Instagram has become a common household name. There is no age limit and there is no posting limit. Instagram has over 700 million users, and of those 700 million, over 400 million are daily active users! Doesn’t that sound like an ideal place to promote your business? Instagram marketing is going to be one of the most important things you do alongside Facebook marketing. In this multiple-post series, I’m going to cover all you need to know about marketing your business over Instagram. Now, we’ll begin with some tips and tricks to get you situated with Instagram.
Where Do I Start?
Create An Account
First of all, create an account. You won’t get anything done if you don’t have an Instagram account. Make sure to include a photo that describes your brand, your website, location, and a small description. You can also go to your settings and switch your account over to a business account. This allows you to add in information that only pertains to your business, like store hours and a phone number. This makes it easier for your soon-to-be customers to get in touch! Once you’ve got this done, you can begin posting pictures and following users.
Follow Users That Are Relevant
You don’t want to follow every single person who follows your business on Instagram, but you do want to follow users and businesses that are relevant to you. This lets your potential customers know that you’re not just posting pictures; you’re actually here to interact! This is what we want. Instagram marketing is different. You need to interact and be human. A general rule to follow for this is to follow about 10 users a week.
Don’t Forget To Reply To Comments
No one wants to be unheard or ignored. This goes for those who comment on your pictures. A simple “thank you” or short response is better than no response at all! This humanizes your brand as well.
What Do I Post?
Behind The Scenes
Who doesn’t want to see what goes on behind the closed doors of businesses? Sneak peeks into what else goes on is always a winner. This peaks the interest of followers because it’s not something they would see every day. It’s not something they’d see if they walk into your business. They feel like they know you on a personal level! This is the point.
Selfies
By no means am I saying to post a selfie every single day. These should be kept to a minimum, but don’t shy away from the camera completely! These add a personal touch to your business. Also, on days where content is a little slow, a selfie is a great filler to use!
Call To Action
What is a call to action? This is where you call on your followers to interact with you. Ask a question. Do a giveaway. Make a statement that’s bound to get replies. What you want is to engage your followers in what you’re doing. The more included they feel, the better off you will be. Believe it or not, these posts are pretty fun. It’s nice to see what your followers have to say.
User-Generated Content
This follows up with the call to action posts. The responses you get from those posts can help you create more content. Post reviews, replies, feature a fan photo, it doesn’t matter. This also shows your followers that you pay attention to what they say. It’s a win-win!
What’s Next?
What we’ve just discussed will help you to create and get your Instagram marketing account going. There’s plenty more to be discussed, but you’ll have to keep up with our blog to find out more! The next topic I’ll be talking about will be the do’s and don’t’s of Instagram. There’s more to Instagram than just photos, likes, and followers.
