Using Instagram to Grow Your Business

Here at Boss Creative, we’re all about branding.  But not just logo design, typography and choosing color palettes, we also love creating consistent brand strategies for our clients and displaying them across multiple platforms. After all, is there anything more beautiful than Facebook and Instagram accounts that are perfectly cohesive and fluent with your brand? Yes, the sun setting over the beach… but this is great too!

Instagram is gaining more and more traction every day. In fact, as of April 26th, 2017 there were 700 million active users and I’m sure that number’s grown still since then. Crazy! So it goes without saying… if you haven’t already jumped on the InstaTrain, it’s time to.

But just like with anything new, it’s scary at first. You’ve probably researched top influencers on Instagram with thousands of followers and wondered how they got there. Don’t be afraid, it’s not nearly as complicated as it may look and once you get the hang of it, you might even find it enjoyable!

We want to start you off on the right foot with a killer brand strategy, but keeping it going will require a commitment and we want to make it as easy as we can for you; so here are our top 6 ways to set your brand up for success with Instagram.   

Brand Consistency

It all comes down to this. Your brand is your identity, and your consumers should expect the same from you no matter what online medium they’re using, from wherever they are in the world. Brand consistency builds trust across all platforms and the best way to make an impact and build loyalty from the start is to make sure your Instagram is consistent with your brand.  

Use the Analytics with Instagram for Business Tools

With Instagram, just as with Facebook, you have the option to set your profile up as a business page. As shown below with our Instagram account, this will add contact buttons as well as display more information (business type, physical address, etc.) than the typical Instagram account. Beyond that, you will have a unique insight into the analytics of your page (think: audience metrics, call/email clicks, impressions, etc.) These tools are free so take advantage of them!

It’s OK to hashtag

Everyone has their own opinion about hashtagging on Facebook – to hashtag or not to hashtag? But on Instagram, it’s a must if you want to reach the people in your niche. Right off the bat, no one is going to know to search for you – you have to put yourself in front of them. And yes, you’re gonna have to use hashtags to do this effectively.

Engage, Engage, Engage!

Instagram is one part posting and one part engaging. You want to post consistently to stay on the minds of consumers, but you also want to engage with them. If someone leaves a comment or asks a question don’t forget to respond! Let them know you’re listening to them, it’ll go a long way.

You have to commit

Social media of any kind is a commitment, you can’t post religiously for one week and then nothing the next and expect the same result. At first, you’re probably going to be super amped and want to post all the time with no sense of organization… don’t do this. You’ll burn yourself out and it’ll start to feel more like a chore. Take it slow and be thoughtful, plan out posts in advance so you’re not trying to think up something clever at the last minute. It’ll definitely streamline the process!

Do your Research

Who is your target market and how do you plan to go after them specifically? You can research keywords and hashtags to get an idea of who is posting what. Figure out what hashtags are popular, but be cautious because if there’s high volume under a specific hashtag your content could easily get lost in the mix. There isn’t a magic formula for getting tons of likes or comments, it’s up to you to experiment with posting times, consistency and hashtags to figure out what works for your brand and appeals to your unique audience.

Lastly, remember to have fun with it! One of the best parts of my job is being creative about what and when to post. I really get to showcase our fun personality through our Instagram!

Need help setting up or posting on Instagram? We’d love to work with you and help make you Insta game strong! You can connect with us here.

— By Conner Danielle Cole —

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