Within only 4 years, Instagram has become one of the most powerful social media platforms. If you are not on Instagram yet, you better get moving—advertising is about to hit the platform. But that's by far not the only reason why the social channel is so interesting for businesses.
Why should businesses care?
Instagram beats both Facebook and Twitter when it comes to interactions per post. Instagrammers tend to engage 60 times more often with branded content. Why? One reason is because of the recent trend of users "leaving" their Facebook newsfeed and joining groups or switching to Facebook Messenger instead. We have also noticed that users are overwhelmed by all the branded content on their Facebook Newsfeed, so they engage less often. On the other side, Instagram’s simple style makes it easy to focus on one photo and one story at a time, leaving room for more interactions.
What can you do with Instagram?
Instagram users spend an average of 21 minutes per day on the platform, giving you a good chance to obtain a chunk of their attention. How? You can work together with influencers, create your own InstaMeets (an offline event where Instagrammers meet up locally) and tell your brand story in a truly engaging way. The key is to focus, stick to your look & feel and show interest. You can also create your own branded hashtag, collect UGC (user generated content) and inspire followers with some great storytelling. There’s a lot you can do to capture attention.
How can you use Instagram?
First and foremost, make sure your photos look stunning. Look through Instagram's own filters or download a photo app. Invest some time to find your look and feel because this is essential for your success.
Second, select your hashtags carefully. You have got 3-5 hashtags per post that either get you some attention or not. We recommend the following mix: 1 branded hashtag + 1 very popular hashtag + 1 topic or fun hashtag. For example, you run a dance studio called Streetdance Center. These are some potential hashtags you could use for a photo shared on Thursday: #streetdancecenter #dance4life #tbt #move
Third, be as engaging as possible. Respond to each comment. Use emojis (because Instagrammers love them) and show some genuine interest. It will pay off and you will end up with a truly loyal community that gets excited about your content.
For more great tips and tricks, take a look at our Slideshare presentation on Instagram Marketing: