Since its release in 2006, Instagram has had a massive increase in popularity among social networks, which has created a wealth of opportunities for online business owners. Although there are many other social networks that can help you improve your online presence, Instagram is among the most important channels of this type that shouldn’t miss from your online marketing strategy. Therefore, it’s important to understand that this application that aims to share photos is a very popular nowadays and is more than ideal for promoting products and services online. Therefore, if you want to improve your brand image on the internet, read the following lines because I’ve listed some of the most effective methods of using Instagram application.

 

HAVE CLEAR OBJECTIVES

First of all, think and determine what you want Instagram to do for you. You can’t develop a successful strategy unless you know where you’re going. Pictures posted for the sake of getting the work done, they won’t bring any benefit, on the contrary, may harm your image, as you may give the idea of ​​amateurism, superficiality, and lack of interest in communicating relevant things to the target audience. Instagram has proved to be a highly effective tool to increase the involvement and customer loyalty, sales and exposure for a brand or product.

THE PHOTOS ARE THE MESSAGE YOU WANT TO SEND

You have to be extremely careful to the photos you post. These should match your brand and highlight your values. Cute babies photos have no place if you want to promote a restaurant and neither sharing you morning cup of coffee if you’re trying to gain notoriety for a jewelry brand.

Once the message set, it’s time to think about the content of images and clips. Some companies opt for the practice, posting tutorials to explain how to use the products sold, while others prefer a more abstract and creates superficial. visual stories, with the main hero mascot company or products sold.

Depending on the objectives and target audience, set your message clear and then send it through all your posts. A bold idea is not to limit yourself to photos. Use clips to create a dynamic profile. A video is a valuable tool because it can be used to engage fans, to grow the number of followers and traffic. Being a visual channel, a video message can bring the story to life.

On Instagram you have only a few seconds, maybe even less to impress. It’s, therefore, important to know how to attract attention.

DO NOT USE RANDOM HASHTAGS

Pictures and interesting videos will help you communicate more easily with the audience you already have, but to earn more followers you need efficient hashtags that you make images visible to those looking for pictures according to a certain keyword.

The most popular terms might not have anything to do with your brand and their use will not bring the audience really interested in buying your product or service. You will achieve the desired effect if you use the most relevant hashtags that describe your brand.

COMMUNICATE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE

A good marketing strategy involves more than just camera posts. Be you the first that interacts with the public. Your comments will be read and those who take the time to answer you personally will remember this. Although Instagram is focused mainly on the visual, this does not mean you can treat words superficial. Images count, but buyers will have more confidence in you if your photos are accompanied by a short and relevant text.

ORGANIZING CONTESTS

You can use Instagram for exciting competitions that help you win fame and a greater number of fans. You can be as creative as you want and come with almost any game concept. A simple, but effective participation requires conditioning by posting a “comment” or appreciation of an image. Extremely popular are photo competitions. “Selfies” are omnipresent on this platform, many companies use this to their advantage. Thus, competitors are asked to post photos of them using the company’s products.

Many companies prefer hashtag competitions because it’s an easy way through which fans get to interact with your brand. Participants post a picture on the platform, then labeled with a hashtag of your choice. The pictures are then grouped into a gallery on your website or on your Facebook and Instagram and they will appear in a single stream.

SHOW ANOTHER FACE OF YOUR BUSINESS WITH INSTAGRAM STORIES

Perhaps in recent weeks, you’ve heard a lot about Instagram Stories function launched to combat the growing popularity of Snapchat and lets people share more content, without being concerned excessively for getting the perfect image because it all disappears in 24 hours. You can tell your story still in images or videos lasting 10 seconds, and then use editing options to add a touch of originality to your content. Stories provide more opportunities for companies and businesses to get in touch with fans. Allows you to those who seek to know your team or see moments in your daily work!

Use this function also to remind the community of the various events that you organize, so you’ll get some last-minute registrations. If you decided to organize a contest, you can announce the rules through Stories. Brands can benefit greatly if they use with intelligence posts from the main feed with those short posts from the stories section, thereby obtaining extra confidence and a higher rate of community engagement.

Instagram’s popularity is constantly growing and would be a shame to miss this opportunity for promotion, just because you have to leave your comfort zone and try something new. It’s no exaggeration to say that the options are endless on this platform.