Social media has been setting trends in marketing over recent years. Last year, visual marketing became the buzzword driving the marketing plans for many businesses. You may have wondered what your options were and why these new content drivers were important. Today we are digging into some of the basics of Instagram for what to do next. No more selfies… Read on to learn how you can utilize this tool to reach your audience and grow your business.
Insta-who?
It’s not just the artsy designers you may think of, 65% of the world’s top brands are currently on Instagram. Instagram has steadily been gaining traction and now has over 200 million users, of which 70% log in daily – they are constantly in on the action. Compare that with Facebook’s daily active 728 million users (1.19 billion overall) and you’re looking at a different target. Contrary to popular belief, posts shouldn’t just be copied from Facebook across multiple channels. When using Instagram, you want to tailor your posts to create a connection with this smaller user group.
Insta-me?
Let’s start with your profile. We know you’re already set up, but is your name right for your business? A clear recognizable username and profile name are important. These are the names that show up when users are searching for more content, so adding a keyword to them is a great strategy. The body of your profile can be more in-depth and contain your website’s URL. Your bio isn’t searchable, so it’s important to use a keyword in the name so users can find you if they are searching for something specific.
Insta-wha?
Engagement is the premise of Instagram. Users can quickly look through and ‘double-tap to like’ (or ♥) the posts that resonate well with them. In this highly active, close-knit community, it’s important to create conversation. Asking questions in your photo caption can get users to start thinking. Once they respond, you can easily go in and tag a response back to them – creating a conversation for others to jump in on. Responding helps to create brand advocates and users will then continue to talk highly about you because you took the time to reach out to them directly.
Contests can be great tools for engagement as well. A benefit of creating contests is that you can link users back to your website and capture the information via an e-newsletter sign up. Requesting that they double-tap, comment and share your post are great tools for reaching their followers and will increase your fan base as well. Don’t forget to follow all the rules and, of course, reach out to @everyideamarketing if you have questions.
Hashtag-wha?
You may have seen hashtags floating around Instagram and across other social platforms lately. What are they anyways, and how can you use them to your benefit? They are searchable keywords that allow users to find new content. They need to be category relevant to both your post and your business. Instagram allows 30 hashtags per post, but they really are not needed in that high of a frequency, it’s better to have fewer hashtags that are more relevant. Think relevant, specific and observant.
Use industry level, popular hashtags to reach millions. After a few minutes, your post will become lost in a sea of photos, so get specific as well. Specific tags will keep you at the top of your list. Then search your tag, see what other users are tagging their photos with and add some of those. Choose a variety of popularity levels to help build your followers and keep your content at the top of the list as well. #hashtagsfordummies #hashtagsarefun #learninginstagram #inbend #marketingbendoregon #woohoo
For Example: If you are a local marketing agency named Every Idea Marketing, for example, posting about an event you are promoting, you might say something like: “Be sure to come down to @Clientname this Saturday for the final produce sale of the season. #everyideamarketing #marketingmatters #livinlocal #sofresh
Insta-why?
A bonus of Instagram is that you can easily cross-promote with your other marketing channels. The photo editing tools are quick and simple and you can combine several to develop more elaborate blog posts and e-newsletters. Fashion designers and movies have done really well with sneak peeks and behind the scenes content; any sort of teaser gains traction with this audience.
Still have questions about what to do next? Reach out to us at ideas@every-idea.com.