Instagram has a formidable 1 billion month-to-month lively customers—that’s hundreds of thousands of individuals logging in every day. It’s clearly an incredible place to attach with potential clients, notably youthful shoppers (current information reveals almost 62% of Instagram customers are aged 18-34).

Whereas there are numerous methods to advertise your model on the platform, together with operating advertisements and sponsoring posts, one of the efficient (and typically free) methods to develop your viewers is by internet hosting an Instagram takeover.

What’s an Instagram takeover?

A novel advertising and marketing tactic for your corporation, an Instagram takeover is once you companion with somebody to take over your account for a short while, whether or not it’s sooner or later or a number of. The host pronounces themselves to your viewers and proceeds to put up updates all through the required time. This host of the Instagram takeover may be an worker, an influencer, a enterprise or an business professional.

Takeovers assist improve engagement and attain on Instagram. They offer your viewers a singular perspective of your corporation. They will additionally assist elevate your model, showcasing key merchandise or differentiators to current clients and new audiences.

Typically takeovers are extra about elevating different folks than merely selling your model. An excellent 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 protected take care of 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 sooner or later 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 shield 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 option 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 here are a few of our favourite advantages of Instagram takeovers:

The power to achieve a brand new viewers

When an influencer with a big following takes over your account, you have got the potential to achieve 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 number of the visitor host’s followers will seemingly begin following and interacting with you in consequence. 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 might not find out about you or your corporation. 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 professional of their area.

Elevated engagement together with your posts and account

Instagram takeovers present a compelling option to encourage extra engagement in your posts. In case you’re collaborating with somebody who has an lively, loyal following, you may count on to see extra Instagram likes, feedback and shares in your content material. This elevated engagement can even assist improve your attain as a result of Instagram’s algorithm favors posts with excessive engagement.

A behind-the-scenes take a look at your corporation

Takeovers on Instagram give your followers a glimpse underneath the hood of your corporation. They assist showcase an genuine aspect of your corporation and may spotlight your organization tradition, services or products.

For instance, let’s say you personal a bakery. You might do an Instagram takeover with one in every of your pastry cooks and have them present your followers how they make a few of your hottest desserts.

Extra site visitors and gross sales for you

By rising your model’s attain and engagement, Instagram takeovers can even result in extra site visitors and gross sales for your corporation. In case you’re selling a brand new services or products, an influencer takeover will help get the phrase out.

Make it straightforward on your followers to navigate to your web site by coordinating your and your visitor host’s Instagram hyperlink in bio instruments. You may as well use hashtags to extend publicity and discovery (extra on that beneath).

The way to run an efficient Instagram takeover in 7 steps

Take a while to plan your technique, determine your perfect visitor hosts who align together with your model and values, and promote your occasion will show you how to get probably the most out of your Instagram takeover. The next steps are centered on serving to you intend the proper takeover.

1. Set up your takeover objectives and KPIs

Earlier than you begin in search of visitor hosts, it’s necessary to determine your objectives for the takeover. What do you wish to obtain (e.g., model consciousness, follower development, improved put up engagement, buyer leads, and so on.)?

Be certain to determine some KPIs (key efficiency indicators) so you may measure the takeover marketing campaign’s efficiency. These might embrace:

• The variety of new followers you acquire in the course of the takeover
• The quantity of engagement in your posts
• The variety of web site clicks or gross sales you generate

The objectives ought to be clear to everybody concerned within the takeover, so posts may be tailor-made that can assist you obtain them.

2. Select a takeover host

If you’re planning your takeover, determine a bunch that is sensible on your model. They need to have an identical target market and be revered of their area. Take into account the next when choosing your host:

• Influencers: Instagram influencers typically, however not all the time, have plenty 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, can even foster engagement and curiosity.
• Prospects: Giving a buyer the keys to your account gives social proof and is an effective option to exhibit your merchandise. The shopper’s voice is a strong one. It fosters a sense of group and demonstrates that your corporation 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 corporation. This sort of worker advocacy gives a singular look into your corporation.
• Business leaders and consultants: Take into account doing a takeover with an business luminary, somebody who affords invaluable 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 corporation or merchandise to a brand new viewers.

3. Choose a kind of takeover

There’s multiple option to execute a profitable Instagram takeover. It’s necessary to be artistic, but in addition to align your takeover to your particular objectives. Listed here are three widespread approaches to contemplate:

• Instagram put up takeovers: This sort of takeover typically entails 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 an easy method to a takeover that may be very efficient in selling your model.
• Instagram Story takeovers: A Story takeover entails having your visitor host share a sequence of pictures 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 corporation.
• Reside video takeovers: Reside video takeovers generate pleasure and construct anticipation for an occasion or announcement (e.g., a brand new product launch.) You may as well use stay 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 may assist make sure the visitor’s posts are aligned together with your model voice and objectives. Your pointers ought to reply the next questions:

• What sort of content material can 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 artistic and use their very own voice.

5. Set permissions to your account

Now it’s time to present your visitor host entry to your account. A method to do that is to supply the password to the visitor host (simply be sure that that is somebody you may belief).

If the visitor host is an influencer, they’ll seemingly have their very own Instagram Enterprise Account. Join their account together with your

Enterprise Account via the Instagram settings. This may 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 may as well give visitor hosts entry to your Instagram account by including them as a contributor to your Meta Enterprise Supervisor. Meta gives detailed directions for a way to do that through their Assist Middle.

Alternatively, you may streamline permissions administration by implementing an approval course of with a social media administration platform like Sprout Social. With a message approval workflow, you may collaborate successfully with companions and friends on tone and content material.

6. Select a branded hashtag

You may promote your takeover forward of time utilizing Instagram hashtags. Any branded hashtags related to the takeover ought to be straightforward to recollect, particular and related.

Branded hashtags assist your followers preserve observe of the takeover and see associated posts in a single place. You may as well 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 entails 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 present you a place to begin. Nevertheless, you also needs to evaluate your account analytics to see what instances have traditionally been finest for you.

This also needs to 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 preserve some management over different features 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 another factor…

Selling your Instagram takeover

Along with your takeover able to launch, it’s time to begin selling it on Instagram and past. This may assist guarantee your followers are conscious of the Instagram takeover and get them excited concerning the content material to come back.

Earlier than the day: Tease the takeover on Instagram and your different social media channels. Ship an electronic mail to your subscribers. Request the visitor host put up concerning the takeover to their followers and group. You may as well announce the takeover in your web site.

On the day of: Publish a photograph or video in your Instagram feed or Story to announce the beginning of the takeover and introduce the host. Be certain to make use of the takeover hashtag. The visitor host can repost this content material to their followers as properly.

After the day: Recap the takeover in your web site and share highlights on social media. You may even create an Instagram Tales Spotlight reel with the very best posts from the takeover (your visitor host will seemingly wish to do that too).

And, in fact, make sure to thank your host.

Measure your takeover’s success

After the mud settles, evaluate your takeover’s efficiency and consider metrics in opposition to the established KPIs. Take a while to grasp what labored and what didn’t so you may optimize your takeover technique for subsequent time. Listed here are a couple of key metrics to measure:

• Variety of new followers: Preserve observe of what number of new followers you gained in the course of the takeover interval and examine this quantity to your common price of development.
• Publish engagement: Assessment your put up engagement (Likes, feedback, shares) to see if it elevated versus what’s typical on your account.
• Hashtag utilization and mentions: Assessment how typically your hashtag was used and see in case you can spot any patterns. Additionally, verify for any new mentions of your model.
• Web site site visitors: Verify your web site analytics to see if site visitors elevated or site 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 software like Sprout can simplify marketing campaign measurement related to an Instagram takeover. Sprout gives 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 completed it properly.

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 parts, 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 slightly 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 scholar takeover

In 2019, the College of Pennsylvania Admissions division gave one in every of their scholar ambassador’s the keys to their Instagram Tales for a day. She recorded her day on campus as a UPenn scholar: strolling to class with buddies, having fun with a meal within the cafeteria and attending class. She even recorded one in every of her professors writing on a chalkboard.

The takeover gives a short, however impactful, glimpse into the lifetime of a scholar at Penn, full with some compelling footage of the campus, lecture rooms and scholar areas.

Jessica Capshaw’s three hundredth episode takeover for Gray’s Anatomy

Many might 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 strong method for companies to combine up their account’s content material, improve engagement and attain new audiences. Sprout is the proper software that can assist you plan, execute and measure your Instagram takeover. With Sprout, you may 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 and marketing technique.