What is Instagram?
Instagram is a social media software platform that enables its members to share photos and short videos. Members are empowered with creative tools that they can use in the editing, filtering and sharing of photos and videos.
Instagram is a mobile software app that you can download from the App Store or on Google Play. A web version is also available for use but it has very little of the functionality that is present on the mobile app. The key here is that Instagram is mobile focused.
Instagram is owned by Facebook (they reportedly paid $19 billion dollars for it).
As of now there are no ads on Instagram which means you only see what you want to see.
Once someone follows you they will be notified of every single photo or video that you upload. This gives any photo you publish on your business Instagram profile great exposure to your followers. The trick of course is attracting and building a follower community.
Some Key Points of Note:
* Instagram has 300 Million monthly active users.
* It has over 30 billion photos shared on the application.
* On an Average day 70 Million Photos are posted on Instagram along with the like button being pressed 2.5 Billion times.
* The average user spends 21 minutes per day using the app.
* 41% of all Instagram usage is within the 16-24 category and 35% among 24-34 age group.
If you want to learn more about Instagram and if it’s suitable for your small business, then please download our easy-to-read ‘Instagram Guide.’
Jumping Right In – Instagram for small businesses
If you elect to use Instagram the only way to get started is just to get started. As with any social media platform, sometimes it can be confusing to figure out exactly what to do once you have set your account up. Here are some guiding principles for you which double as a summarised version of the guide.
1. Post powerful imagery
People process visuals much quicker and memorably than text. Like any platform you should be publishing excellent, valuable content so make sure your images tick those boxes. Instagram’s image editing capabilities are perfect companion for this.
2. Show some personality
People interact with people. Show off the personality and values of your business through photos to build brand loyalty and an emotionally invested community rather than just a number of followers beside your name.
3. Link to your website
Where can we find out more about you after building a relationship with your brand? Our Instagarm account links back to our website, Big Red Cloud – Simple Accounting Software.
4. Use hashtags
Remember to use the right hashtags for your images and you’ll see real engagement and the growth of your community will accelerate.
5. Integrated Campaigns
Remember that you can integrate Instagram with Facebook and Twitter to help establish your account and run integrate campaigns across various social media platform. If you’re posting images, use Instagram to edit them before you push them out to your followers across all three social networks.
