In the past, people who sought to promote their business had no other option but to pay for expensive billboard and television ads. Since the internet was born, we have been introduced into new, more cost-effective, practical, and easier ways to promote our brands.
Among these digital marketing strategies today, social media is the most promising. For what reason? Just look at the numbers. In 2017, there are about 2.46 billion active social media users worldwide. This is predicted to skyrocket to 2.77 billion in 2019.
We all know that Facebook is the number one choice among the many social media platforms. However, we see a trend. Since Mark Zuckerberg acquired Instagram, the platform itself started to generate more users. In fact, brands are now using Instagram to promote their business.
How do you, as a serious entrepreneur, participate on Instagram to achieve your goals? This article has simple tips for anyone interested.
Hacking Instagram for Your Business
Rapid business growth happens when you use “hacking” techniques. No, this isn’t the usual hacking that entails gaining unauthorized data; instead, this hacking strategy on Instagram is all about experimenting on different methods to grow your users base, boost engagement, and generate traffic.
There are various effective ways to hack Instagramand these include using hashtags, creating and sharing video content, scheduling your posts, and establishing partnerships with industry influencers.
Harness Instagram’s visual nature.
Since Instagram is a highly visual platform, it only makes good business sense to use it to its fullest potential. People prefer images over texts because of their compelling, eye-catching nature. Before you post on Instagram about your product, make sure that your image attracts rather than annoys potential followers.
Choose professional photos that are color-coordinated. The safest means to ensure that your images are high-quality is to go for the best resolution possible. Raise your bar when it comes to photo standards.
What’s trending? Go with the flow.
Instagram photos that go viral are usually about the topics that people care about most. These topics are trending ones. You need to find out what the latest buzz is on social media as this is the key to starting a conversation with your audience.
In order to know what’s trending on Instagram, first, you should be following popular personalities in your industry or niche. These people are the first to post buzz-worthy topics which you can capitalize on. Whenever they post, these posts will show up first. So keep checking your Instagram feed for ideas.
Use community and branded Instagram hashtags.
Instagram hashtags are essential for increasing your discoverability. They are a means of categorizing your posts based on topic so that people interested in your topic can find you. For example, if you sell fitness gear and posted a photo of it, including the hashtag #fitness puts you along with other fitness-related posts. Fitness enthusiasts can easily discover your brand.
There are two common types of hashtags: Community and branded. Community hashtags are generic and branded hashtags are directly related to your company. When you use both types, you’re able to attract qualified prospects and stand out from the competition.
Maximize free Instagram tools at your disposal.
You can be recognized more as a business if you set-up a business-type Instagram profile. Not only will you enjoy a professional profile, you also get to benefit from the platform’s ready-made business tools.
These tools will help you gain deeper insights into your audience’s interests based on their engagement with you. If you use a personal Instagram profile, we suggest that you change to a business one as this is the only way for you to use these free tools.
Respond to your followers’ likes and comments.
Engagement is a two-way street. You cannot expect potential customers to keep coming back to your business profile is they don’t feel that you value them. The ultimate way for you to make them feel special is to make an effort to respond to their likes and comments.
A simple “thank you” in the comments section shouldn’t be difficult to do. Also, in your posts, you can encourage people to tag their friends who might be interested. Doing this will generate better responses. Since people trust people they know, there’s a higher chance that those promoting your posts get the attention of their current Instagram followers.
Over to You
One can only expect Instagram to reach greater heights. As early as now, we can see that it has a massive potential for growth. More people use this platform, owing to the fact that it is visual in nature.
There’s no reason why you should neglect Instagram. Whether you use Instagram’s advertising features or not, still, the platform is promising for online business owners looking to get better in several areas – visibility, engagement, conversions, and ultimately sales.