Maybe you are a beginner to Instagram. Or, maybe you have not figured out how it can really help grow your business. Relax. You have lots of company. While Instagram grows exponentially, there are still business owners who do not see it as a platform for marketing. After all, how can you advertise with just pictures and a few words? Actually, pictures and a few words can turn into a huge following, and that following can be drawn to your website. And on your website, you can have things of value to offer visitors, in exchange for an email address. So, exactly what are the quick and easy hacks to get yourself out there? Well, here are 6 of them.
Figure Out Your Audience “Persona”
If you are involved in content marketing via a blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc. you have already developed the persona of your target audience. You know who your customer is. Now, your job is to figure out what types of images and words will appeal to them. If, for example, your customers are other small business owners, can you come up with daily inspirational quotes with great images in the background? Quotes that will encourage and support them?If you are marketing to millennials, what are their values? What do they want from the businesses they will support? Study their needs and wants. For example, they want businesses that have charitable causes. So, advertise the cause you support with some great photos and a call for them to come to website and participate with you.
Be Consistent
This may be the hardest thing to do, because it takes time to find the images and photos; it takes time to find engaging content that will draw people in and entice them to share with their followers. But a couple or three posts a day will go a long way. If your content is interesting, people will begin to look for it. Don’t disappoint them. And you can do the analytics and find out what times of day you are getting the most traction. That’s when you post, every day.Promote Engagement
You want followers interacting with you? Post an image with a question! They can tap twice if they agree. Then ask them to tag their friends so they can answer the question too. You can appeal to emotions through your questions too, increasing the possibility that they will answer and tag.Add Your Brand to Every Image
Get your brand name and logo somewhere on every image/graphic. It has to be visible to everyone every time you post.Don’t Waste Precious Space
You may want to insert a hashtag or to provide some more info, either of which may destroy the image and catchy quote or phrase. Here is the “fix for that.• Post your image with your quote or phrase.
• Then immediately open up a comment section, and put in a comment.
• You can provide the additional information you want or a catchy hashtag.
This is a great way to get a conversation started, and then you can offer something of value. All they have to do is tag their friends and click the link in your bio to retrieve the value being offered.
You haven’t compromised the engaging image, and you have increased the chance of conversion.
Place an Offer Right on your Post
Give away something of good value in return for your follower doing something. Here is a great example from Foundr, an Australian magazine that markets its subscriptions to small business owners.
To get the subscription, followers had to do things that are going to promote Foundr magazine. Now this was actually a competition – 5 people would be selected randomly for the free subscription. And look what Foundr magazine gets? A new follower, a “like” and tagging two friends, and traffic to his podcast and a review.
Bonus Tip + Infographic:
Automate Your Image Creation
Wordswag is a great tool. You can upload your images and photos and the quotes of captions and they will be read in minutes for you to export to your Instagram posting. This lets you create your posts way in advance when you have the time to spend on them.The Complete Guide to Advertising on Instagram - infographic
