As a new consumer brand, you probably relied on Facebook and Instagram for your initial phase of organic growth. You might even have celebrated when traffic to your website soared with your first advertising campaign.
Those days are over. Mass advertising is a big boy’s game and it comes as no surprise that the Goliaths of consumer brands have shifted their considerable advertising dollars to these platforms. The field is tilted in their favor – as it is on Amazon and Google Search and any other platform or channel where the optimal delivery of content at scale determines who wins your customer’s dollar.
Unlike all those other platforms, Instagram needs new brands like yours because its reputation rests on high-quality user-generated content and the promise of discovery. It needs you to be able to cut through the noise even if you might not be spending millions of dollars. To that end, Instagram has rolled out a slew of new features like Instagram Checkout and the promise of streamlining private communication channels across its platforms. If you are a new consumer brand looking for growth, here is what you can do to let Instagram help you:
1. Compete in the premium/luxury space even if your goal is to deliver mass-merchandise value. With 80% of high-end shoppers beginning their customer journey online and 67% of luxury consumers indicating Instagram as their preferred source of inspiration, your brand message and product must be geared towards the high-end shopper. This means content focused on service and delighting customer, and a move away from promotions and discounting. Refrain from advertising during blockbuster shopping days like Mother’s Day where your message will be drowned out by incumbent brands.
2. Throw out the corporate brand book. The Goliaths of consumer brands need a consistency of brand messaging across platforms and channels to maintain economies of scale. Be true to your brand values but be agile and flexible in your communications. With @shop, Instagram has given you permission to use multiple accounts for different functions and target groups. Learn from Wechat’s Mini Programs and use different accounts to run specific campaigns or pilot programs without fear of compromising your main account’s aesthetic.
3. Master the fine art of clienteling. If 45 women out of @shop’s 96K followers liked your brand when it was featured, be sure to follow and engage all 45 of them. With Instagram Checkout and the promise of integrated private communication channels, your focus must shift from the 69 million abstract addressable market to the followers in front of you. Treat them as if they were worth their weight in gold – they are – and invite them to spread the good news if they enjoyed your product or service.
4. Reduce your advertising budget and outsource ad delivery if you can. Your goal is not to build the largest funnel – that’s what Goliaths do best. Instead, you need to build the funnel that is most watertight. Incumbent brands cannot enjoy the benefits of scale if they try to compete with you for one customer at a time. Combined with a laser-focus on clienteling, you can grow your brand by cultivating the followers that Instagram’s ad platform does send your way.
In an Instagram of town squares and living rooms, your brand can find space to grow with the right strategy. Set up a time with me to discuss how we can partner on the ideal plan for your brand.