With over 500 million active Instagram followers and users, who would have thought that Instagram – a simple photo sharing social media – would become one of the largest marketing distributions in the world. From humble beginnings, Instagram is now a super social platform with a community of creative individuals and brands from all over the world.
Whether you are a cake decorator, an inspiring actor, a motivational speaker or a children’s book author, you are missing a massive marketing opportunity if your or your brand is not utilizing Instagram to its full potential. With proper Instagram account management, one could simply buy active Instagram followers and begin generating an insane amount of traffic and prestige.
Therefore, we are here to discuss the 5 tops to build your Instagram brand today. Whether it is the option to buy active Instagram followers, utilize hashtags or commenting on your follower’s posts, these 5 tips will lift you from the ground floor on your Instagram journey. Let’s begin!
Tip #1 – Build Trust by Supplying A Need
What sets your brand apart from everyone else? Why should people follow you? What is it that you want to share with the world? First, get to know what you desire to share and then begin building a trust among your audience.
UGC Environment
UGC stands for User Generated Content – this means that there are Instagram users that create content for others and specific niches to see. With this in mind, a recent millennial study backs the importance of UGC by showing that users trust UGC 50% more than typical newspaper articles, television, and radio broadcasts.
Why is this? Users do not trust newspapers, radio, or television as they did before. They trust hands on information showcased by other users. Once a user becomes a producer of content they now become an influencer. They are influencing and shaping the way marketing is held by supplying a need to a certain niche. In turn, the result over time is a trusting relationship.
Get to know what your passion is, what your brand is about, and what solution it offers other people and then be an influencer of brands, companies, ideas, and concepts that are in alignment with your brand. This process can be made less daunting when you chose to buy active Instagram followers allowing you to skip from the “building a following” stage, to “managing a following” stage.
Tip #2 – Hashtag Your Way Into Instagram World
When it comes to the largest network of hashtags in the social media world, no social network beats Instagram. Why is this? Instagram, being a photo-sharing rooted social media makes it easy for you to find anything you are interested in by a simple word following by the # symbol. Basically, search whatever you are interested in with a hashtag. This search will be narrowed down within the spider web that is the Instagram community.
How can this benefit your brand?
If you are using hashtags to find your interest then you can bet you are not the only one. Your brand is of interest to many other people, make it simple to find you by using hashtags in every post.
Create Your Hashtag Database
Step 1 – Create A List of Relevant Hashtags (25-30, 30 being the maximum)
Step 2 – On this list, about 50% of your hashtags have to be relating to your image. Therefore, the hashtags for a forest photo differ from an ice cream cup company. Search up the top trending hashtags for your brands niche.
Step 3 – 25% of your hashtags should be relating your brand. If your photo is about a certain flavor of ice cream but your brand is about the restaurant business, include hashtags that are relevant to your brand, not just your image.
Step 4 – Create a movement by creating a custom-made hashtag specifically for your business and then use it as a call to action in your description. EX. “#icecream24/7 and get your photo featured on our feed.” This will result in followers using your hashtag!
Tip 3 – Appealing Instagram Feed
The creativity that is on Instagram is diverse. From monochrome flat-lay style photos to full Instagram accounts on pastel-colored cake décor, the competition is fierce. But, do not look at it as competition because there are enough followers for everyone.
With this said, decide on an Instagram style that fits your brand and go for it. This may take a few tries but that is completely okay. Test out images, photo filters, photo styles, and notice what they look like on Instagram 3 column feed then adjust accordingly.
If you are struggling in this area, take a look at other active Instagram followers and see what their feeds look like. Sometimes fellow instagrammers could have feeds that inspire you!
Tip 4- Stay Consistent & Hungry
When it comes to Instagram Account Management, Instagram is an engagement-hungry environment and the only way for users to have any engagement with your brand is by posting. If you do not post for a while, your photo will continue dipping on the most recent scale of photos under any hashtag connected to your photo. Basically, newer posts will come first.
This is because, Instagram is not a “leave it be” type of environment. It is not a place where your posts will survive forvever. Sure, they will survive on your feed but unless you are driving traffic there by posting and popping up on your followers feed, you will not survive at all.
When it comes to algorithms, Instagram will quickly notice when you are not posting and in turn your posts will no longer pop up for followers of your followers. It is recommended to post at least once a day on Instagram to be considered an active Instagram follower and poster.
NOTE: Engage with your audience by creating call to actions: tag three of your friends, comment if you love, double tap if you…. By engaging with your audience, you are developing the #1 most important ingredient in social world – trust.
Tip 5 – Hold Contests & Giveaways
Who does not like free things? Hold a contest for a free $100 gift card and you can assure yourself that if your active Instagram followers will sign-up, and more!
By holding contests and giveaways you are assuring your audience that you care about their opinion and their support. Therefore, you are gifting them a gift or a service.
Utilize Contests and Giveaways To Your Brands Best Interest
Never forget about asking for feedback during your contest or giveaway. If you are giving away a product or service to one of your followers, ask for genuine feedback on this product or a service. This feedback will serve as your reputation’s building block. Utilize what other people think of your brand or your business a way to market yourself. Better than talking about your brand is having someone else do it for you.
When it comes to Instagram world, ensuring the happiness of your followers is the cornerstone of brand development. You can do this by establishing a brand that is a keen to the desires of the people following while also keeping true to their nature and purpose. With this in mind, your brand is a reflection of you – reflect what you want others to see.
