Instagram is becoming more than a website.  It’s a Social media marketing platform companies use to drive sales from the internet to their online store or nearby location.  The right photos make a difference.  Along with choosing to focus images on products, employees, customers and the company there are other ways to translate traffic into dollar signs.

 

Use the hashtag.  Create a hashtag no one else thought about.  It has to be catchy enough to share and trend with users while being unique enough for users to know the hashtag belongs to the business.  Label every photo with a hashtag and use it more than once.  Create more than one and make sure the hashtag relates to the company.

 

Simple tweaks to photos and captions will make a big difference.  Add some yellow and blue in your images.  According to a study by the U of Wisconsin and Olapic, these colors drive people to buy more than any other color.  Captions should be long.  Short captions don’t capture sentiment and long captions turn users away.  The caption should be long enough to explain what the photo is or what it means in detail.  This will connect to users on a deep level.  Finally don’t add dramatic punctuation in captions.  Question marks and exclamation points have a negative effect on potential shoppers.

 

Post regularly.  Opening an integral account, adding a few photos and expecting the users to stay loyal won’t work.  Posting too many times a day turns off users because they can’t keep up with what’s on your page.  What companies need to do is post often (two or three times a day) and allow the audience to soak up the photo.  Be selective about each picture as each one represents the whole brand.

 

Something that doesn’t cross many companies’ minds is taking online offline.  Using Instagram offline with real world marketing can get customers involved and interacting.  One way is to spread the word about a contest.  Tell everyone to upload their photos to Instagram to compete.  Offer prizes for the winner and runners up to drive people to Instagram and your store(s).

 

Simple things that make a big difference.  Instagram is a visual way to bring new customers to your stores and online retailers.  Take good photos, label it well, interact with users and expanding beyond the internet to the real world are some of the great strategies offered to expand your reach and grow your empire.  Contact us for more information on Instagram.