The Ultimate Guide to
Instagram
Marketing
Ross Simmonds
www.rosssimmonds.com

Every day, 55 million
photos are uploaded,
86.4 million comments are
posted, and 691.2 million
users like various photos in
their feeds on Instagram.

If your strategy includes
marketing to Generation Y
or Millenials, Instagram is
kind of a big deal.

?
Are you using it effectively

The Ultimate Guide to
Instagram Marketing
1
2
3
Getting Started:
Account Setup
Marketing Effectively
on Instagram
Taking Your Instagram
to the Next Level

1
Taking Your Instagram
to the Next Level
The first step in establishing your Instagram presence is creating
your brand or organization’s profile through three main tasks:
Adding a Profile Picture
Writing a Bio
Connecting a Website

DOING IT RIGHT:
STARBUCKS
Profile Picture
Connected Website
Brand Bio

ADDING A
PROFILE PICTURE
CONCEPT
STRATEGY
The profile picture should be iconic and
representative of your organization, such
as your logo.
Over time, people start to remember your
profile picture when scanning through their
newsfeed and you want them to remember
something that is used in other mediums.

WRITING
A BIO
CONCEPT
STRATEGY
You have under 200 characters to tell the world:
1. Why your Instagram page is worth following
2. What you offer as a service or product
Enhance your bio by encouraging users to
share content relevant to your brand using a
specific hashtag.

CONNECTING
A WEBSITE
CONCEPT
It’s important that you drive your users down the
path to purchase as much as possible and your
website should be an avenue in which that can
take place.
STRATEGY
Ensure that your URL directs users to a mobile
friendly site, as most traffic to Instagram happens
through a mobile device.

2
Marketing Effectively
on Instagram
Once you’ve created a profile, identify what types of posts your
target audience will be interested in. There are four main categories
of successful and viral posts:
Brand Centric Content
Reactive Storytelling
Behind the Scenes Content
Inspirational & Motivational Quotes

DOING IT RIGHT:
LAYS // LULULEMON
Images and visuals covered
with brand’s logo and color
pallete
Focusing around
the ideas and feeling
associated with the brand

BRAND CENTRIC
CONTENT
CONCEPT
Brands who use Instagram must understand the
importance of brand storytelling.
STRATEGY
Whether through photos of products or photos
of the results of their product, businesses using
Instagram effectively showcase what they have
to offer.

DOING IT RIGHT:
OREO

REACTIVE
STORYTELLING
CONCEPT
STRATEGY
Reactive storytelling leverages a human truth,
timely event or unique insight to generate
immediate feedback from their target audience.
Brands who use reactive storytelling tend to use
references that are either meme based or pop
culture based.

REACTIVE
STORYTELLING
TOP OF MIND
INTERESTING
STORY
BRAND RELEVANT
MARKETING
MESSAGE
REACTIVE
STORYTELLING

DOING IT RIGHT:
TELUS // LEGO

MEME BASED:
REACTIVE STORYTELLING
CONCEPT
Meme based reactive storytelling is when brands
leverage a popular meme and use it to communicate a brand relevant message.
STRATEGY
Generate buzz and ultimately spark conversation
about your brand.

DOING IT RIGHT:
BRISK

POP CULTURE BASED:
REACTIVE STORYTELLING
CONCEPT
Pop culture is a driving force for media and
consumers attention.
STRATEGY
Share content that references pop culture
and drive engagement.

DOING IT RIGHT:
STEAM WHISTLE BREWING // TECHCRUNCH
Showing the making
of their product
Showing the inner workings
of the organization

BEHIND THE SCENES
CONTENT
CONCEPT
STRATEGY
People are looking for transparency and an
inside look at how things are built or done
within your organization.
The internet has made secrets a thing of the
past. Brands are now looking at how they can
be more authentic, as its what consumers are
asking for.

DOING IT RIGHT:
LULULEMON // FORD

INSPIRATIONAL &
MOTIVATIONAL QUOTES
CONCEPT
STRATEGY
Sparking emotions in your customers or
target audience is the most effective way to
drive shares, likes, comments and any sort of
connection to your brand.
The key is to recognize what quotes will resonate with your audience and then deliver
them in a beautiful way.

3
Taking Your Instagram
to the Next Level
Now that your brand has developed a relationship with your audience,
users will be more inclined to like, comment and share your images.
But how can you take it to the next level?
User Generated Content
Use Hashtags
Have Call to Action on Images

DOING IT RIGHT:
FRANK & OAK
On Fridays, they often
run a contest called
#NecktieFridays where
they encourage guys
from all over the world to
upload photos in their
neckties for a chance to
win a Frank & Oak tie.

USER GENERATED
CONTESTS
CONCEPT
When users create content that is associated
with a brand, that content combines with
other stories to develop an overarching brand
story.
STRATEGY
Contests are user generated content directly
influenced by the brand, but done so in a
unique, compelling way.

DOING IT RIGHT:
STARBUCKS
4 interesting hashtags
63.9 thousand likes
in 4 hours.

USE HASHTAGS
ON INSTAGRAM
CONCEPT
STRATEGY
Hashtags present a great opportunity to
broaden the reach of your images.
Brands need to think about what hashtags are
relevant to the different images they share
and how they can leverage existing hashtag
trends.

DOING IT RIGHT:
BRISK // THE SCORE

HAVE A CALL TO ACTION
ON IMAGES
CONCEPT
Instead of making the call to action in the text
description that is associated with the image,
many brands are including the call to action
directly in the visual.
STRATEGY
Another approach for driving interaction is
giving users a this or that choice and then
asking them to “like” for this or “comment” for
that.

It’s important to identify and analyze your
overarching digital plan and
determine whether or not Instagram
is a good fit for your audience.
From there, it’s time to plan.

These tips and tricks will help you in
the planning stages, but constantly push
yourself to be innovative and
think different.

Aspire to create compelling
content and refuse to accept
the belief that what others
have done in the past must
be replicated.

Strive to create
your own path and
use Instagram to visually engage
and connect with your audience.

INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE?
Look out for my e-book,
Stand Out: A Content Marketing Guide
With click-through rates on online ads
plummeting and the amount of
competition increasing, businesses are
looking for results. In a world where there
is more noise than ever before, it’s
important to create content worth
reading, creating and sharing.

ROSS SIMMONDS
www.rosssimmonds.com
@TheCoolestCool