What Every Business Needs to Be on Instagram

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Instagram is blowing up when it comes to providing businesses of all types with a creative marketing channel. Instagram Stories has especially made it’s wave. Companies of all sizes can benefit from this versatile image sharing social media platform. The key to success lies in understanding the features Instagram offers and developing a strategic approach to using them effectively. Read on to discover what every business needs to be successful on Instagram.

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1. Targeted Audience

First and foremost, you need to establish an audience of followers. In order to do that, you’ll first have to discover which demographic of individuals are most relevant to your products or services. It can be helpful to create a customer avatar, or a description of your ideal client. This fictitious person embodies the characteristics of the type of customer who will most benefit from your business.

Your content must be appealing to a specific group if you want to gain dedicated followers. A bot for Instagram or other such tools can also help you to find the most relevant audience, but your content will need to continually pique their interest. Here are some of the best Instagram automation tools.  

2. A Thorough Profile

Your profile should be optimized for maximum benefit. Your profile should adequately reflect your brand as much as your content does. Be sure to use your logo or other relevant representation for your avatar. Use hashtags or keywords in your profile that reflect who you are and can help users to find you.

This is valuable real estate; you want to be sure it’s used wisely. You’re showing your audience who you are in this small space. Each word, emoji, and image should be strategic and meaningful. You can use this space to cross-promote telling folks where to find your other social media accounts. It also makes sense offer a link where they can see your products or services and make purchases.

3. Consistent Visual Branding

Because Instagram is based on visual images, it’s crucial to focus on the look of your content. Be sure your photos are professional looking and clear. You must also present an image that is consistent and recognizable as your brand. This may require some additional thought and planning on your part if you haven’t done so already.

Determine what message you want to send with your images. Use colors, filters, overlays, lighting, scenery, and props that convey that feeling. When you look at all of your content together, it should flow nicely and present a cohesive look. With practice, you’ll develop your brand’s visual composition, and your followers will be able to recognize your posts in their feeds.

4. Relevant Hashtags

Hashtags are important. You’ve probably figured that out by now, but you may not understand the complexities of their use. What matters most is that the hashtags you use be relevant to your brand and your marketing strategy. Remember, you want to entice a targeted audience to become your followers.

Think about the best ways to reach those individuals with your hashtags. Take time to research popular hashtags. Your hashtag strategy plays a significant role in the followers you attract. Once your audience begins to grow, consider creating a custom campaign hashtag to better engage them with your brand.

5. Engaged Community

Speaking of engaging your audience, an engaged community of followers is the key when it comes to creating a successful social media strategy. Instagram is a social network. Its purpose is similar to that of the others, meaning you need to get social if you want to reap the marketing benefits the platform has to offer.

Offer genuine comments on the posts of your followers. Find new people to follow through your competition and relevant hashtags. Keep your tone consistent with your brand. These are the basics of community engagement. You can get creative with advanced methods as you become more comfortable on the platform.

6. Analytics

Analytics and measurement are important when it comes to gaining traction on Instagram. This is especially true if you decide to invest in sponsored posts or other methods of paid promotion such as influencer collaborations.

If you don’t monitor the performance of your actions, you’re likely just wasting your time and money. Why invest so much effort into creating quality content or money into reaching a particular demographic only to see nothing change? Instead, be sure you sign up for an Instagram Business account.

This gives you a number of features that are useful for commerce ventures, but specifically, allows you to access Instagram Insights. This is the analytics tool that will help you to see if you are reaching the particular goals you’ve set for your content and promotional strategies. If you aren’t seeing growth with a particular method, you’ll know it’s time to regroup and try something different. Actions that are met with success can be repeated.

These are some of the basics you should have if you want to succeed on Instagram. Most importantly, time and effort will be needed in order to get a feel for the platform, to gain trusted followers and to find your groove. Don’t give up.

There are many features such as Instagram Stories, Instagram Live and Shoppable Posts that you can use to your advantage when it comes to reaching your key audience. Trial and error are the name of the game. Start with the necessities and grow your following organically. As long as you’re putting forth the effort and presenting your brand genuinely, you’ll begin to see results.