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Instagram-vs-Facebook-value.pngFor a lot of companies, it's easy to assume that Facebook is the best platform for starting your social media marketing campaign. After all, it's one of the most diverse channels out there, with the power to appeal to everyone from young millennials, to mothers, and thriving entrepreneurs alike.

However, as we move towards a more visually-focused marketplace, it seems that platforms like Instagram might be stepping in to take over from Facebook as the best business social marketing channel. In fact, in 2017, Instagram had around 800 million users per month logging in to share photos and images with the masses.

The question is, how can you use Instagram to effectively advertise your brand?

 

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The key to showing your audience what you're capable of on Instagram is focusing on the solution that you can offer your customers, rather than the products you sell. On Instagram, the aim of many modern businesses isn't just to snap pictures of their products, but to inspire their customers with beautiful ideas.


If you run a service-oriented business, you could show pictures that highlight the process that goes into providing the service in question. Show off your company culture, share your values with the world, or simply provide some how-tos and tips.

2. Make Sure You Have an Amazing Profile On Instagram

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The chances are that your company is a complex creation that offers a wide range of things to different customers. However, you're going to have a tough time explaining the heart and soul of your company to your clients within 150 characters or less. Since you don't have a lot of space to talk about your brand on your Instagram profile, you'll need to narrow your message down and focus on your most important USP.

Remember, because the only clickable link available is in your bio section beneath your name, you should make a habit of updating this frequently, linking not just to your website, but to app downloads, sales, and even event registrations.

3. Tap into Instagram Stories

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"Instagram Stories" is a slideshow format that allows you to share small and simple experiences with your customers for 24 hours only. However, it's worth noting that these stories can be saved to your device and re-used later if necessary.

Stories are prominently displayed at the top of your follower's timeline, just beneath the Instagram logo, which makes them ideal when you want to gain visibility for your brand. Additionally, they can be a creative way of capturing behind-the-scenes content when you want to show off the human side of your business.

With Instagram stories, you can experiment with a range of different content types, including videos, gifs, photos, and even "rewind" videos.

4. Increase Your Reach with Hashtags On Instagram

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Remember, hashtags aren't just on Twitter. These simple little shapes can help you to expand your brand reach significantly through Instagram. You can either make them brand-specific or campaign-specific based on your needs, and you should make sure that you set up your main company hashtag too if you want to start developing a following for your company.
 
Ideally, you'll want to use around three to five hashtags with every post. However, the maximum number you can add is 30 hashtags per picture, though you might need to hide some of your tags if you're going to try making full use of your limit.
 

5. @Mention and Collaborate with Others On Instagram

Finally, since Instagram is one of the strongest and most effective social media channels out there when it comes to sharing customer success stories and drawing attention to collaborators, it makes sense that you'd take advantage of that fact. Even if you're officially partnered with any non-profit organizations, you can give to charity and run fundraisers that allow you to connect with more companies through social media.

The more you collaborate with and @mention others on social media, the more you get your brand name out in front of potential new customers. Just make sure that you only link your names to relevant brands and events.

Topics: Social Media, Instagram, Facebook

Adam Parikh

Written by Adam Parikh

In a 13+ year career on the forefront digital marketing, I have proven to be an online marketer and ecommerce professional that delivers results. My deepest knowledge lies in Search (PPC + SEO) and Display (Programmatic, RTB, DSP). I am also well versed in email, affiliate, comparison shopping engines and social media marketing.

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