Avoiding Instagram is a lost opportunity for many brands. With over 300 million active monthly users and an average of 70 million photos posted per day, hopping on the Instagram bandwagon often provides positive results for reach and audience building. Whether snapping selfies with coworkers or uploading snazzy product shots, these helpful tips and tricks can make Instagram a little bit more Zen for brand and business marketers.
Have Fun with Videos
Social media audiences love varied visuals. Instagram is a great outlet for sharing short, creative videos instead of simply posting a steady stream of images. Get creative with your content and take advantage of different tactics like stop-motion video, funny brand-related clips, or even behind-the-scenes clips of your company’s office.
Instagram the Holidays
Map out in advance which holidays fit with your brand and audience. Instagram is a great platform for a simple celebratory post that followers will enjoy seeing on their feed, and that they might even share with their own followers. Humanize your brand by uploading photos of your decorated office, or host a themed holiday giveaway that will draw in new community members.
Find Your Influencers
Influencers are like personal celebrities for brands, and they come equipped with large followings that can fit nicely with your general audience. For example, an Instagram-famous fashionista makes the perfect pairing for a brand that sells handbags, while a user that has gained Instagram fame for too-cool videos would give tech brands a boost. Tapping into that wider audience is an easy way to extend your reach on Instagram and gather throngs of fans with similar interests.
Fine-tune Your Bio
An incomplete bio on Instagram is the equivalent of a blank header on Facebook. Your visitors will look there first, so make sure your page’s bio is filled with the right information. Include a 1-2 sentence description of your brand, as well a short-and-sweet link that goes to the right landing page. You’ll want to capture the attention of visitors coming from Instagram, so lead them to an enticing page like a giveaway, an exciting video, or a big sale. Don’t be afraid to throw in a relevant emoji or two at the end of your bio to grab the eye.
Spot Trending Tags
Instagram is all about hashtags. One handy way to stay on top of which tags are trending is to use the app’s Search & Explore feature, which shows users which posts are gaining popularity within the Instagram community. Study the tags that pop up there and find a natural way to incorporate them into your own posts without spamming with too many tags.
Choose Compelling Photos
Every marketer wants to get those coveted shares, but outright asking for them isn’t always a Zen approach to social media. The best way to encourage reposts (or regrams) on Instagram is to publish photos that people want to share. Use images that convey emotion, and consider adding relevant text to deliver important information. Quotes, statistics, hashtags, and giveaway details all make great additions to share-worthy snapshots on Instagram.