The instagram platform is one of the fastest growing in popularity amongst social media users. Surveys reveal that in excess of 50 Million photos and illustrations are shared by users on instagram everyday. Those are impressive figures. In fact, in terms of popularity gauged by user count, Instagram ranks second. Let’s look at just 5 (five) of the ways that existing and potential users of this platform can make optimum use of this invaluable marketing tool.
An Effective Instagram Marketing Approach
The first tip is to come up with an Instagram marketing strategy. With such a high user count, Instagram has great possibilities and potential as a medium which businesses can use to market their products and services. In fact, many businesses do use it. The question is, are they doing it the right way? Whether you decide to buy Instagram likes or you do everything from scratch, your business needs to have an effective Instagram marketing approach in order to beat competition.
Does the Business have a Business Profile on Instagram?
If it does not have a business profile account, this should be done without fail. Such a profile helps in various ways. It helps create a following which identifies with your business and its brands. One easy way of doing this is to buy followers on Likigram. This is a useful first step in creating loyalty. Such a profile account also facilitates easy access by users.
Photos and Videos
Instagram primarily uses photos and videos on its posts. Of course, the photos carry captions. With such a high user count, the potential to boost your business is great. However there are certain tips to follow to ensure effective use of these photos and videos.
- Photo and video ads should be of a consistent format, color and size. Such consistency helps avoid confusion and imprint the brand in customers and potential customers’ minds. This reinforcement helps in creating loyalty.
- Captions accompanying photos should be eye-catching and couched in interesting language.
- They should not be repeated so often as to bore users, but neither should they be so infrequent as to reduce the sense of continuity in users’ minds. Try to strike a balance.
Quality is Key
To get optimum returns from your use of Instagram as a marketing tool, avoid half measures at all stages. One of the most critical is the content of the videos and photos themselves. These should create maximum visual impact. Let’s consider this point very carefully. Your followers and users fall into two broad categories; existing followers and potential followers. You want your existing followers to remain interested and keep them in the camp, capture and arouse potential followers’ interest. Either way, your videos, photos and illustrations must be eye-catching, unique and interesting.
- Do not just aim for beautiful photos or videos. Try to make them tell a story. For example if it’s a post about a business suit, do not use just a picture of the suit. Try a short video about an executive attending a business meeting. Briefcase in hand, he strolls confidently into the conference room, shaking hands with meeting co-participants, his attire drawing subtle but admiring glances from the others, mostly from the female colleagues.
- Everyone familiar with social media knows that Instagram is primarily visual based, making use of photos, illustrations and videos. That does not mean you should ignore the captions accompanying the photos. Great care should be taken in designing the type of text and composing the text content. The videos and photos give your brand its look, and the accompanying text gives the brand its voice
Use Free Instagram Tools
It is vital to use free instagram tools. Through the use of insights, important use can be made of information about important statistics. Such information about how many followers are active as particular times of the day or on particular days of the week. You could also look at information like the gender, age groups and geographical locations of your followers.
Teasers
Smart business people make use of what are known as teasers. Instagram is ideally suited for their use and application. Teasers are ads that are used to pique users with interesting and intriguing titbits of information and upcoming bargains. The customer is not being asked to buy. Rather , the teaser provides information about new and upcoming brands, about festive season discounts or just useful information about how the product is used. Whilst not asking people to buy, their interest is aroused and some will actually place orders, whilst others will comment.
Know and Understand your Target Audience
So your business is using the Instagram platform, in marketing its brands. Or it is planning to do so. It is vital that you know your target audience. It is a fact that well over half of Instagram users are below thirty five years of age. It is also a fact that those who live in cities use it more often than country dwellers.
So it makes sense to use Instagram to market those brands that have a wider appeal to the younger generation; products like casual sportswear and the latest cellphone gadgets and handsets. Still on target market, since you are targeting the younger generation with your feeds, try to create video and photo footage that is relevant to them.
Post on Ideal Days of the Week
Studies have shown something very interesting about the ideal times to post on Instagram. This regardless of the fact that such posts are no longer chronological. These studies show that it is best to post healthcare products on Wednesday and Sunday mornings, for example, or that food products and related products like beverages (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) best posted around noon on Fridays. So if you want the best results from your Instagram platform, make a real effort to study results of studies and surveys that have been done on platform usage. There are many such studies. They help as a guide, a tool to help you ‘take stock’ and see if you are doing the right thing.
Your brand look should be unique and also consistent in your posts. The look should immediately bring out clear images of your brand in followers’ minds the moment they tap into your posts. After all, you want to create a following, a community and above all, loyalty to your brand
