One billion people use Instagram every month, and 500 million people post something on this platform every day.
Is there any justification why you are not using this platform to up your marketing game?
If you are a beginner, today you will learn how to use the platform for your business. We will cover:
- Create a Business Account
- Regular Posting
- Cross Promotions
- Nurturing Followers
Let us review each one and get you going.
Create a Business Account
On Instagram, you can sign-up with a phone or email address. But you can also use Facebook to sign in. if you will use the app, make sure that you create a different account with your business email address.
This ensures that your business profile does not get mixed with your personal one, and that your Facebook account is also not involved.
After creating the business account, it is time to set up your details. Under the full name, write your business name and add your business profile pic. Your username must also be related to your business name so people can easily recognize it.
Posting Content Regularly
Instagram is a hub for photos and videos. This is not a place where you can post blogs and other kinds of stuff. Focus your posts on photos and videos that highlight your product.
The thing with posting is that you have to do this regularly, without spamming your followers. Instagram is not like Pinterest where you have to post five pins daily. What you want to do is to post often without overwhelming your followers.
While there is no magic formula for posting, the trick here is looking at people’s response to your posts. Do they like posts that have discounts? Or do they like posts of close-up shots of your products? You have to adjust the content or creativity of your post according to how your audiences react.
Also, posting three times a week should be enough. If you post more than this, many of your followers would begin to feel like you are in their feeds all the time, and they may unfollow you.
Cross Promotions
Cross-promotion is a marketing tactic where your posts in your Instagram account are shared via other platforms, like Facebook and Twitter.
The fastest route to gaining followers is to expose yourself on other platforms. Invite people from Facebook and Twitter to like your Instagram profile. If they are already following you on other platforms, then there is no reason not to follow you on Instagram.
Cross-promotion efforts also allow you to take advantage of the different audience types who may not be so active on Instagram, and yet your posts can take them to the platform because your posts are interesting.
One key benefit of doing this is that your posts are not usually seen by everyone. So, if they missed your post in Facebook, then it is likely that they would see your post in Instagram, and vice versa.
Nurturing Followers
The last step to succeeding in Instagram marketing for beginners is to nurture your followers. Thank the people who loved our post, and answer queries as soon as you can.
Be interactive. Ignoring your customer comments is not just rude, but it also shows that you are disengaged. It is a social media platform, and people who use these platforms want to be heard and recognized.
Summary
Instagram is a place where 72% of its users have bought an item because of what they saw on the platform. 72% of one billion users is 720,000,000, and you certainly do not want to miss your share of that market. It is not too late to start using Instagram for you marketing campaign.
Start now and build a follower base. Work with influencers and let the world know that you are here.
