4 ways to utilize Instagram marketing

Marketing across multiple social media platforms can be a chore to keep up with, but when used correctly, it can be an asset to gaining website views and building an audience. Instagram, for example, requires a bit of know-how to ensure that an account doesn’t run stagnant and useless. Small-to-medium business won’t have the same effortless gain of followers that large and Fortune 500 companies will, but with a few helpful tips, it can quickly become a driving force in a company’s marketing agenda.

Update frequently and with relevancy

This may seem like a no-brainer, but many businesses create social media outlets, and then let them languish. Keeping an active profile ensures followers that the business is aware of their following and has the time and energy to create content. “Frequently” could stem anywhere from once every few hours to a few days once a week. Because it is photo-based, businesses can keep relevant to their services or products by uploading pictures of anything from modeling their products, introducing employees, centering their products or services on current events, or even uploading a photo of company-related text.

Use hashtags to reign in followers

Hashtags are a fairly new concept that exploded over the past two years in the marketing world. The best part is, anyone from Instagram novices to large corporations can tack on a few hashtags and reach millions of people in the process. Placing the hashtag symbol (“#”) in front of a word or phrase turns it into a hyperlink that aggregates all corresponding words or phrases into one list. However, it’s a general rule of thumb not to go overboard on hashtagging; using 5 to 7 hashtags is average. Any less than that and a business could miss clientele due to missing key words, and any more than that and the laundry list of tags could irritate your followers.

Instagram: it’s not just for photos anymore

Though only a few months old, Instagram added a new feature to its repertoire: users can now upload 15-second videos, taken both with the Instagram app or uploaded from a mobile device or desktop. This has a huge potential to reach an audience who doesn’t want to sit through 45-second-plus advertisements.

Posting convenience

The great thing about mobile technology is that social media can be uploaded, released, and synced together while purchasing a latte or waiting to get an oil change. And because Instagram has followers searching hashtags all over the world, day and night, there is no set schedule that a business must strictly adhere to in order to gain their audience. Though if a company does notice there is a spike in “likes” or followers at a specific timeframe during the day, it is best to coordinate a schedule around those times.