One of the most effective marketing tools marketers have today is social media. From Facebook posts to tweets on Twitter, sharing your product and services on social networks platforms is an excellent method to increase brand name awareness, engagement, sales and leads.

However, many people are left scratching their heads when it pertains to marketing with Instagram.

A lot of us utilize Instagram as an individual account to publish photos of our family, friends, vacations and food - but how can it connect into organization? And should it?

With the speed of which Instagram is growing, do not ignore its worth to increase your brand name and marketing efforts.

It has grown into an incredibly important marketing platform and despite the fact that the 18-29 year old's are still widespread users, the higher age groups are catching on and capturing up quick.

Some 2018 Instagram statistics from Sprout Social are informing:

• 7 out of 10 hashtags on Instagram are branded

• 80% of users follow an organization on Instagram

• 65% of top-performing Instagram posts feature items

If you feel the pull to explore Instagram as part of your social networks marketing technique, take a look at these initial pointers to help you begin:

1. Usage Hashtags Wisely

You do not need to cram every hashtag you can think about in one post, however you do need a minimum of a couple of.

A hashtag is the # indication followed by descriptive words about your image as in this example, I used #marketing and #ctaconf, which was the conference I was attending at the time.

When a user clicks/taps on a hashtag or types a hashtag into the search box, it brings up all images that utilize that hashtag. The user can even sign up for continue to follow that hashtag.

The hope is the user will see your picture, head to your profile and best-case scenario, follow you and get engaged with more of your posts!

When hashtags are very popular, the competition to reveal up in the outcomes is fierce. Similar to SEO keywords, the more popular a term is, the more difficult it is to stay at the top of the search results. Thus, my example of using #marketing truly was useless if I wished to get any traction from that post.

You wish to make your hashtags appropriate to your organization and place, but likewise engaging enough that a user would type them into Instagram's search box.

For example:

• Say you have a pizza joint in Vancouver. You publish a photo of your Pepperoni pizza with the hashtags #VancouversBestPizza #NicolosRestaurant #DeliciousDeepDish

• Or you're a Toronto wedding event coordinator. You publish a picture of a couple's first dance with the hashtags #TorontoWeddingPlanner #LoveWins #WinterWedding

Holidays and special events are an exceptional time to promote your company and gain Instagram followers. Whether it's a sale on Black Friday, a Thanksgiving-related use for your item or a product shout-out on National Dog Day, they are all perfect opportunities to display your business brand name in a non-salesy method.

2. Thank Your Audience for Showing Up

You don't just post a lot of photos and hashtags and await the likes to roll in.

To gain Instagram fans, engage with your audience and grow sales or leads, you require to put in the time.

See an example here from video professional Michele Moreno where she responds back to each of the comments left on her video post.

If someone leaves a remark or question on one of your posts, take the time to reply and thank them/answer their question.

Take a look at their profile, and if you like what you see, follow them.

Businesses frequently follow commenters initially, in the hopes that they may return the favour.

You can also look for individuals who might be thinking about your item, then discuss their images and/or follow them, however don't spam them with an ask to follow you right now.

3. Engage with the Right Influencers

Influencers are Instagram users who can influence your target audience because of their popularity and/or social media following.

Danielle Bernstein is a good example of an influencer who worked with a brand. You might not acknowledge her name, however the 1.8 million fans of her Instagram account WeWoreWhat do.

Bernstein and FIJI Water interacted to create BodyWoreWhat, a marketing campaign offering 8-minute workout videos with her and her personal fitness instructor.

That might be a severe example, and unless you have deep pockets you probably won't be able to bring in an influencer with almost two million followers.

But do not anguish. From mommy bloggers to regional foodies, you can always find somebody who your target audience follows, likes or appreciates. Maybe they 'd be willing to evaluate your item or take a photo using it - use your creativity!

4. Do Not Just Shill Your Products

Instagram is not the place to just share item shots all the time. Think about the experience individuals have using what you're offering, or the advantages it provides individuals.

Even better, show real-examples. Requesting for user-generated content from your audience is one way to do this. That indicates that users share their images using a hashtag you offer.

The online furniture shop Wayfair.com does user-generated content extremely well. They have a wayfair discount code user-generated project that lets customers share pictures of their elegant Wayfair-filled houses utilizing the hashtag #WayfairAtHome.

Make certain to let people understand that their images might be included on your page and you can increase your Instagram material big time - totally free!

No matter how you utilize Instagram for your service, be genuine and real to your brand name. It's what the platform is everything about, and it's going to assist you grow your organization, gain Instagram fans and draw in sales or leads.