creating and populating a content matrix provides you with a structured approach to content planning. It helps you visualize the type of content you should post, the topics you should cover, and how to diversify your content mix. Here's how to create a content matrix for Instagram:

Source: How to Never Run Out of Content Ideas

• Step 1: Set Up the Template: Begin with an empty template, such as a spreadsheet, containing columns and rows. Consider having five columns and five rows to start.

• Step 2: Define Content Forms: In each column, list different content forms that align with your brand and audience. Content forms could include images, videos, infographics, quotes, behind-the-scenes, customer testimonials, and more.

• Step 3: Identify Specific Topics: For each content form, brainstorm specific topics that resonate with your Instagram blog's theme and target audience. These topics will help categorize your content and keep it organized.

• Step 4: Generate Topic Ideas: Now, within each content form and topic intersection, come up with specific topic ideas or headlines for your posts. Think about how you want your content to be published (content form) and what aspects you want to cover (topic).

For example, if one of your content forms is "Tips & Tricks" and one of your topics is "Skincare," you might generate specific topic ideas like "5 Essential Skincare Tips for Healthy Glowing Skin."

Remember, the key is to maintain a balance between different content objectives, such as entertainment, education, sales, virality, lead capturing, etc.

Step 6: Create a Content Plan & Content Calendar

Use a content calendar to map out your posts in advance. Aim for 3 to 5 high-quality posts per week. Schedule them in advance. Mix up content types like:

Photos: Post eye-catching and cohesive images. Use filters and editing to achieve a consistent style.

Video: Create short video clips, stories, reels and IGTV content. Video is engaging and helps connect with your audience.

Carousel Posts: Share multiple images in a single post. Useful for before and afters, step-by-step tutorials, or showcasing a collection of images.

**Instagram Stories: **Post casual behind-the-scenes stories to give followers a glimpse into your day or business.

Start your content calendar by listing essential details in CloudSocial:

Platforms: Specify the social media platforms you'll be using, in this case, Instagram.

Posting Schedule: Outline the days and times when your posts will be published. Consistency is vital for maintaining audience engagement.

Multimedia Components: Include links, graphics, videos, and copy for each post. Prepare and organize these assets to streamline content creation.

As you become more proficient in content planning, consider expanding your calendar to include more intricate elements:

Platform-Specific Materials: Incorporate features like Reels, TikTok LIVE sessions, polls, and shoppable posts. This helps diversify your content and engage your audience in different ways.

Geo-Targeting: Identify specific geographic locations you want to target with your content. Tailoring content to different regions can enhance relevance.

Campaign Integration: Integrate associated or vertical campaigns into your calendar, such as product launches, contests, or giveaways. Aligning content with campaigns enhances your marketing efforts.

Regularly review your content calendar to ensure it aligns with your goals and remains up to date. As you gain insights into audience preferences and performance metrics, be ready to adapt and refine your calendar accordingly.

Step 7: Think About Paid Content

Integrating paid content into your Instagram strategy can boost reach and engagement. Explore influencer collaborations, branded content, and Instagram's promotion tools to expand your audience and brand visibility. Sponsored posts and boosting engagement-driving content are effective ways to maximize impact. Ensure paid efforts align with your brand identity for consistent messaging and results.

Step 8: Analyze your Efforts and Improve See what's working by checking insights on likes, comments, saves, profile visits, and follower growth. Make changes to continually improve your content and strategy.

With time and practice, you'll gain valuable experience developing an Instagram content strategy tailored to your unique brand and goals. Stay authentic, post vibrant content, engage frequently, and optimize for the best results. Success on Instagram relies on making real connections with your audience.

Why to Create Content Strategy?  

Creating a content strategy for Instagram is key to building an engaged following and achieving your goals on the platform. Here are a few reasons why developing a solid Instagram content strategy is so important:

• Never Run Out of Content Ideas: Without a plan, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the pressure to post daily and run out of ideas. A content strategy provides an editorial calendar to keep you organized and posting consistently. Staying consistent is key to success on Instagram. Followers will come to expect your posts at certain times and days.

• Track Your Performance On Instagram: A good strategy incorporates ways to measure your content performance so you know what’s working and not working. Some metrics to track include likes, comments, shares, profile visits, and follower growth. See what types of posts get the most engagement and do more of that. Make adjustments as needed to improve performance over time.

• Scheduling Post: Planning your content in advance saves time. You can schedule posts ahead of time so you’re not scrambling daily to get something up. Use a social media management tool like Hootsuite or Buffer to schedule your posts. They also provide analytics to help track your performance. With a plan in place, creating and scheduling content will become second nature.

Conclusion

You now have the blueprint for developing an effective Instagram content strategy. By defining your goals, understanding your audience, planning quality content, and optimizing your posts, you'll be well on your way to growth and engagement on Instagram.

The key is finding what works for your brand and your audience. With some trial and error, you'll be well on your way to Instagram success and connecting with new customers.