Tips for Using Instagram for Business

Tips For Using Instagram For Business
Now that many of us have finally figured out how to spell Pinterest along comes Instagram.
Instagram is a mobile application that is the brain child of Kevin Systrom, a college friend of
Mark uckerberg!s. In fact, uckerberg invited Systrom to "oin him at #acebook when the
social media site was still "ust an idea in uckerberg!s head, but Systrom opted to stay in
school. $hat decision has resulted in Systrom becoming Silicon %alley!s, and Stanford
&niversity!s, latest internet billionaire.
Instagram is a free photo sharing social media site launched on 'ctober (, )*+*. It allows
users to download photos, process them through a digital filter, and share them with other
users they are connected to. Instagram has been wildly successful from the start. ,y
-ecember )*+* they already had over + million users. ,y .pril )*+), /* million users were
downloading over +0* million photos on Instagram. .lso in .pril, Instagram became available
to android users. Seeing a threat to its social media dominance, #acebook acted fast to
neutrali1e its latest competitor. .gain in .pril, #acebook bought Instagram for 2+ billion.
3ow can local small businesses utili1e Instagram4 #irst, you have to register. $o register a
business you must have a location page. In order to create location page for your business,
you must create an account in #ours5uare. #ours5uare is a location based social media site
for mobile users. Instagram uses #ours5uare!s location database to tag a photo to that
location. If your location is not already listed on #ours5uare!s database, you can add it by
following these steps as recommended on Instagram!s webpage6
-ownload and sign up for #ours5uare from the .pp Store6 http677bit.ly7l89v1b or on :oogle
Play.
:o to the ;heck<in tab and search for the name of the place you want to add
$ap the =.dd this place= option.
'nce you!ve added the place to the #ours5uare database, you should be able to search for it
on the >ocation screen in Instagram and select it to tag your photo with the place you!ve
created.
&pload your photo, then tap on the place name ?in blue te8t@ that appears above your photo to
see the location page you!ve created, where your photo and all photos tagged with this location
in the future will appear.
Tips For Using Instagram For Business
'nce you!re set with #ours5uare, go ahead and set up your Instagram account6
+. Sing up using your brand name as the user name.
). .dd a profile picture, information about the business and a link to your website
/. >ink to our other social media accounts ?#acebook, $witter, etc.@
Now that you have your account set up, you can begin to build a presence on Instagram.
.mong the strategies that you can use are6
+. Share compelling content. Ahere have you heard that before4 .nyone who has followed
inbound marketing, seo, and building an online presence knows that it all starts with content.
-on!t be afraid to e8periment with your photos. .sk for feedback from your followers. Ahat do
they like the most4 3ow about the least4
). &se hashtags to find more followers and share your photos. Ahen using hashtags, be
specific. $his will help you find like<minded people who will be more likely to be interested in
your product or service. So instead of simply saying Bcar, say Bbmw. $ry to engage the people
who are most directly interested in your product. >ook at what other businesses are doing
within your industry. $hey probably have used ideas that have not occurred to you.
/. Share the photo on other social media sites. Instagram allows you to easily share photos on
#acebook, #ours5uare, $witter, $umblr, and #lickr. 'nce these users see your photo they will
go to your site, or begin to follow you on Instagram.
C. Make sure your photos tell the story you want to tell. Posting a photo of that great steak
dinner you!re about to eat won!t do you much good if you own a tire shop. ,e authentic. Dour
users will be able to tell if the photos you are posting are actual or not
0. ,e consistent. -on!t over<saturate your posts, but post often enough to keep our followers
engaged.
'ne of the criticisms of Instagram is that its filters destroy good photographs. $his complaint
has come mainly from professional photographers who may be feeling the heat of competition.
Tips For Using Instagram For Business
$heir standards of what is acceptable are generally higher than the public at large as well. #or
most business purposes, the photo reproduction in Instagram is =good enough=.
$he other criticism is that Instagram has no business model and little or no income. ,ut that is
#acebook!s problem, not yours. .s more and more online searchers conduct business on
mobile devices, it is the prudent online marketer who will benefit the most. >everaging apps
like Instagram will pay dividends down the road.
#or more information about buy instagram followers