Just about every social media expert or influencer will tell you that Instagram marketing is highly instrumental to your online success as a business. With content marketing as the norm in this day and age, it should not surprise you that companies are marketing themselves on social media platforms, of which Instagram is one of the most popular.
If you have a business and want to take it to Instagram, you need to sign up for an account as soon as possible and create your profile. Upload your brand logo, switch from a personal account to a professional account and write a crisp and informative bio to help people understand your brand at first glance.
Why should you market your brand on Instagram?
Now you know that Instagram marketing is important. But do you know why? Here are a few reasons:
Your audience expects you to be on Instagram
Believe it or not, your audience and potential customers will look you up on Instagram. Instagram plays host to millions of users, which means they expect you to be there. They will search you by name or hashtag, or both.
The fact is that you do not exist to your target audience if you are not on Instagram. At the very least, you need to have an Instagram account with your logo and a bio that tells people what you are about, even if you are not posting content all day.
The worst thing you can do is not get on Instagram, leading your potential customers to find your competitors. This brings us to the next point-
Credibility
By signing up on Instagram, not only do you exist, you can build your online influence and cement your brand’s credibility. Since verified profiles enjoy a ton of mileage, you may want to consider getting your Instagram verification done.
Managing your online reputation
Given how everything these days is internet-centric, keeping your online reputation intact is vital. You want people to search for you, for which you need to optimize your content for search engines, also known as Search Engine Optimization (SEO). However, you also want to solidify your online presence and maintain your reputation.
Every once in a while, brands find themselves awash with controversy. If customers launch a complaint against a brand, and the brand is not on Instagram (or any other platform), their lack of online presence will affect their reputation. You need to control your Search Engine Results Page (SERP) as much as you can by creating and maintaining your profiles on every social media platform you can and posting content regularly.
Your Competitors Are on Instagram
The amazing thing about the internet is that you can instantly tap into a variety of audiences from different parts of the world. However, the downside is that everyone else can do that as well.
In this day and age, there are tons of businesses of all types and sizes, which means you are likely to have a lot of competition. Get on Instagram as soon as possible and hammer away at your audience.
What are some of the best Instagram practices to keep in mind?
Now that you get the general idea of the importance of Instagram marketing, here are a few things you should do as you establish your brand on Instagram:
Post content regularly
This tip is a no-brainer. However, brands that do not get the results they want don’t seem to be posting nearly as much content as they should. You need to put out one post every day and cross-promote it on your other social media platforms.
Use hashtags
Waiting for people to follow you after having put in minimal effort may not be the best way to go. However, you stand a much better chance of amassing followers by expanding your reach. How do you do that? Hashtags. Once you identify your niche and target audience, you need to use hashtags relevant to your field and niche. Include those hashtags in your posts and stories.
This way, you get more people to check out your posts. Furthermore, you could create custom hashtags that are product or brand-specific. People who want updates on your products can search for those hashtags. Also, your followers can spread the word by adding these custom hashtags to their posts.
Use Instagram stories
Instagram stories are highly underrated and underused. If you did not know, Instagram stories last 24 hours, which means you can use them to create a sense of urgency.
In other words, promote your content using Instagram stories, especially if you have a sale, discount, product launch, or any other event around the corner. You could also include a countdown.
Instagram stories also allow you to take creative risks without compromising your feed since they last 24 hours, as mentioned. The added advantage is that you can avoid spamming your followers’ news feeds.
Sure, it is advisable to post content regularly and promote your brand. However, spamming your followers is counter-productive. Whatsmore, people are more likely to check out your Instagram stories than your posts as they can get buried in their newsfeed.
Conclusion
As you can imagine, there are a plethora of things that you can do to optimize your Instagram marketing campaign. However, these are some fundamental tips you ought to keep in mind. Now you know why Instagram is vital for business. If you plan on building your brand on Instagram, consider hiring an Instagram marketing service to handle your campaigns, instead of having to figure it out yourself.