Instagram Carousel Content: How to Stand Out and Increase Conversions
Want to use multiple images in a single Instagram post?
Have you tried Instagram’s Carousel theme?
With just a bit of design, you can turn the Instagram multi-image feature and boost your reach, engagement, and increase your conversions.
In this article, you’ll discover how to set up your Instagram carousel and how to incorporate them into your Instagram strategy.
Why Create an Instagram Carousel Post
As you may know, 80% of marketers use visual assets in their social media marketing. When it comes to Instagram, this number goes to 100%.
The visual-centric platform that began as a photo-posting app has grown into a source of income for creators and a new sales channel for businesses.
If you want to stand out, turning your best content into carousel posts will do the work. See it by the numbers!
Research shows that carousel format posts got more engagement than the regular image and video, regardless of the size of the audience.
Carousel posts get users to actually stop and read- which is what you want!
If you’re up to see more engagement, doing a horizontal infographic that your users can swipe left and right and save can be the solution!
Here are some content ideas for your carousel posts.
#1: A Mini Slideshow
A mini slideshow is great for educational content. Imagine compressing a powerpoint presentation or a brochure into Instagram-size images showing the number of pages.
To create this mini slideshow, think about your “how to’s” content and turn that into a multi-image post.
To make your slideshow, make sure to use the standard square image on Instagram at 600×600 pixels. Make your design visually appealing and don’t forget the page numbers.
Examples of content that can be used as a mini slideshow format:
- Offer a checklist
- Promote book downloads
- Explain a whitepaper
- Educate your audience about your products or services
- Explain a solution
- Invite people to join a cause
When we started using slideshows in our Instagram, we noticed that checklists had more “saved” reactions than the “pretty” / highly designed pictures. 😏
Do you think users are over the “all-pretty” feed? In my opinion, Instagram will always be a visual-first platform. However, generating conversions require more than pretty images that get likes.
What this slideshow is doing to your Instagram feed is, in fact, direct response marketing.
Direct response marketing is a type of sales technique designed to evoke an on-the-spot response and encourage a prospective customer to take action by opting in to the advertiser’s offer. Unlike other marketing types, the direct response requires little or no time waiting to see measurable results.
Direct response marketing is the equivalent of having a conversation with your potential customers. The purpose of direct response marketing is to send customers targeted messages that drive specific actions—buy a product, read your blog post, join a newsletter, refer-a-friend, any business goal.
When you throw direct response marketing into the mix of your Instagram Marketing content, you will wake up with messages of users ready to buy from you!
#2: A TikTok Montage
As a visual species, humans find videos more engaging, more memorable, and more popular than any other type of content out there. Video as a means of storytelling and advertising is no longer a nice option – it’s a necessity.
When it comes to Instagram, as the user base continues to expand and becomes more set on the kinds of content it wants, and how they want it, it’s essential to keep a finger on the pulse of certain video marketing trends.
If there’s something you can’t avoid, especially after our historical pandemic times it’s TikTok!
What’s so special about TikTok? Artificial intelligence. For the record, I’m not under 21. In fact, I’m double that number and I love TikTok!
Thanks to TikTok’s powerful AI, you can create a slideshow, add music that actually syncs with the transitions!
In case you’re hesitant about opening an account, just know that you can create the content and share it to yourself.
You can create this TikTok montage by using the slideshow feature on TikTok.
Here’s how you do it from your TikTok app:
Hit the + button in the middle -> upload -> image.
Select the images you want on the slideshow, then the format.
After you select the format, you will get to select your music. The app will suggest music based on your preferences, but you can always search to find the one you would like.
To use this content for Instagram, you can either save the video or share it from TikTok.
Don’t be afraid to try! Expect to see an increase in views and reach of up to 4x your regular posts!
Examples of content that can be used as a TikTok montage format:
- Reviews
- Tour to your location
- Before – After images
- Demo
- Event invite
- Quotes
- App downloads
- Promote your e-course
#3: 2400 x 600 Infographic
You can use your multi image feature on Instagram to turn a 2400 x 600 pixels image into a seamless carousel.
Why infographics?
Infographics are a visually compelling communication medium that, done well, can communicate complex data in a visual format that is potentially viral.
Do you need to educate your audience to help them understand why your product or service is unique? …Then infographics could be part of the answer.
Examples of content that can be used as the infographic format:
- Industry facts
- Steps
- Guides
- Recap of a long article
- Teaser for an upcoming seminar
- Reasons why …
Turning your content into carousel posts will help you increase your engagement. If your account is new and you are looking to grow your audience, these content formats can help.
On the other hand, if you have an existing audience, let’s say, 1,000 people, you might want to implement niche marketing.
Instagram Works Best With Niche Marketing
After testing several infographics into our Instagram Marketing mix, we realized that users engaged more when the content was tailored to their niche.
Marketing to your niche increases the likelihood that you’ll reach your target audience. It also provides natural guidance for specializing your products and services and narrows your competition. But not only that, niche marketing will provide a higher return on investment since you’re already “preaching to the choir.”
When your users can feel related to you, they like you. Sooner than later, they will trust you and buy from you. It will be a matter of when, not if.
How To Find Your Niche In 2 Steps
If you’re struggling with finding your niche, this exercise can help you tremendously!
Step 1: 3 Things About You
Pretend that we are having a face-to-face conversation and I am a potential best partner for you. What 3 things would you want me to know about who you are?
Example using my very own answers:
- I want you to know that I am a business nerd and I’m fascinated about teaching marketing & sales to solopreneurs and freelancers.
- I want you to know that I’m a lawyer-turned-marketer.
- I want you to know I was born in one of the happiest places in the world and that gave me magnetic genes!
My 3 things are: “teaching marketing & sales strategy”, “lawyer-turned-marketer and educator”, and “energetic personality from Puerto Rico”.
How about YOU? What do you want me to know about YOU? What are your 3 things?
You might want to ask for some feedback!
Step 2: Your niche
Now that you embrace YOU in 3 words, think about which users will really appreciate connecting with you.
Try to complete this!
From the ____________________ (big industry), those interested in (interests, hobbies, passions) __________________________________________, _________________________, and _______________________, will be the most passionate about connecting with someone like me: _____________________, ___________________, and ___________________ (insert your 3 things here).
Most likely, they call themselves:
_____________________
_____________________
_____________________
Using my example,
From the small business owners industry, those who want to grow a business without sacrificing their family, want to learn marketing secrets, and are into intentional living, will be the most passionate about connecting with someone like me: “teaching marketing & sales strategy”, “lawyer-turned-marketer and educator”, and “energetic personality from Puerto Rico”.
Most likely, they consider themselves:
- Content writers
- Bloggers
- Leaders
You truly want to have conversations with those who are naturally passionate about the topic you’re sharing. They will feel like “you get them”.
Your carousel posts will certainly help you get noticed.
Now let’s discuss how you can turn your loyal followers into customers.
Leverage Stories To Increase Your Conversion Rate
After sharing your best carousel post, share it to Instagram stories.
In case you’re new to stories, stories are made up of individual frames, like photos, videos, or graphics. They disappear in 24 hours and that adds the FOMO (fear of missing out) to your marketing strategy.
Stories Viewers
A great undiscovered stories feature is that you are able to see the list of stories viewers. But note that it’s for only 24 hours!
To access your story viewers list, go to your stories and tap at the bottom where you see the numbers. Your viewers will be there!
Refine your marketing strategy and integrate Instagram stories into your lead generation and sales process.
Do you know who is a qualified prospect for your business? If yes, then you will add this prospect in your list to follow up with a message.
Not sure who is a prospect? A prospect is someone who could potentially need your services or products, but they haven’t expressed a definitive interest.
A prospect turns into a lead when they express an interest in doing business with you.
Your stories viewers will very soon be your “binge watchers”. Your goal is to give them always a reason to keep coming for more. Just like Netflix does! Think about an episode of your favorite show… They start with “previously on …” Then the episode … Then “coming up next”.
Your stories can potentially become their next thing to binge watch!
Once they are binge watchers, they will trust you and could buy from you or become your brand advocators. It will be a matter of when, not if.
Promote Your Call To Action Via Stories
If you are offering a freebie, or a promotion on your carousel post, you can get your audience to pay attention to your call to action by adding stickers to your stories.
Use The Countdown Sticker To Turn On Reminder
When you are hosting a campaign that has a due date, you can add a countdown sticker that counts down to a date and time that you set.
Your followers can then subscribe to your countdown event, which will send them a reminder when the time is up and your countdown is complete!
This is a great strategy for engaging with your Instagram followers and getting your audience to opt-in to exciting special events or promotions.
When your followers turn on the countdown, you will receive a notification! You could ignite conversations with them!
Ignite Conversations By Using Polls
Instagram polls can help move your Instagram marketing strategy forward and keep your followers entertained and animated.
When users reply to a poll, you will be able to see them and send them a message.
WARNING! Instagram Story Bots
If you notice that you get random replies from users, just know that they might be bots (yeah … sadly).
Story-viewing bot, is just the latest in a line of automation tools that have changed how we use social media. Personally, I don’t think that users will be fans of accounts that pretend to use bots.
You should never lie to your audience.
How many stories should you share per day?
Data shows that the more frames published in a day, the lower the retention rate for that Story. There are no surprises there, as you can only lose viewers with each additional frame.
When you create your amazing carousel post, then this will be just enough for you to keep your users engaged.
To Recap!
Instagram carousel posts can potentially give you business! But don’t stop there! Leverage stories to create binge watchers and get them to like you, trust you, and believe in you!
