Wondering how to use Instagram the right way? Check out the post and learn about the best Instagram tips to get the most out of Instagram for your brand.
- Caution: Instagram Without a Plan Becomes an InstaShame
- Instagram Profile Optimization
- Start Following
- Set Performance Goals on Instagram
- The Time When You Post Content on Instagram and How Often You Do It
- Content in Posts
- Be Immediately Recognizable
- Use Hashtags Wisely
- Collaborate With Influencers on Instagram
- Advertise on Instagram
Posts on Instagram get more attention from users than posts on Facebook, gathering more likes, comments, and shares, as well as video views.
Despite that, numerous companies that aim to be large in terms of revenues are constantly out of the “arena” of Internet marketing.
Of course, the consequence is the insufficient employment of Instagram’s potential for promotion, leaving one huge advertising resource completely unused.
If you’re a brand owner, how does that affect you? It means it’s the right time to use Instagram to popularize that brand, attract new customers, increase profits, and “blow away” the competition. And, in exactly that order.
Caution: Instagram Without a Plan Becomes an InstaShame
Let’s clarify a few things right away.
1. “Instamania” is the result of the fact that it’s a social network that we use for free via mobile phones as a device through which we most often access the Internet. This means that your brand can be found quickly and easily in the pocket of every potential customer.
2. The days when all you had to do was take a selfie and post it on Instagram to get likes are gone. It was productive only at the beginning.
Here, we’re talking about the business use of Instagram, the marketing of your business, about your existence. Everything you post can be seen by a huge number of people. If they like it, you’ll reach the stars. If they don’t like it, they’ll send you into oblivion.
3. The brand’s appearance on Instagram must be planned. Improvisation, inconsistency, and the loss of the audience and its needs and desires from sight certainly won’t succeed as a final result.
So let’s start from the beginning…
How to Set up Instagram for Your Business?
We count that you have registered your business profile using the same name as on other social networks.
Further steps are:
Instagram Profile Optimization
Note that the only pieces of information that appear on your Instagram profile are a link to your website and a short biography.
Depending on the action, promotion, etc. – which you implement at a given time – you are free to change the link because it’s clickable.
This will save your followers’ time and prevent them from wandering around the website.
When users come to your website following the link you provided, they want it to show up almost instantaneously. In fact, just a one-second delay can lead to a huge drop in sales or loss of users’ interest in your business/services.
To ensure the highest possible rate of availability for your website, you must deal with its downtime – on time. For starters, the web + MySQL open-source database hosting combo is a preferred option for low-traffic websites or new ones.
High-volume websites will require you to decouple these two services and keep a dedicated hosting just for the MySQL database.
Having your MySQL installation hosted separately has the advantage. It’s reflected in monitoring and managing backups independently from the rest of the hosted services yourself, as well as in replication and other important features.
Besides the basic tools that providers offer by default, the managed MySQL hosting platform also lets you access it with external tools of your choice.
As for the bio section on your Instagram profile, use it to stress what you do, what values you stand for, and what people can expect on your Instagram. Also, list the branded hashtags you’ll use and through which fans can follow you.
Like a profile picture, of course, set your logo by which you’re recognizable. Count that your image will be cropped and make sure it’s clear what’s on it.
Start Following
Instagram users usually respond to like with like.
Follow a large number of people, your competitor, and those who’re engaged in a similar type of activity. This is one of the simple hacks to get hundreds of Instagram followers. Focus especially on those who belong to your target group.
You can access them by following the hashtags related to your niche and discussing the posts in which they were used.
By no means forget the influencers from your industry. Their like is worth far more to you than anything else on Instagram. Engage your web administrator as well.
In addition to the Facebook and email icons, be sure they include Instagram on your website.
You can also ask them to set up a display of the last few posts from this network on the website. At the same time, invite your fans from your profiles on other social networks to follow you on Instagram.
Set Performance Goals on Instagram
All the time and resources you invest in your company’s appearance on Instagram must be guided by the goal you want to achieve.
Depending on what you do, these goals can be:
- Increase in sales
- Routing traffic to your website
- Increasing brand popularity
- Increasing customer satisfaction
- Attracting talented people
- Making contact with influencers
Regardless of what you set as your goal, make sure it is:
1. Specified, i.e. precisely defined – set clear definitions for yourself to avoid twisting, wandering, and wasting time on unimportant things.
2. Measurable – ensure the ability to track how many steps are crossed on the way to the goal.
3. Attainable – strive for goals that are challenging but, at the same time, possible and feasible. Don’t try to conquer the world overnight.
4. Relevant, i.e. realistic – be honest with yourself and aware of what you and your team are willing to do. Don’t forget to include possible “road problems” in your final account.
5. Time-bound, i.e. time-limited – always set deadlines. Saying “we’ll achieve something one day” usually means never, and that entails the demolition of everything you’ve built.
This technique of setting goals, also known as the SMART method, is your big ally in promoting the brand on Instagram.
Instagram Tips: Strategies for Posting Content on Instagram
Randomly viewing photos and other people’s posts, and sporadically posting motivational quotes, lunch photos or beautiful pictures of nature are great things for the private use of Instagram. But, business is business. If you want the right results, as well as a large, strong, and loyal community, you need a marketing plan to perform.
Pay attention to these 4 things:
The Time When You Post Content on Instagram and How Often You Do It
If followers have the impression that your posts are “pouring like rain” at any time of the day or night, even if they are the most interesting ever, they will become bored of them and develop a repelling emotion at your followers. It’s necessary to find the right measure.
How to do it?
Test.
Publish 2-3 posts a day for a period of two weeks. And, always post at different times.
Keep track of when the posts were most seen and, simple as that – you got the ideal time(s) for your posts. All you need to do is create a post calendar. Of course, repeat testing from time to time.
You never know if there has been a change in the behavior of your followers.
Content in Posts
The rule is simple – mix. Posts of the same type will quickly bore people, especially if the content is exclusively for sales.
Keep in mind that posting must be useful to followers because it’s the only way to keep their attention and ensure they keep coming back.
Cover a variety of topics related to your business, create a contest, and offer humor and fun.
People are especially interested in what’s going on behind the scenes of your brand. If you’re engaged in a production of any kind, show in the picture and the words what it all looks like. Not just a finished and polished product.
Do you have a restaurant or a pastry shop…?
Let people be convinced of your professionalism. Let them see the harmony of the chef, the dance of the waiters, the conditions in which the food is prepared, etc. It will be a real magnet for every client.
Be Immediately Recognizable
As many as 60 % of the most famous brands use the same filter for every photo or video they post on Instagram.
In this way, they actually define their style and become recognizable in the eyes of their followers.
Why is it important?
Your goal is that someone when scrolling through the posts stops when they see your post and interact with it.
It’s much easier to catch and keep the attention of followers if they recognize your post right away. That’s the catch.
It’s also very helpful if your photos have a visual identity in terms of color and style, the frame…
To achieve this, you can use a number of mobile applications for photo processing, so you have no reason to be afraid. Always think about the motives and values that guide your customers and then show and prove that you stand for the same.
Use Hashtags Wisely
Identify relevant hashtags for your business. See what the competition and influencers are using and come up with your own branded hashtags.
Don’t overdo it. Yes, you can put up to 30 hashtags per post, but the recommendation is 3-5 and, instead of simply listing them at the end, try to integrate them into the post itself.
Yes, Instagram revolves around pictures and videos but the accompanying text can make a huge difference. So be creative and unique.
Collaborate With Influencers on Instagram
Use them for your affiliate marketing network. Sponsor their content and build a business relationship with them. It will pay off many times over.
Don’t forget. These are people who have a large number of followers and can easily convey your message to them, so you’ll benefit from it. Not only will new people hear about you but they can also become your loyal followers and clients.
Advertise on Instagram
Social media ads have proven to be an effective way to grow your business. Instagram ads are no exception.
You have 3 types of ads available: photo ads, video ads, and carousel ads (multiple photos in one ad). All three types of ads are displayed like other posts, and the easiest way is to create an Instagram ad from your Facebook account.
Take Action
So, if you don’t put your company’s Instagram performance on a sound footing from the start, you risk failure.
You may have already stepped deep into the waters of Instagram but are heading in the wrong direction. Don’t worry. You can always start applying the right strategy and profit quickly.
You’re a professional in your business and so must be your performance, not only on Instagram but on the Internet as a whole. It’s the only way to really blow the competition away.
