As a social platform, Instagram has a unique advantage over other social media channels. Instead of simply writing about an update on your life and sharing it with your network, users on Instagram can visually show their followers what’s happening with creative images and videos.

Initially used by individuals as an alternative to other popular social media platforms, Instagram has now become a viable channel for businesses to connect with potential leads and customers to promote their brand and their products.

Regardless of your niche, you can reap the benefits of a well-executed Instagram marketing strategy for your business. Below are some of the ways you can do this:

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Originally posted on January 4, 2018 @ 6:16 am

Exposing your business is the number one rule to achieve success. There are lots of ways to do that. You can advertise it on TV, on the radio, on a billboard, or perhaps in the local newspaper. These ways are all proven effective.

But we should also understand that the times have changed, especially with how our current society works. More people are now hooked to the internet. Social media has become a staple of our everyday lives. And our day won’t be complete without checking our Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram account.

So what does this bring us? Simple. Social media marketing is now the best way to speed up your business’ expansion. Research proves this as 70% of people online are social media users. And the figures are increasing.

There are currently 2.46 billion users, and this is expected to grow to 2.77 billion by 2019. With this, it’s easy to say that it’s the best place to market your business. Not only is it easy to market on, but it’s also the most affordable, and most efficient way to get your proverbial word out.

Bring real value to your market

Creating real value around your brand is very important. It’s because this is where your reputation relies on. And engaging in your social media campaign isn’t always about promoting. You also need to deliver educational and informative posts.

Things that will help motivate others to achieve are a good example to improve your brand’s reputation. Bring in inspirational posts that will enable your followers to see the good in you. It’s a give-and-take relationship you’ve got out there. This means that your followers should also get something from you. And not just you getting something from them.

Know your target audience

Know well your target audience and be clear on which demographic you’ll be targeting. It’s through this that you can plan which kinds of posts you’re going to publish. You’ll also know the way on how you’re going to interact with them. By doing this, you can attract the right people interested in your offerings.

Develop your strategy

It’s a golden rule for any goal to have a rock-solid plan. Create a strategy that will make the journey from Point A to Point B easier. It might either be by getting influencers and power users or writing a specific type of content. This is also where you need to know how often you’ll post or what time of the day you’re going to do it.

Use an omnichannel approach

Social media, like many digital marketing channels, shouldn’t be utilized as a standalone silo. Instead, a company’s social media channels should be used in conjunction with other digital marketing disciplines such as content marketing, SEM, and email marketing.

Integrating your social media and email marketing gives Fans a more streamlined experience as they engage with your brand. You can use your Facebook cover photo to incentivize fans to subscribe to your email list and receive special offers. Make the offers exclusive to your Facebook fans and not available anywhere else online.

Once they subscribe from Facebook, you can use email automation software, like Campaign Monitor, to automatically send them personalized emails over time. For example, you can send them a Welcome email specific to Fans who have subscribed from Facebook with a special offer just for them along with different content related to your products or services. Based on what they click on in that email you can dynamically send them future emails with content and offers that they’ve shown interest in.

Focus on quality over quantity

This is where businesses usually get lost in the social media whirlwind. Never sacrifice quality for the sake of quantity. See to it that your posts are filled with informative and exciting content. Back it up with facts and statistics if needed and always double check your grammar.

This rule also applies to audience interaction.

Make sure your comments and replies are meaningful. They shouldn’t appear as spammy or made for the sake of letting people see that “you care.” By doing these, you’re able to develop relationships with your followers that will do your business better than you’ve ever imagined.

Conclusion

Social media might seem to be an easy avenue to help your business succeed. But it’s more complicated than what you initially thought of. You need to have a consistent performance and undying passion for pulling these through. But with the help of these simple but effective tips, there’s no doubt you’re going to propel your business to greater heights. All the best of luck, mate.

Originally posted on November 22, 2017 @ 7:19 am