Digital Marketing

How to make your Instagram work for you

There are no hard and fast rules on 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 in an article.

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

Invest in a good image

Not each and every one of your posts has to be postcard-ready; all you need is some good quality images that bring out the best in your products. There was once a food delivery site 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 with filters a bit before posting. They did and their photos have been delicious ever since!

Be personal

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

Be fun, be quirky, be knowledgeable, be cool, or any of those

If you can’t be funny, be quirky. If it can’t be quirky, be informed. If you can’t be informed, be great. 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 branding.

Get an Influencer

I was born around the time 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 highlight your product or service, great. If you can’t, find someone you can work with, preferably within the same industry, BUT not your competitor. I did Really do I have to say that? =) There is a list on the Internet that shows those with an international platform. If you go to the area, don’t be afraid to negotiate with them.

Use Instagram Ads

As long as you stick to your budget and have a fairly eye-catching short video, DO IT. Regardless, you shouldn’t spend thousands on ads. 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 eyes.

Run contests and encourage positive participation

Posts that offer something clever or simple will surprise even the best of us. Some people will go out of their way to win a notebook, a couple of theme park tickets, a bottle of hand lotion, a vacation, airline 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 misuse hashtags. You don’t post a photo 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 inspire you and like to expose. You can also create your own hashtag and promote it everywhere. I mean, EVERYWHERE for your friends, family and followers to use as well. Now that’s the purpose of a hashtag.

Good luck and have fun!

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