I am not going to convince you to use Instagram for business or talk about the importance of this visual platform. At this point, you should know it already.
According to Forrester Research, “The top brands on Instagram are seeing a per-follower interaction rate of 2.3 percent, which far surpasses the engagement rate these brands are seeing on both Facebook (0.2 percent) and Twitter (0.02 percent).”
I am sure you have seen 100s of articles on Instagram marketing but unfortunately, there’s no secret formula on how to get more brand awareness on Instagram, but there are ways of improving your Instagram strategy so that more of your ideal audience can find you and connect with you.
Here are some of my bite-sized tips on how to improve your marketing on Instagram:
- Create a killer bio. Do people know what you do? Can they contact you easily?
- Include your website or blog link to boost traffic to your site.
- Post great photos. You don’t need to hire a professional photographer. Just practice with your mobile phone and you will get better over time.
- Write thoughtful and long captions.
- Maximize exposure by sharing your Instagram posts to your Twitter and Facebook pages.
- Pick a theme so that people can remember your account. (e.g. Same color & font)
- Video, video and more Video. Not going to say anything more here.
- Do your research on which hashtags do well for the industry. You can use a FREE a tool like hashtagify.me
- Use popular + niche hashtags. Try to use 11+ hashtags for each photo.
- Follow similar accounts on regular basis. Some of these will follow your back.
- Make sure to engage with your fan base. Reply to their comments and ask questions.
- Participate in #ShareForShare (S4S). Partner up with other accounts that post similar photos and collaborate with them.
- Add your IG account link on your website or blog.
- Besides creating your own Instagram content, create and curate content from your fans.
- Ask your fans to tell a story about your brand.
- Create a branded hashtag. Use it consistently and also ask your fans to use it.
- Create Instagram stories. You don’t have to worry about over posting.
- Convert your Instagram profile to the business account. You will get access to valuable data about your fan base.
- Invest in Instagram Ads. These are still very cheap 🙂
Now over to you.
What would you try or test next on your Instagram account?