Instagram is, relatively speaking, a newer player amongst the most popular social media sites. With pictures and videos at its core, it offers a different way to engage an audience when compared to Twitter and Facebook. Below are 4 ways to help build brand loyalty and a customer base through Instagram:
Have your fans show off your product
If you sell something tangible that can be featured in a photograph, encourage your fans to send in their photos of them using it. This can be publicised through your social media accounts and website, and you could even include a hashtag on the products packaging to be used on your Twitter and Instagram feed.
Hold a competition
Following on from point 1, offering a reward for the best picture with your product can help your brand reach many new prospective customers. Offering (for example) a $50 dollar prize is a relatively small price to pay to have your product feature on many Instagram feeds- And with Instagram now having made it possible to easily share on other social networks, your customer base could do a lot of your cross promotion for you.
Utilise the hashtag
Like Twitter, Instagram makes use of hashtags to help get things trending, and it also helps similar accounts find each other. So for example, if you are selling a brand new range of cat collars, make sure to add #cat and #kitten and you will probably see an influx of relevant people interested in your product.
Post regularly
If you are not posting regularly, it’s worth asking yourself “why?” It may be that you don’t have the time. If in doubt delete your account, as having no profile on a social media site is better than having a bad one. However Instagram, unlike many others, is incredibly quick to use as captions are minimal and taking a photo is as simple as pushing a button.
When using Instagram (or indeed any other social media where you are using visuals), make sure to keep pictures as professional as possible. This is your brand and you want to make sure it’s seen in the best possible light. The only place where this may be an exception is when you want to show what goes on “behind the scenes”. Taking a quick photo and uploading it can show the work behind your brand and help engage with your supporters on a deeper level.
Using pictures is yet another way to help promote what you do, and considering nearly every phone on the market comes with a camera, it would almost be silly not to try it out.