There’s no denying it; social media marketing is an absolute must for your business. 91.9% of companies ran at least some social media marketing campaigns in 2021. In 2022, that number has grown to 92.1%.

When it comes to marketing your mobile app, there are a variety of ways you can use the popularity of social media to your advantage. While Facebook advertising is traditionally the most popular platform, Instagram is becoming an increasingly popular network for marketing.

If you’re new to Instagram marketing or you just want to try a few new tricks for promoting your mobile app, we’ve got you covered. Here are 5 ways you can leverage Instagram to market your mobile app.

1. Create App-Awareness Before Launching

You will need to put some effort into marketing your mobile app after it’s released into the wild. However, many businesses and app developers neglect the importance of pre-launch marketing.

Instagram is a great way to let people know about your app before it is even available for download. You can do this by creating teaser posts on Instagram that showcase some of the features your app will include.

As with any marketing campaign, your pre-launch teasers should also address the pain points users may have. Users don’t just want to know that your app is coming; they also want to know why they should anticipate its release. Let them know in advance what is coming so the anticipation can build.

2. Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is becoming popular for a reason. Growing an Instagram following can be a long, difficult process. While you can use hashtags and paid advertising to get your posts seen, another quicker method is to tap into the large audiences that influencers on Instagram have already amassed.

The trick is finding influencers that are relevant to your target audience. For instance, if you have a fitness app, then it would be logical to reach out to some influencers in the fitness niche. You’ll need to negotiate the terms of your sponsorship with them, but in the end, you want these influential Instagram personalities to endorse your mobile app to their massive audiences.

3. Paid Advertising

Like many social networks, Instagram offers business accounts the ability to run paid advertisements. While there are other free methods for getting views on your Instagram posts, they are far more time-consuming than paid ads.

With an Instagram ad campaign, you can filter your target audience down to your ideal target customers. Think about the people who are most likely to benefit from your mobile app and set your ad filters to target this group’s traits. You can use information such as age, gender, location, and other useful criteria.

4. Utilize Instagram Stories

Stories are one of the most popular Instagram features. Stories can be quick videos or auto-played slideshows with text overlays. There are many different ways you can use Stories to market your mobile app.

For instance, you can post a quick video that shows off some of the most impressive features of your application. You can also include a link to download your app right within this video. This makes it easy for users to find your app and instantly download it the moment they see the great features they’ll get with your mobile app.

You could also use stories to show customer reviews and testimonials. A story slideshow with glowing praise about your app from real-world users helps create a level of trust. Of course, you also want to include an app download link in this story.

5. Build or Expand Upon Your Brand Identity

Getting app downloads is just as much about marketing your brand as it is the product itself. Every brand needs to determine what its personality is and showcase that within every medium where the messaging is visible to customers. Instagram is a great place to build a loyal following of customers who love your mobile app.

Never underestimate the importance of forming a relationship with your audience. To build that relationship, you need to make your brand accessible, personable, and easy for customers to connect with. Let your audience get to know about your company, the people involved, or anything else that isn’t related to your app.

By forming this relationship on a more personal level, you’ll be laying the groundwork for future app downloads.

Key Takeaway: Explore and Try Everything Instagram Offers

Instagram has a massive base of daily users, and this provides an audience just waiting to see your app.  Don’t be afraid to try many different marketing methods on Instagram, either. What works for one business may not work for another, but the great thing about the platform is the variety. Whether it's influencer marketing, paid ads, or simply organic audience building, there is a method that is bound to work for your business.

If this all seems like a lot to learn, you can also lean on a professional agency like Camber Creative. Camber has been strategizing, developing, and marketing mobile apps and websites for years. With that experience has come a good foundational understanding of social media marketing best practices to help your mobile app thrive.