How to Start an Etsy Shop: Complete Beginner’s Guide to Selling on Etsy

Starting an Etsy shop is a proven way to turn creative skills into income, with nearly 500 million monthly visits and 96.2 million active buyers. Whether you're looking to create a side business or launch a full-time venture, this comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know about opening and optimizing your Etsy store.

What Is Etsy and Why Start a Shop There?

Etsy is the world's largest online marketplace for handmade, vintage, and creative goods, connecting millions of buyers with unique products they can't find elsewhere. The platform specializes in handcrafted items, vintage products (20+ years old), and craft supplies.

Key Etsy Statistics for New Sellers

• 96.2 million active buyers
• Nearly 500 million monthly visits worldwide
• 40% of buyers are repeat customers
• 8.9% are "habitual buyers" who make multiple purchases regularly
• Over 5.4 million active sellers compete on the platform

How to Start an Etsy Shop: 7 Essential Steps

Creating an Etsy shop involves a straightforward setup process that typically takes 30-60 minutes to complete. Follow these steps to launch your store properly:

Step 1: Create Your Etsy Account

To start selling on Etsy, you need a basic account first. The registration process requires:

• Valid email address
• First and last name
• Secure password

Once registered, select "Sell on Etsy" from your account menu to begin the shop creation process. Etsy will ask screening questions about your selling experience and goals to provide personalized guidance.

Pro tip: Choose topics you want help with, such as product photography, pricing strategies, or shop naming conventions.

Step 2: Configure Shop Preferences

Once you go through the screening questions, you can start building the foundations of your Etsy shop. First, you need to select basic preferences such as language, country, and currency. Set your fundamental shop settings carefully, as some cannot be changed later:

Language Settings

• Default language: This becomes your primary product description language
• Additional languages: Can be added later for international customers
• Important: You cannot change the default language after setup

Location and Currency

• Shop country: Must be from Etsy's approved country list and the location where your store is based
• Currency: Determines how you price items (buyers see local currency automatically)
• Tax implications: Affects your tax reporting requirements

Step 3: Choose Your Etsy Shop Name

Your shop name should be 4-20 characters with no spaces, special characters, or accented letters. Effective Etsy shop names often:

• Describe what you sell (e.g., "VintageLeatherCraft")
• Include words like "Shop," "Studio," or "Boutique" if your preferred name is taken
• Appeal to a global audience
• Are memorable and easy to spell

Remember: You can change your shop name later, so don't get stuck in analysis paralysis. In case the name you have in mind is already taken, you can always add the words “shop” or “boutique.” You’ll notice that many of the Etsy shop names are descriptive, which means that sellers often draw inspiration from what they sell. 

Step 4: Create Your First Product Listings

Each Etsy listing requires multiple components to rank well and convert visitors:

Product Photography Requirements

• Up to 10 photos per listing (first photo is your thumbnail)
• High-resolution images showing multiple angles
• Lifestyle photos demonstrating product use
• Detail shots highlighting quality and craftsmanship
• Scale reference to show actual size
• Optional video: 5-15 seconds to showcase product features

Essential Listing Information

• Product title: Include primary keywords buyers search for
• Category selection: Choose the most specific category available
• Product description: Detailed information about materials, dimensions, and use
• Tags: 13 available tags for SEO optimization
• Materials: List all components used in creation

Pricing and Inventory Management

• Product price: Factor in materials, labor, overhead, and profit margin
• Quantity available: Set inventory levels accurately
• SKU numbers: For inventory tracking (optional but recommended)
• Production time: How long to create the item

Shipping Configuration

• Shipping costs: Set rates or offer free shipping (with costs built into item price)
• Processing time: 1-7 business days typical
• Shipping destinations: Domestic, international, or specific countries
• Package dimensions and weight: For accurate shipping calculations

Step 5: Set Up Payment Processing

In this section, the seller specifies bank location and type of seller—individual or business. Based on that information, you can add personal information such as country of residence, first name, last name, date of birth, and taxpayer address. 

Businesses, on the other hand, should enter the name of the legal entity, legal business address, state, business registration number, and employer identification number (EIN). 

Etsy Payments is the required payment processor for most sellers. Setup requires:

Individual Sellers

• Country of residence
• Full legal name
• Date of birth
• Taxpayer identification number
• Bank account information

Business Sellers

• Legal business name
• Business registration number
• Employer Identification Number (EIN)
• Business address
• Authorized representative information

Step 6: Configure Billing for Etsy Fees

All Etsy sellers must provide a credit card for fee payments. Understanding Etsy's fee structure is crucial:

Primary Etsy Fees

• Listing fee: $0.20 per item for 4 months
• Transaction fee: 6.5% of item price + shipping
• Payment processing: 3% + $0.25 per transaction (if using Etsy Payments)

Additional Fees

• Auto-renew fees: When sold listings automatically renew
• Advertising fees: For Etsy Ads campaigns
• Offsite advertising: 12-15% fee for external traffic sales

Step 7: Enable Security Features

Protect your shop with two-factor authentication (2FA) using:

• SMS verification
• Phone call verification
• Authenticator app (most secure option)

Essential Tools for Etsy Shop Success

Etsy is one of the most popular ecommerce sites in the world, but the competition is fierce. To stand out from the crowd, you need to go the extra mile and rely on additional tools to set up your Etsy shop for success. Let’s look at some of the essential tools you need.  

Email Marketing for Customer Retention

Email marketing reduces dependence on Etsy's platform and builds direct customer relationships. Key benefits include:

• 40% higher customer lifetime value compared to platform-only strategies
• Automated welcome sequences for new buyers
• Cross-selling and upselling opportunities
• Abandoned cart recovery campaigns

AWeber integrates directly with Etsy and will send a opt-in email, ensuring compliance with Etsy's communication policies.

Case study: ArtTributeCo is an Etsy shop selling unique art designed accessories such as camera and guitar straps, dog collars, and personalized pet bag carriers. ArtTribute uses AWeber’s auto newsletter feature to inform customers of new product launches with automatically-triggered newsletters.  

Social Media Automation

Sellers using social media see 23% more sales on average. Tools like Outfy automate social posting by:

• Auto-posting new listings across multiple platforms
• Creating engaging collages and videos
• Scheduling promotional content
• Tracking social media ROI

SEO Optimization Tools

Etsy SEO affects both internal search rankings and Google visibility. If you want to boost your chances of being seen, use the power of SEO to improve your shop’s visibility in search engine results for Google, Bing, and Yahoo, as well as Etsy search. Besides doing the basic things that will enhance your shop’s SEO, such as descriptive product titles, keywords, tags, product descriptions, and reviews, you can also rely on SEO optimization tools for better results. 

Using tools such as eRank helps you discover product keywords that shoppers are searching for on Etsy, track competitors, and their daily sales, listing, and keywords they are using, and stay on top of trending items on platforms such as Etsy and Amazon, to get a sense of in-demand products. ools include:

Etsy Advertising (Promoted Listings)

Sellers who want to get an extra boost can use Etsy’s Promoted Listings to boost product visibility. The model is pay-per-click, and sellers pay so their products can show up at the top of the search results (marked with “ad”).

The features include:

• Ads appear at top of search results (marked "Ad")
• Minimum $1/day budget required
• Average cost-per-click ranges from $0.20-$1.00
• Ads show on search pages, category pages, and mobile app

Best Practices to Boost Etsy Shop Sales

After you have started your Etsy shop and incorporated the necessary tools to enhance your shop’s visibility, you have established the groundwork for a successful Etsy shop. However, your work doesn’t end there. By following some best practices, you can ensure that your Etsy shop is set up for success.

Create High-Quality Product Photography

Product photos are the #1 factor in Etsy purchase decisions. Professional-looking images should:

• Use natural lighting whenever possible
• Show products being used or worn
• Include multiple angles and detail shots
• Feature clean, uncluttered backgrounds
• Demonstrate scale with everyday objects

Example: SAUTHUS linen shop uses lifestyle photography showing their table runners in styled dining settings, resulting in higher conversion rates.

Build an Email List for Customer Retention

Customer retention is crucial for the success of your Etsy shop. Here’s where email marketing comes in handy. You can use email marketing to auto-send announcements when you add new products to your Etsy store and drive repeat sales automatically with behavior-based, personalized messaging. 

Email marketing generates $42 ROI for every $1 spent. Effective strategies include:

Welcome Email Series

• Thank new customers for their purchase
• Share your brand story and values
• Offer care instructions for products
• Include discount codes for future purchases

Automated Campaigns

• New product announcements
• Seasonal promotions
• Birthday discounts
• Win-back campaigns for inactive customers

Research Competitors and Price Strategically

Selling on Etsy provides access to a large audience, but low barriers to entry lead to intense competition. To stay competitive, you have to understand what your competitors are offering in terms of products, prices, packaging, and shipping. 

Competitive analysis helps position your products effectively. Research should cover:

Competitor Analysis Checklist

• Product pricing across similar items
• Shipping costs and policies
• Product photography styles
• Customer review themes
• Promotional strategies used

Differentiation strategies:

• Offer free shipping (build cost into item price)
• Create product bundles for higher order values
• Provide superior customer service
• Use premium packaging to justify higher prices

Focus on Customer Experience Excellence

Exceptional customer service leads to more positive reviews and repeat sales. Key practices include:

Response Time Benchmarks

• Message responses: Within 24 hours (preferably same day)
• Custom order quotes: Within 48 hours
• Issue resolution: Within 24-48 hours maximum

Communication Best Practices

• Proactive shipping notifications
• Care instruction reminders
• Follow-up messages checking customer satisfaction
• Personalized thank-you notes with orders

Encourage and Leverage Customer Reviews

90% of consumers read reviews before purchasing. Products with more reviews get better search visibility on Etsy.

Review Generation Strategies

• Include review request cards with shipments
• Follow up via email 1-2 weeks after delivery
• Offer small incentives for honest reviews (where allowed)
• Respond professionally to all reviews, positive and negative

Case study: Herbana Cosmetics' luxury bath gift sets consistently rank in top search results due to 3900+ positive reviews, demonstrating quality and reliability.

Frequently Asked Questions About Starting an Etsy Shop

How Much Does It Cost to Start an Etsy Shop?

Opening an Etsy shop is free, but selling involves these costs:

• Listing fee: $0.20 per item (lasts 4 months)
• Transaction fee: 6.5% of sale price + shipping
• Payment processing: 3% + $0.25 per transaction
• Optional advertising: Minimum $1/day for Etsy Ads

Total startup costs typically range from $50-200 including initial inventory, photography setup, and first month's listings.

Do I Need a Business License to Sell on Etsy?

Etsy doesn't require a business license, but local and state laws may vary. Check requirements for:

• Business registration in your area
• Sales tax permits
• Income tax obligations
• Professional licenses for certain products (food, cosmetics, etc.)

Is Selling on Etsy Worth It?

Etsy remains viable for creative entrepreneurs despite increased competition. Success factors include:

Pros

• Access to 96+ million active buyers
• Built-in search traffic and discovery
• Lower barrier to entry than standalone e-commerce
• Integrated payment and shipping tools

Cons

• High competition in popular categories
• Platform dependency limits customer relationships
• Rising fees reduce profit margins
• Limited customization options

Success rates: Approximately 30% of Etsy sellers earn over $1,000/month, while top 10% earn $5,000+ monthly.

Advanced Strategies for Long-Term Etsy Success

Seasonal Planning and Inventory Management

Plan inventory around Etsy's peak seasons:

• Q4 holiday season: 40% of annual Etsy sales
• Valentine's Day: January-February spike
• Mother's Day: April-May increase
• Back-to-school: July-August for certain categories

International Expansion Considerations

Expanding globally can increase sales by 25-50% but requires:

• International shipping rate calculations
• Currency conversion considerations
• Customs documentation requirements
• Translated product descriptions for major markets

Building Brand Recognition Beyond Etsy

Successful sellers diversify sales channels:

• Own website: 60% of top Etsy sellers also sell independently
• Social media sales: Instagram Shopping, Facebook Marketplace
• Wholesale opportunities: Selling to retail stores
• Craft fairs and markets: Building local customer base

Your Etsy Shop Success Action Plan

Starting a successful Etsy shop requires strategic planning, quality products, and consistent effort. Focus on these priorities in your first 90 days:

1. Week 1: Complete shop setup and create 10-20 high-quality listings
2. Week 2-4: Implement email marketing and social media automation
3. Month 2: Analyze performance data and optimize based on results
4. Month 3: Expand successful product lines and improve underperforming listings

Ready to start your Etsy journey? Begin with market research, create your first product batch, and launch your shop following this proven framework. Success on Etsy combines creativity with smart business practices—master both to build a thriving online business.

Boost your Etsy shop sales with email marketing - Get started with AWeber today!

The post How to Start an Etsy Shop: Complete Beginner’s Guide to Selling on Etsy appeared first on AWeber.

from AWeber https://ift.tt/NOTve57
via IFTTT

Affiliate marketing vs. influencer marketing in 2025

Where you land in the affiliate marketing vs. influencer marketing debate will depend on your goals and desired outcomes. Both are powerful digital marketing strategies—but failing to grasp their unique strengths, how best to combine them or how each delivers real ROI can lead to missed opportunities and wasted budget.

To turn your uncertainty into a clear path forward, you’ll need to understand how both digital marketing tactics work, when to deploy them and why combining both often maximizes results.

The right tools make managing either strategy—or both—surprisingly straightforward.

What is affiliate marketing?

Affiliate marketing is a performance-based marketing strategy where businesses pay commissions to external partners (affiliates) for driving sales, lead generation or other desired conversions through their promotional efforts. Essentially, it operates on a “pay-for-performance” model: Affiliates only earn money when they successfully produce measurable outcomes.

Though it was once predominantly associated with traditional tactics like listings on coupon sites, price comparison websites, product review blogs and cashback platforms, this type of marketing has transformed with the rise of influencer marketing.

By way of example, this Wired2Fish.com article on fishing rods is a classic example of blogger-driven affiliate marketing:

Source: wired2fish.com

Clicking the “Buy at Tackle Warehouse” button for the Shimano Poison Adrena B Series fishing rod will send readers to a retail site via this affiliate link:

https://ift.tt/mDrzpbdfrom=w2fish

The from=w2fish tag in the URL tells the retailer where the customer came from so wired2fish.com receives its commission.

Today, social media has blurred the lines between affiliate marketing and influencer marketing. Take this Instagram post from Making Frugal Fun, for example:

Source: Instagram

The influencer shares their genuine experience with Our Place cookware and directs followers to purchase it through an affiliate link. The URL includes a unique identifier tag (tag=cairnsfamilycreativ-1-ltkna-20) to track a customer’s origin and ensure the influencer’s commission.

The cost of affiliate marketing

Depending on the industry, businesses typically pay between 5% and 50% in commissions (digital products and software generally offer higher affiliate commission rates than physical goods). Companies can structure affiliate payments using flat fees, percentages or tiered systems to reward top performers.

Tracking platforms like Impact, ShareASale and Commission Junction automatically process most affiliate payments. They monitor link clicks, conversions and sales, then distribute payments to affiliates, either monthly or once earnings hit a payout minimum.

Essential affiliate marketing metrics to track

To maximize profitability in affiliate marketing, where you pay a commission on every sale, your measurement strategy needs to extend beyond just top-line ROI.

While ROI is the ultimate indicator of campaign health and profitability, the following essential metrics are valuable diagnostics that help you spot opportunities for optimization and multiply returns:

• Revenue and margin per affiliate: Shows you which partners to keep, coach or drop
• Click-through rates: Reveals if affiliates are driving relevant traffic to your offers
• Conversion rates by affiliate: Pinpoints where traffic quality breaks down in your funnel
• Average order value: Indicates whether affiliates attract high-value customers

This approach helps you decide whether to recruit different affiliates, adjust commission structures or coach existing partners on better promotion strategies. For example, if an affiliate generates high traffic but low conversions, the issue might be a mismatch in the target audience rather than commission rates.

What is influencer marketing?

Influencer marketing involves brands partnering with content creators to promote their products on social media accounts. Businesses typically pay creators up-front fees for content creation that focuses on brand visibility and trust-building rather than direct sales conversions.

There are four main influencer tiers:

• Nano influencers: Less than 10K followers
• Micro-influencers: Between 10K and 100K followers
• Macro-influencers: Between 100K and 1M followers
• Mega influencers: Over 1M followers

While macro-influencers can boast larger follower counts, their follower base may have passive followers mixed in with their deeply engaged followers. So don’t discount nano and micro-influencers because of their smaller follower counts—what they lack in numbers, they often make up for with loyal, hyper-engaged audiences. It’s this stronger engagement that often makes smaller influencers surprisingly powerful for driving action.

A compelling example of this is micro-influencer Ashleigh Monet’s review of the LokLik cutting machine on YouTube. She builds trust with her audience by showcasing the product’s strengths and weaknesses and providing genuine product experience and tutorial content. By including an affiliate link in her description, she blends influencer authenticity with affiliate performance tracking.

Source: YouTube

The key distinction is that influencer marketing pays for the reach and brand association that can lead to sales, while affiliate marketing pays for direct sales and conversions. Most successful creators now operate as affiliate marketing influencers, adapting their approach based on brand partnerships and campaign goals.

The cost of influencer marketing

Influencer marketing remains cost-effective, even as more creators enter the space. According to Sprout Social’s 2025 Influencer Marketing Report, nearly half of influencers charge anywhere from $250 to $1,000 per post—but 71% offer discounts for long-term partnerships that involve multiple posts, which makes ongoing collaborations more budget-friendly for brands. An additional 25% are open to considering discounts in the future too, which suggests that cost flexibility is widespread.

These dynamics give brands room to stretch marketing budgets while still compensating creators fairly, especially when the product is premium or the partnership has strong creative alignment.

Essential influencer marketing metrics to track

As with affiliate marketing, effectively measuring influence marketing ROI starts with tracking revenue impact. Although the specific metrics may differ, your measurement strategy should remain the same: Monitor the impact of your spend on revenue, then work backwards, choosing metrics that will help you optimize and prove ROI.

These metrics include:

• ROI and ROAS: Evaluates the profitability of your creator investments
• Conversion attribution: Shows actual sales that each creator using affiliate links
• Earned media value: Estimates the advertising value equivalent of organic reach
• Engagement rate vs. conversion rate: Shows if high engagement translates to purchases
• Cost per acquisition (CPA) by creator tier: Compares nano, micro-, macro- and mega influencers

Analyzing these metrics helps you decide whether to reallocate spending toward different creator tiers, negotiate performance-based contracts or completely revamp your content strategy. For example, if micro-influencers show a better CPA than macro-influencers, you might redirect your budget to work with more niche creators.

Affiliate marketing vs. influencer marketing: 6 key differences

The fundamental difference comes down to this: An affiliate marketing strategy is transactional, but influencer marketing is relational. One pays for outcomes, and the other pays for trust. That distinction shapes everything else about how you’ll manage these strategies, such as the following:

Affiliate marketing	Influencer marketing
Primary objective	Drive immediate sales and conversions	Build brand awareness and credibility
Payment structure	Commission-based (pay only for results)	Up-front fees, plus potential bonuses
Risk level	Low financial risk (pay per conversion)	Higher up-front investment risk
Creative control	Limited (affiliates choose promotion methods)	High (brands collaborate on content strategy)
Content authenticity	Varies widely by affiliate type	Typically more authentic and personal
Performance measurement	Direct attribution through tracking links	Complex attribution across awareness and sales

You don’t have to choose between affiliate marketing and influencer marketing—many brands use both. But keep in mind that your choice will come down to your priorities and industry. Do you want to invest in brand trust up front or pay only for confirmed sales and conversions?

When to choose influencer marketing or affiliate marketing

The choice between influencer marketing and affiliate marketing comes down to your goals and measurement needs. Begin by nailing down your primary objective: building awareness or driving sales. Then consider your budget constraints and content requirements.

Also, you should look into your partners’ audience demographics, competitor strategies and how to best position your brand. Answering these core questions will guide your campaigns in the right direction.

When to use affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing works well when you have a conversion problem. If people are aware that your product exists but you need more efficient ways to reach buyers, for instance, this can be a valuable strategy.

A great example of this is Notion’s affiliate marketing program, which offers $50 per signup, plus 20% of first-year revenue. The company knows that its trial-to-paid conversion rates and customer lifetime value support those payouts.

Source: Notion

Like influencer marketing, affiliate marketing thrives when promotions feel like natural content, not advertising. If you choose this route, avoid the trap of blasting links everywhere and hoping for quick clicks. Sustainable affiliate programs work more like referral networks—you have to collaborate with partners whose audiences genuinely trust their recommendations.

When to use influencer marketing

Influencer marketing makes sense when brand exposure is your bottleneck. Use it when people need to see your product in action in someone else’s life before they consider trying it. After all, when you hire the right influencer, their content will feel like a friend’s recommendation, not a commercial.

Sanrio deliberately built the marketing strategy for its Hello Kitty Cafe Truck this way. Instead of paying for product placement, it creates experiences that are worth sharing on feeds. The Cafe Truck tours the US, sparking excitement and community moments. This generates content that feels authentic—because it is.

Source: Instagram

The biggest challenge with influencer marketing is accurately measuring its effectiveness. With it, you’re investing in brand equity that grows slowly and reaches customers who might not convert right away. If you need immediate, trackable ROI, affiliate marketing is your answer. But if you’re building long-term brand value and your leads database, influencer marketing can be much more powerful.

Integrating affiliate and influencer marketing strategies

Many creators are both affiliates and social media influencers. Treating them as complementary—instead of separate—can make your combined influencer and affiliate marketing efforts more coherent, measurable and effective.

Here’s how to achieve this synergy:

Pair content creators with goals

Matching the right influencer to the right objective is one of the most critical—and often overlooked—aspects of this process. While follower counts grab plenty of attention, content format and audience intent are usually more valuable. For example, a creator with a 20K following who users know for their in-depth tutorials or honest product reviews can drive strong affiliate revenue due to their highly engaged audience. Meanwhile, a lifestyle creator with 1M followers might be your ideal partner for top-of-funnel storytelling and brand awareness.

Before picking your creators, take a close look at their content format and consider how often they post shoppable content and what their audience is primed to do. If a creator regularly posts “my favorite things” roundups, for instance, they’re likely to outperform in performance campaigns, regardless of their size.

Use influencer marketing and affiliate tools together

There’s usually a difference between where you track affiliate links and where you manage influencer relationships. Most affiliate platforms generate unique links, handle tracking and manage payouts.

However, influencer marketing tools, like Sprout Social’s Influencer Marketing solution, give you the tools you need to discover creators, manage outreach and approvals, and monitor content performance. The tool seamlessly integrates with your affiliate tracking, which enables you to assign UTM parameters or custom links to each creator. That way, you can track their social media engagement and traffic for affiliate performance insights.

Sprout helps you manage influencer relationships and measure content performance, while your affiliate platform handles the technical tracking and payments. Though these two systems are separate, you can easily coordinate them.

Track results across both strategies

If you want to understand ROI, you can’t look at influencer and affiliate marketing efforts in isolation—these strategies often influence the same buyers. For example, a TikTok video might introduce someone to your brand, but an affiliate blog post may close the deal days later.

Sprout’s platform provides visibility into the key metrics for both strategies. You can then track link clicks, engagement rates and creator performance over time.

For revenue attribution, you’ll typically integrate with platforms like Tableau, Looker or your CRM. Sprout supports that process by surfacing campaign performance insights, such as which content is working and which creators are driving traffic, while integrations with tools like Tableau connect those insights to revenue impact.

Customize landing pages for creator traffic

Sending all creator traffic to a generic homepage is a missed opportunity. You don’t need a custom landing page for every individual influencer, but you should group creators by content type or audience and send traffic to pages that feel relevant.

For example, if three creators are promoting your back-to-school collection, give them a co-branded landing page that reflects that theme—using copy or imagery that matches their messaging will make the transition from social feed to landing page feel seamless. You can also include the creator’s name, discount code or curated picks to increase trust and reduce bounce.

Choosing between affiliate marketing and influencer marketing

The choice between affiliate marketing and influencer marketing doesn’t have to be an either/or dilemma. The most successful brands skillfully use both strategies in tandem: influencers for authentic product introductions and affiliates for optimized conversion paths.

With Sprout Social Influencer Marketing, managing both approaches becomes significantly easier. You can use it to discover creators, track performance metrics and measure ROI across affiliate and influencer campaigns from a centralized dashboard.

Check out the free demo today to see how Influencer Marketing by Sprout Social (formerly Tagger) can help you evaluate and manage your affiliate and influencer strategies—all in one place.

The post Affiliate marketing vs. influencer marketing in 2025 appeared first on Sprout Social.

from Sprout Social https://ift.tt/N9DaVe3
via IFTTT

How to use Snapchat for business in 2025

Snapchat marketing is a direct line for brands to engage and build trust with younger audiences.

The network has over 900 million monthly active users as of 2025, and continues to grow in popularity, with Gen Z and younger millennials using Snapchat daily to connect with friends, family and creators. This presents an opportunity for brands to become part of these conversations through ephemeral content and influencer partnerships.

In this article, we share Snapchat’s core features, tips on how to build your Snapchat marketing strategy and highlight brands already making an impact on the network.

What is Snapchat marketing?

Snapchat marketing is a digital marketing strategy that uses the network’s features and advertising tools to attract an audience and grow your bottom line. The key is to create strategies that work with how users naturally engage on the network.

For brands catering to Gen Z or younger millennials, Snapchat marketing offers a significant opportunity to impact your business. Snapchat reaches 90% of 13 to 24-year-olds and 75% of 13 to 34-year-olds in more than 25 countries, making it one of the most effective networks for brands looking to target Gen Z and younger Millennials.

Beyond the user base, what sets Snapchat apart is how it’s used. Snapchat’s 2024 How We Snap Report, found that users connect (59%) and share content (49%) with friends and family on Snapchat more than any other social network. They also open the app more than 30 times a day, showing how central Snapchat is to communication and decision-making.

The frequency of use and intimacy make Snapchat a valuable space for brands to engage younger audiences in a way that feels authentic.

To start using Snapchat for marketing, your brand will need a public profile. If you want to run ads, access analytics through Snapchat Insights or unlock features like creating AR Lenses, you’ll also need a Snapchat Business account.

Let’s go through Snapchat’s core features and how to use each one strategically.

Stories

Stories are Snapchat’s most versatile feature. They’re short (up to a minute), vertical video or image Snaps that disappear after 24 hours, and they’re useful. Stories can support just about any marketing goal, from driving traffic to boosting engagement.

The key is to keep Stories casual, timely and built around a strong hook. Netflix gets this right. The example shows how they use Stories to promote new shows like KPop Demon Hunters.

One feature of Stories is that you can add swipe-up or tap-through links if you have a Snapchat Business account. This allows viewers to take direct action, making Stories a valuable tool in your broader Snapchat marketing strategy.

Saved Stories (Story Highlights)

Saved Stories, or story highlights, let you pin select content to your public profile so it doesn’t disappear after 24 hours.

Treat it as your “About Us” section on Snapchat. It should be evergreen content that helps new viewers quickly get a feel for your brand. Bumble, for example, uses Saved Stories to share dating tips and brand values, providing a clear snapshot of what it stands for.

Spotlight

Spotlight is Snapchat’s answer to scrollable short-form video. Public profiles can submit video Snaps to Spotlight, giving brands a chance to expand the reach of their Snapchat marketing without adding budget. Spotlight is also a good place to repurpose vertical content that has performed well on other networks (just be sure to remove the watermark) or test new creative.

If your video is selected, it appears on the Spotlight feed and on your Spotlight tab, giving your brand a credibility boost and wider exposure. Spotlight content tends to perform best when it features relevant trends, leads with personality and fits Snapchat’s casual tone.

Discover

Discover is Snapchat’s curated content feed featuring Stories from media partners, creators and sponsored brand content. It’s personalized to each user’s interests and engagement history, offering a prime spot for visibility.

While organic Stories from public profiles don’t appear in Discover, your brand’s Snap Ads and Sponsored Stories do, putting you alongside trusted content creators. This is what makes Discover one of the best ways to connect with users already looking to engage.

AR Lenses

AR Lenses are Snapchat’s signature feature. They are interactive, enabling users to try on products, play branded games or explore immersive 3D animations.

As an example of a seasonal approach, Carhartt created a gamified Santa Lens where users dressed as Santa flew over homes dropping Carhartt products onto houses. Branded AR Lenses like these are fun and memorable, making them a smart way to promote products and enhance brand awareness and engagement.

Filters

Filters are static overlays that users can add to a Snap after it’s taken, like frames, color treatments or location-based tags. Branded Filters are best used to boost visibility around product launches, holidays, events or store openings by encouraging shoppers to create user-generated content (UGC).

Why use Snapchat for business?

On Snapchat, the ephemeral nature of the content is valuable to brands. Stories vanish after 24 hours, and this drives immediate engagement compared to the slow-burning reach of in-feed content.

When paired with a user base comprising of Gen Z and Millennials who value unfiltered content, it essentially creates an environment where brands meet audiences that are eager to engage and connect.

Here’s a breakdown of how the ephemeral nature of Snapchat is helpful to brands.

Encourage brand engagement

Ephemeral content is one of Snapchat’s defining features and biggest engagement drivers. Because Stories disappear quickly, they create a built-in sense of urgency and trigger FOMO, prompting users to act fast.

The time limit also lowers the pressure to engage. When content feels temporary, it encourages more spontaneous views, clicks and replies. This low-stakes environment helps brands drive interaction in a way that feels native to the network.

Build trust through authenticity

Snapchatters value realness. Almost 80% say it’s where they are their “most authentic and real” selves. When brands meet their audience with the same level of authenticity, it creates deeper loyalty and stronger emotional connections.

A Sprout Social study found that 64% of consumers say they want to feel more connected to the brands they follow. Snapchat’s brand of ephemeral content removes the polish and pressure and delivers on that desire.

Reach Gen Z and Millennials easily

Three-quarters of Snapchatters are under age 35. This network gives you a direct line to Gen Z and younger millennials because Snapchat is already part of their daily habits.

Here are the top five daily activities on Snapchat:

1. 66% Watch stories from friends and family
2. 65% Send messages (to an individual or group)
3. 60% Watch videos
4. 58% Take pictures using the app camera
5. 52% Watch stories from content creators

Posting content frequently that feels casual and spontaneous helps you match the way users already behave on the app.

If your goal is to connect with younger consumers, Snapchat helps you meet them on a network they already trust and use every day.

How to use Snapchat for business marketing

Snapchat has a lot to offer brands that use it strategically.

To do that, you’ll need clear goals, a keen pulse on your audience and a way to measure success. It’s also important to know which Snapchat features, influencers and ad formats align with your goals, because content alone won’t drive results.

A smart Snapchat marketing strategy uses the right tools to deliver the right message to the right people. Here’s how to make it happen.

1. Define your objectives

Your Snapchat strategy should ladder up to your broader social media goals. Here are some examples of what that could look like:

• To increase website traffic, use link sharing in Stories to drive users to your website.
• To boost brand awareness, use Discover or sponsored Lenses to reach a wider audience.
• Focused on loyalty? Partner with a creator or post more frequently on Stories to keep followers coming back.

Decide what Snapchat metrics you want to improve, and create content that will help you get there.

2. Know your audience

Creating a strong social media content strategy comes down to knowing who you’re talking to. Snapchat Insights give you access to audience demographics like age, gender, location and general interests so you can speak directly to the right people. Use this information to refine your content and tailor your creative accordingly.

If you’re working with creators, audience alignment matters just as much. Use Sprout’s Influencer Marketing solution to identify Snapchat influencers and review their Public Stories, Spotlight posts and past brand partnerships to make sure their audience and content align with your goals.

 

3. Create engaging content

The 2023 Sprout Social Index™ found that consumers want authentic, non-promotional content from brands, and Snapchat content is no exception to this.

People open the app to see and share real moments, so create content that reflects your brand while also meeting that expectation.

Here are some tips for creating engaging lo-fi content for Snapchat:

• Shoot vertically, and use movement, varied camera angles and POV shots to keep things visually dynamic.
• Add captions, filters, frames and music to match Snapchat’s casual, expressive style.
• Use stickers to give your audience a way to participate and make your Stories feel more like a two-way conversation.
• Focus on content that shows humor, challenges, behind-the-scenes moments or real customer experiences. According to the 2024 Social Media Content Strategy Report, 79% of consumers say relatable brand content has the biggest impact on their buying decisions.

Looking for ideas to get you started? Try behind-the-scenes stories about your products or people, tutorials, sneak peeks into upcoming launches or branded filters and lenses that inspire user-generated content.

4. Leverage Snapchat’s features

Snapchat offers creative tools to help your brand stand out. Each serves a different purpose, so make sure you’re choosing features that support your goals.

Lenses (AR filters)

Tre best used for brand engagement. These interactive filters let users play with your brand in a fun, immersive way. The average Snapchat user interacts with a Lens for at least 20 seconds, and is likely to share images or videos of themselves using the filter, turning branded content into promotional UGC.

Geofilters

Geofilters are ideal for location-based awareness and in-person engagement. These static or animated overlays appear when a user is in a designated area. Use them around storefronts, events or product drops to boost in-person engagement and visibility. For example, Adidas created a custom Geofilter to celebrate the reopening of its redesigned Oxford Street store in London.

Discover and Spotlight

These are ideal for broadening reach. These areas give you a place to showcase content that’s more editorial, entertaining or creator-driven. Consider series-style Stories, branded storytelling or creator collaborations that fit Snapchat’s tone.

5. Engage in influencer and creator collaborations

Influencer marketing enables you to tap into built-in audiences and build credibility with younger users. The 2025 State of Influencer Marketing Report found that 86% of consumers make a purchase inspired by an influencer at least once a year, and Gen Z is most likely to make purchases based on influencer recommendations.

One option is a Snapchat takeover, where a creator posts directly from your brand’s account for the day. These takeovers encourage followers to engage and often include cross-promotion on the influencer’s own channels.

A tip to keep in mind: Make the takeover content exclusive to Snapchat. It might seem like a good idea to repost stories from another network, like Instagram, but you want to encourage people to follow along specifically on Snapchat.

Another strategy is to supply products for unboxings, demos or reviews and give creators the space to share their unbiased opinions. The more the content feels genuine, the more likely it is to build connection and drive action. The same report found that 47% of consumers said they want authenticity from influencers, even when posting sponsored content.

Whatever type of collaboration you try, aim to prioritize creators who already use Snapchat regularly and match your tone.

6. Invest in Snapchat ads

If you have an ad budget, Snapchat ads offer several ways to reach your audience and drive results. Snapchat ads combine formats (how an ad looks and behaves) with placements (where users see them).

Strong Snapchat ads capture attention fast. Keep them short, use motion, bold text and vertical design, use sound strategically and include a clear call to action.

For targeting, use Snapchat’s Ad Manager to reach users by location, interest, demographics or behaviors, and test different ad types to see what lands with your audience.

Here are the most common ad formats and what they’re best used for.

Sponsored Snaps

Sponsored Snaps are Snapchat’s most basic and widely used ad format. They are single-image or video ads that include a swipe-up CTA and are shown between Stories, Discover or Spotlight. Sponsored Snaps are a fast, full-screen way to drive action without complex creative.

Collection ads

Collection ads are commonly used by e-commerce brands. These ads have shoppable, tappable tiles that link directly to products and are shown in the same places as sponsored Snaps.

Story ads

Full-screen, skippable vertical ads (3–20 frames) shown in the Discover tab. These ads are often paired with an interactive call-to-action link to drive brand awareness, app installs or conversions. Candy Crush ran a Story ad featuring a paid actor giving a testimonial as he plays the game, with a direct CTA to download the app.

Sponsored filters and lenses

Boost reach and awareness with sponsored versions of Snapchat’s most engaging features, Filters and Lenses. These can be targeted by location or interest.

For example, the Superman movie promo featured a full sponsored Lens tab with multiple options, including a virtual movie theater experience co-branded with Toyota.

Commercials

Commercial ads only appear within curated shows on Snapchat Discover. These ads are non-skippable for the first 6 seconds and are ideal for high-impact brand awareness during premium content.

Lead generation ads

Lead gen ads include an embedded lead form, allowing Snapchatters to quickly share details like their email and name without leaving the app. They are great for service-based brands.

7. Measure and optimize

To measure success on Snapchat, you need to track performance consistently. Every Snapchat business account has access to Snapchat Insights, where you can monitor metrics like Story views, average view time, completion rate and audience demographics.

Start by setting benchmarks aligned with your goals and adjust accordingly. If a Story has a high open rate but low completion, test shorter or more visual content. Or if your goal is conversions, track swipe-ups or lead form completions. This is how you optimize for impact.

When partnering with creators, Sprout’s Influencer Marketing platform enables you to track influencer performance across Snapchat campaigns. You can also monitor metrics like views, shares, subscribers and engagement to better understand ROI and refine your strategy with every campaign.

Snapchat marketing strategy examples

Thanks to its playful features and highly engaged audience, Snapchat is full of creative marketing campaigns that brands are using to meet their goals. Here are some real-world Snapchat marketing strategy examples from top brands on Snapchat to inspire you.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC)

The IOC partnered with Snapchat to create a series of AR Lenses for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

To celebrate 100 years since the Olympics were last held in the city, two of the Lenses blended archival visuals with iconic locations. Fans in Paris could walk down the Champs-Élysées or Rue de Rivoli and see them transformed into 1924 Paris. Meanwhile, global users got a glimpse of the original Yves-du-Manoir stadium (see below).

These kinds of immersive experiences show how you can use AR to bring people into a story, and gives you a glimpse into what’s possible when content meets context.

Hopper

Hopper, an app known for finding the best flight deals, ran static Sponsored Snaps that targeted users by location. Users saw deals from their own city, which worked. Snapchat users were 37% more likely to download the app and view a specific flight compared to users from other networks.

This campaign is a great example of how smart geo-targeting can drive results.

Gatorade

Gatorade brought its classic Super Bowl “Gatorade dunk” to Snapchat with a viral AR Lens. Snapchatters could open their mouths to dunk themselves, and send it to friends, turning a well-known sports moment into something fun and shareable.

The success of this Lens is proof that when you can turn a brand ritual into an interactive experience, people want to join in.

Temu

Temu nailed influencer marketing on Snapchat by paying creators around the world to show off their $0 hauls. The campaign promoted a deal where new users could get free items just by signing up and using an influencer’s code. It’s an offer that sounds too good to be true, but with trusted Snapchat creators behind it, people were more likely to convert.

Embrace the future of Snapchat marketing

Used intentionally, Snapchat helps brands reach Millennials and Gen Z, drive traffic and influence purchase decisions.

As Snapchat grows, the demand for authentic, unpolished content remains strong. By prioritizing network-appropriate content, genuine storytelling and smart collaborations, your brand can stay ahead and capture lasting attention on this dynamic network.

To learn more about building credibility through strategic partnerships, explore our guide on Snapchat influencer marketing.

The post How to use Snapchat for business in 2025 appeared first on Sprout Social.

from Sprout Social https://ift.tt/Dr05zq2
via IFTTT

Instagram best practices in 2025: Go from clicks to conversions

Ever come across an Instagram brand account that sees almost zero interactions? From the looks of it, they already have a solid Instagram marketing strategy in place. Their profile is optimized, they’re posting regularly and their content looks great. So why the crickets?

Growing competition on the platform is a major reason. With users seeing a constant stream of content filling their Feeds, it takes a lot more to get their attention. And the 2025 Sprout Social Index™ confirms that consumers are expecting more from brands on social. Strategies like posting constantly (just for the sake of it) and jumping in on every trend are no longer going to cut it.

Brands need to be more intentional, more original and more responsive with their Instagram efforts. That’s why we put together this comprehensive guide of the Instagram best practices to take your strategy to the next level. Let’s get started.

Instagram content best practices

Content is the backbone of your Instagram strategy. It’s what you need to get your message across and engage your audience. Without a strong content strategy to back you up, everything else will fall apart.

Let’s explore some Instagram best practices on creating content that drives results.

1. Produce visually compelling and on-brand content

Visuals are everything on a platform like Instagram. A badly photographed image or a poorly designed graphic isn’t going to cut it. You need high-quality images and videos that stand out and instantly attract your audience.

Beyond visual appeal, focus on creating original and entertaining content to humanize your brand. If the 2025 Sprout Social Index™ taught us anything, it’s that consumers value these elements in a brand’s social media content. Authenticity and relatability are among the top brand content traits for these consumers.

Make sure to cohesively tie up your visuals with the strategic use of colors and filters. So your images not only look great but also give a consistent look and feel to your entire Instagram page. Ideally, you should stick to color combinations and visual styles that fit your brand identity.

Sprout’s signature blues and greens are instantly noticeable when you visit our Instagram page.

2. Tell visual stories through Reels and carousels

For your brand to leave a lasting impact, it has to be memorable. And that’s where storytelling comes in. With tools like Reels and carousels, Instagram gives you the perfect place to share captivating visual stories.

Follow Instagram Reels best practices like using trending audio to make your Reels discoverable. Add a strong hook in the first three seconds to grab attention. And keep your content short and engaging so viewers are more likely to watch till the end.

While trends are a great way to drive visibility with Reels and carousels, there’s also such a thing as blindly jumping on every trend. Our 2025 Index™ found that this doesn’t always bode well with consumers today. Instead, consumers want brands to be culturally competent and to keep up with online culture.

This involves adapting to the growing shift toward intentional and uplifting content. According to the Q2 2025 Sprout Social Pulse Survey, consumers expect brands to be honest and inspirational.

Younger generations are actively curating their feeds for positive content and community bonding. They’re no longer perceiving social media as a “time suck” or a place for impulse purchases. This suggests brands should provide valuable, informative or uplifting content on Instagram. “Edutainment” content tops the list of content types users seek out on social media.

Tell engaging stories about your brand history and its impact. Humanize your brand through inspirational customer stories and uplifting employee experiences. Patagonia tells some of the most engaging brand stories through Reels and carousels. These posts feature stories of real changemakers and the brand’s environmental impact.

Source

3. Build trust with user-generated content (UGC)

User-generated content, or UGC, is the content that customers organically share about your brand. Think: detailed reviews of their positive experience or posts featuring your product. This type of content serves as a powerful form of social proof as it shows others that people are vouching for your brand.

UGC also shows your products in real-life scenarios, adding authenticity and relatability. With all these factors considered, it’s highly effective for building trust with your audience.

Chewy regularly reposts UGC from pet parents. This helps connect the brand community through hilarious experiences and relatable content.

Source

Create branded hashtags and encourage customers to use them to share their stories. Then repurpose the content for your Instagram Feed or Stories, depending on what works for you.

Use Sprout’s Social Listening tools to keep track of social conversations around your brand or product. The platform lets you set up hashtag tracking, so you can scour through Instagram captions that use relevant hashtags. It even lets you set up listening to focus on conversations that mention specific campaigns.

4. Test and diversify your content formats

It’s the age of short-form video, and it’s no different on Instagram. The 2024 Social Media Content Strategy Report proves just that. Users are most likely to interact with short-form video that’s shorter than 15 seconds.

But don’t rule out static images just yet, because they still see the second-highest interactions. Longer short-form video (15-60 seconds) ranks third among the top-performing Instagram content types. This indicates that brands need to test out different content formats to see what works best instead of sticking to one format.

5. Drive interaction with contests, games and challenges

Users love the opportunity to interact with brands. So while you experiment with different formats, you should also test interactive content. We’re talking games, contests and challenges, where users need to participate.

Use the interactive stickers in your Instagram Stories to quiz followers or get them to vote. You could also create fun quizzes and trivia games to get your audience to comment. Or run giveaway contests that involve people liking, commenting, sharing or tagging their friends in the comments.

If you throw in a reward with your contests and games, your audience is more likely to get involved since there’s a chance of getting something in return.

Here’s how CLEARSTEM Skincare does it:

Source

Instagram engagement best practices

Creating great content may be the most critical Instagram best practice. But the “social” aspect of Instagram is just as important. Otherwise, you could keep churning out great content to a passive audience. Let’s figure out how to turn those followers into an active and engaged community.

6. Prioritize and respond to comments and replies

Getting comments and replies from followers? Great. Leaving them on the lurch? Not so much. Odds are, those followers might stop interacting with your brand because “you don’t care anyway, so what’s the point?”

The best way to guarantee that your followers will want to keep engaging with your brand is by responding to them. Whether they’re asking questions, making a complaint or sharing their excitement, a response is a way to acknowledge them. It shows them that you value them, making them want to keep interacting with your brand.

Write engaging captions where you ask a question or give them a prompt to spark a conversation. Then respond to their comments to fuel further Instagram engagement.

Fabletics Scrubs regularly teases its followers with sneak peeks of upcoming color drops. This drives comments from followers sharing their excitement. The best part? The brand responds to most of those comments, giving the audience a reason to keep engaging.

Source

According to the 2025 Index™, consumers want brands to engage and interact with the audience. This is much more important to them than constantly posting. Additionally, they want fast and personalized customer care. Almost three-quarters (73%) will even buy from a competitor if a brand doesn’t respond on social.

But when you see hundreds of comments a day, it’s easy to miss a few. Sprout’s Smart Inbox feature helps you stay on top of all your social interactions in one place. It consolidates your comments and messages into a single, manageable stream that you can filter by network and/or profile. That way, you don’t miss a message, allowing teams to respond efficiently and build stronger follower connections.

7. Post consistently and intentionally

Having a consistent posting schedule is still the best way to win over the Instagram algorithm. It also helps you keep your feed fresh and retain audience attention.

At the same time, you need to be strategic with what you post. As mentioned earlier, simply churning out lots of content is no longer going to cut it.

The 2025 Content Benchmarks Report suggests that social platforms are reaching peak saturation. And posting for the sake of posting only creates noise. In other words, more posts don’t always translate to greater impact. So social media teams need to start posting less, but with more intention.

Scaling back gives you more space to create unique assets and put more thought into what you post. This human-centric content can lead to audience growth and retention.

The report indicates a growing preference for original content showing a brand’s product or service in action. This is the best type of content for getting consumers to buy from your brand. Consumers also want to see content from real customers showing the product or service in action.

Dyson excels at posting content that shows the quality and durability of its products.

Source

8. Partner with influencers to reach new audiences

Influencers have a massive reach over an audience that looks to them for advice and buying decisions. So collaborating with them can introduce your brand to new and relevant audiences. Influencer marketing is also an effective way to earn the trust of a strong and established audience base.

When partnering with influencers, it’s crucial that you work with people whose audience base overlaps with yours. In other words, make sure you only partner with influencers who can reach your target audience. This typically means people who’ve built an influence in your industry or a related niche.

For an even bigger impact, look for influencers leading the conversation in your industry. Use Sprout’s listening tools to identify influential voices who are already talking about topics relevant to your brand. This helps you form strategic partnerships that are more authentic and natural.

Even if you want the content to “feel” organic, don’t forget to disclose your influencer partnerships as mandated by the FTC guidelines. This reinforces transparency and authenticity, helping you boost trust with the audience.

Spoonflower partners with influential artists, decorators and seamstresses. In other words, creators who make something using the brand’s products. Every influencer discloses the partnership with an #ad tag.

Source

Instagram best practices for strategic growth

In addition to nailing the content and social aspects of Instagram, there are also the technical considerations. Let’s look at best practices to help you sustain long-term growth on Instagram.

9. Optimize your profile with Instagram SEO

Instagram is increasingly functioning as a search engine since it now supports keyword searches. The algorithm also considers keywords when ranking content in relevant searches.

So optimizing for social search is an effective way to boost visibility on the platform.

Start by optimizing your bio with relevant keywords so it stands a better chance of showing up in search. Write more descriptive captions containing keywords that are related to the post. That said, stick to a natural flow instead of stuffing keywords. Notice the strategic use of design-related terms and keywords like “interior design” in the following caption.

Source

Make sure to also optimize your image alt text with keyword-rich descriptions. All of these efforts combined will help you improve discoverability.

10. Use hashtags strategically to boost discovery

Even with Instagram supporting keyword search, hashtags continue to play an important role. They help your content show up in relevant hashtag searches. Your post also stands a chance of showing up in the Explore pages of users who’ve viewed or interacted with similar content. So hashtags on Instagram are a great way to boost content discovery and overall brand visibility.

Make the most of niche hashtags and industry-related hashtags that can help you reach the right audience. Picking the most used hashtags globally or regionally may mean you just get lost in the noise. You’re more likely to get your content in front of potential customers with targeted hashtags related to your product or service.

Meanwhile, branded hashtags help you get your post in front of users specifically searching for your brand.

Nature’s Path Organic uses a mix of branded and niche hashtags in its Instagram posts. Instead of crowding up the caption, it includes the hashtags in the comments.

Source

Sprout’s Instagram publishing features let you replicate this strategy with ease. While scheduling your Instagram posts, you can even schedule the first comment. This saves you and your team the time from remembering to make the first comment after a post goes live.

You can also use the hashtag reporting tool to find the best hashtag choices for each post.

11. Post when your audience is most active

The Instagram algorithm has been evolving constantly. Yet its priority on engagement remains consistent. Posting at the right times when your audience is active can translate to a boost in visibility and engagement. This is especially important now that you need to post less frequently but more intentionally.

The goal is to post your content at the right time when users are most active and most likely to engage with it. Our latest data shows that Mondays through Thursdays are the best days to post on Instagram. The peak hours are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

However, the specific optimal times may vary based on where you’re located, which industry you’re in and how your audience behaves.

Read our study for more industry-specific insights. And dig into your account analytics to find the optimal timing for your business in particular. You can then schedule your posts to go out on those times.

Sprout Social’s publishing tools like ViralPost offer an automated alternative to all this research. It analyzes your profile and user engagement patterns to figure out when your audience is the most active. ViralPost will then automatically push out your content at optimal send times. This streamlines your publishing efforts, enabling you to catch your audience when they’re the most engaged.

12. Adapt to new Instagram features and updates

Instagram is constantly evolving, which means brands have to always stay on top of the latest Instagram trends and features. This will give you the foresight to leverage these changes and updates ahead of your competitors.

Experiment with updates like longer carousels and longer Reels to tell more in-depth stories. Or customize your link sticker text with impactful CTAs to see what drives action. Notice how Garnier UK creates an eye-catching CTA link with emojis and discounts.

You can even add multiple links in your Instagram bio. This gives you the perfect opportunity to drive traffic to campaign landing pages and new content.

New features like broadcast channels are also an effective tool to nurture an exclusive brand community. These channels serve as a one-way messaging tool where you can share updates in the form of text and media.

Measuring and scaling your Instagram success

Building sustainable and long-term growth on Instagram is also about scaling your success. This requires using data to strategically optimize your efforts. Meanwhile, paid promotion efforts help you tackle the limitations of your organic strategy.

13. Make data-driven decisions with Instagram analytics

If you want to make Instagram work for your business, you need to let data guide your decisions. Insights about your post performance and audience engagement will show you how to improve your approach. As long as you know what to look for, data can inform your content strategy and your marketing decisions.

Here are a few ideas:

• Track comments and post performance to see how your audience is responding to a particular style of post. Then use those insights to modify your Instagram content strategy.
• Track your saves to find out which content types and topics serve the most value to your audience.
• Find out which users your target audience follows and looks up to. Then make data-driven decisions on which influencers to collaborate with.
• Monitor Instagram trends to gain foresight on how to craft timely posts, adapt your campaign or create a new one.
• Measure audience engagement to see how your campaign is performing. Then look for opportunities to improve, modify or replicate your campaign for best results.
• Instagram data analysis gives you precise insight into what’s working and what strategies aren’t taking off. This helps you figure out the best ways to continually refine your approach.

The native analytics give you basic insights to inform your strategy. But a third-party Instagram analytics tool like Sprout lets you level up your tracking.

The advanced reporting tool helps you visualize your Instagram performance across multiple profiles. It shows you post-level performance insights to help you figure out what’s working. You can even break down your performance by engagement type and profile action. So it’s easy to see which posts are driving interactions and which ones encourage action.

It also offers competitive analysis features to see how you measure up against the competition. Meanwhile, the paid performance tracking shows you how your Instagram ads are paying off. This comprehensive reporting capability makes it easier to build a data-driven strategy. It also helps you prove the social media ROI coming from Instagram.

14. Expand your reach with Instagram ads

Organic brand reach on social media is more challenging than ever with growing competition. While Instagram fares better than other major platforms, it still reports a 12% year-over-year decrease in reach.

That’s where paid ads come in, helping you promote your Instagram to a relevant target audience. Paid targeting helps you gain reach beyond current audiences who see it in their organic feeds. So you can effectively tackle the limitations of an organic approach.

Instagram advertising allows you to get your brand in front of the right people using a number of highly granular targeting options. This means you can attract new followers and new customers alike.

Make Instagram work for your brand

These Instagram best practices are the perfect starting point for brands of any size to take your account presence to the next level. And the right tool makes a world of difference in streamlining your efforts and informing your decisions.

From sending out your posts at the best times to optimizing your content strategy, Sprout can help. Try it free for 30 days and see the difference it makes.

The post Instagram best practices in 2025: Go from clicks to conversions appeared first on Sprout Social.

from Sprout Social https://ift.tt/sIrtC5a
via IFTTT