While Facebook and Twitter are still going strong, they’re slowly being pushed aside by Instagram, which was acquired by Facebook in 2012.
With more than 600 million users worldwide and over 300 million photos uploaded each day, Instagram has become the place to go to share your life with friends, family, and followers—and market your business to new customers at the same time.
These 10 proven ways to power up your Instagram marketing will get you started on the right foot today!
1. Use Hashtags
Hashtags are a great way to get your content seen by more people, and they can help you build a community around your brand. But with so many options out there, it can be tough to know which ones to use. Here are proven ways to power up your Instagram marketing with hashtags
- Use relevant hashtags that have some connection to your product or service: Choosing the right hashtags is essential for maximizing your reach on Instagram.
For example, if you own a restaurant, hashtag #foodiegrams or #foodporn will probably work well for reaching other foodies. If you’re selling clothes, then using #ootd (outfit of the day) could be helpful.
Other popular hashtags include #fashionista, #stylish lady, and even specific brands like Nike’s famous tag -#justdoit. Just remember not to go overboard with too many tags!
Remember to only use about 2-3 tags per post. Using an excessive number of tags can clutter your feed and make it difficult for viewers to find posts they want to see.
2. Post on Weekends
Take advantage of the fact that people are more likely to be on their phones and on social media on weekends. Post content on Saturdays and Sundays to maximize your reach.
And don’t forget to use hashtags! Make sure you’re using a wide variety of tags so you’re getting seen by different audiences. For example, if you post a photo of a new product, tag it with #fashion, #handbags, #luxury, etc.
In addition to tags related to your industry or products, also consider tags like #travel, #foodporn and even some funny ones like #coffee flirt or even some obscure ones like #grammar police just for fun! #love:
The hashtag #Love is popular on Instagram these days. Use this hashtag in photos that highlight love, affection and beauty in any form – especially in relation to your business. A lot of people can relate to feeling like these – they’ll want to look at photos tagged with this hashtag!
#instagrammers: If you have an active following on Instagram then this is a great way to engage them and promote your business too.
Ask followers to follow your account (and mention how many you have) and give them a chance to win something if they do. Consider posting polls or asking followers for their opinion about your company’s services, current trends, etc.
3. Engage With Other People
The first step to building a following on any social media platform is engagement. If you want people to like, comment, and share your content, you need to do the same for them. Find and follow accounts that are in your niche, and engage with their posts.
The more you put into the social media community, the more you’ll get out of it. Commenting on others’ posts will make them more likely to reciprocate. Plus, having conversations about topics relevant to your business makes those people potential customers down the line.
Engaging also gives you an opportunity to find influencers or collaborators who might be able to help amplify your content. For example, if I’m running a blog about plant-based recipes, I would be interested in finding other vegan bloggers who might want to guest post on my site or promote my recipes via their channels.
Asking questions and showing interest in what they’re doing gets their attention, and once they respond by engaging back, we can work out details from there. Be Creative:
One way to stand out from the crowd on Instagram is by being creative with your captions. Adding a unique copy to your photos can grab someone’s attention just as easily as a beautiful image can.
4. Be Varying in Style
Just like any other social media platform, your feed should be a reflection of your brand. But that doesn’t mean every post has to look the same. In fact, it’s important to vary the style of your posts to keep things interesting for your followers. Here are some ideas for how you can change up your feed:
- Photo or video montages – this can include live videos and animated gifs.
- High-quality illustrations or photography
- Creating list posts in a unique way (i.e., using drawings).
- Listicles with quizzes or polls
- Photo series with callouts at the end of each one
- Challenges that allow people to engage with one another (think secret Santa exchanges!)
- Video tutorials on related topics such as makeup or DIY projects
- Encouraging comments by asking questions or posting polls
- Sharing content from other accounts/people you love
- Showing progress over time by taking before and after photos of an event
5. Add More Stories
Stories are a great way to show off your brand personality and connect with your audience on a more personal level. And with over 500 million people using Stories every day, there’s a lot of potential for reach. So if you’re not already posting content to your Story feed, start now!
There’s always room for improvement: Once you’ve started posting content to the Story feed, think about how you can make it better. One way is by adding text: simply tap the ‘T’ icon in the top left corner of the app while in story mode and type out a message or ask a question!
It’s a simple way to get users scrolling through your feed and give them something else to watch besides just pictures. Keep them engaged with polls:
Polls can be an easy and engaging way to get feedback from followers without much effort. What do they like best? What was their favorite moment from the last event? You’ll have plenty of information after a quick poll.
6. Give People Goals & Challenges
If you want people to take action after seeing your posts on Instagram, you need to give them a specific goal or challenge to complete. By doing this, you’re not only providing valuable content but also giving your audience a sense of purpose.
If you give people a goal, they’ll be more likely to engage with your content because there’s a reward for doing so. However, you need to set reasonable goals for them in order for your audience to actually reach them. If you set an unrealistic goal for someone, it won’t mean anything and they won’t feel rewarded. You can provide challenges that are achievable, like sharing one recipe or posting a picture. You’ll see the benefits of this strategy when your followers start commenting about how much their lives have changed since taking up the challenge.
7. Focus on Quality Not Quantity
When it comes to social media, quality trumps quantity every time. It doesn’t matter if you have a million followers if none of them is engaged with your content. That’s why it’s important to focus on creating high-quality content that will resonate with your target audience.
For example, a lot of people in the food industry might post pictures of their meals because they know their target audience likes food too. On the other hand, a company that sells yoga clothes might find success by posting shots from its sponsored yoga class or other related posts in order to engage its customers who like yoga and fitness.
8. Take Advantage of Trends & Events
When it comes to marketing on Instagram, one of the best things you can do is take advantage of trends and events. This helps you stay relevant, fresh, and top-of-mind for your audience. And, when done right, it can also be a lot of fun! Here are some tips to help you maximize your reach and engagement with event posts:
- Be creative with the images. Experiment with different shots and angles or tag people who were in attendance. You could even ask attendees to send you photos from the event that they want to be featured.
- Start planning ahead. If there’s an upcoming celebration or holiday that’s relevant to your brand, start preparing content now so that it’s ready by the time the occasion rolls around. For example, if you’re a bakery and Valentine’s Day is coming up soon, start brainstorming Valentine-themed images now! You can always use them throughout February for various promotions too.
9. Analyze Other People’s Posts
When you take the time to analyze other people’s posts, you can learn a lot about what works and what doesn’t. This will save you time and help you create more effective content. Plus, you’ll get insights into what your audience is interested in.
You’ll be able to see which posts have been successful with them and which ones have flopped. You’ll also be able to see which hashtags they’re using so that you know what’s trending on the platform.
10. Get Authentic Followers
There’s no magic number of followers you need to have in order to start seeing results from your Instagram marketing efforts, but it is important to focus on quality over quantity. To get started, try these tips for attracting authentic followers
*Write an original caption and make sure the hashtags are descriptive and relevant to the photo.
*Tag people when they’re mentioned in the post (or even ask them if they want to be tagged). It’ll increase the likelihood that they follow you back!
*Ask questions! Polls and quizzes can be a fun way to engage your audience and elicit responses. Plus, people love taking quizzes.
So take advantage of this tactic by asking questions like Which flower is your spirit animal? or What’s your favorite song right now? You’ll also want to share polls on occasion as well. They don’t have to be about anything specific, just simple yes or no polls will do.
*Use geotagging: Add geographical locations in the captions so people know where you’re at or what event you’re attending!
Final Words
Now that you know some of the most effective ways to market your business on Instagram, it’s time to put them into action. Test out a few of these tips and see what works best for you and your brand. With a little effort, you’ll be able to reach a whole new audience and take your business to the next level.
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