As a South Florida marketing agency, we always advise our clients to not underestimate the power behind Instagram as a tool for getting your business discovered and connecting with customers. Understandably, you may be left feeling a bit skeptical and apprehensive toward this social media platform with all the recent changes. With a new logo and addition of new tools and features being introduced — it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.

Rest assured, Instagram’s evolution continues to benefit businesses and their social media strategy. Whether you are just starting an Instagram business account or are looking for ways to improve it, refer to these tips provided by our digital marketing experts.

CONVERT TO A BUSINESS PROFILE

With an Instagram business profile, you have access to perks that are unavailable to personal users, called Instagram Business tools.

• Contact button makes it easy for followers to reach out to your business and can be configured for call, text, or email.
• Promote tool allows you to get more views on your posts by displaying it as paid ad in the feeds of a specified target audience.
• Insights provide in-depth analytics that allows you to know your followers better and improve your social media strategy on the platform.

TIMELY AND CONSISTENT POSTS

Instagram is a visual-centric and businesses should optimize their efforts for this social mediaplatform. Businesses’ Instagram branding strategy should be consistent with their physical and other digital marketing materials and messaging. The images and videos you post should tell a story about your brand. Showcase your company’s products, culture, and even community of customers. Be sure to post regularly at times when your followers are likely to see and engage with the posts. Utilizing a posting schedule is a great way to easily integrate Instagram posts with your overall social media strategy.

ENGAGEMENT

Make sure you aren’t using your Instagram business account solely for one-way communication, especially since Instagram users are enthusiastic about engaging with brands on Instagram.

• Instagram delivered 58 times more engagement per follower than Facebook for brands. — Forrester study
• 92 percent of social engagement happens on Instagram. — L2 Intelligence Report: Social Platforms 21017

Increase your followers’ engagement by responding to and/or liking comments, occasionally tagging and giving shout-outs to followers and relevant influencers, encouraging consumer-generated content, and using Instagram’s other tools such as Live and Stories to further connect with your followers.

TRY OUT NEW TOOLS

Instagram has been on a spree introducing new tools and features, which businesses should use to their advantage. For example, the newly introduced Album feature allows users to include up to 10 photos and videos into a single post. These album posts are similar to carousel ads, which have proven to be a more engaging, interactive, and effective format than regular ads. However, these unique posts are not ads and should be utilized in a more naturally social manner. In other words, you should use this as a means of storytelling. This album feature allows you to:

• Showcase your brand’s products or services in more detail.
• Share multiple pictures and videos of one particular product or event without spamming your followers.

The benefits of this ever-evolving platform cannot be fully understood until you open your Instagram business account then start creating content and interacting with your followers.

If you need help kickstarting or improving your Instagram branding strategy or overall social media strategy, speak with one of the digital marketing experts at our South Florida marketing agency. Call Keenability today to learn how we can elevate your brand!

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