There’s no doubt about it: Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms with over 1 billion users worldwide and over half a billion users per day. These numbers alone make it the perfect ground for battle.
And when I say battle, I really mean it literally as brands and marketers all need to fight for their social share, for their target audience’s attention, and so on. And it’s not an easy fight at all. A visual social media channel is based on creativity. It depends on it. And marketers need to always find creative ways to stir some attention.
And this is where all the magic happens. Because marketers need to find the right type of content and balance the amount of time, they spend doing it with their creativity and what people expect from them.
And Carousels are a great choice because this is what they bring to the table: balance. They are the most flexible option as we can use them for text, videos, and pictures at the same time. Therefore, let’s go further and find more about this Carousel thing and why is it good for marketing.
Carousels are a specific type of social media format that allows you to add up to ten images or videos on a single post. They are way better than regular posts, for this reason, allowing you to insert more content, and even create storylines for your audience in a creative way.
Also, at the same time, you give users more control over your content, as they are able to swipe through your slides and consume it at their own pace.
There are many reasons why you should choose Carousels as a form of disseminating content. Below, I will share some of the reasons that convinced me to try and eventually use Carousels on my ongoing campaigns:
Wait, what? Well, I know, there are other methods to show your professionalism to the crowd. However, on Instagram especially, Carousels need a lot more work and commitment on your part. You can add several types of content, you have to mix them together knowing that they are swipeable, and make them look really appealing to the crowd as they are not ephemeral like Stories are.
However, at this point, we need to get back to creativity and professionalism. They are the main ingredients that will help you stand out from the crowd eventually. At the same time, if you mix them well and find your balance, then Carousels will help you get where you want faster.
Sometimes it is almost impossible to tell a story in just one slide (the traditional Instagram post) or one video. And we all know that Instagram Stories are not quite the professional way to do things. You can use them as a side dish but that’s all. However, Carousels let you do more. You can switch between different types of media with ease, you can mix them all together and build a story, and so on.
There are some people who are afraid of the camera, they don’t have the required appeal, or they just don’t want to be seen and become the face of the brand they promote. Carousels give us the perfect escape plan in this case while never having to change our strategy. We can use texts, images, and even videos, all together, create stories and tutorials, whatever we like.
And yes, since I have already mentioned this part, Carousels make it easier for us to create how-to slides and present the information we want to share in a comprehensive and easy-to-understand format with lots of images and the right amount of text to make ourselves be understood.
There are days when nothing new comes to your mind, no new and bright idea, days that the creativity is at its minimum. No worries. If you have a personal/brand blog, Carousels are the perfect ground to repurpose some of the content you have already shared there, mainly as text. All you need is some pictures, create the slides and there you go.
We’ve already discussed creativity and the fact that this is one of the pillar stones of creating great Carousels. How can one use this to their advantage? What are the most creative ways one can use Instagram Carousels? Here’s my list:
You can use Carousels to tell stories about your brand or your new products or services but at the same time you can use the ten-slides option to create educational materials such as how-to’s or tutorials, whatever you thing may help you to achieve your goals and complete your tasks.
Example: Logodesigner01
At the same time, you can use Carousels to share before and after stories whatever that means to you. You can get creative about a new product, a change in a product, an office change, before and after a video session and so on. Sky is the limit.
Example: Golde superfoods
If you know what you are doing, you only need one picture or a short video to effectively promote a product or a service. Imagine what you can do in ten slides with pictures and videos. Imagine the story you can tell, the amount of information you can share with the audience, the liberty of knowing you have enough space and time to do literally anything you want.
Example: Smash + Test gives us the perfect example for a product promotion Carousel. They allow the audience to get a deeper view at their products and at the same time, they add extra contextualization on how the products can be worn and styled.
Apart from the traditional marketing materials, you can also share case studies from your ongoing projects whether you deal with services or products. You can showcase your case study and use all the ten slides available to promote your product or service based on actual real data your audience will find interesting.
Portfolios are the gateway to fame and professional recognition. And, carousels are the best place to showcase your work and let people know what you do and especially, what you do best or better than your competition.
Testimonials, when true, represent one of the best ways to conduct direct, mouth-to-mouth marketing. Why? Because people will always believe their peers rather than the brands or their marketing spokespersons. Therefore, you can compose a Carousel only of testimonials from your customers and share it on social media and the brand website as well.
Carousels are a good channel to tell your personal or brand stories as well. You can amp up your personal brand, create a new one or just engage with your fans, if you are already a social media influencer.
Example: Robert Katai
People always have questions that need to be answered. This is why all websites, especially the branded ones have FAQ pages that are build in order to answer the clients’ questions. However, we all know that not all of them will be on the main website. Some, will not even know that said website exists. Most of them, though, are present on social media platforms. And, if you know your audience is Instagram regulars, Carousels may be the perfect place for FAQs.
Not all brands are as popular as Red Bull, which in my opinion, is one of the best examples in UGC. They are not the only brand to use user-generated content for their benefit. We can all do it and what better way to present your audience’s content than through Instagram Carousels.
Example: Aday
Tutorials and How To’s are always a great choice for content creation and publication. People like to be given the freedom to interact with the brand but at the same time, they like to be taught how things work and how to do things exactly their favorite brands do. Maybe you will not be able to teach them everything. You will, however, be able to teach them at least a small part of what you are doing and DIY carousels that include movies, images and texts are a good way to do it.
Are there benefits from using carousels as a marketing channel? Well, of course there are. And, based on what we have talked until now, let’s take into consideration the following ones:
Carousels give you the space you need to be creative and tell your stories exactly the way you want.
And, you get a lot of flexibility in your creative process, as you can mix together all kinds of media, including pictures, texts, and videos.
This is what matters, in the end, isn’t it? You managed to grab the audience’s attention, managed to make them interested, and, now, you need to get them engaged. It’s sometimes hard to have a clear CTA in just one slide or with an ephemeral Story but with Carousels, everything simplifies. Users are able to swipe back and forth, they have the possibility to revisit some of your slides and thus, the impact could be higher if everything falls into its place just like the way it was supposed to.
Creating a new Instagram Carousel on your page couldn’t be easier.
Carousels will be more effective if you follow the AIDA structure and variations of it.
AIDA is a concept in marketing that brings up a model based on four different ideas/goals: Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action.
Image AIDA structure model
Next, you have three different AIDA models for Carousels based on three types of shareable content: problem-solving, tutorial, and portfolio presentation.
a. Problem/Solution
Attention – Slide 1 – Grab Attention
Attention – Slide 2 – Intro/Hook
Interest – Slide 3 – Present Problem
Interest – Slide 4 – Build
Interest – Slide 5 – Keep building
Interest – Slide 6 – Something shocking while building
Interest – Slide 7 – Introduce solution
Details – Slide 8 – Confirm solution
Details – Slide 9 – Problem = Solution
Action – Slide 10 – Call to Action
b. Tutorial
Attention – Slide 1 – Grab Attention
Attention – Slide 2 – Present Problem
Interest – Slide 3 – Show results and tell how
Details – Slide 4 – Step 1
Details – Slide 5 – Step 2
Details – Slide 6 – Step 3
Details – Slide 7 – Step 4
Details – Slide 8 – Step 5
Details – Slide 9 – Recap
Action – Slide 10 – Ask them to save it for later
c. Portfolio
Attention – Slide 1 – Grab Attention
Interest – Slide 2 – Intro/Hook
Details – Slide 4 – Portfolio Photo 1
Details – Slide 5 – Portfolio Photo 2
Details – Slide 6 – Portfolio Photo 3
Details – Slide 7 – Portfolio Photo 4
Details – Slide 8 – Portfolio Photo 5
Details – Slide 9 – Social proof
Action – Slide 10 – CTA (Contact if they want to work with you)
The AIDA model is a pyramidal one. This means that in order to complete it and get to the desired action, the consumer needs to move through each stage of the funnel. Obviously, the result is that each of the stages has less users than the previous one.
How can you fight against this trend? Well, you can focus on maximizing the effectiveness of your Instagram Carousels. Here are some tips that will help you do that:
This is essential as you want people to keep their focus on what you are presenting. Also, consistency has a lot to do with your brand, its colors, fonts, logos, and so on.
Use margins to create proportion, use a language that triggers emotions in order to grab people’s attention. Make sure, however, that your headline is short enough to trigger something in just one second (max 10 words) and, that it is written in bold text, easy to read. You can also use images that trigger reactions from the user.
Use slide transitions and visual elements to guide the reader’s eye through your presentation.
You have ten slides. Use them. Buildup, starting from the first slide and up to your last, when the CTA is placed. Don’t share everything you want to share right from the beginning. Make people want to swipe through your slides and convince them, with every new one, that there is the next step in your story they WANT to take.
As mentioned before, AIDA will help you build a construct that generates more leads and follow-throughs.
Whether is a Tutorial, a story, or a mere call to action, make it simple. Tell people what they need to hear but stick to one and only message. Don’t get them confused. Don’t load them up with multiple streams of data. Create separate campaigns for each one of your goals and try to reach them one by one.
If you said you will share weekly then do so. Don’t make promises you cannot keep. Make sure that can deliver your end of the bargain because otherwise, the audience will not forgive you.
Templates will help you with this. And, they will help you a lot. Have a template with premade graphic styles consistent with your branding visual imagery.
Write down ideas whenever you get them. Make a list, schedule your creative process and make sure nothing good is ever forgotten.
Readability is a major concern on content distribution. A great choice in fonts, sizes, and styles may help you a lot in this area. My advice would be to have at least two different font types on titles and texts in order to better convey your message.
Use whatever means you have at your disposal to plan ahead your content distribution. If you don’t have any, use Facebook’s Creator Studio to plan ahead and stay on top.
There are several tools you can use in order to build your Carousels. Here are some of my suggestions:
a. Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop
b. Keynote
c. Figma
d. Creatopy
a) Freepik
b) Pexels
c) Unsplash
d) Piaxabay
e) Envato
f) Adobe Stock Photo
g) iStock
h) Shutterstock
a) Freepik
b) Envato elements
c) Pixeden
a) Flaticon
b) Envato Elements
c) Creative market
d) Pixeden
a) DaFont
b) 1001 Fonts
c) Google Fonts
d) Font Squirrel
e) Adobe Fonts
Carousels are a great way to conduct marketing. Considering that there are over one billion people registered on Instagram already, your worldwide audience is bigger enough to get creative and publish content on this platform.
Throughout this article, we’ve learned together why Carousels are better than regular posts and Stories, why one should choose them as a regular marketing delivery platform, and at the same time, how to manage the creative process properly, in order to grab as much attention as possible.
How much time and money do you invest in Carousels and how effective do you think they are for your ongoing marketing campaigns?
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