Upon first glance, you might think that Instagram is only favorable for certain brands, such as fashion, pets, peddlers of cute and custom-crafted items, and travel companies. While it may favor them strongly, it does not mean that a heavy-industry or tech-based business cannot use the social platform to their advantage. If you want to use Instagram marketing and the social network’s ever-growing number of audiences to your advantage, you can do the following.
Initially Visually Arresting
High quality images are just the start. The next step is to make sure the aesthetic and style in the photographs you use are consistent.
One example is to study the perspective of a photograph. If you are using symmetry, meaning there is a centerpiece that splits the image into left and right, make sure this is observed throughout all photos in your network.
Aside from the style, the color scheme and filters you use should also be consistent. A minor detail is noticeable in this image-centric network.
Doing this perfectly gives your business Instagram account personality, flair, and a certain brand quality, which works to your advantage.
Tell Great Stories (Through Photos and Captions)
Photographs and images tell stories. A great photographer knows how to compose images to make sure each element tells a story and has a relationship with every object in the image.
Elements that tell stories include:
- The subject: The focal point of the entire image, the subject is the most unique or charismatic element in the photograph.
- Perspective: If the focal point vanishes behind the subject, you have a symmetrical photograph, which can send a message of casualness. The location of your focal point can introduce certain feelings. A subject far away from the lens and near the focal point can also tell a different story.
- Colors: Light and dark palettes will affect the mood of your images. Use them to your advantage.
- Secondary items: The eye finds symmetry and “evens” pleasing. Placing odd numbers of objects allows the eyes to focus on just one subject. Odd-angled photos also deliver a different feeling and story.
Aside from aesthetic stories, you can also use text on your images, create different photo sets that have a relationship with each other, or tell a story in the caption itself.
Travel photographers who use IG can truly tell amazing stories. One example is EveryChangingHorizon’s Instagram account.
Engage Your Audience
Instagram’s new algorithm (know more about it here) prioritizes the content that users like or comment on most often. If you want your brand to have more visibility on your followers’ feeds, the best way is to respond to their queries, suggestions, and even their negative perspectives on your photograph.
Make your responses brief but something that delivers a positive experience for your audience. Every impression your brand must make in all aspects of its marketing must be positive and resolute. Here’s how to develop a great consumer experience with your brand each time
Aside from responding to user replies, you can also hold contests, but make sure you are doing so well within Instagram’s guidelines; previously, companies have used it to “farm” likes to reach more users in an unfair manner.
Instagram models and cosplayers are excellent examples on how to engage their audience. They can do subtle advertising, just like how Kim Kardashian does it.
Identify Optimal Posting Times
Instagram users are not always active 24/7 and neither is your company. Knowing the optimal times to post an item is essential because your account can be suspended if it keeps spamming repetitive or even unique content in less than one hour. An account with too much content is also suspicious and can bog down valuable photographs you want your audiences to see. Huffpost has a good in-depth infographic that can help you figure it out.
Study the demographics of your audience. If your target is college students, updating every midday or dinner is a great way to get great visibility. Most professionals can check their feeds during these hours as well.
Everything You Need is in the Data
However, if you really want to get the most accurate posting times (because they can change quite often) and make sure your viewers can digest your content and want more from your account, you can study the metric performance of your images.
Analytics tools are out on the market, but the most basic yet helpful you can use is Instagram Insights. You can find this at the top-right corner of the screen looking like a simple bar graph (if you’re using Instagram Business). You can view your total impressions, profile views, website clicks, and reach. It will also list the photographs that were performing efficiently in the last week.
You can also head to the “Followers” chart that indicates the time your profile is viewed most of the time. You can even get the gender and locations of your followers.
This is advantageous if you want to run an Instagram paid advertisement campaign, too!
