How To Market Your Business Using Instagram

A social media presence speaks tons about your company and the kind of services you provide. Social media platforms have helped make the world more connected, thereby creating more opportunities for businesses to network, develop and grow. One such social media network created solely for sharing pictures online that became an open platform for people to sell products, market businesses, search for talent and advertise is Instagram!

At present Instagram has more than 700 million monthly active users and over 400 million daily active users with 250 million daily active Instagram stories users. Instagram is the place to be for all developing companies and here’s how you can market your business using the platform.

1. Hashtags
It’s been 10 years since hashtags were first used to join a conversation on social media. Today, an average of 125 million hashtags are shared on Twitter every single day. Hashtags give pictures a bigger reach which means more people are likely to find the company’s profile. Conduct thorough research and use those hashtags that are the most searched for or most popular but still relevant to you company. As Instagram does not have a character limit like the microblogging site Twitter, liberally use brand specific hashtags for particular marketing campaigns.

2. Create and Collaborate
One major feature of Instagram is the filters it provides to make pictures more beautiful. Therefore, the most crucial element to selling products on this platform is visual content. Focus on creating an interactive post that is aesthetically pleasing and informative at the same time. Connect with your audience on an emotional level rather than on an intellectual level by showing the processes behind providing the service, the company culture, your mission, or simply share videos, GIFs and boomerangs. Be as creative as possible and collaborate with other profiles for shout outs and mentions.

#Boomerang by @liztsarevna Inspiration for Boomerangs appears in everyday objects for Elizabeth Tsareva (@liztsarevna). For this #BoomerangOfTheWeek, mirrors got her thinking. “They’re often represented as something unstable, mysterious and scary,” says the 17-year-old Ukrainian student of international relations. “But I wanted to show another side of them: how they connect different worlds, how they show contrasts and similarities and how easy it is to change what you see — and how fun it can be!” 🌱 Add #BoomerangOfTheWeek to your next #Boomerang — yours might show up here on @instagram.

A post shared by Instagram (@instagram) on Aug 25, 2017 at 4:54pm PDT

3. Instagram Business
To help out the small businesses who offer their products and services on Instagram, the photo sharing network has started an Instagram for Business blog, which offers tips, brand spotlights, API examples and news from the Instagram headquarters. Join their network and create advertisements, find a partner and stay up to date on the coolest ways to use the Instagram platform for business. Instagram also provides the option to promote posts and get real time metrics on your posts along with insights on your followers and how they interact with your posts and stories.

4. Be Social
Instagram is a social media platform meant for networking and connecting with people. Avoid using the platform for wielding your influence and coming off too pushy. Build trust by establishing yourself as an expert in the field and provide value by sharing social proof or real life stories through images. Share customer testimonials and allow viewers to make their own decisions with creative product photos. Be approachable, friendly, reply to comments, take complaints seriously and be social with your followers. Like, comment and respond to your follower’s posts when they are direct at your company even if they are negative.

Cruising through #Chicago. 🚐 Check out our travel guide to the Windy City written by one of our team members. Link in bio. #travel #delivery #enroute Photo: @snapzak

A post shared by FedEx (@fedex) on Aug 13, 2016 at 11:59am PDT

5. Stand Out
The best part of social media is the ability to try new and creative strategies. Use every means possible to create beautiful images and videos that best describe your products and your company. Show your company’s core values and brand, feature fun photos and videos of your employees, make your top executives look personable and share exclusive content. Stand out of the crowd by using your Instagram account through consistent posts and keep improving the quality of your content.

Instagram is one of the most used social media platforms all over the world! 80% of the users are outside of the United States. Instagram provides entrepreneurs a great opportunity to engage with people from all over the world.