There are several social media platforms out there to advertise your business; however, some are more important than the others. This is based on the number and category of users on these platforms. One social media platform worthy of consideration is Instagram. In this article, you’ll learn in detail how to use Instagram for brand awareness.
It is no longer news that digitization of several industries is taking place, and businesses are now choosing to work online. A lot of people are also responding to the movement by preferring to check out the best products and services online, instead of moving from one offline store to another. This is evident going by the increased number of users engaging in eCommerce. So, it’s important to take advantage of this opportunity to grow your business. In this article, you’ll learn all you need to know.
WHY USE INSTAGRAM FOR BRAND AWARENESS
Instagram is home to over 1 billion users, and this number keeps increasing daily. It is also essential to note that there are more young adults below the age of 35 years on Instagram, more than any other social media platform. This is so because Instagram has a beautiful user interface that makes it visually appealing. It is also easy to use and mobile-friendly.
So, it makes good sense to choose a platform with hundreds of millions of daily users, which can also help you promote your business excellently. However, before you take that step of creating an account, you need to understand how to use Instagram.
HOW TO USE INSTAGRAM TO INCREASE YOUR BRAND AWARENESS
Several businesses have joined Instagram and left, and most of the time, it is due to little or no prior knowledge of how the platform works, especially how to use Instagram to promote your brand.
However, in this article, you’ll learn how to use Instagram for brand awareness and build your brand effectively. Consider the five steps below and transform your online brand in no time.
1) DEFINE YOUR BRAND
This is one of the most critical points on this list because many Instagram business owners fail in this line. Instagram’s uniqueness is in the text content, pictures, and videos, all of which can promote your brand. Either you’re using a personal or business Instagram profile, you need to define the kind of marketing content associated with your brand. It’ll help you maintain consistency and connect with your target audience better.
Understand that a business account is fitted for business purposes while a personal profile is for own purposes. Do not get carried away by uploading irrelevant posts on your Instagram business account. Uploading posts relevant to your business is important as this will leave a lasting image in the mind of your audience. The kind of colors and filters you use for your business also matters. It will help define your brand easily such that when your audience comes across something similar to your posts; your business will readily come to mind.
2) USE THE RIGHT HASHTAGS
Hashtags are one way to get millions of users to view your page and posts. Hashtags are not only present on Instagram; other platforms such as Twitter also make use of it. However, Instagram’s algorithm ranks hashtags so well, such that if appropriately used, it can help get your more eyes on your business.
Hashtags are similar to keywords on search engines; when you use a hashtag in your post, you are inviting anyone who searches for that same hashtag to view your post. This means that the right hashtag can promote your business to the right audience, but the wrong one can push your content to the wrong audience, causing a lack of engagement.
This is why you need to use specific, relevant, concise, thoughtful, and targeted hashtags in your posts. It is not about the number of hashtags you use; it is in using the right one that will make the difference.
Consider this, you are into strap bag making, and you want to upload a picture about a bag you have for sale. Using hashtags relating to bags is a good way of increasing your brand awareness. However, you might want to be more specific. So, hashtags like #strapbag #strapbagforsale can go a long way in promoting your post on Instagram.
3) OPTIMIZE YOUR IMAGES
Instagram is all about images and short videos; however, most people relate better with the former on the platform. Pictures can get your message across to your audience faster than your content or bio can. With the right images, you can capture your audience’s attention more quickly.
Allow your images speak for you by optimizing them to showcase your products and services from miles away. Let it be such that when someone visits your page for the first time, they can immediately tell what you are selling without even reading the captions below the images. This is called image optimization, and it is a great way to promote your business on Instagram.
4) CHOOSE THE PERFECT TIMING
In life, timing is everything, and posting on Instagram is not an exception. Let us consider this from two angles – post scheduling and upload consistency. Post scheduling implies that you have to know the right time to upload on your Instagram. The fact is that there is a specific time-period when your audience is active online.
This is the best time to target them to engage with your posts. It might be difficult finding this if you are just starting, but if you do a careful analysis, trying different times during the day and compare the post engagement of each time, you will find out the perfect time to schedule your post soon enough.
The other aspect is to upload consistency, and it is worthy of note that several social media business owners are failing in this aspect. Most people start by posting several pictures per day, after which they run out of ideas after a short period and leave their audiences hanging. Do not over-promise and under-perform.
You need to schedule your posts consistently because your audience is passively expecting it. If you are not consistent with a particular timing, you might just lose your audience and engagement sooner than you expect.
5) MAXIMIZE INSTAGRAM STORY
Instagram story is the trending way of keeping your audience’s minds steadily on your business without having to overwhelm them. The reason why brands use Instagram stories is that it allows you to upload written texts, pictures, and videos on your timeline, which your followers can view 24 hours, after which the post disappears.
This is a quick way to promote your brand awareness without uploading new posts on your feed. You can also ask questions, use IG story extra features, to promote your brand, and engage with your audience better.
CONCLUSION
The goal of any online business is to have wider coverage while promoting their brand. So, having learnt how to use Instagram for brand awareness, implementing the strategies above can go a long way in helping to promote your brand and increase your revenue. You can go ahead, implement them one after the other immediately.
However, you can as well allow an expert to handle it for you while you focus on other aspects of the business. I provide professional social media management and marketing services to move your brand to the top of your niche.
Let’s get your business to the next level.
ABOUT THE WRITER
I am John Oladokun Opeyemi. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram to get access to several updates on Business, Work, Marketing, Freelancing, and How to Build a Reputable/Profitable Brand or Business on the Internet.
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