Are you looking to improve the digital marketing strategies for your business?
Getting digital is the way to go in the internet age. And there are plenty of ways (both free and paid) to take advantage of the web for your advertising efforts. One of the most popular ones is Instagram marketing.
Instagram isn’t just a social network; it’s a great marketing tool. Too many small businesses don’t take advantage of it or use it to its full potential.
We want to help. We have a few Instagram marketing tips that can get you new followers, new customers, and more follower interaction in no time as long as you play your cards right.
Read on to learn more.
1. Know Your Target Audience
Before you go posting anything on your mind, make sure you know who you’re targeting with your posts. Instagram is big amongst Millennials and Gen Z, but there are older people there as well. You should know your niche amongst those groups.
Are you a brick and mortar business that’s trying to target local customers? Is your customer base more likely to be male or female? Are you looking for parents of young children?
Break your ideal customers down into parts (metaphorically) and figure out exactly what you’re looking to accomplish with this marketing strategy.
2. Make Sure to Use a Business Account
Did you know that there are legitimate business options on Instagram? Setting up your account as a business account might not seem necessary, but it comes with a few benefits and you don’t need to prove your business or have a set number of followers to set it up.
Why not take advantage of it?
You can use the Instagram shopping feature if you have products to sell. You can also take a look at Instagram insights, take advantage of Instagram ads, and so much more.
3. Choose the Right Profile Picture
You want to use a profile picture that represents your brand. Trust us, it matters.
If you have a great logo you’re probably already set. Your logo makes a great profile picture. If not, or if it wouldn’t be recognizable on such a small scale, you should get creative.
It should be bright enough to catch the attention of your followers and it should be evident that it’s yours. How does it represent your brand?
4. Make Your Feed Consistent
There’s something so satisfying about an Instagram page with a clear color story and theme. There are benefits to creating an aesthetically-pleasing account.
The big one is that people will know what to expect from you. Your social media is a small part of your brand image. A solid brand image is essential for your success.
This means sticking to a color scheme and posting style that represents you. You can use one specific filter (we suggest making your own instead of using the generic built-in ones) or choose a color to be featured in every post.
It’s also nice to make a pattern on your page. If every other post is a beautiful photo and the ones between are graphic design images, for example, it creates a cool checkerboard look.
5. Don’t Be Afraid of Instagram Stories
Instagram stories are a great way to further your advertising efforts and connect with your followers. There are several ways that you should be taking advantage of them.
First, it’s great to repost any customer photos that tagged your brand. If you’re a jewelry seller, for example, and someone posts a picture or story wearing and tagging your jewelry, post it to your story as a show of appreciation! Your followers will see that real people love your products and your customer will feel seen.
This is also a great place to ask your followers questions or conduct casual polls. Consider it a rare opportunity to get direct feedback about what people would like to see from your brand.
For advanced Instagram users, consider making your own filter. User-made filters have gotten popular, and brands can use them for marketing purposes. Make sure that you make something share-worthy so it spreads around! You can check out this article for more information on filters.
6. Get Social
Do you ever wonder why brands respond to their followers, or why they post on the pages of other brands?
This is where the “networking” aspect of social networking comes in. Expand your reach by communicating with people.
When you respond to comments, you’re telling the Instagram algorithm to pay more attention to your post (meaning it will be easier for other people to find). You’ll also show your followers that you’re listening to them.
Commenting on other brands’ posts may help you connect with them so you can help each other, and it will also raise your own brand’s visibility.
7. Use Tags to Your Advantage
There are two main types of tags on Instagram and both are valuable: hashtags and location tags (or geotags).
Hashtags are well-known. They’re used on Instagram and Twitter to put posts into categories so they can be more easily found. You want a good balance of niche and popular hashtags to get the full benefit.
For example, going back to your jewelry company, you want a few generic ones like #jewelry, #gold, #goldrings.
Then, you want to hone in. If you’re a Chicago business you’d try #Chicagojewelry, or #jewelersofchicago. This attracts viewers looking for local businesses as well as views from people in the generic tags and it helps prevent you from getting buried.
Location tags are great for businesses with brick and mortar locations. You don’t just want to tag your shop, though. Consider tagging your city or other local landmarks so people who are looking around in local tags can find you.
Is Your Instagram Marketing Strategy Up to Par?
Is it time to revamp your digital marketing strategies?
Instagram marketing can help your business as long as you’re using it right. It’s free, fun, and a great way to connect with existing and potential customers. Why not give it a try?
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