Social Media Today has published a five-step guide on how to maximise Instagram marketing in 2026, as brands look to build and expand their presence on the platform, which now counts more than three billion monthly active users.

1. Examine trends

• Marketers can use Instagram’s existing search tools to find top or recent posts by keyword and identify the most active users within each niche.
• Meta AI allows users to pose conversational queries about key trends, offering guidance on top influencers and content within specific topic segments, helping to streamline the discovery process.

2. Consider influencers

• Short-form video is driving the most engagement on Instagram in 2026. Partnering with relevant influencers offers brands access to creators already in tune with what resonates with the target audience.
• Meta AI can provide overviews of key influencers by region and topic, while Instagram’s Creator Marketplace provides engagement stats and audience makeup for individual creators.

3. Note what’s working

• Even without working with influencers, research into creator content provides guidance on what’s resonating in a given niche.
• Marketers should also explore comment sections to identify what questions are being asked, as brands may be able to answer those questions through their own content.

4. Formulate a strategy

• Research findings can form the basis of an organic Instagram strategy, providing clear guidance on content formats and approaches based on actual data from Instagram users.

5. Analyse and improve

• Instagram Insights can be used to examine what’s working and double down on the best-performing approaches.
• Marketers should focus on metrics more likely to drive sales, such as interactions and profile activity, rather than surface-level reach figures.

For more information, visit socialmediatoday.com.