#Instagram quickly established itself as one of the most effective and fun social media platforms to use (despite it's recent takeover by Facebook -- but that's another story). With hundreds of thousands of users on its network, businesses can more easily appeal to the visual public and quickly grow to new heights.
Many companies and sellers are using social media platforms to grow their business and bring in more customers who are truly interested in their products and services. Instagram has quickly grown into becoming one of the biggest social networking sites on the internet with millions of registered users.
You can start using the website to share photos and spread your business?s reputation to the right market.
In short, because Instagram is highly visual, although may still be categorized by hashtags, it is more important for a business to come up with compelling image that not only helps viewers understand what you're selling but also be converted into buying.
Here's how you can use Instagram to your advantage.
1. Understand your the company.
Many companies, products and brands already have pictures on Instagram. Some of the biggest companies have already uploaded a variety of related photos so that online sellers and companies can also feature these.
What do you offer? Who is your market? A full understanding of your business is all about will help you showcase more targetted photos and create more specific hashtags that will not leave your business lost in the wave of photos on the site.
2. Present the offerings.
Potential customers will be more interested in your products and offerings if you provide actual photos of these. It?s important to share actual photos of each product you?re offering.
It?s also important to keep viewers interested by sharing photos of related items. Think of ways to attract the target market like showing off the different varieties in different colors or letting them guess the name of a new product.
3. Present product features.
Aside from sharing the actual photos of the products, share some of the useful and attractive features and traits that will keep viewers interested. Several potential buyers will want to know more about the product and its benefits. You can share before and after photos so that viewers can clearly compare the difference and good results that they can expect from any given product.
4. Deal with customers? emotions.
Many effective advertisers on Instagram capitalize on babies, puppies and other appealing objects that will grab the attention of potential customers quickly.
Take pictures of funny or endearing moments that also feature your company and offerings. People will relate with your company better by identifying you as a real person with real feelings. It paves the way to effective communication and learning to provide for what customers truly want.
5. Launch events.
Instagram is a good tool to create events and promote special activities.
There are online contests and promotional efforts that use pictures mainly. Invite people to take pictures of your shop and products then offer rewards and prizes to keep them interested. Stipulate the rules of the game clearly then present the conditions and requirements too. Online activities can be correlated with real-time events.
Associate your event with a hashtag so users will be able to identify with it specifically and to increase the chances of your photo getting shared in a thread. The more your photos are shared, the greater the market you reach.
6. Show star power.
A lot of online users are very curious about celebrities so whenever you have the chance, share pictures of stars using your products or visiting your store. Take candid pictures of celebrities or offer items that hold some value like autographed items. Occasionally, bands and individual stars may visit your place for an event promoted by the same brand you?re offering so take advantage and share the photos.
7. Bring customers inside the office.
To add more personality to your company, share some pictures of the people behind the scenes. Let customers know how it feels to be a part of the company. This will help bring you closer to your target audience, as well as find potential workers who may have a lot to offer for the continuous growth of the company.
