Instagram in today’s scenario, is not just limited to sharing photos but has turned into a major brand development platform for marketers and influencers. If used tactically, Instagram can be a story-changer and can perform major functions of a brand marketing agency. Even on a personal level, by the use of correct trending videos /photos added with a well thought personal branding strategy can transform an individual’s reputation and career to heights of fame. With more than 600 million users, Instagram stands out as a perfect platform for branding, similar to a brand marketing agency and is a major tool for every brand development company. A few trusted ways of attracting and engaging followers on Instagram, which help us grow our brand value are summarized below.
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| Instagram Marketing |
Visually compelling content: Instagram is majorly a world of pictures and to make a first impression as a compelling brand it is necessary to include captivating pictures that lures the users to click on our product.
Use right hashtags: Anyone who clicks on an Instagram hashtag or conducts an Instagram hashtag search, he sees a page showing all the posts tagged with that hashtag. These hashtags can be location, news, relevant trending phrases, or emoji hashtags. We make a choice of such a phrase that is commonly trending so that users, even if people are not following our page, when they search for a hashtag, it will be shown in hashtag search, making our page discovered.
Consistency in Posts: Consistency counts. Out of sight means out of mind. The more content that we publish, the more opportunities we will have to be discovered. It does not mean that we keep publishing irrelevant stuff which may chase away our followers too. But, a balanced amount of strong content gets prospective followers to know us and our brand identity.
Interaction with Viewers: User interaction is an underrated technique which proves our followers that we are open to conversation. We can use Instagram’s live feature to stream live videos and engage with the followers in real time. This not only helps to personalize our brand among users but also helps to know their view about us. This paints a picture of our brand and adds to brand advertising among users. Use of well-timed humour whilst interaction makes the user paint a good image of us in their minds.
Compelling captions: Captions that are used in posts help users to understand better what the photo stands for. A mix of wordplay with relevant hashtags to tell our story, use of quoted captions,. etc. compels users to visit our page. Also, descriptive captions work.
Promotion beyond Instagram: To increase the number of followers, we can promote our page on other platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and E-mails etc. We can promote our Instagram page on a social platform where we are well established and compel them to funnel their way to our Instagram page.
Use of Bio: Instagram Bio is a small area under our username where we can share some details about our brand. The first impression is the last impression and our bio gives an impression of what our brand is, to visiting users. We need to gear up and modify the Instagram Bio such as to drive traffic into our newest and most popular content.
Create a Brand Style: An important aspect of strategic brand management is creating a unique brand style. Humans keep the best memory in our minds in pictorial forms and if the visual is unique, it will stay for long in the user's minds. We also need to realize the importance of digital branding, that is what sticks to a customer’s minds once they have made the purchase and the first thing they think of when they need our service again. We can use a fixed attractive template for our posts, a themed background that resonates with our brand. This gives a brand an identity of its own.
Call to action: Call to action basically directs our visitors about what they should do next, like buying a product, visiting our website or getting in touch with us over the mail. We might be familiar with brand agencies using “Click the link” or a mail logo or similar phrase urging users to visit our page/contact us, at the end of a post.
