With the overcrowding of sponsored ads on Facebook, many marketers are now turning to Instagram as a new and untapped marketing channel. The app has done astonishingly well at gaining followers and with over 700 million total users – 400 million of which check the app every day – brands are sure to find their target audience. Now only are Instagrammers large in number, but they are more engaged and brand aware than Facebook users. Surveys have shown that about 80 percent of Instagrammers follow a business and 68% follow a specific brand, compared to only 32% on Facebook. Therefore, Instagram has become the new battleground and if you want to compete, follow the following tips for successful Instagram branding.
Build your followers.
Traffic is key to being successful on Instagram. Without a good base of followers, your message will not be heard. Especially if you’re just starting out. Services such as AutomaticViews for Instagram give you the chance to increase the visibility of your posts across the platform and therefore spread your content to more viewers. It is a quick and easy way to start to build your base.
Post photos that will get likes.
Picking the right filter is an agonizing process, but according to visual analytics and marketing firm, Curalate, certain pictures tend to get more likes. They found that less saturated pictures get 18 percent more likes than their highly saturated counterparts. Photos dominated by blues and cool colors are liked the most, and pictures with orangish red colors are liked the least. Also, pictures that have one dominant color receive 40 percent more likes than those that don’t.
Post Regularly.
To be successful and engaging on Instagram, you should post at least 5.5 times per week. These posts should express your brand and also increase the intimacy between the brand and your consumers. “Behind the scenes” posts about your brand and how products are made tend to do well and help to create a story behind the product.
Boost interaction.
The best posts are the ones that allow customers to engage with the brand. Host regular photo contests to increase interaction. Create a hashtag and have your followers post pictures of themselves and your product under your hashtag. The winner will receive a prize from you, and you will receive free publicity.
Partner with Influencers.
Word-of-mouth marketing has long been the strongest medium of advertising. 84% of consumers make a decision on a product based on recommendations. Therefore, it is important to seek out strong influencers in your industry that already have large followings on Instagram. You can team up with these influencers and have them post recommendations about your product and ultimately generate more traffic to your Instagram posts.
With Instagram playing such a heavy role in marketing today, these five steps will help to increase your following, improve customer engagement, and ultimately increase sales.
