Many people still think of Instagram as a cool place for sharing selfies or holiday pics, but it’s actually one of the fastest growing social media platforms, with many more times engagement than Twitter or Facebook. Instagram allows companies to tell a visual story easily viewed on a mobile phone, that is quick and easy to process.
Companies already leveraging on the success of Instagram have seen huge growth in brand use. One of the main reasons for this is the fact that consumers are more likely to consider or contact a company with an image that shows up in a local search. Studies show that consumers believe that images are very important for eCommerce, in fact more important than product descriptions and reviews.
Another handy thing about Instagram is the ability to post the published images on other social media platforms, from LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, to Pinterest and Tmblr. Here are five tips for Instagramming:
- Use hashtags; visitors to Instagram use hashtags to search
- Post regularly and keep your followers looking forward to your next image
- Post timely content – use seasons, holidays or events to your advantage
- Run contests or giveaways, a great way to build your following
- Promote your Instagram on other social media platforms and your website
The two engagement measurements on Instagram are likes and comments. You can also use hashtags, which allow you to track posts and shares via hashtag tracking apps. By including phone numbers or URLs in your images or post texts, you can track call to action conversion rates for particular images or campaigns.
The kind of photos that build rapport with customers are varied, but here are the top five types, that see high levels of engagement:
- Customer-centric photos: pictures of customers using or wearing your products (which is basically free advertising).
- Employee-centric photos: Much like the Employee of the Week photo on the wall, people like to get a peek behind the scenes. This has the benefit of increased employee satisfaction too!
- Contest photos: inviting customers to Instagram a picture from an event or for a contest is a great way to keep customers excited and engaged.
- Product-centric photos: A grouping of products of various colours or prints is surprisingly popular, as well as pairing of clothing items and accessories.
- Blogger-centric photos: Popular bloggers have their own fan base, so bloggers can cross-post your Instagram posts and your products to a wider audience.
Engaging on Instagram is easy for users – once in the app, they only have to like or comment, quick, easy and perfect for those with short attention spans (the majority of the population!).
To harness the power of social selling for your business, contact us. We’ll take you through the many channels and options and create a solution ideal for your business and brand.