Author: Franz Malten Buemann

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Big Idea or Enduring Question: How do you notify the opportunity owner when a customer submits a survey (post-sales) response?  Objectives: After reading this blog, you’ll be able to:  Understand SurveyQuestionScore, SurveyInvittaion objects  Use flow to notify the opportunity owner when a post-sales survey response is received  Find out if a
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Expression, passion, style, persuasion, authenticity.
These five elements encompass a customer success story — a transformation from a regular case study to an enticing piece of content that encourages a reader to explore what your company has to offer.

When people think about writing a case study, they might feel a daunting rise of tediousness, or perhaps writer’s block. In this article, we’ll dive into each step you need to take to create an engaging customer success story and convert leads.
Why should you tell a customer success story?
Case studies are more than proving your company’s achievements. Through eloquence and thoughtfulness, you can demonstrate your product or service’s power by telling a real story.
Think about it: Real customers use your product. Real employees deliver successful projects. Real customers, real professionals, real people.
What does that look like? Well, it’s educating a prospect through a thoughtful perspective, and answering the following questions:

How did the client feel at the beginning versus the end?
What struggles did the project manager face?
How did they feel when they overcame them?

These questions will help you pull the key sections of your story and craft together a compelling piece of content.
Turning a Case Study into a Customer Story
1. Find the right client.
To get started, ask your project management or sales team about their latest projects and which one stood out.
You’re looking for a client with a uniquely knotty problem, one that your company was able to solve. The more complex the project, the more you can show off your company’s skills.
If most of the projects seem standard, pick the client that was the most hands-on and the most responsive. The more involved the client, the more likely they are to give you more information in their interview.
Send an Enticing Email
Before you begin, get permission from the client and inquire about their interest in participating in a case study. You can incentivize them through social media publication, tagging their company on all social platforms, and including a link to their website at the end of the case study.
Here’s an example from Trujay that you can use to write an enticing email to your client:
Hi [Name],
My name is [Your Name], I’m a [Job Title/Position] here at [Company Name]. I’m so pleased to hear your experience with us was worth it! We’re glad we could make all the needs of your project happen and hope you continue to enjoy the results.
Since your project was such a success, I wondered if you would be interested in participating in a case study. We like to inquire about this opportunity to only a few select customers because we find some projects have a compelling story. Yours happens to be a particularly special project, and we’d love to promote your brand by showcasing the results.
All you would have to do is answer six questions about your experience of working with us. You may answer them directly in response to this email, or we can have a phone or video call. Whatever way you’d prefer! Most of our clients like to copy and paste the questions in response and simply fill in the answers.
If you would like to interview over [Zoom, Google Meet, Skype, Other], let me know a good time and date that works for you. The call shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes.
I’ve attached a few examples of previous success stories to get a feel for the final product. We also conduct a social media campaign so you and your company can get as much exposure as possible.
We thank you for using our services and wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors! Should you ever need our services again, know that [Company Name’s] got your back. We hope you find interest in participating and look forward to hearing from you.
Warmest,
[Email Signature]
Once you have permission, let your project management or services team know that a case study is underway.
2. Create interview questions for both project manager and client.
You’ll want to create two sets of questions — one for the project manager, and one for the client. These questions will give way to both sides of the story, enlightening you on the experience from both ends.
Client Questions: The Background
The formatting of the client interview questions is essential. You want to get as much detail as you can without overwhelming the client with loaded questions.
Client interview questions are straightforward and relate to a customer’s company, goals, passions, and plans. You want to find out how your company solved a significant problem through the clients’ perspective. What did the project management team accomplish, in their eyes?
First, get four pieces of standard information:

Here’s an example of how you’ll use this information in your introductory piece and throughout the success story:
Image Source
Once you introduce the interviewee and their company clearly and thoughtfully, the client interview questions will shape the rest of your story.
Client Questions: The Real Story
First, you want the client to describe what their previous experience was. What didn’t they like about it? What did it do to cause friction in their business process? And most importantly, how was their previous experience not serving their company’s needs?
Next, you want to get the facts. What was the name of their previous service provider, and what made them switch? How did they find your company? Was it a referral, a Google search, or something else?
By knowing how the client found your company, you’ll know which of your marketing efforts are working and which need improvement. For example, if the client found your company through a keyword search, that means your SEO strategy is working. Alternatively, if the client found your company by referral, that means your reputation is credible by word-of-mouth.
Below are six questions you can ask your clients:

What company and/or product were you previously using, and what were the issues?
What special requirements did you have that the previous company lacked in delivering?
Which solution did you switch to, and what made you choose it?
How did you find the new company/solution?
What was your experience throughout the project? (Orientation, beginning stages, experience with your account manager, understanding the tech if applicable, etc.)
How were you satisfied with the results, and what was your favorite part? (Could be anything from communication to a more technical logic.)

Project Manager Questions
The project manager questions should inform you of the entire technical and onboarding process. These questions aim to prove technical savviness and expertise, showing the reader that your product or service works excellently.
Below are four interview questions you could ask the project manager or technician in charge of the account:

What were the challenges the client was facing? Is there a main one in particular? Be as detailed as possible over what problems the client had, including but not limited to their project experience, current issues, and dislikes.
What were the biggest challenges of this project, and what did you find most challenging in solving the problem? Were there complications you have or have not seen before? Be descriptive.
What did you recommend, and how did you know to suggest that plan? Was there anything peculiar about their use case, or was it pretty standard? How do you know what actions to take for a specific project, precisely the one in question?
What was the execution plan, and how did you use it to satisfy the client’s needs?

Make sure you’re interviewing the team leader of the project and other colleagues who worked on it. You’ll want to do this to make sure you get the whole story and the perspectives of everyone involved. The more information you have, the easier it will be to write the story.
When interviewing the project management team, analyze their responses in a marketable way. What about their answers gives appeal, and where is the sweet spot for authenticity?
Every project is unique, even if there is a standard method in place. It’s the client’s problem that makes the project unique, and how the services team solved that very problem to the fullest extent.
Below is an example from Trujay of how you can integrate the project manager’s responses into a well-written overview of the problem and its challenges:

3. Tell the story using a standard outline.
The responses to your interview questions don’t necessarily need to be in a particular order. You can either start with the project manager or client questions.
Let’s say you get the client’s responses first. What are you looking for, exactly?
You’re looking for the message behind their words. Some call it reading between the lines. I call it the sweet spot of authenticity. What about their responses jumps out at you? Here is an excellent place to know your buyer personas and identify what kind of client they are.
After reviewing both sets of interview responses, try telling the story to yourself from beginning to end using the questions below. In your own words, speak the story out loud. Doing so will turn fact into fiction and organize your written outline.

Place Quotes in Your Outline
Quotes from the client are paramount. Words that come directly from the source are vital to proving your company can achieve results and make customers feel cared for. The more quotes you have, the better you can showcase your customer’s achievements.
Quotes of high-quality give prospects significant confidence in choosing your services — almost as much as referrals.
Ask for Video Testimonials
If and when possible, getting video testimonials from your client can make your story go above and beyond. If the video content editing is just right, you can move your readers in a heartfelt way. That might sound odd, so take a look at the video below. It could very well be the beacon of your success story and the element that sets it apart, like this example from HubSpot, below:
Testimonials of this kind of caliber make your success story real. Additionally, consider placing quotes in various and relevant areas of your success story — you can have a quote for each one of the aspects that make up a standard, outlined case study.
4. Use concise, clear language to tell a story.
You don’t need to use fancy jargon to create a compelling customer success story — in fact, it’s preferred that you don’t. You’ll want to make it so the reader can clearly understand how your company helped solve a client’s problem, which doesn’t require superfluous language.
Here’s an excerpt that’s written clearly, and without jargon:
James felt that [company 1] had way more “bells and whistles,” which can be extremely healthy for some companies. In James’s case, however, he was only using a fraction of the features. Sometimes, too much of anything is never a good thing. Just because a system has more features doesn’t mean it will serve a specific company to its highest degree. Sometimes, less is more, and for James, “it was time to change.”
We recommend using case study templates to help turn your customer story into a coherent, well-organized publication.

Download for Free
5. Design your story for visual appeal.
Ultimately, visuals are powerful opportunities to support and strengthen your story.
If you want to persuade prospects that your company is the right choice for them, you’ll want to have a well-written story, but you’ll also want to create visually-appealing materials to help support the story.
Design applications like Canva are great for combining text with imagery. Create beautiful and eye-catching case study e-book covers, or create designs to highlight quotes throughout the piece. Alternatively, consider using images related to the client and company — with permission, you might even consider using clients’ LinkedIn photos to put a face to the text.
Here are some examples of customer success stories with a design for visual appeal:
1. CoSchedule: UMass Memorial Health Care

2. Lightico: A1 Comms

3. Hourly.io: Izzy’s Brooklyn Bagels

What do they all have in common? When you get to these landing pages, key details are immediately prominent: The issue the company was facing and/or the results they generated.
This is a great way to hook in the reader and get them interested to read on.
By showing the results, you highlight the benefits of using your brand. By emphasizing the problems, you can help prospects identify issues and understand why you’re the solution.
Both strategies can generate positive results, it’s just a matter of figuring out which method converts best with your audience.
How to Leverage Customer Success Story on Social Media
1. Figure out which case studies will translate well.
The “right client” will vary from brand to brand.
Samuel Mironko, associate marketing manager on the HubSpot brand marketing team, says that this is what they look for: brand recognition, buzziness, and relationship.
The bigger the brand, the more buzz it can create to share its story. This doesn’t mean that you should only highlight stories from recognizable brands. However, it could be a way to prioritize them.
The second is buzziness – how much interest will this story generate? Is the brand in a booming industry? This is another plus for you.

Lastly, and perhaps the most important according to Mironko, is your relationship with the customer. Building a customer story requires a lot of collaboration between the two companies. If your relationship with the client isn’t solid, you may face several obstacles as you attempt to deliver the product.
“You get a better story knowing more about the customer. You know what questions to ask, how to guide the story, and more details,” said Natalie Gullatt, marketing manager on the HubSpot customer marketing team. “The customer tends to trust you more if you have a relationship with them so it makes the process better for both parties.”
To narrow down a list of options, you will likely need to work with customer advocacy and/or customer success teams at your company to connect you with the clients.
They can also offer some insight into the problems that the company faces and the issues they were able to solve with your product/service.
2. Write a script.
Once you narrow down your list, it’s time to write the script for your social media campaigns.
While you follow the same format as the case study, you have to adjust it for social media – taking only the key details that will help you tell a story in an engaging but concise way.

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Hellopeter.com (@hellopeter_za)

Mironko says that this format works well for customer success stories because it tells a story. You leave knowing the problems the company faced before, how they attempted to solve the issue, their new experience, and how that has addressed their main pain points.
3. Get feedback from the client.
Once you have a draft, you’ll need to send it to the client for approval.
They may provide feedback on anything from the visual design to the way they’re portrayed.

We are delighted to launch our customer success story series with @GaryWidger, Head of Change at @mercuryeng – about how Mercury leveraged #nocode/#lowcode technology to connect their people through shared knowledge.Read more here: https://t.co/BDvRjRxVgd#innovation #tech pic.twitter.com/9qe7dmEART — Kianda (@KiandaBPM)
March 30, 2021

Because this is a collaborative process, it’s essential that both parties are satisfied with the end result.
“Make sure to have the customers approve the drafts before publishing – that’s so important,” says Gullatt. “Customers may have to ask their marketing teams, legal teams before they say certain things publicly so you don’t want to burn bridges.”
This is why having a good relationship with the customer is key – this will make addressing issues with the content so much easier.
Gullatt adds that flexibility is key. 
“Be flexible even when it’s inconvenient because customers doing stories is a favor to you and your organization,” she says. “Making it easy for them and being patient goes a long way.”
4. Post and measure success.
Once the content is finally ready and published on social media, you’ll want to track its success.
How are people responding? Are they engaging with the content? Did it help you generate more leads?
Establishing KPIs before publishing on social media allows you to gauge your success accurately. From there, you can review the data to assess improvements for future success story campaigns.
Case studies work to showcase a company’s function to the fullest degree. They represent the facts of what happened, who was involved, and what the outcome was.
The main goal of a case study is to earn prospective customers’ trust and motivate them to choose you over your competitors.
Turning a case study into a customer success story is done through a meticulous and investigative process.
Now that you have everything you need to get started, design a visually appealing piece of content that gives the reader more than just words, but sparks their imagination of what it would be like to work with your company. They’ll want to reap the benefits of your services — and may even become the star of your next customer success story.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in Oct. 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

When TikTok went viral in 2019, pulling in millions of global users nearly overnight, almost every major social media channel quickly pivoted attention to short-form videos.
While Instagram – which notably innovated on Snapchat Stories – launched Instagram Reels, YouTube – known for its longer-form videos – launched YouTube Shorts.
Now, TikTok seems to be taking on its biggest social media rivals yet again by exploring two familiar — but still surprising — features: TikTok Stories and 10-minute video capabilities.

If you love the short-form, in-feed, and non-ephemeral nature of TikTok’s platform, you might be surprised that they’re now launching features that other platforms are famous for – rather than continuing to make their own unique offerings.
You also might wonder, “Will these features make TikTok a more applicable channel for my brand?” Or, “Will TikTok’s Stories and long-form content go unnoticed and eventually be discontinued – just like Twitter Fleets?”
To help marketers try to determine if these features will make a difference in their TikTok or social media strategy, I’ll highlight how they work, why TikTok’s launching them, and if they pose any opportunities for brands.
We’ll discuss TikTok Stories first. But, if you’re just interested in long-form video instead, click here to jump down to that section of this post.

TikTok has expanded its Stories feature pilot after initially testing the feature in a few select countries like Brazil in Q1. While TikTok has not yet published a press release about Stories or pilot results, U.S. users began to see a notification announcing the feature on apps throughout the past month.

As many marketers already know, this pilot comes after most major social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and even LinkedIn have launched or explored their own version of this feature.
What’s the Story with Stories?: A Quick History
At the HubSpot Blog, the evolution of Stories features across social media platforms has taught us one thing: When one platform develops a viral feature, other major platforms will follow suit with an incredibly similar option.
Stories began on Snapchat, the first well-known ephemeral app where users could create a series of videos or pictures on their profile – or a Snapchat Story – that would only show up for 24 hours. Users could also send “Snaps” or a series of disappearing Snaps to other users who could only see them when they opened their message.
Soon after Snapchat attracted millions of users with ephemeral content, Instagram launched Stories as a key part of its platform. Then, soon after that Facebook, LinkedIn, and even Twitter launched Story or Story-like features. While Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram still host Stories today, Twitter has disbanded its version – called “Fleets” and Snapchat has steadily lost interest from consumers and brands.
How to Publish a TikTok Story
If you are in the U.S. or another country where the feature is now available, creating a story is very similar to creating standard TikTok content.
1. Open TikTok’s Post tool.
First, you go to your profile and press the turquoise plus (+) on your profile picture, or go to your feed and press the Post button. You can also find a post button in the center of TikTok’s bottom navigation.

2. Make your content.
Create a video, or upload or take a picture. Then add any background music, text, or effects as you would with any TikTok video.

3. Determine if your content is a Story or TikTok.
When you’re done recording or selecting a photo, you’ll see two options: Post to Story and Next. Tapping Post to Story will automatically send it to your Story and For You feeds of other users.

One thing worth noting is that if you post a photo to your story, you’ll want to select a piece of music to go with it. Otherwise, TikTok will choose music automatically. In my case, this image was posted to my first test Story with an auto-selected Bruno Mars song.
If you tap “Next,” and don’t post the content to your Story, you’ll be sent to the last page you usually see before posting a permanent TikTok, which allows you to add a description to TikToks while also adding privacy and sharing preferences.
Because Stories are ephemeral, it seems that TikTok doesn’t allow you to add a description, hashtags, or privacy settings when you publish, which is important to keep in mind if your brand requires extra settings on your content.
Viewing a Story
There are three ways to view Stories. All are a bit tricky and sometimes rely on happenstance.
1. Sit back and swipe into new Stories.
Stories from people you follow or accounts you might be interested in will show up in the For You page feed of the TikTok app along with standard TikTok videos. While they might not have a hefty description, you can still follow the account that posted it or “Like” the content like a regular TikTok video. However, some features, like video replies, will be disabled because this content is meant to be ephemeral and will disappear after 24 hours.
2. Find Stories through “For You Page” navigation.
Open up TikTok and go to your For You page (a.k.a. your main feed). As you swipe through, pay attention to the engagement and sharing navigation buttons on the right of each video. When you see a profile picture with a turquoise ring around it, tap it to see the account’s story.

3. Find Stories on TikTok Profiles
Go to a profile of a TikToker you enjoy and look at their profile picture. If the ring appears around that profile picture, you can tap it and be sent to their story.

Should You Leverage Stories?
The jury is still out on whether Stories will become a hit on TikTok. From a simple swipe through my feed, it was pretty hard to find people who were actively using them already. However, this feature is still very new and could grow in use as more people become aware of it.
Additionally, when accounts do use Stories, it essentially feels like a temporarily published TikTok video. It’s also not clear yet if posting a series of videos to your Story will be as effective as posting permanent TikTok videos with a “Part 2” link in the comments.
For example, the screenshot below shows a TikToker linking a follow-up video in the comment thread of another TikTok video where she demonstrates how to use a STEMPLAYER to isolate the vocals in Adele’s music.

Because of the engagement of Stories compared to linking permanent TikTok content together, some TikTok users might be more interested in growing their following and evergreen views with more permanent content.
Aside from lower usage, one thing that could also hold TikTok Stories back is the features barriers to discoverability on the platform. However, while it might not be as easy to find Stories right now because it is still in the pilot phase, this could change if the app fully embraces them with a Stories page or search features as Instagram has.
At this point, Stories shouldn’t be the reason your brand decides to go on TikTok. You’ll ultimately want to look at its entire assortment of features, audience, and consumer behavior to determine if your brand is a good fit.
However, if you already have a TikTok following and have time for light experimentation, posting a light-lift, on-brand test story likely won’t hurt your following. It’s possible that unconfirmed TikTok algorithms might even give you a boost.  
Multiple high-performing TikTokers I follow say they expect to see TikTok Stories get a discoverability lift in various TikTok feeds as the algorithm might favor or push content that leverages new features. While TikTok hasn’t spoken about this at length or publicly, here’s some example of advice from a user with over 350,000 followers.

@sociallykels TikTok stories 😲
#tiktokstory
#tiktokstories
#igstories
#tiktoktips
#socialmediatips
#contentcreator
♬ original sound – Kelsie | Content Creator

If you do experiment with TikTok Stories, here are a few things to keep in mind:

Cater your Stories to TikTok’s audience and platform: Stories should be fast-paced, value-packed, or interesting in another way to the TikTok audience.
Stories will need promotion: It can be incredibly easy to miss Stories because there is not a designated location for them on the app. Users primarily know a Story is available when a profile image is outlined on the right navigation of a TikTok video. If you have a story you want people to see, consider making a TikTok that goes over the topic and encourages people to watch that story.
Determine if views or followers are most important: One way many accounts gain followers is when users click the plus sign on the profile icon that appears in video navigation. But, when you publish a story or launch a live event, tapping the profile picture just leads to this content. This is important to keep in mind if you want to gain followers quickly.

Long-Form Video on TikTok
In 2022, TikTok enabled all users the ability to add videos that were up to 10-minutes long. The company began exploring long-video features in the summer of 2021 by allowing just a select group of users to use them first. In its initial announcement of the long-video pilot, TikTok explained that the move aimed to give creators more tools and flexibility.
“Creative expression brings people together. It’s how we connect with our communities. It’s how we entertain, educate, inform, and inspire each other. This is also why we’ve focused on providing our community with a range of tools to help unleash their creativity – longer videos are now one more tool people can use to captivate the community with their creative expression,” read the statement.
Since then, the feature eventually rolled out to all users – who can now create videos that are up to 10 minutes long. And, to many of us, this continued rollout is still a bit surprising.
When TikTok began to go viral as a host for 1-minute videos, it seemed like an answer to Vine, a once viral and notably discontinued short-form video app. Even as viewership grow, TikTok still kept videos short by only eventually allowing a max of three-minute videos. Not only has TikTok strayed away from long-form in the past, but the platform’s virality led many brands and social media channels to recognize how consumers were shifting to short-form video consumption.
While a post from TikTok explains that videos over one minute long have driven more than 5 billion global views, the platform still seems driven by short-form content, aside from occasional live streams that appear in the For You feed.
Why is engagement so important? While TikTok might give an unconfirmed initial boost to creators who use its new features, the company has shared that its algorithm is partially driven by engagement. Content with lower engagement will be deprioritized in its feed. Thus, if someone posts a video that feels too slow to start, boring, or too long, they could swipe to the next video in the feed before it ends, avoid liking or commenting on it, and might not follow the account holder. As a result, the content could be deprioritized.
While this shouldn’t necessarily discourage you, it shows that you should still be strategic about what you’re posting on TikTok’s fast-paced platform and how long it really needs to be to grab attention and engagement.
Should You Post Long TikToks?
While slightly longer TikTok videos or even TikTok Live could be a great way to engage your TikTok while also potentially getting an algorithmic boost from the app, keep in mind that much of TikTok’s audience tends to prefer things short and sweet.
If you do want to test out a longer video, you can simply go to create a TikTok and film or upload content that’s up to 10-minutes long.
Ultimately, you’ll receive solid engagement and memorability on fast-paced apps like TikTok if your videos quickly and concisely pull viewers into the action and give them all the key information they need. If you do go beyond three minutes, your content will need to be incredibly interesting. Otherwise, the second a user loses interest, they’ll move on to the next video with just a quick swipe of their finger.
TikTok Pivots: Desperation or Competitive Maturity?
When TikTok first went viral, it was the go-to app for short-form videos. But now, as it matures at the top of app store and website charts, it’s starting to become a go-to platform for all things video.
And, while TikTok expanding to Stories and long-form videos might seem like a surprising play, the brand isn’t necessarily wrong to test these popular social media features.
Ultimately, once virality has been reached, platforms need to expand to have sustainable growth. Why? Because older competitors will likely copy or innovate on the unique features of smaller or newer platforms.
In 2019 and 2020, TikTok was in that situation. Although the app was viral and getting huge attention from brands, competitors like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter quickly began testing short-form video features. Yet, TikTok’s successfully kept growing and competing with these channels because of its continuous pivots, pilots, and evolutions. Essentially, TikTok is doing exactly what its competitors have done to capitalize on its features.
While TikTok was once that cool, edgy app that some had ever seen anything like before, it’s maturing into a channel that millions of people use daily. Sometimes, remaining relevant as you grow means you must release and test both never-before-seen and competitive features.
Is TikTok Right For You?
While some brands aren’t the best fit for TikTok and others still need to learn more about the platform to leverage it, this platform isn’t going away any time soon and it’s constantly growing and changing. Even if long-form content and Stories don’t become a hit on the app, the platform might still be relevant for your brand one day and is worth keeping on your radar.
It’s ultimately up to you to decide whether these features will intrigue your TikTok audience or if TikTok is even right for you. For more help on that front, download the free resource below.

If you’ve been on Instagram lately, you’ve probably noticed that the app looks a bit different every time you log on.
The heart-shaped notification button seems to move with a mind of its own, IGTV has disappeared, and the addition of the Reels and Shop buttons has completely changed the way we interact with the platform.
While these changes seem arbitrary, they’re the crucial next steps in Instagram’s evolution into a video-centric social shopping platform.
In 2022, Instagram will continue to prioritize video, expand on social shopping tools, make it easier for creators to monetize their content and partner with brands, and rework direct messaging (DM) interfaces.
While these shifts align with the trends we saw in our Social Media Trends survey, we decided to dive even deeper by asking another 580 Instagram marketers about how they’ll approach marketing on this changing platform in 2022.

Top Instagram Marketing Survey Findings
Based on our results, most Instagram marketers are already ahead of the game:

79% have leveraged Instagram Shopping tools and one in three plan to use them for the first time in 2022.  
82% post video content on the platform and the content formats they use most are video-based.
Instagram Live has the highest ROI of any content format. It is also the most effective for gaining followers, gets the most shares, and will see the most investment from Instagram marketers this year.
Content that reflects your brand’s values and showcases your products/services have the highest ROI on Instagram.
The best strategies to grow your following on Instagram are posting interactive and engaging stories, engaging with other users, and partnering with influencers.
Instagram marketers will prioritize fostering relationships with their customers in 2022 by focusing on interacting with their audience and creating content that encourages engagement.
35% use the app for customer service and see high ROI.
30% work with influencers (or creators) and 42% plan to start this year.
84% say Instagram marketing was effective for their company last year.

Now that we’ve given you a taste of our survey findings, let’s dive deeper and take a look at some Instagram benchmarks to help you see how your brand’s account stacks up against the competition. 
If you’re looking for some specific insights, click below to jump to the section you’d like to read first.

Instagram Marketing Benchmarks
Instagram Marketing Strategies
Instagram Content Types
Instagram Audience Growth Benchmarks
Effective vs. Ineffective Instagram Marketing

Instagram Marketing Benchmarks To Know In 2022
1. Over half of branded Instagram accounts have between 10K-100K followers.
More than a quarter, or 27%, of branded accounts have under 10,000 followers, while 19% have over 100K. Regardless of the size of your community, stay tuned for a breakdown of the top strategies for growing your Instagram following.

2. Impressions can come from anywhere on the platform.
Hashtags, Explore, and Profile, are all tied at 19% for the top Instagram impression sources, but Home and Location are just slightly behind.
Hashtags and Profile are more easily discoverable by search, so make sure your handle and hashtags are search-optimized.
Some posts may do exceptionally well due to a certain combination of hashtags you used, or thanks to the algorithm suggesting your content on the Explore page. Take a look at where the impressions came from on your top posts and keep an eye out for any patterns you can turn into a consistent strategy to re-create your success.
3. Less than half of business accounts have major YoY follower growth.
But, this doesn’t mean brand accounts are dramatically losing followers. In reality, only 14% report a loss while 42% have a stagnant following. 

Now that we’ve gone over some benchmarks, let’s talk about goals and strategies.

Instagram Marketing Strategies
Top Strategies and Goals of Instagram Marketers
With all the changes coming to the platform, marketers’ goals on Instagram are also shifting.
The top goals Instagram marketers have for 2022 are increasing brand awareness/reaching new audiences, advertising their products/services, increasing sales, fostering relationships with customers/increasing brand loyalty, and improving customer service and retention.

Let’s talk about each of these goals in terms of how they relate to Instagram’s changing platform.
1. Spreading Brand Awareness with Content Like Videos
Instagram has made clear that its focus is turning away from photos and toward video content. Not only does this indicate that Instagram users are more interested in seeing video content, but we can assume that video content will be more likely to be suggested to users by Instagram’s algorithm.
But which type of videos should you be making?
If the amount of Reels present on your Instagram feed and explore page didn’t give it away, Instagram also added a dedicated tab for Reels in the navigation bar to drive the point home — Reels are taking over.
And it’s not just Instagram — our social media trends survey found that short-form video is the most popular and effective format across all social platforms.
So to reach the widest audience on Instagram this year, focus on videos, especially Reels.
2. Driving Leads and Conversions With Instagram Advertising.
Advertising products/services is another top goal for Instagram marketers, and they will accomplish this by creating content showcasing their products/services and leveraging Instagram’s new shopping tools.
Content centered around a brand’s products/services is the second most popular type of content among Instagram Marketers and has the second-highest ROI of any content type.
My survey also found that marketers who leverage this type of content are 13% more likely to say their Instagram strategy was effective last year than those who don’t.
However, the most popular and most effective Instagram marketing strategy is leveraging the app’s shopping tools. But with a handful to choose from, let’s take a look at which ones perform the best.

3. Gaining Revenue With Instagram Shopping Tools
Although Instagram Shopping tools are still rather new and evolving, Instagram Shopping strategies offer the highest ROI and are already used most by Instagram marketers. 
While just 37% currently use the app’s shopping tools, 94% of them will increase or maintain their investment this year. On top of that, one in three plan to use Instagram shopping tools for the first time this year.
Also, marketers who leverage Instagram’s shopping tools are 15% more likely to say their Instagram strategy was effective last year than those who don’t. So which tools perform best?
Of the shopping tools, Instagram Live Shopping and Instagram Shops have the highest ROI and are the most leveraged.

Additionally, the use of both will grow significantly in 2022, with 55% planning to try Instagram Shops and 48% planning to use Instagram Live Shopping for the first time.
Instagram feed shopping posts, Instagram Stories Shopping, and Instagram Guides Shopping are all used by over one in three marketers and are just behind Instagram Shops and Instagram live Shopping for ROI.
Reels Shopping has the lowest use and ROI, however, 42% of Instagram marketers plan to use Reels Shopping for the first time this year, the 3rd highest of any Instagram shopping tool.

Is selling on Instagram right for you? And, what are the biggest benefits and challenges you could see when using it? Stay tuned for a deep dive on even more data that we’ll be sure to link to this post. 
4. Building Customer Relationships and Community
The ability to foster meaningful relationships with customers is one of the biggest benefits of having a brand presence on social media platforms, so it’s no surprise that this is a top goal for Instagram marketers that will become even more of a priority in 2022.
Marketers will accomplish this by investing in interacting with their audience and creating content that encourages engagement.

The Importance of Interacting With Your Audience
Audience interaction is the #1Instagram strategy marketers plan to leverage for the first time in 2022, with 46% planning to try it this year. On top of that, 15% of marketers plan to invest in it more than any other Instagram marketing strategy.
Instagram offers a wide variety of ways to interact with your audience, from simple reactions to comments and DMs. Taking the time to engage with your followers can make them feel special and strengthen their bond with your brand. But interaction is a two-way street, so you’ll also want to create content that encourages engagement.
5. Putting Engaging Content Before Other Tactics
Creating content that encourages engagement is the strategy Instagram marketers plan to invest the most in for 2022, with 17% planning to invest more in it than any other strategy.
Additionally, 43% plan to use it for the first time in 2022, the second-highest of any Instagram marketing strategy, and it has 3rd highest ROI of any strategy.
Encouraging engagement can be as simple as ending your video with a question that your followers can respond to in the comments, running a poll on your story, or going live and having a conversation with your viewers.
Going out of your way to connect with those in your digital community, especially when you aren’t trying to sell them anything, can help foster a deep relationship between them and your brand.
But there’s another great way to leverage Instagram to help serve your customers and keep them coming back – using the app for customer service.
6. Embracing Customer Service
Being a marketer doesn’t mean you should toss good customer service opportunities aside on Instagram. 28% of Instagram marketers say improving customer service and retention is among their top goals in 2022, and with good reason. Leveraging Instagram for customer service is the 2nd most used Instagram marketing strategy and has the 2nd highest ROI of any strategy.
To make the case for providing customer service on the app even stronger, I found that marketers and brands who leverage Instagram for customer service are 17% more likely to say their Instagram strategy was effective last year compared to those who don’t.
7. Leveraging Hashtags
Hashtags have been around on Instagram since 2011, and 82% of Instagram marketers continue to leverage them, with 85% following a documented hashtag strategy. But are they effective?
80% of Instagram marketers say hashtags were effective for their Instagram strategy last year. Furthermore, marketers who leverage hashtags when posting on Instagram are 23% more likely to say Instagram marketing was effective for their brand last year. That number goes up to 30% when looking at those with a document hashtag strategy.
We also found that marketers who use a mix of niche and general hashtags are 20% more likely to say Instagram marketing was effective for their brand in 2021. 
Make sure to leverage a few specific hashtags like #Dachsunds along with more popular ones like #Dogs for the best results.
How Many Hashtags Should You Use on Instagram?
Our survey shows that 62% of Instagram marketers use 4-9 hashtags, and only 1% use the maximum of 30.

Also consider using a branded hashtag when posting on Instagram, such as #CocaCola, for example.
53% of marketers say most of the brands they work for use branded hashtags, which can be great for creating a community around your brand and offer an easy way to find posts from or about your brand in one place.
Next, let’s talk about which call-to-action is most effective on Instagram.
8. Including Calls to Action in Content
We asked Instagram marketers whether asking followers to “like,” “share,” or “save” their content is most effective at triggering the algorithm to promote their content, as these are known to be the top metrics Instagram monitors. Here are the results:

While Instagram marketers rank likes at #1, shares second, and saves last, I would argue that this is backwards.
To explain why, consider your behavior when on Instagram. If you’re like me, you probably give out likes mindlessly while scrolling through your feed, but how often are you sharing content to your story or in chats with friends? How often are you saving posts to look at later? Those pieces of content are probably much more carefully selected.
When we share posts on Instagram, we are telling others that we found the content so valuable that we couldn’t help but share it with them – the algorithm picks up on this. Sharing also gets bonus points because it inherently exposes more people to a piece of content.
Similarly, when saving content, we tell the algorithm that we found it so valuable that we want to bookmark it for future reference.
So while all three of these are the most important metrics Instagram tracks, I would prioritize saving, sharing, or even commenting in your call-to-actions ahead of asking for likes.
Strategies Marketers Aren’t Using in 2022
User-generated content, contests or giveaways, and affiliate marketing have low usage, ROI, and are the least likely to be leveraged on Instagram for the first time in 2022.
While these strategies can still be successful and valuable to some brands, marketers we surveyed say they are not as effective as the other strategies we asked about.
If you’re having difficulty building an effective UGC, affiliate marketing, or giveaway plan, consider alternatives, like partnering with influencers in your niche who can generate authentic content for your brand to establish social proof and spread awareness. Our marketing trends survey found influencer marketing to be the most popular and most effective trend, with the highest ROI.
Now that we’ve gone over Instagram marketers’ goals and strategies in 2022, let’s talk about which formats are most effective on the platform.

Which Instagram Formats Are Most Effective?
The formats Instagram marketers leverage most are live, stories, and interviews/Q&A/Expert discussions. Let’s take an in-depth look at each of them.

Instagram Live
Instagram Live has the highest ROI and use will grow significantly in 2022 as 49% of Instagram marketers will invest in Instagram Live for the first time and 22% will invest more in Instagram live than any other format.
We also asked Instagram marketers which format is most effective for gaining followers, and Instagram Live came out ahead there as well, though closely followed by stories and feed posts.

 
Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories have the 2nd best ROI and are leveraged by 45% of Instagram marketers. Of those who don’t use it, 45% plan to leverage stories for the first time in 2022, the 2nd highest of any format. Instagram stories are also the #2 format for gaining followers and getting your content shared on IG.

Interviews, Q&As, and Expert Discussions
Interviews/Q&As/Expert discussions are used by 31% of marketers, with 42% planning to try them for the first time in 2022 and 10% planning to invest more in them than any other format.

Instagram Reels
Only one in four Instagram marketers use Reels and just 29% of Instagram marketers plan to leverage reels for the first time in 2022.

While Reels fall in the middle of the pack across all metrics, we believe that this is feature is greatly underutilized and could actually provide unique and new opportunities for brands.
In fact, brands and influencers who have focused on it have seen major benefits to leveraging it. For example, we recently spoke with Kar Brulhart, who has organically grown her Instagram account from zero to 45,000+ viewers in under 10 months using Reels. She told us about the incredible opportunity Reels presents for Instagram marketers:
 “I went from less than 2,000 followers in February 2020 to over 15,000 the next month through Reels, because Instagram is pushing Reels to new audiences. And 75% of the people who find my account are coming from Reels — compared to Stories and posts.”
Considering the popularity of short-form videos and the emphasis Instagram is placing on Reels, Instagram marketers may want to give Reels a shot as they are relatively easy to make and can provide a boost in exposure.
Now that we’ve gone over the top formats, let’s take a look at which content types are most popular on Instagram.

Which Types Of Content Perform Best On Instagram?
The top Instagram content types reflect a brand’s values, are centered around a brand’s products/services, are interactive, authentic, and funny. Let’s take a look at what makes each of these content types so popular among Instagram marketers.
Content That Reflects Brand Values
Content that reflects a brand’s values was the #1 content type in our social media trends survey and that is also true for Instagram marketers, 44% of whom use it.

Instagram marketers say it has the highest ROI of any content type. Additionally, 45% say they will invest in it for the first time in 2022, the highest of any content type, and 11% will invest more in it than any other type of content.

Content Centered Around A Brand’s Products/Services
Content centered around a brand’s products/services is leveraged by 39% of Instagram marketers and has the 2nd highest ROI. 39% will leverage this type of content for the first time in 2022.
Interactive Content and/or Authentic/Behind-the-Scenes Content
Interactive content and authentic/”behind the scenes” content are both popular among Instagram marketers and will grow in 2022.
44% of Instagram marketers plan to leverage interactive content for the first time in 2022, followed by Authentic/”Behind the scenes” content at 40%. Both are tied at the #1 spot for the content type marketers plan to invest more in than any other in 2022.
Funny Content
Funny content is the most effective for getting followers, shares, and engagement on IG.

Now that we’ve gone over the different Instagram formats and content types, let’s dig into the top strategies for growing your following on Instagram.

Instagram Audience Growth Benchmarks
How Brands Grow Instagram Audiences
To grow your following on Instagram, the top 3 strategies are posting interactive and engaging stories, engaging with other users, and partnering with influencers.

At #4, sharing your Instagram page and content on various channels, like other social media platforms or your website, is also important for growth.
The next most popular strategy is diversifying your content to resonate with a wider audience, but you’ll also want to study your audience for trends and make targeted content to attract others with similar interests.
Another powerful growth strategy is adding a simple call-to-action to “like,” “save,” or “share” your content at the very end of your captions – if someone read it all the way through, they probably got value from your content and will be inclined to comply. If users take these actions, it will give your content a boost in the eyes of the algorithm and put it in front of more people, who may end up following you.
Lastly, you can also get a boost in growth by partnering with brands or accounts in a similar niche, as their audiences will likely be interested in your content as well.
These are the best strategies to grow your following in general, but we also asked marketers about the top strategies they used to reach their first thousand followers, and the results show some key differences.
How To Get Your First 1,000 Instagram Followers
Earning your first 1,000 followers on Instagram is a massive milestone, and 78% of Instagram marketers have been part of growing an account to 1k followers. According to them, creating shareable content and captions, as well as using relevant hashtags are key to reaching your first 1k followers.

Remember that the formats most effective at getting shares are live video, stories, and feed posts, while the top content types for shares are funny, interactive, and reflective of your brand’s values.
Now that you know how to reach 1,000 followers, you may be wondering how long it might take.
How Long Does It Take To Reach 1,000 Followers On Instagram?
Around 1 in 4 Instagram marketers reach 1,000 followers in 1-3 months, while 39% say it takes 4-6 months. Only 13% were able to reach the 1k milestone in under a month, and just 1% took over a year.
But just as you gain followers, it’s also possible to lose them. Let’s take a look at what has caused Instagram marketers to lose followers, so you can avoid those mistakes.
What Causes Instagram Marketers To Lose Followers?
Not posting enough and being too “sales-y” are the top culprits when it comes to losing followers. 1 in 3 Instagram marketers also report losing followers from posting too often and not being consistent with their brand voice or aesthetic.
Lastly, using “banned” hashtags can result in your posts being hidden. You can check if a hashtag is banned by searching it on Instagram and looking at the top or most recent posts — if those sections come up empty, it’s likely banned.
Speaking of hashtags, we asked marketers how many they use, and whether broad or niche hashtags perform better. Let’s take a look at the results.

Instagram Video Features
In line with Instagram’s video-centric changes, 82% of Instagram marketers currently post videos on the platform, and those who do are 16% more likely to say Instagram marketing was effective for their brand last year.
The most popular video formats among marketers are Instagram Live, posting videos to their stories, posting videos to their feeds, and Instagram Reels.
So let’s take a look at some feature-specific data on each of these.
Instagram Live
Instagram live is not only the most leveraged video feature, but marketers who use it are 22% more likely to say that Instagram marketing was effective for their brand last year. Here are the content types that get the most engagement when going live on Instagram:

Instagram Stories
78% of Instagram marketers leverage stories, and those who do are 23% more likely to say that Instagram marketing was effective for their brand last year.
But how often should you be posting stories? 43% post stories multiple times a week, while 26% post multiple times a day, and 23% post daily.
Another common question is how long stories should be. 75% of Instagram marketers who leverage stories say their audience watches 4-9 story pages before dropping off, with only 7% saying their audience watches the entire story regardless of length.
We also asked about the ideal number of stories to have up at once – 74% of Instagram marketers say 4-9 stories is best:

Curious about which story types are most engaging? Check out this post.
Instagram Feed Posts
Though not exclusive to video, the modern Instagram feed is dominated by video content. 80% of marketers post to their feeds in their marketing role, but the frequency of their posting varies, with 45% posting multiple times a week, 23% posting once a day, and another 23% posting multiple times a day.

You may also be wondering about how long your captions should be when posting to your feed. 2 in 3 marketers say the optimal caption length to maximize engagement with a feed post is medium (31-50 words).

For a deeper dive on this, check out this post on instagram video formats.
Next, let’s take a look at whether Instagram marketers are leveraging organic or paid media on the platform, and which performs better.

Organic vs. Paid Instagram Content
Among those who use a mix of paid and organic content, paid content is somewhat more effective for reaching business goals and for gaining followers.
However, effective marketers are 20% more likely to leverage both organic and paid content compared to those who described Instagram as ineffective for reaching their business goals in 2021.
Speaking of effective and ineffective marketers, let’s end with a look at what sets the two groups apart.

Setting Effective and Ineffective Instagram Marketers Apart
Lastly, we asked Instagram marketers whether Instagram marketing was effective or ineffective in 2021, and looked at the data by the two separate groups. Here are some of the biggest differentiators:
As we end this post, here are a few themes we’ve picked up from the chart above, and the overall results of our survey:

Video is key: Instagram is constantly evolving to welcome more and more video formats. While you don’t need to create a large live video event, consider starting small with Reels as it is being favored by consumers and the Instagram algorithm.
Engage constantly: Whether you’re responding to their comments, exchanging DMs, or creating content that sparks a conversation – it’s important to ensure that your Instagram strategy caters to your audience and meets them where they are.
Social Shopping is the future: Shopping on social media is the future of e-commerce, and Instagram is the best place to do it. With a handful of shopping tools to choose from, there is no better time to get started.
Use Instagram for customer service: Using Instagram for customer service is a quick and convenient way to answer customers’ most pressing questions, and marketers who use it see high ROI.
Hashtags aren’t going anywhere: Hashtags are highly searchable, make your content more discoverable, and most marketers who use them plan to continue doing so. While you shouldn’t go overboard with too many hashtags, consider how you can leverage them creatively within upcoming content or if there are ways you can participate in hashtag trends on the platform.

More of Our Instagram Marketing Research
Check out these posts for a deeper dive as well as tips and tricks related to our Instagram marketing data.

The Top Instagram Marketing Challenges
The Top Reasons Brands Lose Followers
Do Brands Use Instagram Shopping Tools? [Data from 500+ Marketers]
Which Instagram Story Formats Really Engage Viewers [New Research]

Interested in learning even more about Instagram marketing and engagement from some of our expert partner brands? Be sure to download the free resource below.

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