How to Use Instagram to Market Your Business

FAIRFAX, CA - DECEMBER 18: The Instagram logo is displayed on an Apple iPhone on December 18, 2012 in Fairfax, California. Users of the popular photo-sharing app Instagram are angered over language in Instagram's new terms of service that states that a business may use any of the users photographs in advertising without compensation to the user. The policy is set to go into effect on January 16, 2013. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Instagram is a photo sharing app that can have some relevance to the B2B market, especially with Facebook’s recent acquisition of the application. Having more than 27 million users, Instragram has a very active user base.

Use Instagram for capturing event and office culture photos. You can also leverage the application to run contests and scavenger hunts. Below are four functions that detail how to use Instagram to market your business.

The 4 Stages of Instagram for Businesses


Curate

Before you begin snapping photos and engaging viewers, it’s up to you to create a plan to help you curate fans of your company.

Ask questions like:

• What does my target audience want to see?

• How can I get them to engage with my photos?

• What will get them talking about my company?

At its core, the curation stage is about determining what will make your fans engage with your brand in a positive manner and creating a plan of execution.


Snap

The time has come to start snapping photos! Consider the following objectives as you create your visual content:

• Make it exclusive: Post images that can only be seen on Instagram.

• Make it visually engaging: Instragram users are savvy, creative, and know a lackluster photo when they see one.

Don’t post a photo unless it has aesthetic appeal.

• Make it personal: Post photos of your employees at work to give viewers and potential customers personal insight into the inner workings of your company. Viewers want to feel like they are part of something, and this inside glimpse works wonders.


 Hashtag

The Instragram hashtag is a powerful feature to engage your viewers. Hashtags act as keywords providing a way for people to find photos through a simple search. Hashtags are especially useful as you seek to establish your brand as an industry leader and get more followers. Implement hashtags that are unique to your brand and industry, as well as hashtags that are popular keywords. And remember to use hashtags on all of your posts.


Engage

Engagement with potential customers and sharing are the primary reasons to utilize a platform such as Instragram. Luckily, there are a variety of ways for B2B companies to do this:

• Events: Post photos of events you host for your current and potential clients.

• Geolocation: Use the geolocation feature to provide yet another point of engagement with your viewers.

• Gamification: Hold a contest for your audience. Have viewers submit photos, provide captions, or solve a puzzle about your photos.


How do you use Instagram to market your business?

Written by
Juntae DeLane

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