As the use of Instagram Stories & Reels continues to grow, it’s a platform that you can’t afford to ignore. Here are 10 creative Instagram marketing ideas that you can use to grow your business in 2022 and beyond. Remember, these Instagram marketing ideas are just as valuable to you in 2022 as they will be three years from now — but don’t worry if you can’t implement them all at once, or even at all!

1. Build A Stronger Relationship With Your Audience

One of my favorite aspects of using social media for marketing is that it opens up a two-way communication channel between you and your customers. The best thing about a two-way relationship is that it’s mutually beneficial; if you keep engaging with people in positive ways, they’ll come back to you time and again. From online engagement and content creation to live streaming, there are plenty of ways to strengthen your relationships with customers through social media marketing services. By leveraging tools like Instagram, you’ll foster trust in your brand while also developing strong relationships with potential clients. If done right, these new connections can not only help grow your business now but also pay dividends down the road as well.

2. Cross Promote Other Content on Other Platforms

You may be wondering how you can fit yet another social platform into your already busy schedule. Well, there’s no need to worry about adding much to your workload. The best way to use Instagram is by cross-promoting Stories, Reels and other content on other platforms. For example, if you have a YouTube channel, add a call to action at the end of your video asking viewers to follow you on Instagram for more content. Once they follow you on IG, share that same video on your Stories and start making plans with them in private messages! But why stop there?

3. Target New Customers

If you’re starting a business in a crowded market, it’s essential to find ways to get your name out there. The easiest way to do that is through video and social media marketing. You can post original photos or videos on your own feed and tag your competitors, or you can use Instagram platform to reach out directly to new customers. One of my favorite ideas is pretending that you work for a bigger company—like Starbucks—and ask if they like their coffee. If they respond yes, then make a recommendation about what type of coffee they should buy. In 2022, targeted social media marketing will be more important than ever before and no doubt, same will work for your Instagram presence too.

4. Show Behind The Scenes Footage

What’s your favorite part of a movie? The beginning, when you get to see all of the behind-the-scenes footage? This is where I go with Instagram. They allow small businesses to show their followers what happens behind closed doors. Whether it’s a meeting with your team or a fun outing, show customers that there are interesting things happening outside of work hours. Customers like getting to know people on a more personal level and seeing company culture first hand will help build that connection and make them feel like they belong to something bigger than just an online store.

5. Collaborate with Influencers

Collaborating with other people on Instagram can be a great way to grow your audience. How do you find influencers? There are several sites that make it easy. Two good options are called Webfluential and Traackr . Each of these sites provide contact information for influencers on multiple social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube as well as links to their blogs. They also offer detailed analytics about engagement rates, which posts perform best, and a variety of other metrics that can help you in your search for potential collaborators.

6. Create Contests, Giveaways and Promotions

By harnessing user-generated content, you’re giving your fans a chance to connect with each other and be part of something bigger than themselves. Try running simple contests for followers, or offering deals for new customers. For instance, if your business is a restaurant, incentivize people to take photos of their favorite menu items and post them on Instagram using specific hashtags. Giveaways and promotions can also help spread your brand via word-of-mouth marketing. Remember, social media is about creating relationships and providing value in whatever way you can – contests are just one easy way to do that!

7. Run an Educational Series

An educational series is an excellent way to connect with your followers on a more personal level. It also works great if you’re running an educational product, or want to bring your follower base up to speed with a new technology. This can be one of the most powerful social media marketing ideas for small businesses in our generation and it’s easy too. All you have to do is start sharing content around topics that are relevant and interesting to your audience, run some polls for feedback and focus on building quality relationships rather than making any money!

8. Inspire Action

Instagram platform can be used to inspire action. It’s a simple way to showcase your personality, engage with your followers and lead them down a path to purchase or sign up for a mailing list. If you’re not taking advantage of Instagram Stories, Reels, Posts, or the Complete Instagram itself in 2022, start today because it will be one of your best social media marketing investments in 2022.

9. Engage Current Customers Through Polls and Quizzes

One of my favorite ways to engage current customers on Instagram is through polls and quizzes. You can run a poll on Instagram by posting an image that has two contrasting choices. When someone votes, they are tagged in their answer. You can use a quiz by posting images that show progressive steps, and whoever gets through all of them correctly wins a prize or coupon. Both methods keep people engaged with your brand while also driving traffic to your website where you can capture their email address to add to your customer list, or direct them to order directly from your business site where they might get lost in other social media activities otherwise.

10. Follow Brands, Chat With Them And Tag Them In Posts

Yes, brands are paying attention to your posts on social media. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, they’re keeping a close eye on their brand reputation and who is saying what about them on their social platforms. The great thing about following a brand is that they will usually follow you back if they like your content. You can then keep up with any news from them by viewing their profiles and reading through their updates/stories or other user-generated content (UGC). If you really want to go above and beyond for a brand you love and connect with others who share similar interests, consider chatting with them via direct message (DM) as well.

These 10 Creative Tips are certainly going to work for you and your business. Why not give them a try?