Come on people, it’s time. You’ve been sitting on the sidelines for far too long. I understand the reluctance to jump into a “new” social media platform full-steam until it’s been tested, but if you have not yet incorporated Instagram into your social marketing scheme, you’re behind the game.
Here’s why:
- Instagram boasts 300 million active monthly users and 75 million daily users (and get this: 20% of all Internet users use Instagram).
- It’s a great platform to reach the important Millennial demographic; 90% of Instagram users are younger than 35. And more than half of all online adults in the U.S. younger than 30 are using Instagram.
- But it’s not just for the younger set, as 20% of all Internet users globally between 16 and 64 are Instagram users.
- About half of all Instagram users log in once a day, and more than a quarter of users log in multiple times each day.
Not only is Instagram fertile ground for spreading your message and increasing your visibility, it’s also a great place to begin building brand loyalty. If your presence on Instagram is weak (or non-existent!), fear not; here are three simple things you can do to jumpstart your account:
- Let’s start by compiling a library of photos to promote your brand, message, products, services, and values. Consistency matters, and the last thing you are going to want to do is struggle each day to find new content. Have your photos ready to go, so all you need to do is select one each day, and post it. Add a fun caption and appropriate hashtags (see below), and you’re good to go. Keep in mind: Instagram is not the place to promote your company endlessly; use a mix of product photos, branded graphics, and fun images to keep your feed interesting and exciting.
- Research the #hashtags used in your industry and by your target audience, and apply them generously to your posts. This is how you tap into relevant conversations and position your brand in the middle of trending topics. People routinely search for photos using their favorite hashtags; your job is to make sure they can find you. Despite the fact that more than 20 billion (yes, billion) photos have been shared on Instagram, you can still get noticed and isolate the people you are trying to reach by properly applying appropriate hashtags to each photo. It’s a great way to filter content and talk directly to your audience.
- *Like* others’ photos using hashtags that support your brand. Want to get noticed and build your following quickly? Each time you *like* a photo, that user gets a notification. This is an effective way to pull eyeballs to your profile page, attract followers, and garner likes for your own photos. We’ve recently launched a service where our team likes thousands of photos each week, getting you noticed and sparking engagement on your account. This is a perfect way to grow your following and increase the likes on your photos (from 0 to as many as several dozen per day). Click here for more info on our Instagram Liking Program.
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Now you have all you need to build a powerful presence on this amazing, fast-growing platform. And for those of you who want to completely outsource your Instagram marketing to the pros, click here to learn about our Full-Service Instagram Program (includes posting photos daily and our liking program).
