#SMLive: How to leverage Instagram to turn Passions into Actions?

As users turn to Instagram to showcase their passions, Facebook's Prasanjeet Dutta Baruah shares tips on how brands can turn such instances into actions.

With several trends catching up and features being added to the app on a regular basis, Instagram is catching up as a platform where users can create, share, express and even shop for things they like. They can share moments after careful edits, curate content or interact with others in real-time. There is something for everyone. So, how does a brand leverage this? Simple: By turning their passions into actions on Instagram.

Prasanjeet Dutta Baruah, Vertical Head - Technology, Telecom, Automotive and New Business, Facebook India spoke about it at #SMLive this year.

First, brands should spend time understanding the consumption and interaction patterns of consumers on the platform. What are their passions? Which ones have passions that align with the brand's offerings? How can these be leveraged in a strategy that turns these passions into actions?

There are 3 I's that can help brands make the most of their reach on Instagram. These include Impact, Influencer and Interactivity. According to the data shared by Prasanjeet in his presentation, 2 in 3 Instagram users say that interacting with brands is a reason they use Instagram, 90% of people follow a business on the platform and 4 in 5 Instagram-ers perceive brands on Instagram as authentic. This is the Impact aspect.

As for Influencers and Interactivity, there is an aspect of trust and authenticity that makes the branded content being shared feel relatable to consumers. Interactivity is created by leveraging the various features on Instagram where users can input or take action. These include AR filters, stickers, polls, Q&As, likes, comments, tags and various options to share/reshare posts/stories.

Also Read: Adhvith Dhuddu decodes AR’s importance in the Marketing Funnel

In his #SMLive sessions, Prasanjeet explains the magic mix for brands to make the most of Ads in order to reach new users as well as retain the interest of the old ones. He explains how marketers should aim to tell an integrated story on Instagram, leveraging all touchpoints.

Influencers are a big part of the way brands can make the most of Instagram. Users follow influencers because they believe in them. They willingly tune in to listen to what they have got to say. Irrespective of the influencer catering to masses or a niche, there is immense power in their communication that brands can leverage as part of their marketing mix.

Being interactive is the key in communication across the spectrum, right from visuals and copy to placement and hashtags. About 60% of businesses on Instagram Stories use an interactive element on their organic story every month. Clearly, there is a lot to learn, experiment and go on with!