It's not just about "Instagrammability." Creating business opportunities through Instagram that drive purchases. Strategic communication is the key to success (Part 2).

•  It's Not Just About "Instagrammability." Creating Business Opportunities on Instagram That Drive Purchases. Strategic Communication is the Key to Success (Part 1)

Instagram, known for its visually-centric communication, has evolved into a social media platform that easily connects with consumption thanks to the addition of product tagging in 2018 and the Shop feature in 2020. In this article, Kanae Egusa of Dentsu Digital Inc., who provides actual operational support, explains key points for businesses utilizing Instagram across two parts. In Part 1, we discussed Instagram's advantages and the characteristics of successful businesses. This Part 2 delves into more concrete operational know-how.

To increase your audience, effectively utilize Instagram's unique advertising features

Q. For companies operating on Instagram, I believe "how to get people to see your account" is crucial. What methods exist to reach a larger audience?

Egusa: I believe utilizing ads is the most effective approach. The reason lies in Instagram's advertising mechanism. On Instagram, you can turn posts that received high engagement into ads for secondary distribution. So, first try posting normally. If a post gets a good response and you think, "This might resonate with targets beyond our followers," you can then run it as an ad. This method is recommended because you can gauge effectiveness, engagement, and target reach through the regular post before launching the ad.

As a fundamental operational strategy, first clearly define your brand concept and maintain consistency in your execution. Then, if reach is insufficient, adding ads as a "booster" is arguably the standard approach for expanding awareness.

Q. Could you also share insights on utilizing influencers, including Instagrammers? Is this effective for expanding account awareness?

Egusa: I definitely think it's effective, but who you choose is crucial. The key is selecting someone whose image aligns well with what you want to promote. For example, if you want to promote family-friendly furniture, choose an influencer who projects a warm, family-oriented image and can naturally talk about family life. Then, seeing them use a sofa might make people think, "That looks like it would make a lovely home," potentially leading to a purchase.The crucial factor is "authenticity." It's vital to select influencers whose story and context align seamlessly with the account's narrative.

Q. By the way, where are KPIs typically set for account management?

Egusa: It varies depending on the account's challenges and stated goals, but fundamentally, we prioritize engagement. Whether driving traffic to the account or converting users to purchase, the strength of engagement is key. Specifically, we calculate the "engagement rate" to measure followers' attachment to the account and its content.

Instagram's engagement rate is calculated by adding the three primary reactions to a post – "likes," "comments," and "saves" – and dividing that sum by the number of followers (though depending on the design, it may be divided by reach instead).

A new creative direction, distinct from traditional advertising, is required

Q. In day-to-day operations, I believe thinking about the creative realm—what visuals to show and what messages to convey from them—is extremely important. What are your thoughts?

Egusa: I agree completely. Strategically designing which visuals and text to post to convey the account's concept is essential. Therefore, the role of creative direction in shaping the output is extremely important. However, I feel the approach to creative direction differs somewhat from traditional methods, like producing commercials or poster ads. I handled video direction for ads in my previous job, and I've noticed a distinct difference in mindset compared to that experience.

Q. What exactly is that "difference"?

Egusa: For instance, with commercials, you might invest significant effort into a single video. But for social media, where you need to generate daily content, a sustainable approach and production method become vital. Rather than pouring effort into a single visual or image, you need to firmly establish the overall account concept and style, then define rules to ensure daily posts stay consistent with that. This kind of creative direction, focused on long-term sustainability even if the current person in charge leaves, is necessary.

Of course, if the quality of each individual post is low, it won't have any impact, so art direction for eye-catching visuals and aesthetically pleasing photos is also necessary. However, even that requires a long-term, conceptual art design approach focused on continuity, rather than thinking about each image individually. You could say it's about defining the account's "personality" – establishing that this account has this kind of look and character, and will behave in this manner.

Q. Instagram offers various posting features beyond regular feed posts. How do you differentiate their use?

Egusa: The foundation is consistently posting quality feed content. Mastering the secondary features is also crucial. For example, "Stories" are posts that disappear after 24 hours, making them ideal for more casual communication with users. Beyond just posting, you can conduct polls or get reactions via stickers, allowing followers to interact directly. This naturally boosts engagement.

The "Reels" feature, which allows sharing short videos up to 60 seconds, is effective when you want to increase reach beyond your followers. This is because Instagram has a "Discover" tab that shows content from accounts users don't follow, and Reels posts have a high probability of appearing there. Additionally, there is now a dedicated tab showing only Reels, significantly contributing to reaching audiences beyond your followers.Incidentally, in Japan, testing is currently underway to allow posting videos up to 15 minutes long as Reels.

Another feature not to overlook is Instagram Live. This real-time video streaming capability is extremely effective when engagement with followers is low or when you want to re-establish your account's presence. This is because during an Instagram Live, an announcement always appears at the top of your followers' screens.Additionally, Instagram's feed algorithm prioritizes posts it deems most relevant to the user, rather than displaying them chronologically. This means even posts from accounts you follow can get buried. However, Instagram Live makes it easier for all your followers to see you, making it effective for re-establishing your presence.

Instagram Live also allows for close, attentive communication with participants using the comment feature. It's ideal for thoroughly explaining products. Many influencer-hosted events on Instagram Live have become trending topics. In such cases, schedule the live stream for a date and time likely to reach a large number of followers.

Establish a clear account concept and create long-term posting rules that stay true to that direction. From Mr. Egusa's discussion, this emerged as the fundamental principle for Instagram management. Furthermore, each advertising format and feature has its own distinct characteristics. Understanding these and skillfully selecting the right tool for each situation is likely the key to maximizing Instagram's marketing effectiveness.