The Ins and Outs of Instagram

Businesses are blowing up on Instagram. All you have to do is open the app to find public figures and startup companies boasting hundreds of thousands of followers. And while Facebook and Twitter still play important roles in advertising, Instagram is where the young people are at, with 59% of its users falling within the 18-29 age category. So what’s the trick? You’ve made your account…how do you turn it into one of the wildly successful ones on your feed?

Instagram is all about selling a brand. Capturing a lifestyle. Start by deciding what story you want your account to tell. Consider modeling yourself around a keyword – like luxury or relaxation – or sharing the behind-the-scenes scoop of your business. Let your followers see the process of your product’s creation. Whiteboards filled with brainstorming notes, purchasing the raw materials, fun office traditions like happy hour drinks, guests visiting the office, anything that offers a snapshot of your company culture. 

One way to maintain this narrative is through your Instagram stories. Disappearing 24 hours after being posted, your stories pop up on your followers’ home feed and keep your business fresh in their minds. Experiment by adding stickers, geotags or using the Boomerang feature. Out of your comfort zone? Ask any millennials in the office (especially those interns) to help maintain the account so they can capture the day-to-day happenings of the office.

There are a ton of features designed for business profiles that will help you expand your client base. Take advantage of those perks, from additional space for contact info to a summarized report on the number of impressions your post made, where most of your views came from, when your peak hours are and more. Just sign up as a business account. Instagram is also introducing a new shopping feature that allows your followers to directly access your product catalog as they browse your posts. This free advertising is all yours…take it!

At the end of the day, be the follower you want to have. Leave likes and sincere comments on accounts who’s goals and interests align with your company’s. This is the best way to put your business on the radar of potential clients and even encourage cross-promotional posts. A strong core of quality followers will go far.

 

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