Hi there now it seems every day that goes bye there’s something else in the internet marketing field you should be using, marketing through etc and you’d certainly be forgiven for thinking “what next – I haven’t got the hours in the day”.
To a degree you’d also be right because it’s very difficult weighing up where to productively spend your available time. But today I want to do is flag yes yet another marketing opportunity that is still fairly new but growing rapidly – and if nothing else you should be aware of it, so here goes..
Yes, that’s right – Instagram is another social media thingy to add to all the others. It’ll take some time out of your busy schedule but if you use it right, it’s well worth it.
Instagram has lots of users and the number is only growing. It’s a photo sharing app that can be used across platforms. It enables even somebody who doesn’t know which end of the camera to aim to take amazing looking pictures. Who wouldn’t love it?
The question is – How can we use it for marketing purposes? Lots of marketers didn’t know or care about it until Facebook bought it for a cool billion. Then, folks sat up and took notice.
To be honest, Instagram isn’t going to be the cornerstone of your marketing. But if you can incorporate images into your marketing in any way, shape or form, Instagram is a great help.
Instant Image Sharing
With Instagram, you can take pictures with your smartphone and share these pics instantly on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and Foursquare. The app lets you post on multiple platforms at once, which saves you considerable time if you use images in your social media marketing.
Images are great for branding on social media sites. They won’t get you sales, but they’ll get you shares, comments, and lots of exposure.
Your photos will also show up on search engines if you post them there. Optimize the photos you take, putting keywords in their hashtags, names, and descriptions.
Get Your Comments Going
Instagram can be a great tool for engaging your audience. You can use it to get comments. Snap a picture of something new you’re using or your business is offering and ask what they think.
Most folks use Instagram to do exactly this. The only difference is that they’re not businesses; they’re just sharing cool stuff with friends. Take this approach and you’ll get the same results.
Creative Photo Contests
An even better way to get your customers or fans involved is to have contests. Choose a theme and have them send in their shots and post them on your social media site. Give the winner (the person with the most likes, etc.) a good reward.
Another cool contest idea is to have them name a new product. Show them what it is and they send in their ideas. The great thing about this is that you’re also showing off a new product and this will means sales.
Visual Appeal
There’s a lot that you can do with Instagram, but the only tricky part is deciding how to incorporate images into your marketing plan. For some niches this isn’t so easy to do.
Just get creative. Find out what kind of images your audience likes to see. They don’t have to be directly related to your business or what you offer.
Instagram is still uncharted territory for marketers. You won’t find lots of products or articles on how to use it. But it is getting huge and you’ve got to add it to your arsenal. I recommend getting it and playing with it to get ideas.
Tony
