8 Tips for Creating Quality Instagram Content

Stefan van der VlagBest Practice, Guides & Resources, Improving Conversions

11 MIN READ

 rgO2022 is the year of quality over quantity when it comes to content creation. No matter what industry you’re in, your target audience is craving connection and authenticity—and they’re quickly losing patience with anything that feels inauthentic, staged, or “perfect.” As of 2021, around 25 million small and large businesses posted around 347,222 stories daily on Instagram. When you include videos, photos, IGTV videos, reels, live videos, and carousels, that number skyrockets to 1 billion or more posts per day!

Competition has never been more fierce, which is why it’s more important than ever to make sure your Instagram content is top-notch. Businesses are hiring, Instagram is growing, and the platform is only getting more saturated. The audience has more choice, more control, and higher expectations than ever before. So, how do you make sure your content rises to the top? How do you create quality Instagram content that your target audience will love?

In this article, we’ll share with you 9 tips and strategies on how to create quality Instagram content that will make your target audience fall in love with your brand. We will back our strategies with examples from some of the top brands on Instagram so you can see these tactics in action. But before we get into that, let’s first take a step back and understand what quality content actually is.

What Is Quality Content?

The definition of quality content varies depending on who you ask. But in general, quality content is:

  • Relevant: It must be relevant to your target audience and their interests.
  • Engaging: It must be engaging and encourage your audience to interact with it.
  • Useful: It must be useful and provide value to your audience.
  • Original: It must be original, not plagiarized, or copied from another source.
  • Well-written: It must be well-written and free of grammar and spelling errors.
  • Visual: It must be visually appealing and use high-quality images.

Now that we’ve defined quality content let’s take a look at 9 tips on how to create it.

1) Know What Your Audience Wants to See

It’s self-explanatory: if you don’t know what your audience wants to see, you can’t create content they’ll love. To get to know your audience, you need to do your research. The first step to creating quality content is to know what your target audience wants to see. Imagine yourself in their shoes and think about the kind of content that would interest and engage them.

What would they find useful? Or what would make them laugh? And what would they want to share with their friends?

Ask Them

The best way to find out is to ask them directly. You can do this through surveys, social media polls, or even just casual conversations. For instance, check this screenshot from a property dealer. She directly asks her followers what type of content they want to see. Asking your followers what type of content they want to see is a great way to ensure that you’re creating content that they’ll love.

ni_propertygirl question

Study your previous posts

Another way to find out what content your audience loves is to study your previous posts. Look at the posts that have performed the best and try to figure out what made them so successful. What was the content about? Was it something useful or valuable? Did they find it funny or relatable? Or was it visually appealing? Once you identify the factors that made certain posts successful, you can use that knowledge to create even better content in the future.

Use any special events or holidays as an opportunity

You can also take advantage of special events and holidays to create content your audience will love. For example, check these two posts from Canva:

Canva event post

Canva Friendship Day post

The first is just a random post about a beautiful design, but the next is about friendship day. Canva uses special events as an opportunity to create relevant and engaging content for its audience. And do you see the engagement difference between two of these posts? The first one has merely 207 likes with few comments, while the Friendship Day post has 1,699 likes and 58 comments.

This is because people are more likely to engage with content that is relevant to them. So, if you can create content that is relevant to your audience and their interests, you’ll be more likely to get their attention and engagement.

Check your competitors

Your competitors are a great source of inspiration when it comes to creating content. Take a look at what kind of content they’re creating and see if you can do it better. For example, if you’re in the fitness industry, you can check out what kind of content other fitness companies are creating and see if you can create something similar but better.

You can also use competitor analysis tools like BuzzSumo to see what content is performing well for your competitors. Just enter your competitor’s URL, and you’ll see a list of their most popular content.

2) Be Creative and Unique

Once you know what your audience wants to see, it’s time to get creative and come up with content that will stand out from the rest. Be creative with your content ideas and try to come up with something unique that will capture your audience’s attention. Everybody is creating content. That’s not a wow moment, but how you present your content makes a difference. Your content should be visually appealing, creative, and different from what everybody else is doing.

The purpose of being creative is to get more views and engagement and make your brand more memorable. When people see something unique, they’re more likely to remember it. And if you can make your brand more memorable, you’ll be more likely to get their attention the next time you create content.

Check these examples from inDriver:

inDriver to choose analogy

Now instead of speaking the literal meaning of ‘To choose,’ they’ve used an analogy to explain what they do unique. With inDriver app, customers have the freedom to choose their own drivers, own rates, and other conditions. So this post makes more sense.

Check another example:

inDriver independence

This time they chose the word ‘Independence’ to show what they do is unique. Now check another unique aspect of inDriver Insgtam content strategy:

inDriver ElectroAutumn 2021 campaign

 

inDriver 70M downloads

Instead of relying on human models for marketing, inDriver uses creative visuals in the form of illustrations to make its content more memorable. They have many competitors like Uber, Careem, etc. If they were to use the same marketing strategies as their competitors, they would have been lost in the noise. But by being creative with their content, they’ve been able to stand out and make their brand more memorable.

3) Use user-generated Content

User-generated content (UGC) is any kind of content that is created and published by your users or customers. It can be a review, testimonial, video, or even a social media post. The advantage of using UGC is that it’s more authentic and believable than traditional marketing content. People are more likely to trust the content that other users create rather than the content that brands make. In fact, UGC is so effective that 92% of consumers trust it more than traditional advertising.

Another advantage of using UGC is that it’s more cost-effective than creating your own content. You don’t have to spend time and money creating content, as your users will do it for you. Plus, UGC is a great way to get more engagement and social proof for your brand. When users see that other people are using and enjoying your products, they’re more likely to try them themselves.

To get started with UGC, you can encourage your users to submit reviews and testimonials. You can also create social media campaigns that encourage users to share their content with your brand.

Check this strategy from Uber:

Uber five star stories

 

Uber stories

They add customer reviews as a part of their content strategy to show that their service is trustworthy and valuable. Look at the likes they have on this post. That’s the power of UGC!

4) Engage with Followers in Comments

Another great way to create quality content is to engage with your followers in the comments section. When you reply to comments, you show that you care about your audience and that you’re interested in what they have to say. This helps to create a more personal relationship with your followers and makes them more likely to engage with your content.

Plus, when you engage in comments, you can get valuable feedback that you can use to improve your content strategy. To get started, Clepher‘s chatbot automation helps you speed up your workflow by responding to comments automatically. This way, you can focus on engaging with the most valuable comments and leave the rest to Clepher.

Our chatbot strategy helps brands to increase their engagement rate by up to 40%. This way, you can make sure that you’re always engaging with your audience, even when you’re busy. For instance, check the screenshot below:

Human-written bot response

Now, do you see how this bot response seems 100% human-written? This is what you should aim for when using bots to automate your comment replies.

5) Instagram Live

This strategy has become more important since the COVID-19 pandemic, as people are now relying on social media to stay connected. Instagram Live is a great way to connect with your audience in real time and create quality content that they’ll love. When you go Live, you can answer questions, give sneak peeks, and give your followers an inside look at your brand. This helps to create a more personal relationship with your followers and makes them more likely to engage with your content.

Plus, Instagram Live is a great way to get feedback from your audience in real time. You can use this feedback to improve your content strategy and create even better content that they’ll love. Following are some content ideas that you can use for your Instagram Live:

  • Product launches: You can use Instagram Live to give your followers a sneak peek of your new product launch. This is a great way to create hype and get people excited about your product.
  • Q&As: You can use Instagram Live to answer questions from your followers. This is a great way to connect with your audience and give them the information they need.
  • Product demos: You can use Instagram Live to give your followers a demonstration of your product. This is a great way to show off your product and how it works.

To get started with Instagram Live, simply go to the Stories section of the app and swipe to the Live option. Then, start sharing your content with your followers! You can save these live streams for IGTV later or as a highlight on your profile. This way, people who missed it can still watch it and engage with your content.

6) Create Reels

Reels, in 2022, have become the most important content type on Instagram. With competitors like TikTok, Facebook reels, and Youtube shorts, it’s important to focus on creating short-form, engaging content for your audience. People, in general, are becoming obsessed with reels. The average person spends 3x longer watching a reel than they do watching a regular video on Instagram.

StartupBonsai IG users stats

91% of the users on Instagram watch reels every day, and one in four users say they’re more likely to buy from a brand after watching their reels. Let’s say you are a tech brand and want to show off a new product. You can use reels to create a demo or unboxing reel that will show off the product in an engaging way. For instance, it shows how a smartwatch works, its features, how to set it up, etc. This is a great way to create quality content that your audience will love and that will also help you boost your sales.

Check this screenshot: 

Smartwatch reel

Check the reel above. It simply shows how elegant the watch is, how you can use it, and its features. This kind of content will help you increase your engagement rate and reach more people with your content.

7) Collaborate with Influencers

Influencer marketing is one of the most effective ways to reach more people with your content and boost your engagement rate. You’re essentially piggybacking off their audience when you collaborate with an influencer. This gives you access to a whole new group of people who might be interested in your brand. Influencer marketing was worth $14 billion in 2021, and just $9.7 billion in 2020. This simply shows that the industry is growing at a rapid pace and that more and more businesses are using influencer marketing to reach their target audience.

Check this screenshot:

virat.kholi and one8.commune

 

virat.kholi and bluetribeofficial

Virat Kohli is a celebrity, and when he promotes a product, it’s obvious that his fans will check it out. This is the power of influencer marketing. He is promoting a product to fans who trust him and are interested in what he has to say. This is the kind of exposure you can get when you collaborate with an influencer.

Here are some tips for collaborating with influencers:

  • Choose the right influencer: It’s important to choose an influencer who’s a good fit for your brand. They should have a similar target audience and values as you do.
  • Come up with a creative collaboration: You want to collaborate with an influencer in a way that’s creative and will capture the attention of their followers. For instance, you can do a giveaway or create content together. The key is to be creative and think outside the box.
  • Be clear about your goals: Before collaborating with an influencer, be clear about your goals. Do you want to increase brand awareness? Drive traffic to your website? Boost sales?

Whatever your goals are, make sure you communicate them to the influencer so that they can help you achieve them.

8) Establish a Visual Theme

Visual representation of your brand is one of the most important aspects of your Instagram presence. Your visuals should be consistent and reflect the values of your brand. A consistent, visually appealing feed will help you stand out from the crowd and attract more followers. It will also make it easier for people to recognize your content, which can help you boost your engagement rate.

There are a few ways you can establish a visual theme for your brand:

  • Choose a color scheme: A consistent color scheme will make your feed more visually appealing and help you stand out. Choose 2-3 colors that reflect your brand and stick to them.
  • Use similar filters: Filters can also help you establish a visual theme for your brand. Choose 1-2 filters you like and use them consistently across all your content.
  • Use a similar editing style: Another way to establish a visual theme is to use a similar editing style for all your content. This might mean using the same type of borders, fonts, or even filters.

Now check this screenshot from inDriver app:

inDriver color scheme

inDriver uses a white and green color scheme throughout its feed which makes it look very elegant. They also use similar filters for all their content which helps create a consistent look. This is an example of a brand with a great visual theme.

Conclusion

To conclude, creating content that your audience will love is not an easy task. It requires a lot of hard work, dedication, and creativity. However, it’s definitely worth it in the end. Instagram is an excellent platform for connecting with your target audience and building relationships. Creating high-quality content can quickly grow your following and boost your engagement rate. Follow the tips in this article, and you’ll be well on your way to creating content that your audience will love.


Use a chatbot and follow these tips for your Instagram content.

 

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