Sunday, August 10, 2014

4 Useful Tips to Market Your Business Using Instagram

How to market your business using Instagram


 Instagram is a photo-sharing application that has taken the world by storm. Instagram started out as a social media tool that enables people to share snapshots of their daily lives with each other. In just a few years, this image sharing social media network has evolved to become a platform that businesses are using to improve brand awareness and engage customers. Marketing your business using Instagram is an effective way of gaining traction and driving interest to your product or services.

Many entrepreneurs enjoy prosperity today mostly due to successful Instagram branding. If you want to join the club, here are four tips that you can employ to market your business using Instagram so that you can make the most of online marketing and brand awareness. 



Tip #1: Post eye-catching and relevant images and videos

Social media users only share what piques their interest. They will not bother to discuss something they have seen online with their friends if they think it is not worth a second look. Since the Internet is a visual medium, your Instagram posts will only get the target following that you aspire for if you post stuff that people would want to talk about. Sharing things that matter to them will get them engaged and talking to their friends about your brand.

Instagram does not work in the same way as Facebook and Twitter. The videos that you can post on Instagram only last a maximum of 15 seconds. The only other alternatives are photos and diagrams. Because of the limitation, figuring out the content of your post should become the primary concern. This is a process of trial and error. There are no absolute dos and don’ts for Insta-success when it comes to content. Experimentation is the way to go. At the start, some posts will get less likes than other posts. You can learn from this and analyze the possible reasons behind the outcomes. There are many possible factors, including image quality, caption, image tag, and even the time of day that you posted the material. If you are starting out and at a loss for what content to post, learn from brands that you like and interact with people. Soon enough you will know enough about what works and you can apply this knowledge in choosing content that propels your business to new heights.

Tip #2: Tell the truth

Talking about something that you know very well will get you more followers. Do not even try deceiving people by making them believe that you know enough about something when the truth is you do not. This will lead nowhere. People can tell if they are being lied to, and the most successful entrepreneurs in Instagram are those who are honest and real. Addressing issues head on will increase their admiration for your honesty and they will tell people about your products and services. Honesty is likeable and brands that don’t lie find favor amongst Instagrammers.

Tip #3: Be conscious about how you communicate

Instagram is a fast-paced platform. Entrepreneurs must be aware not only about how and when they communicate to their followers. However, they also have to be conscious about how fast they respond to those who indicate interest. A prompt reply could generate more questions and others who are tuned in will be encouraged to join the conversation. Customers do not like to be kept waiting and if they do not get a quick reply, they often bail out and do not come back. Responding to their needs when they are most interested is very good PR for your brand. Knowing how to communicate with customers effectively is you stepping up to their needs. They will notice it and spread the word about the excellent customer service that your business offers.

Tip #4: Don’t be hasty

Instagram allows you to post on the go, but there is no need for haste. Committing an error on Instagram could be very hard to recover from, and you can make a mistake if you don’t take it slow. Surely, you can be spontaneous but that does not mean that you should be hasty. If you are convinced of a great idea, ruminate on it for a while before posting. No matter how busy you are, you always have to take the time to look at your post from all angles before you present it for the whole world to see.
  
And remember that Instagram is one of the hottest, trendiest, most popular social media sites on the planet today. There are also services where any business can buy 10000 Instagram followers and small business owners make the majority of their clientele. These are your competition. They are already interacting with potential customers while you are still posting photos on a regular basis hoping to gain an audience.