Instagram is rapidly becoming the most used social media app and has already got around 300 million monthly users which is even more than twitter. People don’t just use it as an app for sharing their photos anymore, with so many choices available to them they use it as a tool for reviews and even shopping. Startups can use Instagram as a marketing tool to promote their existence and that too without any sales! Here are some ways to use Instagram efficiently:
1. Making an Official Business Account Since so many businesses are coming to Instagram, this app started their own Instagram For Business blog. They offer advice, guidelines and also news from their headquarters. It’s beneficial for one to make a business account and promote their startup through that instead of a personal account. Potential customers want to know about the brand and not personal details about the instagram account operator. Keeping it professional is the first step to successfully engaging audiences.
2. Setting The Account In Accordance To Your BrandYour brand image is what represents you, Instagram has a feature to add your profile picture, a bio and an unique username. Since these three things are going to be what make you stand out from the rest, you should pay extra attention to them. Add a permanent profile picture which represents your brand the best like your logo. Users will identify with your profile picture and all interactions will take place with that miniature version of it. Your bio should also be in relevance to what you do and who you are. Before hitting follow, the users will read your bio and depending on whether they like it or not they will view your profile further. So keep it concise and exciting.
Don’t forget to add a link to your website or online store (if any) in your bio so your users have full accessibility.
3. Posting Relevant Pictures Next step is to start posting relevant pictures which target your audience and reflect your brand. Post pictures about your products, services and include visual content more than pictures with just text. 90% of the information which goes in our brain is visual so obviously we will process that faster and remember it for a longer period of time. Include Videos as well, like a 15 second video introducing your founder or an employee. Let your followers know about what exactly you’re about. Instead of posting pictures yelling how amazing the product is, leave it to the audience to decide. Images allow the potential customers to judge the product without any pressure from a salesman or spokesperson of the company. Give your followers freedom to think and connect by their will. There’s a thin line between being influential and pushy about your products.
4. Connecting With The CommunityIt’s necessary to connect with your followers to build your credibility. Follow backs are a good way to start; businesses should also follow other influential business accounts or follow them back. Being involved in the target community is equally important. Initially, you will need to grow your brand in the masses and for that you need to be active throughout the day and sometimes night to ensure proper interaction to your followers. For example if someone comments a query or a negative comment about the product, reply and follow up. Videos play a huge role, re-posting videos of your customers while using the products or reviewing your product/service should do the trick.
5. Ways To Reach Out Use hashtags (#) to make your posts searchable and trending. Instagram’s feed changes every minute with million of people posting, so to ensure that your post is not buried add a relevant hashtag to keep it in the loop. You can use already trending hashtags to keep up or make your own hashtag. Add simple tags that go with your picture and brand.You can also use data analysis apps like Iconosqaure, Sprout Social or Simply measured. These apps help collect data on what hashtags are most responsive, follower count and what kind of posts generate more traffic.
6. Become Friends With Your Followers The best way to increase traffic is to maintain a friendly relationship with your followers. Just simply replying to their comments won’t help your market yourself, engage in healthy interaction with your users. Hold competitions and repost the photos they might tag your profile in. For example, a well known brand like Harper Collins also indulges in healthy competitions and giveaways every week to spice their marketing techniques.You can give conditions like they have to repost your post and tag three of their friends to enter the contest; that way the more the reposts more the traffic on your profile. Reward your followers by giving out promos or discount coupons to boost your “wow” factor.
7. Link Your Facebook Page Facebook and Instagram when used together provide a better and bigger platform for marketing. When you post a video or photo, share it via Instagram on Facebook as well. The number of views will rocket like anything since Facebook Business pages promote their page through paid media.
8. Launch Products or Events On InstagramAnother way to keep your followers hooked is to launch products on Instagram. It creates the element of excitement since not all your customers can reach a launch party or be RSVP-ed in it. So launching on the internet is a good way to reach out to your potential customers. Uploading pre-launch videos showing how the preparation is going down or how the employees feel about the launch. Personalising your posts shows how important your followers are to you.
9. Make Efficient Use of Your MobileUse the Geotagging feature to target the local consumers as to where you are. If you are hosting a live event, update your followers on the go with hashtags and photos.Share content that you haven’t posted anywhere like QR codes for coupons, this will make your followers feel special.
10. Improve Your Page Through AnalyticsUse data analysis apps to track your Instagram profile progress. It will show you what time your posts get the most likes or which community likes your posts the most. That way you’ll be able to post more relevantly and increase your traffic on your profile and site.
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Tanya Kathuria is a media enthusiast pursuing her bachelor's in Literature from Jamia Milla Islamia. She loves writing and also has two of her own blogs: Just Oreo Things and The Mughmara Chronicles
