Among the most powerful marketing tools online marketers have today is social networks. From Facebook posts to tweets on Twitter, sharing your product and services on social networks platforms is an excellent way to increase brand awareness, engagement, sales and leads.
Nevertheless, many people are left scratching their heads when it concerns marketing with Instagram.
Many of us use Instagram as a personal account to post pictures of our family, buddies, getaways and food - but how can it tie into company? And should it?
With the speed of which Instagram is growing, don't ignore its value to boost your brand and marketing efforts.
It has grown into an incredibly important marketing platform and even though the 18-29 years of age's are still prevalent users, the higher age groups are catching on and catching up fast.
Some 2018 Instagram statistics from Sprout Social are telling:
• 7 out of 10 hashtags on Instagram are branded
• 80% of users follow a service on Instagram
• 65% of top-performing Instagram posts feature items
If you feel the tug to check out Instagram as part of your social networks marketing method, check out these preliminary tips to help you get going:
1. Usage Hashtags Wisely
You do not need to stuff every hashtag you can think about in one post, but you do need at least a couple of.
A hashtag is the # sign followed by descriptive words about your image as in this example, I used #marketing and #ctaconf, which was the conference I was participating in at the time.
When a user clicks/taps on a hashtag or types a hashtag into the search box, it raises all images that utilize that hashtag. The user can even subscribe to continue to follow that hashtag.
The hope is the user will see your image, head to your profile and best-case circumstance, follow you and get engaged with more of your posts!
However, when hashtags are extremely popular, the competitors wayfair valid coupon code to appear in the results is strong. Similar to SEO keywords, the more popular a term is, the more difficult it is to remain at the top of the search results page. Thus, my example of utilizing #marketing actually was useless if I wished to get any traction from that post.
You want to make your hashtags relevant to your business and place, but also engaging enough that a user would type them into Instagram's search box.
For instance:
• Say you have a pizza joint in Vancouver. You post a photo of your Pepperoni pizza with the hashtags #VancouversBestPizza #NicolosRestaurant #DeliciousDeepDish
• Or you're a Toronto wedding event planner. You publish an image of a bride and groom's first dance with the hashtags #TorontoWeddingPlanner #LoveWins #WinterWedding
Vacations and special events are an exceptional time to promote your business and gain Instagram followers. Whether it's a sale on Black Friday, a Thanksgiving-related use for your product or a product shout-out on National Dog Day, they are all ideal opportunities to display your company brand name in a non-salesy way.
2. Thank Your Audience for Showing Up
You don't simply post a lot of photos and hashtags and await the likes to roll in.
To gain Instagram followers, engage with your audience and grow sales or leads, you require to put in the time.
See an example here from video expert Michele Moreno where she responds back to each of the remarks left on her video post.
If someone leaves a comment or question on one of your posts, take the time to reply and thank them/answer their concern.
Have a look at their profile, and if you like what you see, follow them.
Services often follow commenters first, in the hopes that they might return the favour.
You can likewise try to find individuals who might be interested in your product, then discuss their pictures and/or follow them, however don't spam them with an ask to follow you immediately.
3. Interact with the Right Influencers
Influencers are Instagram users who can affect your target market due to the fact that of their appeal and/or social networks following.
Danielle Bernstein is a good example of an influencer who worked with a brand. You might not acknowledge her name, but the 1.8 million followers of her Instagram account WeWoreWhat do.
Bernstein and FIJI Water interacted to create BodyWoreWhat, a marketing project offering 8-minute workout videos with her and her individual trainer.
That may be an extreme example, and unless you have deep pockets you most likely won't be able to draw in an influencer with almost 2 million fans.
However don't misery. From mommy bloggers to local foodies, you can always discover someone who your target audience follows, likes or appreciates. Possibly they 'd want to evaluate your product or take a picture using it - use your imagination!
4. Don't Just Shill Your Products
Instagram is not the place to just share item shots all the time. Think about the experience people have using what you're providing, or the advantages it provides individuals.
Even much better, show real-examples. Requesting for user-generated content from your audience is one method to do this. That means that users share their photos using a hashtag you supply.
The online furnishings shop Wayfair.com does user-generated material effectively. They have a user-generated project that lets customers share pictures of their elegant Wayfair-filled houses using the hashtag #WayfairAtHome.
Make certain to let individuals understand that their images may be featured on your page and you can increase your Instagram material big time - totally free!
No matter how you utilize Instagram for your organization, be genuine and real to your brand. It's what the platform is all about, and it's going to assist you grow your service, gain Instagram fans and bring in sales or leads.