Out of several social sites that currently exist, selecting one for the IMC can be a delicate act. People get confused between the most popular and widely used sites. People generally prefer going with the most popular or dominant option. However, it is more advisable to select a site, which has fewer competitors and is a potential platform to interact with people. These were the reasons why I preferred going with Instagram for designing an integrated marketing plan (IMC) for the launch of ‘Leather Handbag.’ Leather handbag industry has grown by 2.2% (CAGR 2020-2023). However, it is expected to slow, mainly due to Brexit. The post-Brexit time can be a period of uncertainties for the leather industry. It would be difficult to say anything about it. It is good to let the people know about a new product before it gets launched, expecting it will influence their perception of the product. It is with this intention I decided to design an integrated marketing campaign (IMC) for the launch of a leather handbag. Apart from many other benefits of IMC, it is also advantageous in establishing communication with the target market. Out of many social sites, I found Instagram as the most effective in connecting with people and knowing more about them. I created an Instagram page to sell leather handbags of different colours and quality range. However, I received only 14 likes and three comments after 12 hours I posted these bags on the Instagram page. I would now take a few actions to increase the visibility for the posts. I will use a number of hashtags to make the posts more visible to people. Posts of other people or business will be followed to post the products in the comment section. I will keep uploading new posts to increase reachability as well as traffic.
I found Instagram useful for promoting a range of leather handbags. Although the post received very few likes and comments, it should reach to more people. What I learnt from Instagram after promoting bags is that it can be a time-consuming process. A massive amount of time needs to be invested in delivering more posts and using more new hashtags. If traffic is boosted, I can expect a good response from the followers of the post. Conversely, if traffic stays unhealthy again, I will go for other brands and pick a few of their potential followers to target. This is how I believe Instagram can be used to boost up the count for followers. By having more followers for the post, I can rest assure that the sales will happen.
Instagram is important because it is the simplest and most enjoyable way of sharing both an existing and new business. As per my perception of this digital marketing tool, I consider it a remarkable tool in building brand value. It vastly supports developing a noticeable online presence. It helps get recognised by the target people as well as Instagram users. Instagram is applicable both for SMEs and large-size organisations. It is beneficial for new business as well as business existing for a significant amount of time. It is more about understanding the customer by ensuring good use of Instagram analytics like Instagram Insights and HypeAuditor to assess the traffic to posts.
One of the business objectives of marketing leather handbag is to attain a profit of £1,550,035. Instagram marketing, as I understood from doing an Instagram promotion of leather handbags, can be time-consuming. Results will happen; however, it will take time. The more I explore Instagram using analytic tools and hashtags; the more will be traffic there. The business objective of the Instagram campaign should be achieved. However, this will more depend on me like how I utilise Instagram to boost up the followers’ count and learn from others to improve the content for the posts. The reason I did not choose any other social site than Instagram is that other social media sites are highly competitive and offer fewer rooms to explore new opportunities. Instead, I found Instagram a right place for beginners like me where I can reach to serious buyers.
The success of the campaign will be measured in terms of ROI (Return on Investment). The net profit assumed for the campaign is £1,550,035. The expected cost of investment for the Instagram marketing campaign will be £798,500. I am hoping that the campaign will help the business achieve 1.94 as ROI. However, ROI will lot depend on how things progress on Instagram and the actual sales process followed at distribution touchpoints like high-end department stores and online channels.
For the evaluation purpose, I will use two Instagram analytics to know the areas where I am good at as well as require the improvements. I will use Instagram Insights to learn about audience demographics. This analytic will help me access the visitors’ Profile, which is very important to know my audience and the kind of product they can expect in the handbag product section. Visitors profile can thus be used to offer more relevant handbags with regards to price, quality, colour and whatever. I will also use HypeAuditor to know which of the audience is genuine and how they could be reachable. This analytic tool will help me grab an automated report for free. I believe this report will help me keep a close observation of other businesses selling leather handbags.
I have just been a few days older on Instagram and still learning how to be impactful with Instagram posts. I should grow better with Instagram marketing of leather handbags. I believe people should find my posts valuable as here in one place they will be explored to the range of quality leather handbags. This will also benefit us as the handbags can be sold to people.
Bibliography
Hashim N, ‘Embracing The Instagram Waves –The New Business Episode To The Potential Entrepreneurs’ (2017) 4 Journal of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation
Statista.com, ‘Luggage & Bags – United Kingdom | Statista Market Forecast’ (Statista, 2020) <https://www.statista.com/outlook/13020000/156/luggage-bags/united-kingdom> accessed 13 January 2020
