Instagram is gaining traction in the world of digital marketing. It is fun, fresh and easy to contribute to, and aimed at a dynamic group of people who are always on the go, and taking peeks at their phones. Read on for some tips on how to go about appealing to the Instagram tribe.
- Promote an online community
You can do this by following your followers back, liking their content and making comments on it whenever you have the chance. Find other individuals and brands whose content you enjoy or can learn something from.
If you run an Instagram account that welcomes contributions, remember to credit all of them. Nothing builds respect and community faster than proper recognition.
- Inspire by offering unique, fun imagery
Instagram is a visual experience and it leaves the door wide open for having a jolly old time. Build a unique brand that will bring a smile straight to followers’ lips when they behold your latest gem. It is your job to delight their eyes. Here are my three recent favourites when it comes to creativity:
Spielkkind: Immensely talented German artist Kerstin Hiestermann makes my cheeks hurt every time I open Instagram. She says the child in her is still alive, and you need to visit her account to appreciate the unique whimsy she has to offer.
Howfarfromhome: A couple from Johannesburg, Chanel Cartell and Steve Dirnberger, is on a travel adventure across the globe. And they have taken a straightforward concept and turned it into the perfect instagram idea. They take extraordinary snaps of their surroundings, and use a small blackboard and some chalk to let their followers know how far they are from home.
Thiswildidea: Another instagrammer who knows how to make his followers smile is Theron Humphrey. His twitter account thiswildidea, of him and his dog travelling across the USA for 365 days and meeting one new person everyday, is an absolute delight.
- Use relevant, popular hashtags
Hashtags work well, because you can make the most of ideas that are currently trending. This can help you reach a wider audience. Don’t overdo the hashtags though – two or three relevant ones should more than suffice. Too many and your post looks clumsy and like you’re trying too hard to sell it. Some of the current trending tags are: #love, #follow4follow, #instalike, #igers, #picoftheday, #instafollow, #followme, #instagood, #webstagram and #swag. But keep an eye open, because hashtags are fickle and you need to stay on top of what is #instacool.
- Craft your own unique hashtags
Don’t only use the same hackneyed hashtags everybody else is using. Boost your brand by crafting your own special hashtags. Find ones that are unique to your offering, or that appeal and may just start trending themselves. If you can coin a popular hashtag that catches on, it can do great things for exposing your brand. #hashcoin
According to Hootsuite Lululemon Athletica suggested their users tag workout photos with #thesweatlife. This tag has generated over 68,000 posts from their community.
- Choose filters that complement your brand
Instagram has recently started offering a few fresh new filters, such as Gingham, Lark and Moon. And there are a host of other apps out there with thousands of filters to choose from. It can be overwhelming to account holders and followers alike. So, keep things soothing on the eye, by choosing a few filters that will accentuate your brand and that people will come to associate with your account. Photo perfect the way it is? Then definitely go the #nofilter way.
- Have a dedicated Instagram landing page
This advice is marketing gold. Have a unique instagram URL that links to your website. This will mean a fluid transition from instagram to your site, and will also help you to effectively keep track of your visitors and what they are up to through Google analytics. It will allow you to see exactly who ends up on your website from Instagram.
- Change it up with videos
What do millennials like better than looking at appealing images? Looking at appealing images that move. And you can make the most of this by interspersing your instagram posts with occasional short vine-like videos. Rip Curl, an Australian surfwear brand, frequently posts short videos on Instagram. They shared with Iconosquare that their “Instagram videos might not get the most likes, but [their] followers love to comment on them, which is great engagement for us.” Showcasing videos is a perfect way to start fostering interaction between followers and further promoting your online community.
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