Tips for businesses on Instagram
Instagram was launched three years ago (October 2010) with the mission to make mobile photos “fast, simple and beautiful.” Today, it has more than 150 million users across the World – including many celebrities and famous brands.
What makes Instagram different from other social networking sites?
Instagram simply allows users to post pictures – no content except a small caption. This calls for a more creative thought process for businesses. So what are some top tips for businesses who want to use it?
# Create a good following – connect your Instagram to your Facebook, and this should initially gain followers. Then, spend some time following others – this should engage their attention and they are then likely to follow back. Using hashtags is another way to increase attention to your account, so use relevant ones which users are likely to search.
# Balance interesting images with business based images – Once you have gained a good following, you need to keep their attention. They are obviously interested in what you have to offer, which is why they followed you! However, if they get bored of your content, they will have no problem unfollowing! Therefore, post interesting pictures occasionally of things unrelated to your business. Instagram’s aim is to tell a story through a picture – so tell the story that your company can have fun!
# Use videos – Instagram has a new service, allowing the user to post a 15 second clip. Posting a video shows imagination and that your business is current. So try to make a couple of clips per week – and put an effect on it to make it a little more attractive!
# Create a competition for your followers to take part in. Get everyone to post their take on a certain subject with a common hashtag. This increases engagement and awareness of your brand. (All of their followers will see the photo with that hashtag!)
# Post links to your website – all of this posting is useless unless you can gain website traffic from it. So alongside relevant posts, invite followers to click the link to your website!
Instagram is a create platform to be a part of – if your company has something to offer. For example, a clothes brand or shop will have attractive pictures to post, making it an interesting follow. If not, however, it may be best to stick to platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, where content is the important factor.