Instagram. Everyone loves it. It’s one of the world’s most popular social media platforms, because it focuses on visual content. In fact, 90% of the information transmitted to the brain is visual—and visuals are processed 60,000X faster in the brain than text. It’s no wonder why there are more than 75 million active daily users on the platform. You can share your thoughts and ideas through photography and video, and with the use of filters and other photo-editing capabilities, you can transform your photos into little pieces of artwork for the world to see.
Instagram was launched back in October 2010, but hasn’t been used by businesses as a marketing tool until more recently. Now, 59% of big brands are active on this social platform and are becoming more creative than ever with their social marketing campaigns. From contests and promotions to how-to videos and made-for-Instagram commercials, there are tons of opportunities to engage your prospects!
Are you ready to incorporate the use of Instagram into your company’s online marketing strategy? If so, here’s how to make sure you’re getting the most out of this platform:
1) Set up and optimize your profile properly
Before you begin sharing your best photos and videos, make sure your audience is able to easily discover who you are and what you do. Keep your company account public so that others can follow your account. Tell your story by using all of the allocated space for your profile biography. Let down your hair and make your company bio fun! You want to grab attention so people want to follow you. And what’s the most important thing to do? Include your website URL in your bio! This is the one place where Instagram allows you to insert a clickable link.
2) Utilize hashtags for every post
It’s almost as common to use hashtags on Instagram as it is on Twitter. When you’re sharing your latest and greatest, use relevant hashtags to categorize your content so users that are seeking out that type of content can discover your posts! For example, if you’re sharing a post that contains a marketing tip, you’ll want to be sure to use the hashtag “#marketing” so that users searching for marketing posts will find it. Another way to maximize using hashtags is by searching in the “explore” feature for popular hashtags with a particular keyword. If you type in “#marketing”, a list of all of the most frequently used hashtags with “marketing” in the name will show up, so you’re aware of other possible ways to categorize your content.
3) Share valuable content while showing off your fun side
While your main focus should be sharing content that will be valuable to your target audience, don’t forget to place high importance on showing off your fun side, too! Share photos that are related to your brand but that also give followers a glimpse into your company culture and personality, like photos of your staff, company events, projects for clients that you’ve worked with and more. This is your chance to let your creativity shine!
4) Don’t forget about videos
Instagram videos give you the opportunity to take 15 seconds to entertain your followers in some of the most creative ways possible. You can create made-for-Instagram commercials to show off your products/services or you can ask your audience to share their most pressing questions and utilize this tool to position yourself as an industry expert! Either way, consumers LOVE videos, so why not take advantage of this capability?
5) Follow and engage your prospects
Social media is a two-way street. One tried and true way of increasing your following and engagement on your content is by following others and engaging on their content. Search hashtags to locate target audience members, whether your company is B2C or B2B. Follow relevant users and then periodically engage on their posts by liking their photos or commenting. However, you don’t want to sound “spammy”, so don’t bombard them with your sales pitch!
So, the next time your co-worker bakes those awesome treats for the office or your company has released its latest break-through product, be sure to join in on the fun and “Instagram that”! And don’t forget to follow us, either :). Here’s our Instagram account: http://instagram.com/grassrootsmarketing.
Looking for more advice about social media? Download our FREE ebook “Enhance Your Internet Presence with Social Media” by clicking below!
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