In addition to having more than 700 million monthly active users, Instagram has a higher engagement level and less competition than other popular social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook.
Instagram, therefore, offers your business a platform to market products and services to a niche audience that is interested, without having a huge advertising budget. Whether you’re new to the photo-sharing platform or you need to ramp up your Instagram marketing strategy, the following steps will prove useful to your brand.
Creatively showcase your products and/or services
The trick to making a strong impression on Instagram is highlighting the solutions you provide and the value you offer rather than your products. Keep in mind that your biggest strength on Instagram is your visual content.
If you run a service-oriented business, it’s a good idea to focus on the process driving your service. Let the world know what your vision is, show the world the corporate culture of your company, or offer advice in the form of simple how-tos. All this should be done using images, Boomerangs (short GIF-like videos), and longer videos that can be up to one minute long.
A compelling profile
Even if your business offers multiple products or services, don’t try to squeeze them all into the 150 characters in your profile. It is best to focus on your brand’s value proposition. Alternatively, you could highlight a product launch or a huge event coming up among various other ideas that will inspire real Instagram likes.
Note that you’re allowed to include only one clickable link in your profile bio. Rather than put a static link, update it regularly with a link directing users to your landing pages, app downloads, event registrations, etc.
The photo-sharing platform offers paid advertising and Instagram business profiles. Perks that come with business accounts include comprehensive analytics and a section for including your business phone number in the bio.
Before setting up a business profile for your brand, research extensively and educate yourself on how to build a compelling profile and how to maximize the features that come with the account. There are numerous online tools and resources dedicated to providing assistance to businesses with Instagram profiles.
Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories last only 24 hours. They appear in a slideshow format, in much the same way as Snapchat Stories. The following are some of the reasons why your business should use Instagram Stories as part of its marketing strategy.
- Stories appear conspicuously at the top of users’ feeds right under the Instagram logo.
- Stories allow you to post behind-the-scenes clips that need not be as professional as regular posts.
- Stories are a great way to try out various modes of posting, including “Rewind” and live videos.
- Tagging influencers or collaborators encourages cross-promotion
You can include as many videos or images as you like and they will play in the order in which they are uploaded. Important to note is that Stories can be added only through the mobile app and can be sent as a direct message.
Guest Post by Walter Moore – Walter Moore is the head of the social media initiatives of a leading sportswear brand. His articles and blog posts focus on various topics related to online marketing, including leveraging real Instagram likes to boost engagement.
