Instragram has truly hit the world by storm – the purely visual, photo-sharing social media app has over 100 million users and has become a must-have for companies and brands. Seriously, even engineering companies have Instragram.
In an age of technology and social media, it’s important to give your business its little spot in the social media sphere and, up there with Facebook and Twitter is Instagram. It really is one social sharing tool that should not be passed by. While it’s a platform that is less directly aimed at generating website hits, Instagram helps you create and share your company’s culture, design aesthetic and tone in a personal, behind-the-scenes approach, which is invaluable for customer growth, brand awareness among the industry, and general credibility. It’s also super fun and simple, a win win!
So, if you are new to the world of gramming (or want to know how to really make it work for you) then here is a little run-down about using Instagram for your business (with images of a few of our favourite business Instagram accounts in between!)
Create a brand personality – Rather than selling products to customers, Instagram is about showing who your brand is through visual snippets. Establish the kind of tone you want to set at the start, then think of each image as adding to that overall message.
Listen to your fans – The audience interaction you receive through posts tells you a lot about your customers so make the most of that! Take on board the feedback you get – whether that’s likes on a certain product image or actual comments – and use this very real feedback to your advantage.
Go for quality – Instagram is a visual tool, so although they’re meant to be snapped from your phone, this is still no place for pixelated images. If you want to grab attention, make sure your images are top.
Be creative – Keep your audience interested with original posts, don’t just always post images from your website. You’ve got a lot of users to compete with!
Be consistent – Having an overall tone is going to generate more followers, a good image once in a blue moon won’t have people following you for long. If you choose to post 3 times a day, say, you’ll create that sense of continuity that keeps people familiar with your brand.
Make it relevant – Remember at the end of the day this account is for your business, so while it’s about being interesting, keep it relevant to your industry and brand. People are following you because they like what you share, so make sure you deliver that. If you’re unsure, just come back to your brand personality and you’ll know if it suits.
Use Hashtags – #hashtags are an easy way to gain new followers. You’ll come up in peoples’ search results, so if you hashtag the relevant words, you’ll attract people who are interested in your content – meaning new followers!
- Your products/store
- The process of how your product is made (we all love behind the scenes!)
- Product in action
- Re-gram photos from others who have snapped your product (and don’t forget to tag them in)
- Your office and culture – people like real people, they just do! Showing behind the scenes creates that genuine feel customers love.
- Things you like – show your passion for the industry & design by taking photos of things other than your own products.
