8 Types of Instagram Posts Every Business Should Upload

So, you’ve finally read our blog on Instagram marketing and decided to start an Instagram account for your business. Great! But the question remains. What do you post on your Instagram? In the blog for marketing on Instagram, there is a concise section discussing the 4 types of content that can be posted on this unique image-sharing social media network. What the blog doesn’t discuss are the types of posts on Instagram. Instagram is a place of wonder and intrigue but a business can't succeed here without putting in some serious effort. The 4 types of content on Instagram can be further subdivided into many categories. That is exactly what this blog will focus on. Before we go into detail on the various posts on Instagram, here are some statistics to reconvince you why Instagram marketing is good for your business.Before we get started, let’s clear out the confusion regarding the differences between content and posts when dealing with Instagram. There are only 4 types of content on Instagram. However, there are various types of posts. Posts on Instagram keep evolving. Content on Instagram is finely divided between users who like traditional photos/videos and stories. Live TV is a new feature that is still technically available only to a handful. The list compiled below covers the best among these. Read on to find out. These are the Instagram posts that every business should upload:

Influencer-Featured Posts

Influencer featured posts are the most effective posts on Instagram. All 4 types of content can benefit from influencer featured posts. These posts appear on your profile through images, videos, and stories.

Image & videos

Influencer featured posts to bring in the most traction for a brand on Instagram. They are really simple and involve giving an influencer a backlink for one in return. It is as simple as that. Influencer featured posts give an almost immediate boost to your profile’s viewership. However, too many influencer-featured posts have no advantage. The goal of your Instagram profile is not viewership but a dedicated follower base. To do that, you need to limit the influencers connected with your brand to a minimum. If you are a company that heavily depends on influencer marketing, it would be better to schedule your posting. The golden rule is to not have more than two influencer tags per post.

Stories

Stories are easier to manage. Most brands use stories to promote upcoming events, offers, etc. You can go the extra mile and mention the influencers in your story. The influencer can do the same which helps visibility to your brands.

Behind-the-Scenes(BtS)

Behind-the-Scenes are suited for all businesses. However, businesses that involve outdoors benefit the most from BtS posts. These posts can be uploaded in any form of content and have a similar effect. The goal of BtS is to humanize your brand profile. The most reputed brands of various industries regularly use behind the scenes clicks and footage for an ‘offbeat’ post. BtS posts are extremely effective on Instagram. They generate an unbelievable amount of interaction proving how effective they truly are. All you need for a BtS post is your employees, your infrastructure and your work culture. Take a random click, and go ahead and post. Do take your employee’s consent but that is not the issue. BtS on Instagram has a higher chance of going viral more than you realize.

Motivational Posts

The hashtag obsession began the #MondayMotivation, #TuesdayThoughts, etc threads. Make sure you follow some of them religiously. Motivational posts are easy to do and are influential on Instagram. While you could include motivational posts in your normal profile with an image of a quote or post a short video of an inspiring journey, I would personally recommend that you keep motivational posts limited to stories. Here’s my philosophy behind it. Your Instagram profile is for your brand. Having posts related to your product/service is more crucial. Besides, adding motivational photos and videos spoil the ‘clean’ look of your Instagram. I will elaborate on this point later in the blog.

Educational Posts

Educational posts should are usually limited to one-minute videos and are suitable for businesses whose products/services are easy to use. Simple recipe brands often use educational posts on Instagram for their recipes.

Newsjacking

Newsjacking is a fairly new marketing term coined as late as 2011. Newsjacking or piggybacking as it is popularly termed as is using current trending topics to showcase your brand.However, on Instagram, it is better to focus on Instagram trends for newsjacking. There are no set ‘rules’ for newsjacking and the creativity, imagination, and execution of a brand’s marketing team determines how successful newsjacking can be. Look at the best marketing brands and you will get the idea of how newsjacking works. The greatest advantage of newsjacking is the humanizing effect it has on a brand. Using it to your advantage can help develop a dedicated follower base.

Product/Giveaway/Offers posts

Product/Giveaway posts are a popular choice among businesses on Instagram. These posts are meant for all content types and are also advertised once posted. They can be divided into two parts.

Product posts

Product posts are simplistic products showing a product you sell while it’s working. It can also be a good photograph of your product. Check out the Instagram of any Product-based brand and you will find hundreds of product posts.

Giveaway/Offer Posts

These posts are executed similarly on Instagram although the goal of both is slightly different. Giveaway posts are created for giveaway posts which are generally free, meant for a limited follower base. Offer posts, on the other hand, are posted to highlight special promotional offers for all clients and customers.

Crowd-Sourced posts

This is a post limited to the story feature for a business. Crowd-sourced posts are created by mentioning posts in your story. The catch is that in these posts you’re willingly tagged in by a customer on their personal Instagram. It is a form of influencer story post where your actual customers act as customers completely on their own.

Random Fun posts

Finally! My favorite section. What I firmly believe is that businesses lack a sense of humor. One of the reasons why many people dislike brands and businesses on social media is due to the ‘strategies’ each brand follows strictly. They get repetitive and are easily predictable. And on Instagram, the same effect as tripled thanks to the massive interaction between brands and users. As someone who works in marketing, I understand the limitations faced while working with a ‘professional’ strategy. Here’s a piece of advice: Learn to have fun! I have stressed this aspect on each of the blogs I’ve written for social media. Check them out by going onto my profile! Post something none of your followers will expect. Surprise them! Take a page from the top brands on the planet. Share the cute cat photo on your official social media. Develop a reputation with the mass of social media users and the important niche clients will gravitate towards you. Reputation comes from notoriety and risk. Good brand reputation always trumps a good brand image.

A Clean Instagram Profile

A clean Instagram profile is the hardest thing to pull off. The clean while not necessary can be an aesthetic achievement of its own. To create a clean Instagram Profile means sticking to a strict color palette for all marketing on Instagram. This is easier to pull off if your brand already has a set color code. This is a suitable style option for a lifestyle, designing or architecture brand. For other brands, it’s really not of any concern. This is still a new concept and deserves its own blog. Be Tuned! I’ll be back with one.

Conclusion

These 8 types of posts account for nearly 90% of content on Instagram. I could have discussed more posts but those specific niche post types are better for influencers and not businesses. Good Luck with your Instagram marketing strategy! Learn more about graphic designing with our Academy courses!

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