There’s no denying it: Instagram is here to stay for a long, long while. The selfie capital of the world now counts with 800 million monthly active users and many experts believe it could reach a billion by the end of this year 2018. That’s more than double the monthly active users of Twitter and over three times as many users on WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. This makes Instagram a “phenomenal marketing tool”.
A huge majority of business owners on Instagram play it safe because that works for them, but they could be doing so much more to boost their Instagram audience engagement. In this Instagram Marketing Infographic we will explore five ways to make your business Instagram posts stand out in a sea of digital competition.
Infographic by: www.socialmediatoday.com
1- Effective #Hashtag use – Hashtags are such a prominent part of culture today that it’s very unusual to find anyone who doesn’t know what they are. In fact, the hashtag is so recognized that it was added to the Oxford dictionary in 2010, and the Scrabble Dictionary in 2014 (#official).
Before using hashtags, do research on the proper way to use them for that particular network. Also take the time to discover the most popular and most relevant hashtags on a specific subject for each network. This extra time you invest will pay off in engagement down the road.
2- Instagram stories – This is a feature that lets users post photos and videos that vanish after 24 hours.
The feature is very similar to Snapchat Stories, a Snapchat feature that was introduced in 2013 and a pivotal part of the company’s growth.
Contrary to Snapchat, the photos and videos shared in your Instagram Story is kept indefinitely , and can be displayed in a new section on their profile maximizing their use.
3- Visual composition and consistency – Having a clear visual strategy is key to standing out! Focus on creative, imaginative images, and on great composition, this will help boost your Instagram performance, likely more than anything else.
While it’s tempting to focus on newer tools like stories and effects, keeping a consistent, visual approach in mind is key to optimal success.
4- Integration of direct messages – More than 375 million people now use Instagram DMs each month – almost half of their entire user base.
With the increased emphasis on DMs, and their rising usage, does point to an opportunity for savvy marketers to merge their interactions across to the more private, direct connection tool. Just make sure they want to talk to you!
5- Use Instagram live – Because, in case you hadn’t noticed, live streaming is a bit of a big deal right now. For this reason, it makes perfect sense for brands to dive in head first and make live streaming their own.
Keep in mind that Instagram is all about being genuine. While paid ads is now becoming available on the platform, users aren’t yet accustomed to it like they are on Google or Facebook. They prefer brands with a strong personal identity. In other words, they want to feel like they’re talking to another person when they visit your business Instagram page. Keep that in mind when crafting your posts, and you will quickly build a loyal new and engaging following.
And please don’t forget to share this post and “Instagram marketing infographic” with your social media friends. After all, that’s what social media is all about.