Instagram boasts more than 700 million users and counting. It gains millions of new users every month. Due to its ongoing rapid growth, Instagram has joined the ranks of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn as major social media networks.
As marketers and small business owners recognize the popularity of the app, more jump on the Instagram bandwagon. Unfortunately, many may simply post photos without a plan and don’t get the full benefits the network.
Here are recommendations on how to win new customers and increase sales with Instagram.
Work on your bio. Include a link or call-to-action or both as well as your location in your bio. Links in bios are key to winning more website traffic. Also include your location, a marketing must for local businesses, and a brief description of your business.
Add a photo to your profile. If you don’t, the ghost-like image appears every time you make a comment. “A missing profile pic is a perfect symbol of lackadaisical attitude. It plainly means you are not very keen on growing your user base. Forget about attracting new users; you’ll lose out on the existing ones if you keep your profile pic blank,” warns Jini Maxin, senior writer at OpenXcell, on the Single Grain Digital Marketing blog.
Add hashtags. Hashtags bring increased interactions more than on other networks. Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags per post. However, stuffing posts with irrelevant hashtags can backfire. Add at least five hashtags and stick to relevant words and phrases, Maxin recommends. Local businesses benefit from adding location-based hashtags.
Do it on desktop. Although Instagram is a mobile app, you can create and edit graphics on a desktop computer faster than on a mobile phone, advises Alfred Lua, a content crafter at Buffer. Instagram scheduling tools save time transferring graphics and images from desktops to mobile phones.
Share others’ content. Sharing user-generated content offers can be an outstanding strategy. First identify content to re-post through social media listening. Obtain permission to share from the original poster. Take a screenshot on your mobile device, crop out unneeded parts of the image, and add your own caption.
Think visually; focus on images. Instagram marketing is clearly image based. Some businesses may wish to hire professional photographers and designers. According to Sprout Social, 93 percent of buyers cite visual appearance as the main reason for their purchasing decisions, and 85 percent say color is the main reason they bought a specific product.
Don’t overwhelm followers. Post regularly, but don’t overwhelm followers with posts. Holding contests, sharing user-generated posts and asking questions can help you gain followers and attract interest. Post from different locations. Users tend to interact when they see others posting in their area. “As a starting point, I would suggest posting twice daily, alternating times of the day to find out when your highest engagement occurs,” advises Jonathan Long, founder of Market Domination Media, in Entrepreneur. Then start to experiment to find the optimum posting times and frequency.
Engage with others. Follow notable figures and other brands in your niche or geographic area and engage with them. Like and comment on their photos and respond to comments on your posts. “It’s especially important if you’re a relatively obscure brand just starting out,” says marketing consultant Neil Patel.
Partner with other businesses. Treat other businesses as allies rather than competitors. For example, two local restaurants could post images of one another’s dishes. “This kills two birds with one stone because it not only helps each restaurant boost their visibility but also reinforces a sense of ‘localness'” Patel says.
Track results. Take advantage of the network’s analytics tools. Similar to Facebook’s tools, the app’s “Insights” provide valuable data about your followers’ demographics and performance of your posts. Important metrics to track include likes, comments, hashtag mentions, volume of engagement and engagement rate. For more advanced measurement that includes the full range of social media networks as well as traditional media, organizations need a social media monitoring and measurement service.
Bottom Line: Instagram has emerged as a leading social media application that has gained attention from and proven its value for businesses and social media marketers. Following proven social media marketing techniques on Instagram can help marketers obtain more followers and interactions — and ultimately get more website traffic, customers and sales.
William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.
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