Doing It for the Gram: Instagram Marketing Tips for Your Business
In the world of marketing, new platforms and trends pop up constantly. It can be a challenge to know which will stay around and become valuable tools for advertising your business, and which will fade within months. This was an important question in everyone’s minds when Instagram first appeared, but by now it is clear that “the ‘gram” is here to stay. If your business is well-suited to the young demographic of Instagram users, our team at McCauley Marketing Services has several tips to help you use the platform to your advantage.
Stay Away from Your Sales Voice
It is not a coincidence that Instagram posts are image-focused instead of text-focused. The platform is designed to be all about moments in time and snaps of life. A “hard sell” does not fit well into this platform. Instead of using all your posts to push your services and products or to sing your own praises, aim for a softer sell. Post teasers and announcements for new products and services. Post about your upcoming events and sales. Share fun posts from behind the scenes. All of these can increase your following and improve your connection with your customers or patients, which will lead to more revenue as long as the young demographic fits your business model.
Mix It Up
Instagram is perhaps a perfect example of the attention span people have when they use social media. People are scrolling through their feeds and they want quick, momentary entertainment. If you keep posting the same type of content, your followers will become bored with you and unfollow you. To keep their interest, you need to mix up both the format and the content of your posts. Include feed posts along with Instagram stories. Post a mixture of attractive graphics and images>, videos, boomerangs, and collages. As you do this, however, be sure to keep everything on-brand.
Sweeten the Deal
It goes without saying that the more people see your Instagram posts, the more potential they have to benefit you. While followers do not always translate to revenue, there are plenty of ways to increase your following from people who do have the potential to become lifelong customers. One option is to offer an incentive for people to follow you in other ways. For example, you may post exclusive discounts for your Instagram followers. You can also incentivize users to post about you and tag you. For example, offer a 10% discount on one purchase for anyone who posts a picture with their favorite product or service from your business.
Get Creative with Hashtags
Hashtags can help you on a variety of social media platforms, but they take on a new life on Instagram. People use hashtags as full captions and to embody the mood of every post. You can get into the game with your own branded hashtags. Develop your own clever, fun hashtags for your brand. For instance, Coca-Cola created the hashtag #shareacoke which has an impressive 661,000 posts. You can also create a hashtag for specific marketing campaigns or events. Regardless of how you choose to use hashtags, make sure they are catchy and clever enough that others will enjoy them enough to use them themselves.
If you want to market to the young adult demographic, Instagram can be a beneficial addition to your social media marketing strategy. Merely being on Instagram will not give you the results you want, but the tips above can help you get a better return on your investment. If you are not a social media guru yourself, call McCauley Marketing Services to get the help of our skilled social media marketing specialists.