Without a social media presence, no company will thrive or survive. While there are many social media networks to choose from, one that you don’t want to be without is Instagram. Over the years the site has become the go-to for consumers, advertisers, and brands.
With more than 800 million monthly active users, the reach on Instagram is like no other. If your digital marketing strategy doesn’t include Instagram, now is the time to start embracing hashtags and photos!
Keep reading for tips and tricks you need to become an Insta-success.
Create an Account
If your business uses other social media networks, then you should be quite familiar with the signup process. Simply download the Instagram app or navigate to the website and create an account. Be sure to set up an Instagram Professional account versus a personal account so that you have access to all of the important features and functionality.
Choose a username that makes sense. It’s best to use your company name if it’s available. This ensures that users can easily identify your brand when they land on your page or see one of your posts.
Optimize Your Profile
One of the first things Instagram will prompt you to do is to upload a profile photo. Be sure that the time you choose is high-quality and properly sized. Avoid text on the image and make sure that it’s suitable for a circular shape.
As a business, it’s ideal to use your brand’s logo as your profile picture. A professional headshot can also be used. What’s important is that the photo you choose falls in line with your brand.
After choosing a profile image, the next step is to create your business’ bio. This is the perfect place to write 150 characters about who your business is and what it offers consumers. Be sure to include a link (such as to your website) or even a hashtag.
Start Posting
Once your profile is ready for prime time, the next step is to get started posting! There’s nothing more exciting than sharing your business through a series of photos.
When creating posts on Instagram, it’s important that pictures look cohesive. The photos you post also need to be catchy and unique. By posting the right photos you can grow your target audience organically opposed to having to buy Instagram followers.
Before publishing your post, be sure to include a caption and of course a few hashtags. This way, your content is more likely to be shared as well as found.
Traditional posts only make up a part of Instagram. Stories are another way to connect and interact with your followers. Stories are videos or images that disappear after 24 hours. This is a great feature to use for product releases or sneak peeks. Stories are great for sharing casual interactions or live events, which allow people to feel closer than ever to your brand.
Choose Hashtags Wisely
Whether you’re creating a post or a story, hashtags are what will ultimately drive the success of your content. Hashtags make your content memorable, searchable, and visible. But you can’t just use hashtags without researching them.
Choosing the right hashtag isn’t as easy as it may seem. You want to avoid using overly general hashtags as those make it harder for your content to be seen. Hashtagging something like #love or #business won’t get the views you want, especially because so many other people are using the same hashtag.
In order to choose the best hashtags, you’ll want to:
● See which ones are trending in your industry
● Determine which ones are most popular for followers
● Research what influencers are hashtagging
Quantity is also important when creating posts. Studies have found that using 11 hashtags draws the most engagement. But you don’t always have to use so many. Sometimes five or six hashtags is plenty to get the views you want.
Build Your Base of Followers
After creating a few Instagram posts, the next step is to build your base of followers. You can increase your number of followers by using the “Find People to Follow” feature. This allows you to connect Instagram to your Facebook account. The feature also offers profile suggestions or you can choose to add phone contacts.
You can also increase your number of followers by posting your Instagram posts on your website or on other social media networks. This way you can build off of your existing audience.
Conclusion
Instagram is one of the best tools that you’ll introduce into your digital marketing strategy. But to make it worthwhile, be sure to follow these tips and tricks so that you can get the most out of your presence on the site.
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