Most businesses now have a presence on social media sites like Facebook because of the brand exposure to such a large number of users. There are other networks out there too, like Instagram, that can help further enhance branding and marketing efforts. This is especially the case for companies with physical products who want a better way to visually showcase their products and interact with customers.
Instagram is a social network focused around pictures. By downloading it onto your mobile device (Instagram is available for Android and Apple iOS) you can take pictures, enhance them by applying various filters and share them on other social media sites, like Facebook. With more than 90 million regular users, there is a good chance that some of your customers are using this service.
If your business doesn’t use Instagram, now could be the time to look into it, especially since there have been two recent updates that make the platform more viable for businesses. The first update is that you can now take, apply specific filters to, and upload short videos. The second is the ability to embed pictures directly into your website, blog or other online content. With these new features, Instagram has become an even more valuable tool for businesses looking for another way to expand their social reach and brand. Here are four ways you can utilize it:
1. Run a customer photo competition
If your business sells physical products, why not start a photo competition where you encourage customers to take pictures of themselves using your products, and post them on Instagram. Create a specific hashtag, and have contestants add it to their photo and make it searchable.
This gives your products and company essentially free advertising, while enabling you to track how people use your products and where. Plus, it also strengthens the connection you have with your customers.
2. Show off your products
Instagram has a number of great filters that make photos taken on mobile devices look great. If you are looking for a new way to show off your products, why not take pictures with Instagram and share them on Facebook or your website?
With the new video feature, you or your staff can even do short product demonstrations, which you can then share on social media. This offers a great way to drive customers to buy into your brand, and may start conversations about your products. If you get lucky, the content could even go viral. Again, this is free advertising for you, plus, there is no need to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for professional photos that are just going to go on Facebook. So why not save yourself a bit of money and use the phone in your pocket?
3. Capture events
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is taken very seriously by many businesses, and can include sponsoring various events. If your company is involved in community action then why not ask participants to take photos using Instagram, and tag your company using a specific hashtag.
You will get free exposure and could get some great pictures that you can share on other social media, or even your website.
4. Easily share pictures on different sites
With the recent addition of the ability to embed Instagram pictures into different websites or blogs, you can not only create good looking content, but content that will spark a conversation. If you log into the browser version of Instagram and find the picture you would like to embed on your site, click on the Share button and scroll down to the bottom-right. You will see the embed code which you can copy and paste on your site or blog.
If you are looking for a good way to expand your brand online, whether it be through Instagram or any other platform, contact us today to see how we can help you connect with your customers in a whole new way.
