I know, just when you figured out how to do business branding on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter and possibly even Pinterest. along comes another one to consider. We are talking about Instagram and if you have pre-teens or teens at home, there is a good chance you heard about it from them.
Ever since Facebook acquired Instagram, its popularity has soared and since it is a free way to reach a target audience and reinforce branding images, you’d be amiss if you didn’t at least check it out. First off, let us get you up to speed on the history of Instagram as outlined in the graphic below.
Now that you know how it evolved, here are some pointers on how to successfully use Instagram for your small or medium sized provided by smallbusinessgal.com.
- Use your face as your brand—people like engaging with real people not logos
- Reply to those who comment on your posts—you want to build relationships with your followers
- Comment on other’s photos
- Keep in mind your target audience and only post information and visuals that they would find relevant
- Don’t be a narcissist and make it all about you—include other items that would be of interest to your followers like perhaps something industry related
- Use hashtags—it’s like SEO for pictures but make it relevant to the photo
If you are on the fence of whether you should use Instagram or not, consider these three reasons:
- You can reach a wider audience for your branding images and short messages. Also, since Instagram is still considered pretty cool while becoming more mainstream, you have a lot of people surfing this platform looking for new people and organizations to follow.
- You can engage your followers through contests and special promotions/discount codes only found on Instagram.
- You can feature your customers using your product or service, which can boost the trust factor for potential customers.
For a few more tips on how marketers can use Instagram, you can read this useful article here. Social Media Examiner wrote another article on ways businesses can be creative on Instagram, click here to read that one.
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Now you know a little more about Instagram for business. If you are looking at using this platform or other social media to help with your marketing and branding efforts, don’t forget to connect with The Savvy Socialista–we’d love to be of assistance!