Instagram is one of the largest growing social media platforms. Most use it to show and share a glimpse of their life to others; however, in business it can be used as a powerful marketing tool. ‘How’, you may ask?
Unfortunately, most entrepreneurs are left clueless when faced with growing their Instagram accounts and furthering their social media impact. However, there is nothing to fear, a marketing company will know exactly how to help you grow but if you want to take matters into your own hands then here is the starting kit. Below we share some of our tips to get you started on the Instagram journey to success. Just remember patience and consistency are the main components.
Who uses Instagram
1. Know your market and create a strategy
Make sure you speak to the right audience in the right way.
Chances are as a business you have already figured out who you are, and what it is you want to accomplish. Nevertheless when you have to break down everything again and use new strategies it can be a bit overwhelming. The main points to keep in mind is to be honest with yourself and know what you want to achieve with the Instagram account as well to know your audience. Also what is it that you want to show about your business that the others haven’t seen before or that you haven’t already shown on your other social media accounts? Some take a more creative approach while others show a more personal side of their business. For example, if you are a restaurant and want to take a creative approach then obviously present the dishes or the separate ingredients. IF you want a more personal connection then share the team, the chef cooking, the people eating and enjoying the dish and so on.
It is also important to note that when you startup you will have to pay attention to you followers – what is it that they respond to? Which pictures did they like more?
2. Be Consistent
Let your followers know what to expect, and deliver. Consistently.
How many times do we hear ‘consistency is key’? Well you are about to hear it again because it is true – especially in social media. Consistency can be presented in 2 ways with Instagram 1) posting and 2) content.
- Posting on a consistent basis is important because you are not allowing to be forgotten. The truth is the internet has a short attention span and you need to know how to keep your presence and make yourself known.
- Content is detrimental – this point is also connected to strategy because you need to keep in mind your goal and create a theme that you will be able to be consistent with. This could mean choosing a certain colour palette for your pictures when editing and have them similar to your website theme.
3. Use the right Hashtags (#)
It’s all about #hashtags.
Hashtags used to be a laughing matter when they were first introduced but in Instagram world they are no laughing matter. They can make or break you. First introduced by Twitter, hashtags are a very effective way of classifying content into topics. Each time a topic is used for the first time, a new hashtag is being created. Before you go creating your own hashtag, try to use existing and popular ones first. Users are searching for hashtags more. They can filter by trending or by latest. The latter will give you a brief moment in the spotlight. This is why you also want to make sure you post whenever your audience is more active. – But how do I know this you may ask?; Just try posting at different times and see the response.Â
To be effective you need to use hashtags related to your business and familiarize yourself with popular hashtag trends. For example, if your business is located in Toronto you can use popular hashtags such as #6ix, #416, #tdot, and #toronto. Don’t forget to also use your location in your pictures as this will further your interaction with your audience.Â
Be patient
We cannot stress enough how important this is. Your followings and account growing will not happen over-night so be patient. If you have a strategy in place, use hashtags effectively, and are consistent, your Instagram account will grow.
