Digital Marketing

How to make your Instagram work for you

There are no hard and fast rules for how to make sure your Instagram posts work for you. There are only a few rules of thumb and I think Neil Patel, author and internet entrepreneur, nailed some of them down in an article.

But I’ll keep it short if you don’t have time to go through each of them yourself and alternate the importance according to what I think is important for an Instagram post without beating around the bush.

Invest in a good image

Not all of your publications have to be postcard-ready; all you need are some good quality images that highlight the best of your products. Once upon a time there was a food delivery place that I followed on Twitter that made the best food but had the worst lit photos on Instagram. I thought it was a waste of potential and asked if they could tweak their images a bit with filters before posting. They did and their photos have been delicious ever since!

getPersonal

Give your Instagram account a face, someone they can relate to, or post a behind-the-scenes image. There’s a good reason why people search for BTS videos on YouTube before watching a movie or TV series. Human beings are curious that way. Once they can relate to you, they’re half hooked.

Be funny, be quirky, be informed, be cool, or any of those

If you can’t be funny, be quirky. If you can’t be extravagant, stay informed. If you can’t keep up, be cool. Choose one. This way, people will remember you every time you look around the corner. They see you out of the corner of their eye and they know it’s you and they’re interested again. That is brand.

get an influencer

I was born around the time when you call someone an influencer, your parents probably thought they were drug dealers. But in the digital age, it means someone who has a large following on their social media accounts. If you can pay one of those Youtubers or Instagrammers to feature your product or service, great. If you can’t, find someone affordable you can work with, preferably within the same industry BUT not your competitor. I did In fact do you have to say that? =) There is a list on the internet that shows those with an international platform. If you’re going local, don’t be afraid to negotiate with them.

Use Instagram ads

As long as you stay within your budget and have a pretty catchy short video, DO IT. You shouldn’t be spending thousands of dollars on ads anyway. Once you’ve split the cost between Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Google, you can enjoy a decent ROI. What you want to enjoy, at the end of the day, are the eyeballs.

Run contests and encourage positive engagement

Posts that offer something clever or simple will surprise even the best of them. Some people will go to great lengths to win a notebook, a couple of theme park tickets, a bottle of hand lotion, a vacation, plane tickets, or a grand piano. If it’s free, not many will complain. And also, compared to Facebook, Instagram has fewer rules to follow…for now.

use hashtags

I can’t say enough about how some people are misusing hashtags. You don’t post a picture of your baby and use a hashtag like #AngieandBobsBabyisSoCute. 1) No one else is using that hashtag, so it’s a complete waste of time (and space); 2) You want to use a hashtag that people can search for and are already using; 3) Find other similar posts to get inspired and like for the expo. You can also create your own cool hashtag and promote it everywhere. I mean, EVERYWHERE so your friends, family and followers can use it too. Now, THAT is the purpose of a hashtag.

Good luck and have fun!

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