Instagram has a formidable 1 billion month-to-month lively customers—that’s thousands and thousands of individuals logging in every day. It’s clearly a terrific place to attach with potential prospects, notably youthful customers (latest knowledge reveals almost 62% of Instagram customers are aged 18-34).
Whereas there are numerous methods to advertise your model on the platform, together with working adverts and sponsoring posts, probably the most efficient (and generally free) methods to develop your viewers is by internet hosting an Instagram takeover.
What’s an Instagram takeover?
A novel advertising tactic for your online business, an Instagram takeover is once you accomplice with somebody to take over your account for a short while, whether or not it’s at some point or a number of. The host proclaims themselves to your viewers and proceeds to put up updates all through the required time. This host of the Instagram takeover could be an worker, an influencer, a enterprise or an business knowledgeable.
Takeovers assist improve engagement and attain on Instagram. They offer your viewers a singular perspective of your online business. They will additionally assist elevate your model, showcasing key merchandise or differentiators to present prospects and new audiences.
Generally takeovers are extra about elevating different folks than merely selling your model. A fantastic instance of that is when the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) had their March Resident Scholar, Dr. Katherine Mills, take over their account for a day.
Dr. Mills posted to the ASA account all through the day, highlighting conferences with ASA management and politicians throughout a visit to Washington, DC advocating for the doctor anesthesiologists and secure look after sufferers.
How do Instagram takeovers work?
With an Instagram takeover, you’re handing over the proverbial keys of your account over to a visitor for a specified time, whether or not it’s for at some point or a couple of days. That particular person (or enterprise) posts their very own content material in your account. If this makes you nervous, don’t fear—we’ll clarify how takeovers work (together with how one can defend your self from dangers) and supply some tips about how to verify your takeover is profitable.
How do companies profit from Instagram takeovers?
Instagram takeovers are a contemporary approach to generate buzz about your model or merchandise. They supply many advantages to companies, together with the chance to collaborate with common influencers or content material creators who’re related to your viewers.
Listed below are a few of our favourite advantages of Instagram takeovers:
The flexibility to succeed in a brand new viewers
When an influencer with a big following takes over your account, you may have the potential to succeed in new audiences. Influencers will notify their followers of the takeover by posting an Instagram Story or put up to go over to your account to comply with alongside. Takeovers assist construct your followers on Instagram, as a few of the visitor host’s followers will probably begin following and interacting with you because of this. This profit can final lengthy after the preliminary takeover has ended.
The chance to construct belief and credibility
Partnering with a visitor host helps set up belief with their followers. This partnership provides your organization credibility with a brand new viewers who could not find out about you or your online business. It lends social proof since folks belief the suggestions of others. When an influencer promotes your model on their very own web page—and their followers see that content material—you’re extra prone to earn the belief of these people.
Partaking with an worker or business insider provides you credibility with your individual followers, notably when that particular person is an knowledgeable of their subject.
Elevated engagement together with your posts and account
Instagram takeovers present a compelling approach to encourage extra engagement in your posts. If you happen to’re collaborating with somebody who has an lively, loyal following, you’ll be able to anticipate to see extra Instagram likes, feedback and shares in your content material. This elevated engagement may assist improve your attain as a result of Instagram’s algorithm favors posts with excessive engagement.
A behind-the-scenes have a look at your online business
Takeovers on Instagram give your followers a glimpse underneath the hood of your online business. They assist showcase an genuine aspect of your online business and may spotlight your organization tradition, services or products.
For instance, let’s say you personal a bakery. You possibly can do an Instagram takeover with certainly one of your pastry cooks and have them present your followers how they make a few of your hottest desserts.
Extra visitors and gross sales for you
By rising your model’s attain and engagement, Instagram takeovers may result in extra visitors and gross sales for your online business. If you happen to’re selling a brand new services or products, an influencer takeover may help get the phrase out.
Make it straightforward to your followers to navigate to your web site by coordinating your and your visitor host’s Instagram hyperlink in bio instruments. You too can use hashtags to extend publicity and discovery (extra on that beneath).
Methods to run an efficient Instagram takeover in 7 steps
Take a while to plan your technique, determine your ideally suited visitor hosts who align together with your model and values, and promote your occasion will allow you to get essentially the most out of your Instagram takeover. The next steps are centered on serving to you propose the proper takeover.
1. Set up your takeover targets and KPIs
Earlier than you begin on the lookout for visitor hosts, it’s essential to determine your targets for the takeover. What do you wish to obtain (e.g., model consciousness, follower development, improved put up engagement, buyer leads, and so forth.)?
Be sure to determine some KPIs (key efficiency indicators) so you’ll be able to measure the takeover marketing campaign’s efficiency. These might embrace:
- The variety of new followers you achieve through the takeover
- The quantity of engagement in your posts
- The variety of web site clicks or gross sales you generate
The targets needs to be clear to everybody concerned within the takeover, so posts could be tailor-made that will help you obtain them.
2. Select a takeover host
If you’re planning your takeover, determine a bunch that is sensible to your model. They need to have an analogous audience and be revered of their subject. Think about the next when choosing your host:
- Influencers: Instagram influencers typically, however not all the time, have a variety of followers. Their followers view them as consultants of their area of interest. Collaborating with an influencer places your model in entrance of their loyal viewers. Influencer posts, paired with hashtags, may foster engagement and curiosity.
- Prospects: Giving a buyer the keys to your account supplies social proof and is an effective approach to showcase your merchandise. The shopper’s voice is a robust one. It fosters a sense of group and demonstrates that your online business values buyer enter.
- Staff: Worker takeovers could make manufacturers appear extra relatable. A takeover provides your workers some recognition and divulges the human aspect of your online business. This kind of worker advocacy supplies a singular look into your online business.
- Business leaders and consultants: Think about doing a takeover with an business luminary, somebody who affords precious data about your area of interest. Consultants can present content material to your followers whereas reinforcing your organization’s management.
- Companies: Partnering with one other enterprise—notably one with a firmly established buyer base—can elevate your model in your business and introduce your online business or merchandise to a brand new viewers.
3. Choose a kind of takeover
There’s multiple approach to execute a profitable Instagram takeover. It’s essential to be inventive, but additionally to align your takeover to your particular targets. Listed below are three widespread approaches to think about:
- Instagram put up takeovers: This kind of takeover usually includes having your visitor host take over your organization’s Instagram account for a hard and fast time period and put up content material associated to your business, services or products to your feed. It’s a simple strategy to a takeover that may be very efficient in selling your model.
- Instagram Story takeovers: A Story takeover includes having your visitor host share a sequence of photographs or movies to your organization’s Instagram Tales. These behind-the-scenes, action-oriented methods generate participating content material whereas giving your followers a sneak peek of one thing particular to your online business.
- Stay video takeovers: Stay video takeovers generate pleasure and construct anticipation for an occasion or announcement (e.g., a brand new product launch.) You too can use dwell video to host Q&As, bulletins or interviews.
4. Define Instagram takeover pointers
When you’ve chosen your visitor host and kind of takeover, it’s time to create some pointers. This can assist make sure the visitor’s posts are aligned together with your model voice and targets. Your pointers ought to reply the next questions:
- What kind of content material will likely be included within the takeover?
- How lengthy will the takeover final?
- Will the content material be pre-planned or spontaneous?
- Who will approve the content material earlier than it’s posted?
- What are the necessities for posting content material?
Don’t be too restrictive. Set your expectations, however enable the visitor host sufficient freedom to be inventive and use their very own voice.
5. Set permissions to your account
Now it’s time to offer your visitor host entry to your account. A method to do that is to offer the password to the visitor host (simply be sure that is somebody you’ll be able to belief).
If the visitor host is an influencer, they’ll probably have their very own Instagram Enterprise Account. Join their account together with your
Enterprise Account by means of the Instagram settings. This can enable them to put up content material to your feed as in the event that they had been posting from their very own account.
You too can give visitor hosts entry to your Instagram account by including them as a contributor to your Meta Enterprise Supervisor. Meta supplies detailed directions for the way to do that by way of their Assist Middle.
Alternatively, you’ll be able to streamline permissions administration by implementing an approval course of with a social media administration platform like Sprout Social. With a message approval workflow, you’ll be able to collaborate successfully with companions and friends on tone and content material.
6. Select a branded hashtag
You’ll be able to promote your takeover forward of time utilizing Instagram hashtags. Any branded hashtags related to the takeover needs to be straightforward to recollect, particular and related.
Branded hashtags assist your followers hold observe of the takeover and see associated posts in a single place. You too can promote the hashtag to encourage your followers to make use of it when posting concerning the takeover to extend publicity and discovery.
7. Finalize the small print and launch
The ultimate step includes a couple of key particulars together with selecting when to put up. We’ve put collectively some finest practices about when to put up on social media to offer you a place to begin. Nevertheless, you must also evaluation your account analytics to see what occasions have traditionally been finest for you.
This must also be the time to find out if you would like a full account or semi-account takeover:
- Full account takeover: The visitor host has full management of your account for an agreed-upon timeframe (e.g., a day, 6 hours, a weekend).
- Semi-account takeover: The visitor host can put up to your feed, however you keep some management over different elements of the account. For instance, you may approve all content material earlier than it’s posted or schedule posts forward of time. Social media administration platforms like Sprout make it straightforward to plan and schedule Instagram posts.
You’re able to launch, however there’s yet one more factor…
Selling your Instagram takeover
Along with your takeover able to launch, it’s time to begin selling it on Instagram and past. This can assist guarantee your followers are conscious of the Instagram takeover and get them excited concerning the content material to return.
Earlier than the day: Tease the takeover on Instagram and your different social media channels. Ship an e mail to your subscribers. Request the visitor host put up concerning the takeover to their followers and group. You too can announce the takeover in your web site.
On the day of: Submit a photograph or video in your Instagram feed or Story to announce the beginning of the takeover and introduce the host. Be sure to make use of the takeover hashtag. The visitor host can repost this content material to their followers as nicely.
After the day: Recap the takeover in your web site and share highlights on social media. You’ll be able to even create an Instagram Tales Spotlight reel with the most effective posts from the takeover (your visitor host will probably wish to do that too).
And, after all, remember to thank your host.
Measure your takeover’s success
After the mud settles, evaluation your takeover’s efficiency and consider metrics in opposition to the established KPIs. Take a while to know what labored and what didn’t so you’ll be able to optimize your takeover technique for subsequent time. Listed below are a couple of key metrics to measure:
- Variety of new followers: Preserve observe of what number of new followers you gained through the takeover interval and examine this quantity to your common price of development.
- Submit engagement: Assessment your put up engagement (Likes, feedback, shares) to see if it elevated versus what’s typical to your account.
- Hashtag utilization and mentions: Assessment how typically your hashtag was used and see for those who can spot any patterns. Additionally, verify for any new mentions of your model.
- Web site visitors: Examine your web site analytics to see if visitors elevated or visitors patterns modified.
- Web site conversions/signups: Did you see a spike in gross sales or a rise in conversion (e.g., publication signups)?
A social media administration instrument like Sprout can simplify marketing campaign measurement related to an Instagram takeover. Sprout supplies dashboard-style Instagram analytics that allow you to simply see put up efficiency, hashtag utilization, viewers engagement and extra.
Examples of Instagram takeovers
Now that you understand how to execute an Instagram takeover, try some examples from manufacturers which have performed it nicely.
Samantha Pollino’s Hamilton Musical takeover
In Could 2019, Samantha Pollino hosted an Instagram Story takeover on the official Hamilton Musical Instagram account. Pollino performed Girl 2 within the Phillip Firm manufacturing of the present. She did the takeover when the present was in Dallas, posting Story movies all through the day of behind-the-scenes footage. She used Story components, including hashtags, Instagram handles, stickers and music to her posts. She additionally engaged with followers—for instance, inviting them to ask questions which she promised to reply on Twitter.
Pollino has just below 21,000 followers on Instagram, so this can be a nice instance of how an insider with a modest following can produce some participating and distinctive content material.
Penn Admissions pupil takeover
In 2019, the College of Pennsylvania Admissions division gave certainly one of their pupil ambassador’s the keys to their Instagram Tales for a day. She recorded her day on campus as a UPenn pupil: strolling to class with associates, having fun with a meal within the cafeteria and attending class. She even recorded certainly one of her professors writing on a chalkboard.
The takeover supplies a short, however impactful, glimpse into the lifetime of a pupil at Penn, full with some compelling footage of the campus, lecture rooms and pupil areas.
Jessica Capshaw’s three hundredth episode takeover for Gray’s Anatomy
Many could know Jessica Capshaw as Dr. Arizona Roberts within the long-running ABC present Gray’s Anatomy. Capshaw took over the present’s official Instagram Tales to have a good time the milestone three hundredth episode. This gave the present’s followers and followers a singular glimpse into the present’s manufacturing.
Capshaw’s posts included cameos from fellow solid members, a short highlight of the hair and make-up trailer, pictures of the solid and crew gathering in a eating space and lots of extra insider treats.
Launch and handle Instagram takeovers with Sprout
Instagram takeovers present a robust means for companies to combine up their account’s content material, improve engagement and attain new audiences. Sprout is the proper instrument that will help you plan, execute and measure your Instagram takeover. With Sprout, you’ll be able to simply see put up efficiency, hashtag utilization and viewers engagement.
Obtain our Instagram for Manufacturers information and discover ways to construct a complete high-impact Instagram advertising technique.
