By: Brittany Steelman

Account Manager

Cardinal Web Solutions

You see your friends post on Instagram every day, but probably

don’t think too much about how businesses can use this useful

app for their social media marketing campaigns.

Instagram’s popularity among users has risen by 25 percent

since December 2013, and it is a great way to reach the younger

demographic. Companies are seeing a higher user interaction

rate on Instagram than Facebook or Twitter, and it has become

the favored platform.

1. Set up Your AccountA. Choose a relevant and professional

profile picture.

B. List your website and a short

description of your business.

* Leaving these small details out could make a

big difference in gaining a new follower or

potential new client! *

Also, make sure you set your profile to

public so that everyone can see it. You want

to make the profile easy for potential clients

to access in order to learn about your brand.

2. Make it Fun! People love taking pictures of things they love and that follower’s love

viewing. Pictures are expressive and can be a great way to give a

visual when words alone can’t do it justice.

The more unique and fun the posts are, the more likes and interest you will

receive, therefore increasing your followers and brand awareness.

3. Brand YourselfEvery picture posted should be a

positive representation of your

business and portray the image for

which you are going.

However, not all posts have to be a

direct picture of your product,

service or employee.

Let the world know you are relatable,

but always tie whatever you’re

posting back to the business in

some way, shape or form.

For example, post an artsy pic of your morning

coffee and caption it: “Starting my day off right. It’s

going to be a productive Monday in the Internet

marketing world!”

4. ProductsAdvertise, Advertise, Advertise!

That is what this is all

about, right? Take

advantage of situations

where your products can

be seen in unique and

exciting ways.

Think outside the box and have your products in

settings that will grab the user’s attention.

Coca-Cola showed their creativity on National Dog

Day, using a coke six-pack strapped to a pooch.

5. VideoVideos are a great way to educate your audience!

Need to demonstrate how your product works or show off a new feature

of an existing one? Bingo! Take a video and show the world.

Videos have more views in the “off hours” (9 p.m. – 8 a.m. EST), so

make sure you are posting them during the optimal times as well.

6. Hashtags Be creative and make sure they are actually relevant to your post.

Multiple hashtags are fine, but don’t overuse them either (more than

10 is unnecessary).

Hashtags increase visibility among people who might not even

know your brand and weren’t looking for your service/products.

Over-hashtagging can appear spammy and lead people to unfollow

your account because you might not look like you have authority or

that you’re going to post anything valuable to them.

6. Hashtags

Put your hashtags in your first

comment as opposed to

your caption and

immediately after posting

your picture, comment on

your own photo. By doing

so, all of the comments

you’ll get from others will

go hidden and your initial

comment with your

hashtags will still be

visible.

7. Don’t be a Ghost

Respond to comments and users, making sure to tag them with your

text or they won’t be notified that you responded.

Interaction will show your involvement and interest in your consumer.

The more you respond, the more people

will realize you are a brand on which they can rely.

8. Ensure Your Hard Work is

Paying OffYou can monitor your account and get keys metrics

at iconosquare.com.

Make it part of your routine to check out how things are doing.

You can view your history, growth and community involvement.

This will give you good insight into what you are doing well and tips on

what you can do better.

Looking for more ways to enhance your

social media marketing? Check out our

Ebook, “25 tips for social media

marketing.”