A Brand’s Second Step on Instagram: Researching

Of course, I still strongly suggest that NOT EVERY BRAND SHOULD BE ON INSTAGRAM.

But just in case you’ve already made the first step and decided it’s something you want to do and being present on Instagram is necessary for your brand, let me congratulate you and invite you in the next part of our journey.

The second step you must take as a brand before going on Instagram is that pesky research part during which you have to confirm your decision. Because it happens sometimes that your decision is subjective and researching will help you get to the end result. Some people choose to research first and then make a decision. I say, let’s mix things up a little!

And now, let’s begin our Research:

1. What do people say/post about you?

You can find an answer to this question by doing an Instagram search for key words/hashtags. See if there’s any audience posting on Instagram photos of your product, in the city you’re present, etc.

For example, you can see this through geo tagging. So, are there any people posting photos of your brand on Instagram? If the answer is yes, you already have an open market. If the answer is no, don’t worry, maybe you’ll create a market yourself. I might be a bit more difficult, but not impossible.

2. What can you do with/for the people “talking” about you?

Besides posting photos and launching contest, is there anything else you can do with them or for them? Your consumers get an enormous satisfaction from helping you build your brand. Make them a part of your community.

Brands usually have a problem when launching contests on Instagram – the majority are too cliché. “Take a photo of us, use the hashtags #xxxyyy, #aaabbb and #cccddd, get the most hearts and you can win a 20% discount voucher for the products that are in stock clearance” – I am exaggerating, of course.

But the lack of creativity in brands on Instagram is a severe illness. Be really careful with what you’re planning to do with and for them!

3. What does the competition do on Instagram?

It’s up to you if you want to analyze your competition or not. I say that a detailed analysis (not an obsessed one) of the competition is a good thing for your appearance on Instagram. Watch what they’re posting, if they talk to the users or not, if they use a ton of hashtags or not, if they’ve launched any hashtags when others post too.

Analyze the contests they’ve launched. See what they did right and what they did wrong. And from all this you have to get to a conclusion that will help you take the third step.

4. Return to step 1 – The decision

And see if your decision still stands. If so, you can move on straight to step III which is….

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