How to market your brand successfully on Instagram
Infobesity is becoming a real problem in today’s digital world. We are overloaded from the minute we wake up, to the moment we switch off our technology and finally rest our heads. Information needs to be delivered quickly and easy to digest, so what better way than with an aesthetically pleasing image? After all, they say a picture is worth a thousand words. Consequently, brands and businesses are increasingly using social media tools like Instagram to convey their message. 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual, and images are processed 60,000x faster than text. With that in mind, below are some keys tips on how to successfully integrate Instagram into your Social Media Strategy.
It’s all about the visuals…
Great visuals can sell your brand, product and ultimately sell you. Ensure that everything you post to Instagram is authentic, valuable and personal. Create a visual identity for your brand and business. Decide how you want to present your brand and follow a house style. According to studies, the most popular posts on Instagram include a human element, so why not include your employees – who they are, what they like, and what they do? Be consistent. You may choose to use particular filters and borders to increase uniformity and make your account appear more professional. Make sure that whatever you post is valuable and tells a story for your audience to engage with.
Be smart with your hashtags…
Instagram posts with hashtags average 12.6% more engagement than those without. You’ll increase your followers and user engagement by mentioning people who are involved in your post and adding a Geolocation so that people searching for that area or person are more likely to find your post in the process. Make sure you include well thought-out hashtags – Instagram will allow up to 30, but more considered hashtags increase your chance of reaching your target audience. Be sure to check currently trending hashtags using the ‘explore’ option to see if they relate to you or your business and remember to regularly check your branded hashtags to see what others are saying about you. Hashtags are almost as important as your image, so make sure you spend time choosing the most suitable.
Timing is key…
As with other social media platforms, when it comes to optimising engagement, the timing of your post is essential. According to studies, Mondays and Thursdays have are the best days to post content, with the most effective times of day being 8-9am and 5pm. And you’ll need to evaluate the time of day your target audience is most likely to engage with social media. For example, some commuters check their phones on their journeys, meanwhile some may only check their social media in their lunch breaks and evening leisure time. Over 100,000 Instagram posts are shared daily: how you time yours can determine how much impact it has.
Trial and Error…
As with any content sharing platform, finding out what works online for your business can take time. So be patient and be sure to explore your analytics. Instagram for Business offers an insights option where you can track your page’s impressions, reach, profile views and website click-throughs. Instagram can also be used as a tool to build business profiles, create sponsored ads and turn your organic trending posts into ads. If you’re using for business but want to upload directly from your computer there are third party apps and browser tricks you can use instead of the laborious process of uploading from phone to email. Each method works differently and has its own pros and cons. By discovering all that Instagram has to offer, you’ll soon see the benefits of utilising it to grow your brand’s online presence, so start snapping and sharing today. Happy gramming!