Harnessing the power of Instagram marketing

A lot of what we hear about Instagram in the media doesn’t always paint it in the best light. Children are spending too much time on Instagram, Instagram is creating false ideals of the ‘perfect’ body, there are too many deceptive lifestyles on Instagram, and so much more negativity. But, we are here to tell you that this isn’t the whole truth. There are so many amazing things to be achieved through Instagram, like effective marketing, and they don’t get the coverage they deserve.

People have become millionaires through Instagram. It helps charities reach wider audiences for good causes, and it engages the youth in aspects of life that they may not experience in the day-to-day. But importantly for companies, Instagram marketing can be one of the best ways to grow your business. Whether Instagram is a positive or negative factor in your life comes down to one thing: How you use it. Here’s how to harness the power of Instagram marketing for your business.

Your profile

Setting up a basic Instagram profile is easy. You press sign up, fill in your contact details, add a profile picture and edit your bio, and the process is over in minutes. But, to set up a profile specifically for effective Instagram marketing, there are some tricks you should know.

For example, you need to add clickable profile links to your bio. You previously couldn’t do this, but now you can add one in by editing your bio by clicking settings in the top right corner. It provides a quick route for potential customers to your website. Also, make sure your profile looks nice at first glance. Instagram is known for making regular people look like professional photographers. Out of focus, dull, and irrelevant images won’t cut it. If you are using your own images, try to make them all say something about your business. This comes down to what you choose to post, how the pictures are edited, and how they relate to your brand.

Hashtags

Don’t just say something on Instagram. The use of well thought out and useful hashtags can make or break your Instagram marketing campaign. There are seven basic types of Instagram hashtags you should consider using:

• Branded hashtags are unique to your brand.
• Contest hashtags are branded hashtags created for specific contests you may run.
• General appeal hashtags appeal to the masses.
• Niche-specific hashtags are industry relevant.
• Timely hashtags relate to current or seasonal events.
• Entertaining hashtags won’t help with reach but will amuse your followers and create an identity for your brand.
• Searchable hashtags are words or phrases potential customers are likely to search for.

Stories

Insta-stories allow you to upload photos and videos of anything interesting to you and your followers. These are available for 24 hours before being reset, similar to Snapchat. If you upload content created and submitted by your audience, share moments from business events, be authentic, and occasionally go live, this will help build your Instagram following. People will become invested in you and your brand. If there’s some content you feel is particularly compelling, Instagram has created highlights where you can add expired stories so they continue to gather the attention of potential customers.

It takes seven to ten touches on Instagram for a potential lead to become a client. Using Instagram stories helps bring your brand to the forefront of people’s minds. It may seem like using Instagram marketing involves relentlessly targeting potential clients, but remember 70% of brand communication is a person talking about the brand.

These tips are invaluable for successful Instagram marketing, but there are still plenty more to learn. KUB can teach you in one of our social media marketing courses. If you would still like to reap the benefits of social media marketing but are pressed for time, why not have us take the weight off your shoulders and run it for you? Get in contact with us today on 0345 053 7417 for an informal chat on how KUB can help grow your business.