Why it’s important to define your goals on Instagram

By Jessica Alex

Getting likes on Instagram is great, but as a business, you should also have measurable goals.

I’ve decided to dedicate this post to all my Instagram users. This happens to be where I get asked for marketing advice the most. It also has become a place where I frequent the most because my target audience is most active on Instagram.

Throughout my time on the ‘gram, I have noticed a few things that several businesses have in common. There seems to be a lack of direction, and a lack of goals connected with their marketing initiatives.

As a business and brand, it’s important to have goals associated with why you are using this platform and the tactics you are using.

If you don’t have any goals or a plan in place, take a step back and ask yourself, what is it that you are trying to achieve by being on Instagram?

For instance:

Are you looking for lead generation?
Are you looking to become an authority or expert in a particular field?
Are you looking to increase your website traffic?
Are you looking to increase your brand awareness?
Do you have multiple goals?

If you think that you don’t need (specific and measurable) goals, just remember that:

“Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination.” — Fitzhugh Dodson.

Now is the time to make sure that you have goals, and a plan of action on how to achieve those goals.

You may have heard the saying, “you can't improve what you don't measure” and this is so true! When trying different tactics on Instagram, pay attention to what is bringing you the most success.

For instance:

Are you getting leads from your Stories?
From your posts?
Paid ads?

This is a great time to also use your Instagram Insights to see for example, how many people followed you from your post, or how many people visited your website from your paid ad.

One of the key things to remember about marketing is that it’s about experimentation. So if you try something and it’s not providing you with the desired outcome you can switch things up, and try something else that might resonate better with your target audience — but at least you will know because you had a goal in mind to begin with!

Without goals, and a plan, we easily can run the risk of posting just for posting’s sake — which will in turn lead to not getting the results we want, because we don’t really know what results we are trying to achieve.

So start writing down your goals, and create a plan that includes what techniques and tactics you are going to execute in order to achieve those goals!

Need help figuring out your marketing and brand-related goals? Book a complimentary 30-minute consultation with me here.