How to use Instagram for Business

Transcription

1 How to use Instagram for Business

2 Introduction Information Instagram Business Marketing Grow ü If you've already been growing your business utilizing Inbound Marketing, you're probably already accustomed to generating leads and sales from networks like Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Linkedin. But you're probably missing out on the impact of one of the hottest and fastest growing social networks. Instagram! ü Utilizing IG for business can be tough and confusing if you don't know the recipe for success, which is why we're giving you this ebook! We're going to show you exactly how to setup and optimize your Instagram for success. We're also going to discuss the business tool Instagram has to offer, a little more in depth! We love the new stuff they've done in the last year and I'm sure you will too! 02

3 What do you want to accomplish with Instagram? Is it to Brand your company further? This day in age branding is all about relationship marketing. Basically showing others that you're a human who runs a company and not a company that runs a human 02 Do you utilize forms for lead generation? Instagram is used primarily on mobile devices, so you'll need to make sure your forms are easily readible and optimized on mobile Open to development Willing to network and share Willing to work like a volunteer 03 Or are you someone who just need to gain a following and customize your strategy and monetization methods as you go? 03

4 Data Gives You A Road Map Use the traffic you drive to your advantage. Place a product in your first image slot. It is usually viewed most. In 2016 Lead Locale celebrated when Instagram released their Instagram For Business platform with their Insights tool that gives tons of native analytics. You know what works well and what doesn t, simply by analyzing the trends in engagement. Now you can get data available on Instagram that tell you who your followers are and which post get the most engagement from your targeted audience. When you have the right data you can make conscious decisions for your business. 04

5 Value in Relationship Marketing SO where's the value in Instagram. Is it pushing products and advertisments in the customers face? NO! In our experience, we show the off the "human side" of our Brand. Over at Lead Locale we've ran into the battle of proving value of marketing over social networks, since it's not a web property the client actually owns. Plus tons of other companies that align with yours are promoting their products there too. We re seeing Instagram becoming more popular because of the more behind the scenes look" that it provides. Unlike Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin where people promote their content, Instagram is more for showing the human side of your company. 05

6 Set Guidelines For Instagram Guidelines and Tips For the visual appeal and recognition we advise you incorporating similar colors that people associate with your brand into your posts. Also creating the viral meme with your logo on it has done well in the past. Just don t go overboard..or be too cheesy ;) Check these next tips we have for you! Follow the Rule of Thirds The rule of thirds states than an image is most pleasing when its subjects or regions are composed along imaginary lines which divide the image into thirds both vertically and horizontally. The rule of thirds is all about creating the right aesthetic trade-offs. It often creates a sense of balance without making the image appear too static, and a sense of complexity without making the image look too busy. Use High Quality Photos High resolution photos stand out but we understand you can t run your business and be its photographer. Thank the internet for stock photos. We ve used Shutterstock but there are many free options. freestockphotos.org. You can also find members on Fiverr with stock photo memberships available for your use. Focus on high resolution content, crisp details and sharp lines. Don t over process your content with filters or excessive blur. Designate a Content Creator If you work for a large company you might have to get your content approved, decision-makers will want a say in what is posted. Be sure to back up your content with value. Your proposals to superiors are sample market analysis. Create content that is fluid, keep branding seamless and don t bounce from design to design. Sometimes less is more. Put your product center. Keep descriptions short and informative Take Great Pictures Not all of us out there have a professional photographer to encapsulate a story in one image and make it look great! For the iphone check out olloclip, and a tripod might be all you need. Follow Typography Rules When placing text over images, remember the graphic design rules for typography and how to use different techniques and fonts to captivate and inform your audience. 06

7 Types of Posts Every Marketer Should Try on Instagram 01 Food 04 Employee-Centric 02 Product-Centric 05 Motivational Posts 03 Customer-Centric 06 Giveaways/ Contests 07

8 How to Use Hashtags Information Hashtag Goals Brand Unique ü Hashtags are a proven in growing followers Hashtagging that is aligned with your content, events, and brand will help group your images and relate them to trending topics. This helps build brandidentity but you want to keep it specific. Using your brand or business name is best. ü You can ask yourself some questions: Is my hashtag popular, or rising? Do my viewers and followers use it? There are search tools available that allow you to track and measure certain metrics on your hashtags. As well as compare your hashtags against the top trending tags. 08

9 Use Contests to Expand Your Reach If you are trying to promote a new sale, menu item or listing. Contests are a great way to gain momentum, engage followers and create an opportunity for new content. Use a giveaway as an opportunity to follow up with the winner and ask for some photos submitted by them engaged with your product, submit a testimonial, or give valuable information about your product. Ensure your entries to the contest or give away have a specific hashtag so you can track who enters. But at the same time your entrant s followers see their submission to your contest and may engage too! 09

10 Instagram Stories August 2016, Instagram introduces a feature that looks similar to snapchat this content is then shown directly at the top of your viewers feed. There is no worry of over posting in a story. Utilize this feature to showcase your most perfect content. Traditional IG marketing is much more of a refined method. It is more of an outlet to connect with your viewer, retain more followers and keep your customer base growing. Your sales and promotions would look great here too. Don t forget to keep to the schedule! Your content on stories does NOT carry over to your regular feed. These stories are quick, and don t really provide any trackable data regarding your views, etc. 10

11 Algorithm Shift Instagram used to display the most recent post at the top of your feed. The more somebody engages with your content the more likely they are to see your post at the top of their feed. They now use a method that displays content based on your followers past engagement. This is why content is critical to growth and engagement. Use eye catching posts to get the like, and hashtag effectively. 11

12 Video Video Posts that contained video was limited to 15 seconds. Until Instagram increased the limit to 1 full minute. Don t be afraid to post a video, you don t have to use the full 60 seconds! The average attention span is seconds. Keep it short sweet and to the point. Video can be used to show your followers around the shop, promote a hard working company, build a reputation with your followers as video allow for more connection than 1 single photograph. 12

13 How to Use Instagram s New Business Tools Other social media platforms have introduced business platforms, including separate metrics and stats about your feed activity. Instagram seemed a little behind the times when it came to business vs. pleasure. The Instagram for Business tool allows users to identify your profile as a business rather than a personal profile with added contact info and location. Previously all content was hosted on the same rails with no metrics available in the app. Now, with the help of your Facebook Business Page, you can create an Instagram for business profile and get valuable in app data. Before, data about your Instagram had to be obtained through third party apps. Now you can see your followers and what kind of content they like most. 13

14 Promote Your main goal should be creating captivating Instagram content. Have a particular image you would like to promote? You can now set budgets and selected audiences in app to expand your reach OUTSIDE your group of followers. Less verbiage is better for promoted posts! 14

15 Instagram Etiquette Positive and Negative Comments There will be haters. As you may already know there are two types of people. One who receive and ones who don t. You may run into some people who will not receive your content. Always take the time to respond to positive comments and answer any questions that get asked. People Account Engage Respond The more timely the response the better. LeadLocale will generate buzz be sure to have your DM and comment notifications selected. Time is of the essence, that person still might be on your! People love attention! Like for like! Spend time liking and commenting on your follower base as well as people outside your circle. This shows you have an active and engaged profile. Don t engage in negative content. People are just trying to get a response, don t give them what they want by playing into their drama. Simply be cordial, wish them luck on the future endeavors and if it warrants, apologize.. 15

16 Why we love it: Logo Post It exemplifies exactly what the brand is about, Post your brand logo every so often, include it in posts to keep the image alive in your followers mind. YOU might not get the sale off the bat but you want them to consider you FIRST! What to try: Show off an example of what your brands does. The best kinds of posts are ones that people can relate to, the one above does well because it feels attainable. Use a post like this to showcase people using your product or service. 16

17 Why we love it: Behind the scenes It s tempting to participate and also invite the user in. This kind of post showcases employees in their natural habitat and invites Instagrammers to go behind the scenes of the coffee shop s kitchen. What to try: Show people something that not everyone would know, or usually get to see. This is the virtual equivalent of taking people backstage at a show. 17

18 Why we love it: Repost It s inclusive but also exclusive. It makes people feel special when their name is used, but it s also a feelgood example of a brand being generous and that gives the brand karma points. What to try: Fame by association is huge. Use it to your advantage. The more you put out there the more you get back! Show the human side of your business. 18

19 Conclusion Instagram is a growing channel that will allows you to grow and humanize your brand, recruit future employees, showcase your product, company culture, delight customers, and generate new business. All with images you can create and share! Give it a shot: make a profile, start testing and learn from what works and what doesn t. Have fun and for more resources, check out LeadLocale s Instagram, send us a message! We would love to hear from you what worked!

20 Bonus: Checklist for Getting Started with Instagram

21 Pick a name that closely resembles your business name. Use a Profile photo that is on target with your brand. Something easy to remember that stands out. Switch to a business profile, use the statistics it gives you to gauge interaction on your posts. The URL line is a valuable plot of land on your profile. It is the only part that allows a clickable link. Be sure your landing is clean and convertible. 21

22 Build a log of photos. Always have a reserve of content. Designate certain employees to send you photos to gain a different perspective on your product or company. Follow your competitors after all their customers are buying Test your engagement, Post content when engagement is highest. Log the times at which you post. Publish a #hashtag, monitor its use, be sure to use it frequently and in promotions. Always reply to comments and DM s The faster the better. 22

23 Run a giveaway or contest to build a credible, real, following. Do not spam. It will get you banned and discredit your reputation. Use Instagram to build relationships. Cross promote your Instagram. Link other social platforms to double and triple the amount of people your post reaches. Each platform has its own setting to link social accounts. IG can post to FB and Twitter at the same time. 22

24 Some Glossary of Instagram Terms for Reference: #L4L Like for Like #F4F Follow for Follow Use tags like #iphone, #android, #blue, #cute, etc. to reach a broad audience. #selfie = a post of you taken by you. #igers = means Instagrammers and is a powerful hashtag in Twitter. #TBT = Throwback Thursday #bae = before anything else, usually used to signify a strong love or connection to someone or something #Latergram = Something you post on Instagram at a later time. #Repost = posting a picture that someone else posted, making sure to credit them (often using an app like this 22

25 Thank You