Warning – This Instagram Information will Increase Your Social Media Success

Is your business using Instagram incorrectly and driving away fans?  Do you need a few new social media strategies to grow your brand’s social network community on Instagram?  Read this blog post and you’ll discover the do’s and the don’ts of using this photo-sharing social network to grow your business and your brand.

Missing the Boat

Has your brand been slow to implement an Instagram social media strategy?  If so, your business is missing the boat.  According to MarketingLand.com, “…67% of the top 100 brands now on Instagram as of May 1st. This number jumped a whopping 14% from February 1st, making it the fastest growing social network for brands this quarter.”  Don’t wait any longer to start sharing photos with Instagram.

Here and Not There

Many brands take shortcuts and post the same type of content to Instagram as they post to Pinterest.  While your Pinterest business account may be the perfect medium for illustrations and infographics, Instagram is not.  Use your Instagram account to showcase your brand with photos and save the other visual content for your Pinboards.  Don’t get lazy with your social content.

Behind the Curtain

Putting a face on your brand is as simple as sharing behind-the-scenes photos with your Instagram followers.  Create a human connection by showcasing your employees with photos sharing their daily activities at work.  If your business participates in after-hours charitable events or other team-building activities, make sure to let your social media fans in on the fun by posting photos.  Your brand is more than a product or service and your customers and prospects will enjoy getting to know your team.

Less is More

When it comes to social marketing, some things ring true across multiple social networks.  Overusing hashtags on Twitter turns off followers and causes most users to ignore your business’s tweets.  The same thing goes for your Instagram account.  Your brand is better off minimising the use of hashtags and also using very specific – instead of general/generic – hashtags.

Join the Party

Invite your fans to the party by finding creative ways to involve your social community in your brand’s Instagram account.  Ask your fans to post photos of themselves using your product or enjoying your service.  Build contests around hashtags and invite your fans to participate.  If you are hosting an event, involved in a tradeshow or attending a conference, make it a point to invite your fans to share their Instagram photos and create a hashtag to organise those photos.

There are a multitude of ways to take advantage of this social media marketing, photo-sharing application.  We’ve just scratched the surface and would love to hear any of your Instagram tips or successes.  Please share yours in the comments below.