Instagram marketing is a florist’s dream with its beautiful visuals, simple interface, and easy ways for customers to shop. It’s no wonder that Instagram has become the fourth most popular social media platform and the second most used by marketers. Yet, as with all social media platforms, Instagram is ever improving. That’s why we’re here to help you by sharing the eight most important Instagram trends and how to use them to market your beautiful blooms.
1. Instagram Reels
Instagram Reels continue their rocketing popularity, with an estimated 2.5 billion monthly users predicted by the end of 2023. Reels are less popular than TikTok videos but have more features, including interactive stickers, questions, polls, and links.
How to Use IG Reels:
• Create content on Reels weekly and add interactive features for more engagement.
• Link relevant products to your Instagram Shop to increase sales.
• Share short-form video Instagram content on other platforms, like TikTok, to improve your reach.
2. Branded Content Partnerships
Branded partnerships as a big trend right now, as you can easily tag another account on your Instagram post or video, so it appears on both accounts. By partnering with another brand, content creator, or influencer, you increase your reach as you expose your products to a wider audience.
How to Use Branded Content Partnerships:
• Check the Creator Marketplace on Instagram to help you find content creators and influencers to partner with.
• Reach out to other professionals you may want to partner with on Instagram, such as event or wedding planners.
• Work with each partner to determine the best content to create, as each may have a preferred method of sharing content (Reels, Posts, live videos, etc.).
3. Content Creators vs. Influencers
We’ve talked a lot about social media influencers over the years, but did you know that only 14% of all content creators are influencers? Digital creators are an ever-growing segment of the Instagram community, and it’s vital to add them to your marketing strategy.
How to Work with Content Creators and Influencers:
• Plan to work with a few smaller creators or influencers, as it can be less expensive and more tailored to your specific needs.
• Look for engagement rates over audience size. Engagement rates are much higher for nano influencers (1,000 to 10,000 followers) than those with larger accounts.
• Monitor your campaigns and increase your budget for the creators that give you the best return on investment.
4. Ad Transparency
Ads on Instagram are vital to your overall marketing strategy, but it’s important to be transparent with product placement, particularly when it comes to branded partnerships with influencers. Governments and authorities are scrutinizing these ads for transparency — as are audiences.
How to Promote Transparency on Instagram Ads:
• Work with authentic creators with an audience that knows and trusts them.
• Disclose your partnerships by stating that it’s a paid partnership or that they’ve been compensated with free products.
• If you see a creator or influencer post that doesn’t disclose your partnership, reach out and get this corrected as fast as possible.
5. User-Generated Content
Sharing user-generated content on Instagram has become increasingly popular as it adds authenticity, vital to today’s consumers. By including posts and videos your customers created, you show your followers real, unenhanced, “sales-free” videos and images that will increase trust and engagement.
How to Get User-Generated Content:
• When customers pick up their flowers, ask them if they would post about it on Instagram and tag your shop. Many will say yes!
• Hold contests on Instagram that revolve around people creating content, then share it on your feed and in your Stories.
• Check your Instagram notifications regularly to see if you’ve been tagged in a post, then message the creator to ask if you can use their content on your feed.
6. Instagram Shopping
Nearly half of Instagram users say they shop on the platform weekly, and it’s no wonder: Instagram Shopping lets people easily shop for your products across Instagram. You can sell directly through your storefront, collections, product launches, and tags.
How to Use Instagram Shopping:
• Curate Collections in your Instagram Shop, such as specific holiday arrangements and wedding flower designs.
• Tag relevant products in every image and video on Reels, Stories, Ads, and your Instagram Feed.
• Set up Checkout on Instagram, so your customers can easily purchase directly in the app.
7. Memes and Lighter Content
With everything we’ve been through in the past few years, people want more fun and unserious content on their socials. You can tap into this by adding lighter content and memes to your Instagram feed.
How to Use Memes:
• When you see a meme you like, add a fun message that aligns with your brand and post it on your feed. You may be surprised at how much engagement it gets!
• Tag every meme just as you would any other Instagram post or video.
• Don’t base your social media strategy on memes — just use them occasionally to add a bit of lightness.
8. Exclusive Content for Subscribers
Instagram has started rolling out a new subscription feature where content creators can offer exclusive content for a monthly fee. This is still in the testing stages, but it looks to be something that will grow as it helps people monetize their content.
How to Use Exclusive Content:
• Create a separate private account (business accounts can’t be private) and add either subscribers or VIP customers to this account, where they see exclusive content.
• Add followers to your “close friends” list and share extra content with them.
• Tell your regular customers that you’ve set up this account and ask if they want to be added. This will grow your loyalty and engagement.
We hope we’ve given you some good ideas on how to market your floral business on Instagram to increase engagement, sales, and profits. We can’t wait to see what you post!
