4
Ways Instagram Can Tell Your Story
Instagram is a visual social media platform. Currently,
Instagram has more than 300 million users. It’s free to use and gives you an
additional audience to share your brand. In April, Webgirl Technology is going
to challenge you to create an Instagram account and sprinkle April shower
photographs with your followers. Here are 4 ways Instagram can grow your
business online:
1.
Personal
phone pictures can tell your story. The pictures you post
on Instagram don’t need to be professional images. Take some candid photos of
your business. Maybe a nice picture at a staff meeting. Instagram offers
filters to help give your image a more polished appearance. You can add a
variety of filters to any image you post to Instagram. By showing the staff
meeting, you’re giving your customers a behind-the-scenes look at your business
operations. The magazine, In Style, recently wrote a super fun article on
Instagram filters. You can read that
article here: www.instyle.com/news/instagram-filters-beauty-complaints
2. Brand recognition (logo, tagline). The best way to have customers recognize your
logo and tagline is to post it on everything, even Instagram. When you create your
Instagram account, you may want to use your logo for your profile image. The
visual impact of Instagram allows you to use your logo on pictures you share
(see image 1 below). Is your company all about trees? Show us pictures of
seasonal trees and follow others that show trees. Your stream can go beyond
your logo.
3. Use Video.
Videos can be posted on Instagram. As of March 29, 2016, Instagram is allowing
60 second videos. In the last six months, the
time people spent watching video increased by more than 40 percent and
Instagram is responding to the need to engage with longer video lengths.
4. Hashtags.
Every time you post on Instagram, you can caption your photo or video. You can
also use hashtags. Hashtags are searchable words/phrases within the Instagram
platform that help attract new followers. Simply type the pound sign # and
follow it with a word or phrase. You can use numbers, but no special
characters. For example, I took this picture when I was visiting Washington DC
#CherryBlossoms.
Instagram
has lots of great features and advantages for businesses. But, the key to
success is consistency. It’s important that you post on a regular basis and
provide an educational component to your posts instead of selling products and
services. If you are interested in learning more about Instagram, attend our
free meetup on Wednesday, April 13. Register here: www.meetup.com/Business-Online-Networking.
For
a full list of Webgirl Technology events, subscribe to our events on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WebgirlTech.
Instagram has always had a strong focus on hashtags. Did you
know you can add up to 30 hashtags per Instagram post? In December, 2017,
Instagram added a feature that allows users to follow hashtags. This means you
can get involved in conversations that are happening on Instagram relative to
your business. For example, if your target market is women aged 35-60 that are interested
in fashion, you can follow the hashtag #fashionover40. Every time someone uses
that hashtag in Instagram, you will be notified. This gives your business the
opportunity to like, comment, and repost relevant contact and attract more
customers.
