How to create a powerful Instagram social media marketing strategy
4 Brand-Building Tips on Using Instagram for Your Business
Social media is one of the most powerful marketing tools today. From Facebook posts to Twitter tweets, sharing your product or service on social media platforms is a great way to increase brand awareness, engagement, sales and leads. However, when it comes to marketing with Instagram, a lot of people keep scratching their heads. Many of us use Instagram as a personal account to post pictures of our family, friends, vacations and meals — but how can this be tied to business? And it should be?
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With the pace at which Instagram is growing, don’t underestimate its value in promoting your brand and marketing efforts. It has become an incredibly valuable marketing platform and although 18–29 year olds are still in vogue, older age groups are catching on fast.
Here are some 2018 Instagram stats from Sprout Social:
Instagram 7 out of 10 hashtags are branded on Instagram
• 80% of users follow a business on Instagram
top 65 Top High-Performing Instagram Posts Features Products. If you feel the urge to explore Instagram as part of your social media marketing strategy, check out these initial tips to help you get started.
1. Use hashtags wisely
You don’t have to cram every hashtag you can think of in a post, but you need at least some. A hashtag is a # sign followed by descriptive words about your image. For example, I used #marketing and #ctaconf, the conference I was attending at the time. When a user clicks / taps on a hashtag or types a hashtag in the search box, it brings up all the images that use that hashtag. The user can also subscribe to follow this hashtag. Hopefully the user will see your picture, turn to your profile and follow the best scenario, follow you and engage in more of your posts!
However, when hashtags are very popular, the competition to appear in the results is fierce. Like SEO keywords, the more popular a term, the harder it is to stay at the top of search results. As such, my example of using #marketing was useless if I wanted to get some traction from this post. You want your hashtags to be relevant to your business and location, but also so engaging that a user can type them into an Instagram search box.
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For example:
• Say you have a shared pizza in Vancouver. You post a picture of your Pepperoni Pizza with the hashtags # Vancouver Best Pizza # Nicholas Restaurant # Charming Dip Dash
• Or you are a Toronto wedding planner. You post a picture of the bride and groom’s first dance with the hashtags # Toronto Wedding Planning #LeoWaynes #Winter Wedding.
Holidays and special events are the best time to promote your business and gain Instagram followers. Whether it’s a sale on Black Friday, a Thanksgiving use of your product, or a shout-out to a product on National Dog Day, it’s time to showcase your business brand in an unsold way. There are all sorts of opportunities.
2. Thank your audience for your performance
You don’t just post a bunch of photos and hashtags and wait for favorites to come in. To get Instagram followers, engage with your audience and increase sales or leads, you need to take the time. Check out an example from video expert Michelle Moreno here where she responds to every comment left on her video post. So if someone leaves a comment or question on your posts, take the time to reply and thank them / answer their question. Take a look at their profiles, and follow them if you like what you like. Businesses often follow candidates in the hope that they can return the favor. You can also find people who are interested in your product, then comment on their photos and / or follow them, but right away. Don’t waste their time asking them to follow you.
3. Communicate with the right influential people
Inspiring people are Instagram users who can impress your target audience by gaining popularity and / or following social media. Daniel Bernstein is a good example of an inspiring person who worked with a brand. You may not recognize her name, but her Instagram account WeWoreWhr has 1.8 million followers. Bernstein and FIJI Water worked together to create BodyWorld, a marketing campaign that features an 8-minute workout video with him and his personal trainer. This can be a great example, and unless you have a deep pocket, you probably won’t be able to attract an influencer with nearly one million followers. But don’t despair. From mom bloggers to local foods, you can always find someone who is your target audience.
4. Don’t just shell out your product
Instagram is not the place to share product shots all the time. Think about the people’s experience of using what you have to offer or the benefits it brings to people. Show even better, original examples. One way to do this is to ask your audience about user-generated content. This means users can share their photos using the hashtags you provide. The online furniture store Wayfair.com handles user-generated content very well. They have a user-generated campaign that allows users to share photos of their stylish WiFi homes using the hashtag #WayfairAtHome. Make sure to let people know that their photos can be featured on your page and you can enhance your Instagram content in a big way — for free!
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Regardless of how you use Instagram for your business, be authentic and loyal to your brand. This is the platform that will help you grow your business, gain Instagram followers and attract sales or leads. Susan Freeson, founder of Aviation Media, an award-winning web development and digital marketing company, is a web expert and marketing consultant. r She works with entrepreneurs who struggle with the lack of knowledge, skills and support needed to build a presence in their online business.
