With roughly one billion monthly active users, Instagram belongs to the most popular social networks worldwide. Given the platform’s rapid growth, more and more people will begin using the platform in the months and years ahead. Instagram has already been around long enough for people to utilize it’s prospects. Here’s what you can do to strengthen your brand’s Instagram marketing:

Use Instagram analytics to optimize your account

There are a number of different Instagram tools available that provide insightful Instagram analytics designed to make brands more successful on the channel. First and foremost, the tool should have the ability to monitor post performance to show what posts have the best reach, the best engagement, specific keywords and hashtags and the best click through rate. That’s how you’ll know what’s working for you. Instagram analytics tools are also able to determine when is the best time to share content in order for a post to perform well which proves to be really helpful. Analytics help you better understand what content resonates with followers, and what followers are saying online.

Cross promote your Instagram account

Consider cross-promoting the account via other channels. Talk about it via an industry website or company blog. This can help to drive awareness of your Instagram channel, while positioning your company as thought-leaders when it comes to social media marketing.

Try influencer marketing

According to recent surveys, 94 percent of businesses who utilize influencer marketing believe it is effective. Using the services of Instagram influencers is an incredibly popular form of Instagram marketing, and that’s because it works. When done well, it can provide brands with noticeable lift in many different ways. The key here is value – both brand and influencer have to be providing value to each others’ audiences for a successful influencer strategy to work.

Offer high quality branded content

Your content is the reason why people will follow your brand, so be sure to make it enticing. Ideally, you want to either entertain or educate, or do both with every post. At the same time, you want to stick to a predefined brand persona – an aesthetic that your followers can associate with your brand. Content is the foundation of your instagram existence. Putting out content daily with no idea what your audience wants or needs is a futile attempt at social media marketing. If you serve up trash, your performance will reflect that.

Well, like any marketing strategy, you’ll get out of Instagram what you put into it. If you allow yourself time to build a following, engage with that following, work with the right influencers, and create solid, visually cohesive content, then Instagram will yield benefits for your brand.