More than a billion people use Instagram every single month, and of those, 90% follow at least one brand. In addition, 200 million of these daily users also visit at least one company profile on Instagram. Competition for the average of 28 minutes per day that consumers spend on Instagram has never been higher, especially considering that 75.3% of all US companies will have an account by the end of 2020.
This is why it’s crucial for brands to conduct extensive audience research, create a social media strategy and business plan, and fine-tune their content and posting schedule for maximum impact. Instagram is, first and foremost, a visual medium, and this should be kept in mind when using it. This means that you should cater the content to your followers’ interests and demands, as well as their typical activity levels and times online.
The Benefits of Being Reliable
Brands often try to “snare” the widest potential audience by offering a wide range of products and services. Unfortunately, this tactic almost never works and usually has the opposite effect. Most people simply desire uniformity. Consistency is essential for any social media marketing strategy to succeed. When it comes to advertising on Instagram, there are two major factors that must remain constant.
First and foremost, marketers need a consistent theme that will let Instagram followers recognise their material as coming from their account. While each Instagram photo or video should have enough individual appeal to stand on its own, it’s important to maintain a consistent visual style throughout all of your brand’s posts by using things like colour schemes, filters, voice, captions, hashtags, and so on.
Planning Your Instagram Posts When to Do So
Timeliness has always been a key aspect in maximising the efficacy of social media posts, even if Instagram modified the way its algorithm functioned a couple of years ago. Before the update, a user’s feed displayed new items in strict chronological order. Users’ recent interactions with Instagram business profiles are now considered by the Instagram algorithm. However, you can still enhance the likelihood that your target audience will see your material before it gets buried in their feed by scheduling your Instagram posts around the same time as they are active on Instagram.
There have also been numerous studies conducted to ascertain the optimal time of day, week, and sector in which to publish material.
Scheduling Instagram Posts at Peak Performance Times
In the classroom, student interest peaks between 4 and 5 p.m. on Thursdays. The hours of 11 am and 12 pm on Fridays and Wednesdays are also acceptable. Weekends and particularly early mornings should be avoided.
Tuesday around 2 p.m. is when the IT industry often sees the most interaction on Instagram. You might also try Monday at roughly the same time.
Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays around midday see the highest levels of involvement among those in the retail industry. They should use Instagram more frequently during those times.
Services Professions – Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings between 9 and 10 a.m. seem to be the most active for professional service brands.
Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday at lunchtime are other strong alternatives for people in the food and beverage industries, but Friday at 12 p.m. tends to generate the most engagement. If at all possible, refrain from posting right before or right after a meal.
Scheduled Instagram posts relating to entertainment seem to perform best on Tuesdays and Thursdays, followed by Mondays and Saturdays.The peak period of day, in terms of real hours, is between noon and three. Mornings are the absolute worst for posting on Instagram.
Using Instagram Analytics, Keep an Eye on Your target Audience
You can use the aforementioned times and days as guidelines for when to make posts, but you shouldn’t use them as absolutes. After all, every product line and customer base is different. Even if two brands operate in the same sector at the same time, they may have different results from the identical strategies. Instagram’s algorithm also evolves over time, as do user demographics and behaviours. Simply said, scheduling Instagram posts is not a “set it and forget it” operation.
Because of this, your posting schedule should be based on your intended audience and how it changes over time. You should research its demographics as thoroughly as possible, including its likes and dislikes, pain points, location, and peak usage periods.
