Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms according to Small Business Trends in their article “20 Popular Social Media Sites Right Now.”
It’s a social sharing app that individuals use to communicate with their friends, interact with trends, and stay updated with visual content.
Brands can communicate with their customers by using images, videos, and now live chats/videos after the recent 2016 update .
So how can it bring more exposure to your business?
Well, just like other social media platforms, Instagram presents a way for you to tap in to the millions of users they have on the platform to encourage them to interact with your brand.
(Read my Guide for Instagram Marketing to learn more about finding your target audience and the content you should post)
Visual Representation
When you have an active account on Instagram, you have the opportunity to provide your following with a visual representation of who you are as a company, and what you provide as a service or product. For the rest of this post, I will be using one of my favorite clothing companies as an example: www.urbanpretigeclothing.com
When using pictures and/or videos, you’ll be able to show your target audience the style of products you provide, how well you react to trends, and how well your company interacts with other users. Being active and posting content that relates to what you provide will separate your business from others like you.
For example, both of these companies sell stationery (cards, planners, invitations). But by looking at their profiles, you can tell what their specialties are and the type of customers they serve.
When you create content for your page, you should keep your branding in mind. Post content with a purpose to display your products/services while also engaging your users.
Staying Relevant
Being active on Instagram and following the trends from specific communities or themes will allow you’re business to be connected with what’s relevant at the time.
When users look up specific hashtags that you are using, your content will pop up in their search results. This brings more exposure to your content, and if they’re engaged this could lead them to your page or encourage them to tag more people to view your images.
By using hashtags that are trending (Like #ThrowbackThursday , #droptop , #Monday, etc.), you make your content more visible to people who will be following that hashtag for over a period of time.
You can also use these trends to create more engaging content. Like ads using a specific hashtag for that day, or using a comical twist on a popular trend like these for example:
Engagement
Posting content that your audience would love + communicating and responding to their comments will improve the engagement rates for your Instagram profile. The more that people engage with your content, the more your posts will show up in their feeds.
Communicating with your audiences improves your business exposure by showing your audience that you’re actively involved in what excites them. So make sure to post things that they would enjoy, and even visit some of your users’ pages and interact with them there.
Instagram Ads
After Facebook bought Instagram they added an ad feature that you can design and monitor through the Facebook ad manager. You also have the ability to boost posts to increase how many people see your picture or video.
The exposure from purchasing an ad to be displayed on Instagram is greater because the money encourages them to put your post in front of more people who would be more intrigued by your offer.
These ads have clickable link optins which is really great for exposure because it sends viewers directly to a desired webpage. For example if you have a seminar that you need sign ups for, or a specialty necklace amongst the hundreds of items you have on your website.
Conclusion:
Instagram provides more exposure to your business by displaying a visual story of who your brand is and what you provide (products or services). You’re able to create content based on popular trends, and increase exposure by participating in trending hashtags. To top it of, there is even an ad feature that uses clickable call-to-actions that can drive more traffic to a specific page.
If you’re not on Instagram, you’re missing out on the beauties this social media app can bring!
If you need help creating an Instagram that promotes the brand story you hope to achieve, communicate with me, or leave a comment below!