Instagram is a great tool for promoting your business, especially if you offer visually-appealing products such as T-shirts or fashion accessories. However, even if the products you offer don’t translate well into photographs, Instagram is still a great network for raising brand awareness. Here are five sure-fire ways to gain more followers and increase the visibility of your business on Instagram.
1. Consistent posting is key
Keep your followers engaged and grab the attention of new followers by posting to Instagram every day, multiple times if possible. If you don’t have enough unique photos for this, crosspost other interesting photos that you find online. Also, you can post images consisting of overlaid text such as interesting quotations. Quotations are generally effective because users who agree with the quote tend to tag their friends in the comment section, thus increasing the visibility of your profile.
2. Use the power of the Hashtag
Categorize all of your posts by including numerous hashtags in the caption box. Research trending hashtag phrases and incorporate them to increase your content’s visibility. Also, create a unique hashtag for your business and include it in your posts periodically. Doing so automatically generates a unique category for your content and allows users to easily find your tagged photos via Instagram’s search feature.
3. Offer special promotions
Occasionally offer special promotions to your followers such as free or discounted merchandise. Require users to share your photos or use your business’ unique hashtag to be eligible for each promotion. This strategy basically generates free marketing for your business: participating users will be advertising your profile to all of their own followers. Also, new users will be compelled to follow your profile in order to take part in future promotions, giving you a larger base of potential customers.
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4. Crosspost your Instagram profile
Instagram’s search feature lacks the advanced functionality of other social networks such as Facebook and Google Plus. Therefore, it can be difficult for users to find your profile unless they already know your username. To mitigate this effect, share your Instagram profile on all of the other social networks that you use. Set your photos to automatically crosspost to Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus so that your followers on those sites can easily navigate to your Instagram profile. Also, set up an Instagram widget on any blogs or external websites that your business uses in order to compel visitors to follow your profile and receive future updates.
5. Advertise in the real world with stickers and business cards
Invest in inexpensive stickers and business cards that feature your Instagram username and/or your business’ unique hashtag. Give them to customers who purchase your products or services so that they help you advertise in the real world. Advertise locally by placing your stickers in public places that get a substantial amount of pedestrian traffic. Doing so will inspire users to look up your profile on their mobile devices during their commutes.
Every successful social media marketing campaign should take advantage of Instagram’s vast user base. Regardless of what type of business you are promoting, Instagram offers an easy way to increase brand awareness while acquiring new customers in the process. Are you going to use Instagram to promote your business?
