Instagram is one of the most well used social media marketing sites on the internet.
Most brands have an Instagram account at this point, and it’s fairly obvious that it’s a great market for almost any business.
Instagram Statistics
- Instagram has 400 million users
- Over 80 million photos are uploaded each day
- 90% of users are under 35
- Over 60% of users log in daily, second most engaged network after Facebook
- 75% of users are outside the US
- Brand engagement on Instagram is 10x higher than Facebook, 54x higher than Pinterest, and 84x higher than Twitter
But with all of that competition out there, you have to be exemplary to make sure that your content is seen.
One of the biggest things to remember about marketing on Instagram is the demographic of the users. Instagram users are almost exclusively under 35 years of age.
Essentially, make sure that you can market your business to that demographic.
The biggest identifying factor of Instagram is that you’re trying to grab users attention with branded, well crafted images.
You’re trying to make your brand seem visually engaging and approachable. Make your brand feel like a person that users can trust.
You’re trying to grab users attention with branded, well crafted images.
Instagram Tips
Take square photos. Instagram uses square photos, and if you already have yours in a square shape then you can ensure that the important elements won’t be cut out. Most smartphone cameras have a setting for this.
Make sure you put a link to your website in your bio. If people are interested enough to go on your page, then there’s a good chance they’ll at least check out your website.
Cross promote. Promoting other businesses has many benefits, including higher recognition for both brands and shared followers.
Take advantage of the hashtags that are trending. If you have applicable content, use trending hashtags to make sure you’re promoting as much as possible.
Send Instagram users into your marketing funnel. Ask them to download ebooks or sign up for a newsletter so that you can interact with them on a one on one basis.
Mix videos and photos. Videos get more traffic and views than photos, creating more visibility for your brand.
Make graphics shareworthy. Adding a caption to the image itself makes certain that you can grab the user’s attention.
Plan out your posts. If you know in advance what you’re going to post, you can use some Instagram scheduling tools or at least you don’t have to scrounge for content.
Make sure your username, profile image, and other profile information is branded for maximum exposure.
Integrate your Instagram with your Facebook page (for more tips on how to optimize Facebook, click here)
Make your followers famous! After asking permission, post photos of your followers, or photos they take and attribute them properly.
Engage with your followers as much as possible, giving your brand a personality. Like your followers’ photos, comment on their photos, respond to comments on your images, @mention your customers.
Be creative with your photos. Use filters, use collage apps, editing apps, photography tricks, anything you can think of to spice up your images.
Show your products authentically. Show them used the way you want them used.
Push engagement. Ask people to comment, ask questions about your product, encourage engagement from your followers.