In case you haven’t heard, Instagram is the new Facebook. And that’s not just because my 12 year old cousin told me so. In terms of brand promotion, Instagram can be an incredible tool. It’s the social network that has seen the fastest growth, most engagement, and highest conversion from browser to shopper, according to a recent report from startup Olapicand research firm L2. From the report:
–Engagement on Instagram is 15 times that of Facebook’s, with users spending an average of 257 minutes per month.
–Instagram receives 1,000 comments and 8,500 likes per second. That comes to 1.2 billion likes per day.
-The number of users has increased 66 percent to 32 million users, the fastest growing of the top 10 mobile apps.
-Instagram ads have helped retailers increase ad recall by 32 percent and brand message lift by 10 percent.
So how can you get better at getting more followers on Instagram? Here are some tips:
1. Keep timing in mind
Consider your audience’s time zone and what time your audience checks Instagram. When do you check your Instagram? For most it is in the morning and then in early evening (after work). According to Simply Measured, the best time to post is on Wednesdays between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. You want to share your photos when you know people will look at it soon.
2. Ask questions
When you post a picture, ask a question. It encourages interaction and engagement.
3. Follow people back
You know what makes someone day? When you follow them back on Instagram. Especially if you are a brand, a user is likely to share with friends that they’ve been followed by a brand. My friend talked for days about the time Revlon followed her on Instagram.
4. Give them little product previews
You don’t just release a movie, right? You show trailers and teasers on TV and have the actors go on talk shows and share clips so by the time it comes out, you are super pumped. You can do the same with Instagram and product promotion. Upload photos that feature teasers of soon-to-be-released products. These are great for gathering interest AKA likes.
5. Give them some candids
If you have a great brand, product or cool company people want to see the inner workings of it. We are fascinated by cool work cultures so give them some inside candid looks at how you do what you do.
Donna Amos writes, “While running a business requires dedication, sweat and sometimes tears, it should never be all work and no play. Instagram is perfect for displaying fun times in the office or when you’re out and about having lunch or dinner with co-workers. Sharing these types of images with followers speaks volumes. It not only suggests that you don’t take life too seriously while on the job, but instead you must be happy and successful in your career.”
6. Reward your followers
If you have loyal followers, then give back. Offer them discount or promo codes if applicable.
7. Monitor your success
Just like you do to measure traffic on your web site, you can monitor which images are the most successful. Try BlitzMetrics and Curalate.
8. Use the right hashtags (but don’t go #overboard)
Hashtags are very important. Depending on your industry, there are definitely ones you should be very familiar with and use frequently. What you don’t want to do is start writing hashtag paragraphs.
9. Use Apps
There are a lot of great free photo editing apps like Instaframe, Picfx and Squaready-Instagram Layouter. Kay Tan has an extensive and great list with more, and our very own Randle Browning just wrote a great article on how to take the best pics with your phone.
10. Use Instagram videos on your blog or website
To boost the content on your site use the Instagram video tool (you can make 15-second, filter-enabled, editable videos) to make awesome videos for your site.
This piece was written by Meredith Lepore and is republished by permission.
Image credit: CC by Brent Ozar
