Instagram is one of the largest social media platforms in the world, with over 800 million active users per month. Due to Instagram’s immense popularity, you will likely find a large portion of your target audience on the platform. You’re making a mistake if you’re not already utilizing the platform to market your business. Of course, there are best practices to consider when marketing your business using Instagram. Continue reading to find out the best ways to use Instagram for marketing.
Use Hashtags to Boost Awareness
Hashtags are a great way to tag your photos, making them easier to find when people search for specific topics. This is an excellent way for your business to “ride the wave” of trends. It’s generally good practice to find out which hashtags are trending and see if there’s any way you can incorporate them into your post. Otherwise, just use catchy hashtags.
Other than trending topics or general location hashtags, most of your hashtags should be related to your industry. Doing this will allow people interested in your industry to see your posts.
Be Consistent in Your Story
Consistency is key when it comes to strengthening your brand. Your posts should all fall under a similar theme and be pieces that tell the “big picture” of your brand’s story. When you have situations or events that don’t necessarily fit the “big picture, ” you can always use Instagram stories to update your followers on what’s happening.
Interact With Your Audience
Engaging with people on Instagram has numerous benefits. First off, it makes your followers feel appreciated and heard. Engagement is a key ingredient in customer satisfaction and brand advocacy. It also increases your business’s visibility, likability, memorability, and credibility. You should be engaging with your followers, authoritative figures within your industry, and the followers of those you follow. The more sincere your engagement with people on Instagram, the better overall impact it will have on your business.
Share User-Generated Content
Piggy-backing off the last point, sharing content your followers create is a great way to build engagement efforts. Come up with fun and creative ways to have your followers share their pictures, videos, and positive experiences with your business.
Doing this makes others want to do business with you and share the same experience. At the very least, it shows that you care about your customers and people like that.
Utilize Location Tags
An excellent way to nurture your leads is by using location tags. Location tags encourage in-person interactions, so they’re a perfect way for users to visit your physical location.
You can have your location tag be the location of your business or the location of an important industry event. Either way, it’s a good idea to implement location tags in your Instagram marketing strategy.
Advertise to a Highly-Targeted Audience
If you want to spend money, you can utilize Instagram’s advanced targeting features. This allows you to target the people who see your posts by age, sex, location, and interests. The best part about it is that it doesn’t cost much. You set your spending limits based on what you can afford and the number of people you want to reach.
Leave the Marketing Headaches to the Professionals
These are all simple concepts, but having a truly effective marketing campaign takes time, effort, and consistency. Sometimes business owners need more time to babysit their social media accounts, especially when you consider the fact that there are several. This can become extremely frustrating and time-consuming. That’s where we come in. We can help manage all your social media platforms. We have a team of professionals with the industry and technological knowledge necessary to implement a successful social media marketing strategy. Contact us today!
