4 Brand-Building Tips on Using Instagram for Your Business

How to Create a Powerful Instagram Social Media Marketing Strategy

One of the most powerful marketing tools marketers have today is social media. From Facebook posts to tweets on Twitter, sharing your products or services on social media platforms is a great way to increase brand awareness, engagement, sales and leads.

However, many people are left scratching their heads when it comes to marketing with Instagram.

Many of us use Instagram as a personal account to post photos of our family, friends, vacations and food - but how can it tie into business? And should it?

With the speed of which Instagram is growing, don't underestimate its value to boost your brand and marketing efforts.

It has grown into an incredibly valuable marketing platform and even though the 18-29 year old's are still prevalent users, the higher age groups are catching on and catching up fast.

Some 2018 Instagram stats from Sprout Social are telling:

• 7 out of 10 hashtags on Instagram are branded

• 80% of users follow a business on Instagram

• 65% of top-performing Instagram posts feature products

If you feel the tug to explore Instagram as part of your social media marketing strategy, check out these initial pointers to help you get started:

1. Use Hashtags Wisely

You don't need to cram every hashtag you can think of in one post, but you do need at least a few.

A hashtag is the # sign followed by descriptive words about your image as in this example, I used #marketing and #ctaconf, which was the conference I was attending at the time.

When a user clicks/taps on a hashtag or types a hashtag into the search box, it brings up all images that use that hashtag. The user can even subscribe to continue to follow that hashtag.

The hope is the user will see your photo, head to your profile and best-case scenario, follow you and get engaged with more of your posts!

However, when hashtags are extremely popular, the competition to show up in the results is fierce. Similar to SEO keywords, the more popular a term is, the harder it is to stay at the top of the search results. Thus, my example of using #marketing really was futile if I wanted to get any traction from that post.

You want to make your hashtags relevant to your business and location, but also engaging enough that a user would type them into Instagram's search box.

For instance:

• Say you have a pizza joint in Vancouver. You post a pic of your Pepperoni pizza with the hashtags #VancouversBestPizza #NicolosRestaurant #DeliciousDeepDish

• Or you're a Toronto wedding planner. You post an image of a bride and groom's first dance with the hashtags #TorontoWeddingPlanner #LoveWins #WinterWedding

Holidays and special events are an excellent time to promote your business and gain Instagram followers. Whether it's a sale on Black Friday, a Thanksgiving-related use for your product or a product shout-out on National Dog Day, they are all ideal opportunities to showcase your business brand in a non-salesy way.

2. Thank Your Audience for Showing Up

You don't just post a bunch of photos and hashtags and wait for the likes to roll in.

To gain Instagram followers, engage with your audience and grow sales or leads, you need to put in the time.

See an example here from video expert Michele Moreno where she responds back to each of the comments left on her video post.

So if someone leaves a comment or question on one of your posts, take the time to reply and thank them/answer their question.

Take a look at their profile, and if you like what you see, follow them.

Businesses often follow commenters first, in the hopes that they might return the favour.

You can also look for people who might be interested in your product, then comment on their photos and/or follow them, but don't spam them with an ask to follow you right away.

3. Interact with the Right Influencers

Influencers are Instagram users who can influence your target audience because of their popularity and/or social media following.

Danielle Bernstein is a good example of an influencer who worked with a brand. You may not recognize her name, but the 1.8 million followers of her Instagram account WeWoreWhat do.

Bernstein and FIJI Water worked together to create BodyWoreWhat, a marketing campaign offering 8-minute workout videos with her and her personal trainer.

That may be an extreme example, and unless you have deep pockets you probably won't be able to attract an influencer with almost two million followers.

But don't despair. From mommy bloggers to local foodies, you can always find someone who your target audience follows, likes or admires. Maybe they'd be willing to review your product or take a photo using it - use your imagination!

4. Don't Just Shill Your Products

Instagram is not the place to simply share product shots all the time. Think of the experience people have using what you're offering, or the benefits it gives people.

Even better, show real-examples. Asking for user-generated content from your audience is one way to do this. That means that users share their photos using a hashtag you provide.

The online furniture store Wayfair.com does user-generated content very well. They have a user-generated campaign that lets customers share photos of their stylish Wayfair-filled homes using the hashtag #WayfairAtHome.

Be sure to let people know that their images might be featured on your page and you can increase your Instagram content big time - for free!

No matter how you use Instagram for your business, be authentic and true to your brand. It's what the platform is all about, and it's going to help you grow your business, gain Instagram followers and attract sales or leads.

Susan Friesen, founder of the award-winning web development and digital marketing firm eVision Media, is a Web Specialist, Business & Marketing Consultant. r. She works with entrepreneurs who struggle with having the lack of knowledge, skill and support needed to create their online business presence.

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Why Instagram Is So Powerful for Your Business and Personal Brand

Do you know how powerful Instagram is?

Most people by now have heard about the little app called Instagram; that has taken the world by storm. It doesn't matter if you are a technology expert, that knows about the latest and greatest apps, or you can barely check your email. We can all agree that someone we know is always on Instagram. If you look around nowadays it's a rare sight if you don't see someone glued to their phone, completely unaware of what's going on around them. It's really interesting how much people use their phone while in the middle of a conversation, sometimes more focused on the phone than the conversation they are having with the person right in front of them. Has this ever happened to you, or maybe you even done this yourself?

It's a different world we are living in now; as opposed to 10 - 20 years ago. Back then smartphones weren't that smart, apps we not as prevalent, and people where not totally mesmerized by their phones, and more importantly, the apps they use on them. Nowadays you can use applications like Instagram to chat with friends whether by tagging them in something you saw, sending them a video message, replying to a story they posted, or even based on seeing something that reminded you of them. You can also get caught up exploring different cities, watching your favorite actor every day life, or your favorite comedian doing a live steam or some sport highlights from last nights game. None of this existed 15 years ago, back then people would turn to maybe the TV for entertainment but now people are spending more time one their phones than ever before and Instagram is where they are spending most of their time. Whether you own a business or want to build your personal brand... Instagram is definitely one of the platforms you need to utilized, here is why.

Did you know on Instagram you get access to over 800 million users every month. Instagram is quickly rising to the top of all social media platforms, and with a whopping 800 million users it has become one of the best platforms with which to reach your targeted audience. While Twitter has remained at 350 million users for a few years, Instagram has blown past that and will reach 1 billion users within the next year or two. As the old saying goes, "Meet your customers and people where they are." And right now, they are on Instagram, and Instagram, is on their phone making it even more powerful. Take a look around, you can always find someone staring at their phone, and more importantly using Instagram.

Instagram makes Networking easier for you. The networking capabilities and extensive reach that Instagram has given us, on a global scale is unmatched. Smart people like yourself know they must take advantage of every opportunity to grow and expand their network. Instagram allows you to connect with people based on their interests, location, hash tags and mutual friends and contacts. The best part is you can build your network all around the world from your smartphone. Now this actually gives you a good reason for all the time you spend on Instagram.

Instagram maximizes your reach and engagement. Instagram has 58 times more reach and follower engagement than Facebook, and an astonishing 120 times more reach than Twitter. So building your Instagram audience is vital to your success now and even more so in the coming future. If your not building your targeted audience (people who are interested in your business or personal brand) it's almost like not having a cell phone or email for people to contact you. It's like a fisher men not having a fishing pole or net to catch fish, a barber not having clippers to cut hair, we're sure you get the point by now. Start building your audience today so you can start gaining momentum and exposure fast setting you up for the future with a solid foundation to build on.

Instagram is fun and easy to use. For those who are familiar with Instagram, you already know how fun and easy it is to use. Whether you currently have a personal or a business account you probably already understand how powerful Instagram can be. People are able to explore different cities, countries, and continents right from their phone and also see and do live videos for their audience. You can join someone on a live video, interview style. and the possibilities are endless with new feature being added often. Instagram allows you to basically have your on TV network with out the TV network cost. Even better you are able to get live feed back from your audience with comments and engagement right as you are talking to them, that is more powerful than TV.

People love pictures now and always have and always will. For those who have never used Instagram before, it can be an amazing way to connect with people and build a targeted audience that is highly focused. You can build an audience that is local, nationwide, or international depending on your preference; brand, professions, or passion. There is an old saying, " A picture is worth a thousand words." Start using Instagram today, and let your pictures say thousands of words for you. People have always loved pictures for generations so you know Instagram is going to be here for the long haul.

Using Instagram you can create meaningful connections. Most people know by now that Instagram has been growing by leaps and bounds. Especially in the last several years, now the timing is perfect for you. Everyone knows someone that's always on their phone checking their Instagram, and more importantly Instagram holds people's attention. It has become one of the most powerful platforms that people and businesses can utilize to connect with others. Can you imagine connecting with new people and potential customers everyday simply from using Instagram. What if you were able to develop a rich, meaningful, connection with your audience. At the same time create and develop your own brand and presence in the minds of people all over the world. Not to mention also to stay up to date with friends and family, Instagram truly allows you to do it all and more.

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