Social media has a huge influence on all of us whether we realize it or not. Increasingly, social channels have become a way for businesses to interact with new and existing customers.
With the rise of the business account, Instagram has become a great tool to use to help boost sales and engagement. A whole range of companies from supermarkets to fashion brands, fast food outlets and hotels now have professional Instagram accounts, with some larger brands even employing dedicated teams to manage their social content and customer interaction as part of their digital marketing social media marketing efforts.
Using Instagram, and other social media sites, allows companies to promote their brands with targeted ads and organic content to reach much larger audiences when launching or promoting services and products online. This can be valuable in sectors like iGaming, where online casino brands like 21.co.uk can use social media to better target their messages towards an age appropriate audience.
While social media may feel like more of a personal experience, Instagram is a must for all modern businesses, especially if brands want to reach a younger adult demographic. According to this useful infographic on Social Media Today, 18-34 year olds are the most active age group on Instagram. This research also found that, on Instagram, 63% of users log in at least once a day and 62% say they become more interested in a brand after seeing them in Instagram stories.
Switch to a Instagram business account
By switching from a personal to business Instagram account you can access a whole range of new features such as account insights and the ability to promote your posts through targeted user ads.
While you do have to pay for ads, Instagram allows you to create custom retargeting strategies based around user engagement and interests. It also gives you a breakdown of which groups are buying your products and the cost per result of any campaign, making it easier to know which groups to target for future campaigns.
It is also relatively simple to build a following without explicit advertisements just by being present on the app and interacting with current followers and other pages, and posting high quality content.
Enhance the power of influential users
As well as traditional Instagram adverts, brands can also use social media influencers to promote a whole host of different products and services. It might be useful to see who is influential in your industry and reach out to them or their management team. Hubspot published an article on ‘The Ultimate List of Instagram Influencers in Every Industry’ that is full of IG influencers in sectors like food, travel, fashion, lifestyle, beauty, and more. Many have thousands if not millions of followers who follow them on Instagram.
Working with social media influencers can give you an immediate short-term boost in sales but can also help to grow your following. As your account gets larger it is natural that people will hear about you by word of mouth.
Make the most out of popular IG features
Whether you are a small company or a large one, to be successful on Instagram is to use it properly and make the most out of the different features. Posting regularly and creating daily stories will ensure that your followers see you often in their feeds. This can prompt people to make more purchases as subconsciously your brand becomes more familiar to them.
A useful feature is the ability to tag other accounts and share their posts on your story. This not only allows others to share your content, but also makes it possible for you to form mutually beneficial relationships with other brands and influencers.
Many accounts regardless of size will be happy to trade shoutouts, which allows both of you access to a potential new following. On your grid you can share photos, videos or graphics relating to your brand. The IGTV feature also allows you to post longer videos of up to an hour so you are able to post explanations of products, or insights into how your business is run which can help with transparency.
Another key feature of Instagram that should not be ignored is the hashtag. Using hashtags in social media marketing is very important, but you need to know how to use them properly. Using them can help you reach your desired target audience and can help you associate your content with trending topics. However, using irrelevant hashtags and too many can look spammy and can negatively impact your post performance.
By adding popular hashtags relevant to your service under your posts, you can reach members of your target audience who are not already following you. If your post piques their interest, you immediately have the potential for a new follower or customer without paying for ads.
This article has been published in accordance with Socialnomics’s disclosure policy.
