Success with B2C marketing goes beyond having a well-run campaign. Customers relate to products, brands and services based on your brand’s ability to forge an emotional connection with the customer.

Enter Instagram. In two years this platform has seen its user numbers double from 350 million to 700 million users. B2C (business to customer) marketers must not lag behind, or they may not catch up.

Instagram is trending now, so get on board. Research shows that up to 95% of B2C marketers make use of Facebook in their marketing campaigns. Given that Facebook owns Instagram, extending a campaign to Instagram is relatively straightforward.

Understand Instagram Appeal

Instagram is growing because it uses community building strategies and places customers ahead of blatant promotional campaigning. Its appeal is visual, designed for mobile devices, and uses popular culture to drive growth.

Create personal brand identities from the get-go. Use your profile description, URL and profile picture as a consistent extension of your website and brand. This will help to build a recognizable brand across all platforms, on all devices.

Don’t go overboard with lengthy posts. Aim for bite-sized pieces of information, similar to Twitter. Above all, make sure that your posts remain consistent and on-message.

Grid It

Card design is extremely popular and effective at the moment, so it makes sense to take advantage of it. The grid layout allows you to entice customers with bits of a whole picture. It builds suspense and forms the emotional connection that works as a customer first marketing strategy on Instagram.

Visual Content

Use a good mix of quality photos and live videos to showcase your brand and build trust through transparency. A trusted brand is a safe place for consumers to go to. Customers want a mix of excitement and security.

Hashtag Heaven

Increase your awareness of how hashtags will benefit your brand. To many, hashtags are the new SEO. Instantly recognisable as a symbol to be followed by text, they will be read by Instagram’s visually voracious viewers. Hashtags are the stepping stones that lead to building relationships with your target audience.

Branded Community

Personalization is still key and is an extension of your online store or website’s customer service platform. Build your own Instagram community by branding hashtags.

Trust The Pod

Form an Instagram Pod. This will build strategic partnerships, maintain the trust your brand is building and promote your business without being too promotional.

Take Away

Instagram is best utilised by creating emotional connections between your brand and the consumer. Correctly executing on this task will lead to you successfully building your brand through Instagram.