Most companies are too focused on “traditional” social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, and their missing out on a new opportunity: Instagram. Instagram has seen the most engagement, fastest growth and high conversion rate from browser to user, according to a study conducted by Olapic and research firm L2. According to their research, Engagement on Instagram is 15 times that of Facebook’s, with users spending an average of 257 minutes per month. In addition, if your target market is a relatively young audience, Instagram is exactly what you need. Over 90% of the 150 million people on Instagram are under the age 35, which make it an attractive platform for 18-34 year old age bracket (Smith, 2014). However, you might be thinking, “I want to start Instagram for business but how would I do so exactly?” No worries. These are 3 ways you can utilize Instagram to promote your business.

Balance the type of images you post

You might be thinking that you absolutely have to post picture that has to do with your business. However, that’s not the way to go in the realm of Instagram. Firstly, you’ll probably run out of images to use if you keep posting business-related pictures all the time. What you can do is, have a healthy balance of fun and interactive images and business pictures. Take advantage of the vast user base you have with Instagram web page to tell a story with the images (Sprung, 2013). For example, Anthropologie, a popular apparel brand, has a great mix of fun images and business related pictures. They posted a puppy picture with received around 7,600 likes, and most of their business related pictures only receive around 3,000 likes. This shows that it’s important to throw a curve ball sometimes, to have your followers entertained and interactive with you.

Host contests!

Most companies who use Instagram host photo contests. Photo contests are a great way to create engagement with your brand and your followers, and simultaneously get more Instagram followers. Companies can easily host contests on Instagram by asking them to follow and embed a particular hashtag on their pictures. This will potentially increase followers by word-of-mouth if your contest is attractive enough for the users to share to their friends. Word-of-mouth has been shown to influence a variety of conditions: awareness, expectations, perceptions, attitudes, behavioral intentions and behavior (Buttle, 1998). For example, Sony hosted a photo contest by asking their users to post anything that represents love. Then, they will have to tag #Sonylove on their picture, and one person was chosen at random everyday to win a $50 Sony Store gift card. This is a great way to reward your users by following your business account, and create engagement at the same time.

Follow your followers and comment on their relevant photos

To create a digital relationship with your customers, be sure to follow back whoever followed you. Most brands on Instagram don’t follow back. In addition, if they post about your product on Instagram, be sure to check it and comment on it. This will create trust between your customers, which is crucial for your company to succeed. Not only comment, but be sure to reply and answer to customer feedback on the comment section. This will inform the users that there is someone that actually cares about them, and not just a robot behind the account.

I hope these 3 methods will get you started on Instagram! What other methods do you recommend when using Instagram for business? Please comment below!

Sources:

Buttle, F. A. (1998). Word of mouth: Understanding and managing referral marketing. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 6(3), 241-254. doi:10.1080/096525498346658

Smith, C. (2014, August 17). Here’s Why Instagram’s Demographics Are So Attractive To Brands. Retrieved May 5, 2016, from http://www.techinsider.io/instagram-demographics-2013-12

Sprung, R. (2013, January 23). 5 Ways Marketers Can Use Instagram : Social Media Examiner. Retrieved May 5, 2016, from http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/5-ways-marketers-can-use-instagram/

Truong, A. (2014, February 13). This Report Shows Why Brands Should Embrace Instagram (If They Haven’t Already). Retrieved May 5, 2016, from http://www.fastcompany.com/3026419/fast-feed/this-report-shows-why-brands-should-embrace-instagram-if-the-havent-already