INSTAGRAM MARKETING
Instagram is one of the biggest and baddest Social Media Networks on the media right now. With over one billion active monthly users and 25 million active businesses accounts, it's clear they are not going anywhere anytime soon. I personally really prefer Instagram over other social media platforms. There are many reasons as to why I think so and I'll tell this but before that let's know more about Instagram Marketing.
What is Instagram Marketing?
Instagram Marketing is where large, small and even individual owners sell their products and services to Instagram Users. I have seen people creating their own merch, promoting it and even selling it without having a business website or such. Just a simple link to an e-store such as eBay is enough. Everyday Instagram amazes me with it's power and reach. There are people who are starting out by sharing their thoughts through Instagram blogs such as food blogs, travel blogs, lifestyle blogs, art blogs to name a few. Instagram blogs are a trend now and are quickly taking over. Instagram is an excellent platform to promote your brand and business. It is as far away as creating your business account, creating a Marketing Strategy and pushing out content for your audience.
Instagram Marketing Tips
Here are some effective instagram tips:-
Brand Plan
The three things that can help you with an effective brand plan are "consistency", "clarity", "congruence". Consistency means that you are following a consistent schedule of posting, responding to comments and DMs. It helps to prove that you are a reliable and trustworthy brand. Clarity is all about what you are, what is your style, what exactly you do and why you are worth following. One of the quickest ways to lose someone is to confuse them and not clarify what you stand for. Lastly, we have congruence that means that whatever you represent, whatever you talk about, it all should be in the same line and same theme.
Mobile Optimized Website
If you are sending your audience to your website, it is important to have a mobile optimized website because almost everyone uses Instagram on their mobile devices.
Using Instagram Hashtags Strategically
I cannot stress enough how important it is to use hashtags on your Instagram posts. Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags per post. If you are new to Instagram and want to promote your content, using hashtags with millions of posts will not work. Your post will just be buried as there are thousands of people who are people who are posting every minute.
It is important to follow hashtags strategies where you use a combination of most used hashtags, medium used hashtags and hashtags with little posts. You need to do a search according to your brand and vary these hashtags as it will help you to understand which one's are performing well. This has worked for many people including myself. I am sure it will work for you as well.
Maintaining and Creating a Consistent and Beautiful Feed
When a user clicks on someone's account they tend to take a look at the feed, I do this too and it's totally normal. Something that is consistent and clear attracts our eyes as we humans like pretty things. Try to follow a consistent theme and show your best content out there. Impress your audience, portray your best brand image.
Using Instagram Ads
Last but not the least if you have a business and you want to generate more leads, customers and sales then you want to leverage the incredible power of Instagram ads. As Instagram is owned by Facebook you can pinpoint your exact ideal target and put your message directly in front of them. So, make a connection, seek to understand them first and really build those relationships and the last thing you want to do is spam someone.
Conclusion, Instagram should be treated as a marketing tool and part of your entire business funnel. A Marketing Plan will make all your efforts fruitful . Rather than focusing on likes, try to focus on website clicks, direct messages to build your audience. We cannot solely rely on the algorithm as it tends to change. Create strategic content specifically for your target market and engage with them regularly.
