Instagram was launched in 2010 and no one projected that it would grow exponentially leave alone be sold for 1 billion dollars in 2012. It is not strange that Facebook thought the purchase was worth every cent. Instagram has grown to be a big social media giant with millions of users. So, what has this got to do with your business? Humans are more interested in picture and video representation of anything, still, what has this got to do with your business. Well, Instagram, being a photo sharing social network, presents your business with endless opportunities to market your products and services in a way your audience will find interesting. Here are important tips to get you started on Instagram.
1. Expand Your Presence
Just like your business is known by a number offline, you should ensure that you are recognizable online. This starts with creating an attractive profile and using a name that people will easily connect with. Instead of @bobbysbigcoffeemug7, just use @bobbyscoffee. Though some users think that the former is ‘cool’, it will be your highway to losing the online presence you need in marketing your business. Use all the tools availed by Instagram to brand your profile and customize it as much as you can. This will work magic in improving brand recognition and enhancing your online presence.
2. The Picture Affair
Instagram is all about sharing photos and less of written text. With that said, you need to ensure that you are providing your audience with what they want to see. While at that, you also have to plan on how often you will be posting your photos to remain relevant without clogging your account with pictures no one is paying attention to.
– Picture Type
When you are posting images for purposes of marketing, just like in any other marketing strategy, you need to ensure you are using the best quality. No one wants to look at bad quality images in this age where even smartphones can provide high quality photos. Use images that are easy to understand and show all important features.
– Content
As much as you want to market your business, you should not dwell too much on your products and services. People will know what you deal with when you create a good customized profile. To keep your audience glued to your profile, mix your business related photos with other interesting things in nature, technology and humor. Good humor can go a long way in attracting more followers and expanding your audience.
3. Get Followers
Instagram is like a movie theatre, the screen is where you post your photos and the audience is made up of your followers. Without followers you will simply be showing your photos to no one. This calls for a campaign to increase your followers to substantial numbers. There are some ways you can use to attract followers and this includes connecting Instagram with your Facebook account, using the most popular but relevant hashtags and following other accounts and liking the pictures they post. You should use other social media platforms and marketing strategies to let people know you are on Instagram so that they can find you there.
4. Leverage The Power Of Apps
There are millions of apps that make things easier in our daily lives and Instagram is no exception. There are many apps you should take advantage of to improve your picture posting experience. Most of these apps will assist you a great deal in making Instagram a bigger part of your social media marketing plans. You only need to identify those that will work positively and effectively for you.
5. Use Contests To Build Your Following
A lot of consumers are in love with challenges that have rewards. Take advantage of this factor by hosting photo contests using hashtags of your choice. The more people participate in the contest, the more followers you will gather. Users will have to follow you to check all the updates of the contest and the hashtags will come in handy when popularizing your business online. Use Facebook and other social media pages to inform users about your contest on Instagram.
6. Use Trends To Market Your Brand
Hashtags are the way trends are presented on Instagram and you should be aware of what is trending and use it to market your brand. The hashtags help in directing all content with the tag to one location and depending on how popular the trend is, you will have yourself a great avenue to popularize your brand and possibly gain more followers.
7. Make Use Of Analytics Tools
For you to succeed in a marketing strategy, you need to be aware of how effective it is. On Instagram, this can be done using different analytics tools that will give you detailed insights of how good or how bad you images are doing. The tools will help you in identifying the type of images your followers are interested in and give you better ideas on your future posts.
8. Reward Your Followers
We all know how deeply in love we are with rewards. It is easy to control your followers and make them view your feed content as their first priority when they are on Instagram. If you occasionally throw in free movie tickets, backstage entries to important events, shopping vouchers etc. you will keep your followers glued to your feed and make great steps in attracting new followers. This way, you will have an audience ready to look at your photos and read whatever you have to say. Marketing your products and services on Instagram will be easier.
Instagram can greatly improve your online presence and boost your visibility. To take advantage of the opportunities that this platform offers to businesses, use the tips above. Keep in mind that you are in business but you still need to get out of the ‘all work and no play bubble’. Your audience is interested in interesting things; market your business in an interesting way for better results.