In today’s world, many business owners are realizing that millions and millions of consumers are utilizing social media channels such as Instagram to shop and socialize. If you want to start connecting with and converting people through these channels, it’s important to have a strategic plan in place at all times. Below you’ll find just a few of many social media marketing strategies you can use to make the most of your Instagram account:
1. Begin With Goals.
Goal-setting can improve results in any aspect of life, and this includes the business-building process. This is the case because goals help you define what you’re attempting to do so that you can figure out which changes or strategies you need to implement to realize your professional objective. To make the most of this strategy, be sure that your goals are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-Specific. A sample SMART goal would be “I will publish one post per day to increase my readership by 5% each month.”
2. Utilize Professional Photos.
Although image isn’t everything, it is immensely important. This is especially the case when you run a business and want to create a positive, dynamic impression of your brand via internet. With this concept in mind, make sure that you’re using professional photos to advertise your brand. One of the best ways to make this happen is by having an experienced, knowledgeable photographer take your photos. This advice is particularly important if you work in an image-based industry such as fitness, fashion, and beauty products.
3. Show Your Audience Who You Are.
While it’s clear that you’re using Instagram as a marketing tool to generate sales, it’s important to remember that advertising shouldn’t always be about business and the brand-building process. In addition to discussing the value of your products, make sure that you’re showing your audience who you really are. This strategy fuels the relationship-building process while also demonstrating your authenticity. Remember that people are oftentimes more likely to invest in a brand when they feel that they know and can trust the business owner and staff. Note that there are many ways that you can show your audience who you really are. One relatively simple and highly effective technique is publishing personal photos depicting something you did over the weekend or your pet. Family photos are almost always a winner, too!
4. Use Hashtags.
Hashtags are infinitely valuable social media marketing tools. This is because they let your audience know what your content pertains to, thereby enabling them to decide whether they want to engage it or not. Note that many people are constantly looking for specific types of information, and they use hashtags to find it. Keep in mind that there are a few rules you need to observe in order to obtain optimal levels of success with hashtags. First, only select hashtags that are relevant to your post and niche. This will prevent your content from appearing spammy while also ensuring that you’re connecting with the right demographic. Also make sure that you select the most popular hashtags. Doing so increases your likelihood of attaining more likes. Use apps such as Tags For Likes to find the most popular tags.
Conclusion
If you’re serious about making the most of your Instagram account, note that there are multiple marketing strategies you can deploy to realize the objective. Four of them are outlined above. Start implementing these techniques immediately so that you can begin generating substantive sales via Instagram.