Since its inception in late 2010, Instagram has grown explosively from a simple idea to an indispensable part of people’s lives – one billion users and counting.
With an audience this size, it’s no surprise that the platform has thoroughly disrupted the world of online marketing. More and more brands are signing up and interacting with customers in creative and unique ways and the industry they’re in doesn’t matter either… everyone and their dog is on Instagram.
Here are ten ways to use Instagram effectively to stand out from the crowd and create a profile your audience will be obsessed with.
By switching your account from a personal to a business profile, you can get access to exclusive metrics about your followers and their engagement behavior, as well as put in your company’s address and contact info, making it easier than ever to understand your audience and for them to get in touch with you.
- Make your feed visually appealing and consistent
Your Instagram is an extension of your brand, so you should ensure your content looks exciting and communicates a cohesive message. Paying attention to how your feed looks and even creating your own theme is a good way to make sure your messaging is consistent.
- Understand your audience metrics
Analyze audience-specific information and use it shape your both your brand and content on Instagram. Remember those awesome insights from Instagram for Business? You can use those to determine optimal times to post, what geographic regions to target, and much more!
- Post regularly
Don’t leave your audience hanging! Make sure your brand is at the forefront of their minds by posting new content frequently. Pro tip: You can use platforms like Sendible to schedule posts ahead of time, so your Instagram profile can be awesome on autopilot.
- Interact with your audience
Being social on your social networks will help create a brand experience your audience will never forget. By responding to DMs and comments or even featuring followers on your page, you can make your audience feel heard, which can encourage followers to interact with your page more consistently.
- Use Instagram Stories and Highlights
Over 500 million people use Instagram Stories each day, so your brand should be too! A good way to stand out from other business profiles is to post short videos and pictures on your Story, and bookmark these as Highlights on your page so followers can rewatch them after they disappear.
- Put your most important link in your bio
Generally, the only place on your Instagram account where followers can click on a URL is your bio. Use this real estate wisely by linking your brand’s website or current promotions – anything on which you want your followers to take action.
- Leverage influencers
Ideally, conversations about your brand should take place beyond just your page. If it makes sense for your product, bringing onboard influencers could be a great way to start conversations and raise new awareness – after all, 4 in 10 millennials say their favorite influencer understands them better than their friends do.
- Get #Hashtag happy
While hashtags can seem unnecessary on personal accounts, they are essential for business accounts to ensure their posts are seen by as many people as possible. Pay attention to top hashtags for your industry, and if you don’t want to overwhelm your captions with a ton of tags, you can always add them in afterward as a comment under your post.
- Show your personality
Truly exceptional business profiles on Instagram always incorporate some form of personal touch. This is the fun part! Showcase what makes your company unique by featuring employees at work, posting pictures of headquarters, or even simply writing more inventive, creative captions under your posts.
Regardless of what your company is all about, with the help of a few expert tricks, your Instagram business profile is sure to spark conversations and create memorable brand experiences your audience will remember. Stand out on the scroll with these ten Seahawk-approved tips, and your followers are sure to grow and keep coming back for more.
