Why is it important that you get to know Instagram, and get to know it now? For starters, Instagram has over 300 million active monthly users! How’s that for a pool of interested prospects who might need your services!
Glazing Over?
I talk to many small business owners who glaze over when I bring up the subject. Yet this platform is the perfect way to let your customer behind the scenes of your business. Marketing is all about engaging your customer, and in order to engage, you must be showing up where they are….on Instagram.
The Power of Visuals
Sharing over 30 billion photos to date, Instagram users now average over 70 million photos per day. If you could show up, daily, in your customer’s feed on this platform, think about the engagement possibilities.
All in the Hashtags
I recently had an experience that underscores my sentiment. Before saying goodbye to my client, Trish Lobenfeld, of Honeypie’s Recipes, I took a quick selfie as we had just concluded a powerful strategic marketing planning session, discussing how to build her brand and elevate to the next level. We were both incredibly inspired by the ideas and possibilities, but Trish has been “glazing over” with the thought of Instagram and having to learn yet another social media platform.
I posted the photo on Instagram with a few #foodblogger type hashtags. From this simple post with strategic hashtags, I gained several followers and got many likes-from complete strangers, but prospects that were following that foodblogger subject via hashtags. Posts with at least one hashtag average 12.6 percent more engagement.
Who are these people, anyway? These people are your potential clients, scrolling through their Instagram feed, paying attention to the latest buzz in their field of interest.
Share the Love
Making sure you include the handle of another user will ensure they see your post. On average, posts that include another user handle in the caption net 56 percent more engagement. And engagement is the way to build your brand on the social media platforms
If you have been using Instagram in creative ways, won’t you share in the comments?