While Instagram is a great social media platform to share personal content, it’s also a great platform to publish marketing campaigns. With 800 million users a month, countless social media influencers and built-in tracking tools, Instagram is a dream come true for marketing professionals. However, with its endless capabilities, it can be difficult to stay relevant, create the “right” content, and be seen by the “right” audience. With this in mind, we’ve collected 4 tips for professionals who are planning on using Instagram for marketing purposes.
Use the Business Profile
If you haven’t already, make sure your instagram account is in Business Profile mode. You can change your account type in your settings. Once you change the mode, you have complete access to Instagram’s Insights. That means you can track the success of your content through impressions and engagement. You can also get information about your followers and break it down by age, location, gender and even what times they’re most active. You can get a general overview or you can see analytics for each post and Instagram Story you do.
Use hashtags
Hashtags (#) are keywords or phrases that are used in social media and are archived so anyone inside or outside of your social network can see your post. Hashtags are commonly used in social media marketing and play a very important role in broadening the reach of your content and gaining attention from users. When choosing which words or phrases you want to use, you should avoid being too broad and too specific. On one hand, being too broad can hide your content in a sea of million other similar posts. For example, If you have a clothes boutique in Austin, using #style or #fashion might be counterproductive as it’s likely your post will be overlooked. You should be a little more specific, perhaps including the location as well - for example, #austinfashion. On the other hand, avoid being too specific. If you’re using long phrases or uncommonly used words, other users might not be searching or looking at the same hashtags.
Influencer Marketing
Influencers usually have some kind of expertise or social following in the industry that your business is in. For example, if you have a fashion boutique business, you should use a lifestyle blogger or stylist with a good following on social media to be your influencer. On the other hand, if you own bike shop, you would use an adventure vlogger or mountain biker to represent your brand. Using influential people within an industry to promote your products not only ensures credibility, but it also allows you to talk directly to your target audience. People usually follow Instagram accounts based on their interest and likes. By funneling your message and brand through these influencers, you have a better chance of marketing to your ideal customer.
Use Instagram Stories
Using Instagram Stories is a great way to stay top of mind for your followers. Stories are shown at the top of your followers' timelines and they're updated live time. Since they're only available for 24 hours, you can publish a variety of content that doesn't necessarily have to match the aesthetic of your normal Instagram feed. You can also save these posts as "Highlights" and categorize different events, products, or miscellaneous things while pinning it to your profile. For example, if you do a weekly tour of the office, you can save it to a "behind the scenes" highlight that can be accessed from your feed. You can also have fun with Instagram Stories' features like filters, Boomerangs, gifs, and more!
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