Instagram is a top media platform that is employed to build a relationship with brands and users. The visual-first social medium has over 2 billion active monthly users
From its inception in 2010, it has evolved today into a full-on marketing channel. Small as well as industry tycoons use it to drive traffic, generate leads and boost sales.
Everyone is on Instagram, even pets, and it is the top medium for building relationships. Half of the users on the platform say that it helped them discover new content, products, and brands. If you’re not using Instagram, then you are missing potential customers and clients.
Just look at the features that Instagram has released to help content creators. May it be the shoppable Instagram posts, advanced analytics, ways to drive traffic to Instagram stories, and much more.
Whether you work in the eCommerce, education, publishing, or media section, it pays to build a presence on Instagram. There are hundreds of apps that you can utilize to support your marketing strategy. But as we mentioned, there are so many users on the platform, so you need to stand out to resonate with the crowd.
Here are ten lesser-known Instagram tools for creators to maximize engagement with their audience.
Planning and content creation tools
Content creation and planning is an important parameter that helps you deliver eye-catching content and captivate your audience. Different colors, aesthetics, and design schemes help build your brand awareness amongst the masses.
Planning your Instagram feed allows you to be consistent as you plan your feed in advance in case you are busy or forget to post. Here are 4 little-known tools that’ll help you with planning and content creation.
1. UNUM: Plan and visualize the feed
UNUM is a visual planner app designed with an intuitive UI. The app helps creators, companies, students, and other users to brand better and stand out on Instagram. You can edit your photos, videos, draft captions, and hashtags while scheduling your posts with the app.
It offers creative tools, marketing ideas, analytics, insights, and much more, all free of cost. The UNUM Cloud gives users access to all their favorite photos, videos and post ideas in one place. Here they can see what is working in their profile, posts, and hashtags.
The app allows you to start a project on your phone and finish on your desktop, no matter when. Everything you create will be synced across multiple devices and be accessible to your entire team.
It has a powerful free plan, allowing you to check its features. However, the paid plan starts at $12 per month and gives you access to premium features.
2. Adobe Express: Design graphics and collages
Adobe is the biggest name when it comes to graphic design. Adobe Express is not as well-known as Photoshop or Illustrator, but it has excellent features for most users.
It has over 34,000 templates available for users to use, amongst which thousands are free templates. Its premium templates are available exclusively for its subscribers. The easiest approach is to select the type of Instagram post and select templates that suit your requirements.
The editor of Adobe Express has some powerful features to create stunning graphics and images. If you drill a little further, then the advanced layer options help you customize every aspect better.
The premium plans start at $9.99 per month.
3. VSCO: Edit photos and videos for Instagram
VSCO is a photo and video editor that caters to help nurture the creative journey of creators. The minimalist social platform has a library of 200+ premium quality presets and tools. You can edit media on the app and then post it on Instagram.
The social app comes with a simple video editor that is available with its Membership plans. VSCO is fitted with a curated collection of styles, photographs, and aesthetics for a global community of talented users.
The membership plan is priced at $19.99 per year.
4. Mojo: Animate your Instagram stories
Mojo helps turn your stories into animated visuals that look like commercially produced ads. It is simple to get results that look like a whole team of designers working on it.
Mojo gives you access to quality templates, which are divided into different categories. Here you have complete control over each aspect and animation in your design. While most competitors rely on standard animation effects, Mojo can customize every aspect of your design.
The app has more than 100 text effects to select from and customize to fit your brand identity. And you don’t have to save or export any files, as you can open them directly on Instagram.
The price starts at $10 per month.
Hashtag and analytics tools
Instagram relies on hashtags more than any other social media platform. Many of the best creators on the platform use up to 20 hashtags in a single post to rank higher and garner more views.
Hashtag analytics helps you track the performance of your hashtags and allows you to see how audiences react to them.
5. Keyhole: Best tool to find popular and relevant hashtags
Keyhole is one of the best platforms to accurately track hashtags for Instagram and other social networks. The platform accurately measures real-time and historical data to effortlessly track hashtags.
Keyhole allows users to find trending topics and hashtags to stand out in the market. Forecast whether your social campaign will hit its goals using the machine-learning predictions feature. This will help you get better results and stay relevant by leaving the competition behind.
Analytics and tracking are one of the standout features of the platform. With this, you can identify the most successful influencers and use them as brand ambassadors before others can reach them.
Keyhole allows you to keep tabs on their competitors and check what is working for them to outwit them in the market. You can stay relevant by tracking hashtags to stand out in the competitive market.
You can customize the dashboard with deep insights from your social data to show information important to your stakeholders.
All in all, Keyhole is a great tool that makes the whole process from setup to content delivery highly efficient. The platform is designed in such a way that you won’t require a whole team to perform tasks that you need to do previously.
6. Rival IQ: Analyze performance and optimize content strategy
Rival IQ is an analytics tool used by creators on Instagram to get real-time insights into their social handles. The insights extract valuable information creating comprehensive reports to make improved decisions to get desired results.
The cutting-edge technology used to run Rival IQ makes it a good choice for social media surveillance and benchmarking. You can perform audits within minutes and get custom reports and data.
The social posts analysis feature highlights trends and uncovers opportunities for creators to improve their engagement. You can optimize your content accordingly based on an array of metrics.
Price starts at $199 per year.
7. Iconosquare: Analyze data and schedule posts
Iconosquare is a tool that is designed keeping agencies and brands in mind. The platform has competitive hashtag and growth-tracking tools and provides you with an efficient follower range.
Beyond its Instagram analytics features, it has a free audit tool for business profiles. Iconosquare ensures that your profile is completed and is sticking to the best practices. Here, your 30 most recent posts, as well as general account settings, are audited to get the best results for your business.
The platform has advanced scheduling features for images, videos, and stories on Instagram. You have to upload your content and select a date on its calendar, and it will automatically post it on the set date.
Price starts at $49 per month.
Tip: Hate limits on posting? With Keyhole, you can schedule unlimited posts and even know your best time to post for maximum engagement.
Engagement and collaboration tools
Instagram helps you build a relationship with your customers. Every time a customer interacts with your social posts means that they are interested in your brand. Collaborations help grow your reach and engagement to build brand awareness and create valuable partnerships.
By utilizing collaborations and paying attention to Instagram likes, you can create meaningful connections with your audience and position your brand for success in the competitive social media landscape.
8. Later: Share user generated content
Later helps brands and companies to share videos, images, and stories that have been posted by consumers on Instagram. This lets them source content that already exists without having to spend capital and time to create it.
Later allows firms to share content from the sidebar, which you can incorporate into your social calendar. This content is automatically labeled so you can stay organized, and you can find the content at any time.
This is a great way to keep tabs on what the fans are saying and be engaged with them. You should never miss a chance to engage and market your product with the help of loyal supporters.
Price starts at $18 per month.
9. VENNDY: Monetize posts through affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing is one of the best avenues to earn money through Instagram. VENNDY is a great platform that helps you to monetize your digital content by optimizing your social reach.
VENNDY is a marketplace for Instagram creators to invite followers to shop for your listed products. It is free, and you just have to sign up to get access to the amazing tool.
With VENNDY, you just have to create your content once and then share it on Instagram or other channels. The platform will help increase your social reach, grow your influence, and boost your income in a single space.
VENNDY has a list of top-tier affiliate networks to choose from. You can also join independent affiliate programs. Some programs accept beginners too on their networks.
10. Inbeat: Identify fake followers and influencers
The fake follower checker on Inbeat allows you to identify fake followers and evaluate an influencer’s audience quality. Creator dishonesty can have negative consequences on brands that are partnering with them. Selecting a reliable influencer is thereby very important.
Vet out fake followers and find reliable influencers with its search tool. You can set advanced filters and use its powerful search engine to find the best creators in the niche.
Inbeat allows you to add multiple profiles at once and get different metrics, and all this is for free. You just have to enter your email address, and you are good to go.
Conclusion
Instagram is a popular social media platform used by creators and businesses to grow their audience and improve their sales. To achieve this, using Instagram tools is imperative. These tools not only help in the creation of smart posts but make your brand look cool and trendy.
The Instagram marketplace is cluttered with creators, so it is essential to switch over from conventional tools to lesser-known ones. These tools help you get the best performance and offer greater customizability than tools that are used by everyone.
For now, you can start with Keyhole and grow your presence on Instagram.
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are Instagram professional tools?
Instagram professional tools are offered by the platform to enhance your business efficiency. The tools include analytics, promoting posts, contact information, and a few others.
2. How do you promote your business on Instagram?
The best way to promote businesses on Instagram is to post consistently using scheduling tools. Adding hashtags with tools like Keyhole on your posts helps in the creation of successful marketing campaigns to improve your brand recognition in the market.
3. Why is Instagram useful for content creators?
Instagram is an important app for businesses as it allows users to share stunning visuals about the industry and interact with customers. It is easy to obtain organic growth on the platform rather than paying for ads.
