There has been a big buzz about Instagram lately in the social media world. The time is now to become an instagram rock star. Instagram is killing it with its users. In a new report from instagram the 5 year old platform now boasts over 400 million users with 75% of Instragrammers live outside the US. A whopping 40 BILLION photos have been shared! (Information provided by Instagram.com.)
So what does this mean for you? As one of the fastest growing platforms around with the highest engagement it means you need to get on there. ASAP. When you get started on any new social media platform its critical to do it with a bang…so you look like a social media rockstar!
Here are 5 tips to becoming an Instagram Rockstar:
- Before you even start schedule a photo shoot. Instagram is ALL about the visuals and to get users to stop in their scrolling tracks you need to make sure you have killer images to share. That starts with a photo shoot. When my clients do a photo shoot I recommend at least 3 outfits and 2 different locations so that it appears that they weren’t all taken at the same time and place. I also recommend taking detail shots of you using your product or of items that represent the brand well.
- Determine your hash tag strategy: Hash tags level the playing field in the world of instagram. I recommend leveraging google keyword search to help you determine words people are using when they search for your business or brand.
- Connect it with your other social platforms. With instagram you can easily connect your account with twitter and facebook HOWEVER….for twitter this won’t display the image it will simply display a link to the instagram post. Instead use a service like If This Then That, which you can download on your phone to setup posting the picture properly to twitter. You can also set this up for Pinterest and create a board of all your instagrams. HOW COOL?!?!
- Cross Promote: When you are first getting start on any new platform it is important to cross promote. For example, I frequently post on Linkedin that my company is on Instagram. We share Instagram only tips there so come give us a follow. This will help you grow your following. Also be sure to include it on the link in your signature, your website and any other correspondence.
- Get Started: Instagram has been around for about 5 years….and many brands have been slow to adopt but the time is now. Just like any other platform it takes time, persistence and strategy to get started but once you do you can continue to adjust and improve your presence as you become more familiar with what is working for you and what is not.
Happy instagraming! Be sure to tag your photos with #outliermktg so we can see what content you are posting!
