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 In Articles, Business, Instagram

Instagram for business?

Learn Instagram for business and turbocharge your bottom line! When you post on Instagram, do you ever feel like you’re shooting blind? Do you watch some posts exceed your wildest expectations, and others flop with no idea why? Do you always feel like you’re behind the curve with the latest trends and hashtags?

Successful Instagram marketing doesn’t have to be a matter of guesswork and luck. Read on to discover the best time to post on Instagram for business and more tips and tricks for success.

Why Use Instagram?

Before we dive into all the best practices for using Instagram in 2020, let’s talk about why your business should even be worried about posting on Instagram in the first place. For one thing, just under 40 percent of all American adults have an Instagram account. If you’re trying to find another single website where 40 percent of your customer base is active, you’ll be hard-pressed to do so.

Instagram also gives you a chance to connect with your customers on a more personal level. Customers tend to buy from businesses they like, and having a strong social media presence makes your customer base feel like they know your business personally. The platform is also an excellent place to stay up-to-date on current trends, so you’ll know what your customers are looking for in their marketing content.

Focus on Quality Images

When you start using Instagram for business, the first thing you’ll want to do is focus on having high-quality images. Instagram is a visual platform, and you need to make sure the experience you’re creating for your followers is beautiful. Blurry camera shots with high exposure and bad angles will drive your customers away rather than drawing them in.

Take a moment to adjust your camera’s focus and exposure, especially if you’re shooting on a smartphone. Try to take photos in natural light, and steady your shot with a small tripod or some stable surface before you snap the photo. Make sure you’re using the rule of thirds in your photos, and use your phone’s portrait or HDR mode if it has one.

Stay up to Date

To quote everyone’s favorite truant, “Life moves fast,” and in the age of technology, things are moving at light speed – literally. Information zooms around the globe on fiber optic cables, and it seems like as soon as we find out about a trend, it’s over. If you want to keep up with what your customers want, you’ll need to work to stay up to date on the latest in your industry.

Follow influential accounts in your industry, as well as some of your best customers. Spend some time every day reading up on what they’re talking about, what hashtags they’re using, and what meme formats are popular. Staying abreast of the current trends can avoid you rolling in like Steve Buscemi in 30 Rock trying to fit in with the fellow kids.

Post at the Right Time

Although your social media marketing may feel like guesswork at times, one of the more concrete ways you can improve your engagement rate is by posting at the right times. There are certain peak activity times in the social media world. If you post during these times, your posts are more likely to hit a wider audience, giving you more bang for your marketing buck.

Engagement is generally highest on Instagram around the middle of the day, somewhere between 9 and 4. Engagement also tends to be higher on Wednesdays and Fridays and lowest on Sundays. For peak engagement, post on Wednesdays around 11 or Fridays between 10 and 11.

Use Visual Storytelling

When most of us think about storytelling, we think about words. Our minds go to blog posts, Facebook write-ups, website updates, and email newsletters. But when it comes to Instagram marketing, you need to reorient your mindset around a visual storytelling platform.

When you’re taking pictures for your feed, think about interesting ways to tell your brand’s story through the photographs you post. Try to take photos that will make viewers want to know more about what’s happening and will draw them to your brand. Your captions can come as a secondary explanation to the narrative you create with your imagery.

Master Hashtag Use

If you want to grow your Instagram following, one of the best things you can do is master hashtag use. Hashtags are a handy way to sort posts by theme or topic. For instance, if you search the #selfie tag on Instagram, you’ll find millions of self-portraits people have taken and posted on their feeds.

Search hashtags related to your industry or posts and try to use the ones that have the most traffic. If someone searches or follows one of these hashtags, they’ll find your post and may click through to your page to see more. Also, pay attention to the hashtags your customers and industry leaders use and find ways to work those into your posts.

Keep an Eye on the Numbers

Most importantly of all, don’t let your social media marketing efforts become a guessing game. Instagram has fantastic analytics that will tell you how your page is performing day to day and week to week. Pay attention to these numbers and use them to guide your future efforts.

If you notice a spike or dip in your engagement rate, take a look at what you posted last and figure out what caused the change. If you notice trends in these changes, focus on posting more of the things that get you the best response. Over time, you can hone your marketing to meet exactly what your customers want to see on their feeds.

Discover the Best Time to Post on Instagram for Business

Social media marketing can often feel like throwing spaghetti at the wall, but it doesn’t have to. Knowing the best time to post on Instagram for business and other such best practices can help you find more reliable success with your posts. Master hashtag use, improve your photo quality, and, most of all, listen to what your customer base is telling you through their engagement.

If you’d like help telling your business’s story, check out the rest of our site at 316 Strategy Group. We listen to your story so we can help you create an engaging solution that will draw in repeat customers. Learn more about our strategic approach and start taking the guesswork out of your marketing efforts today.

Feature Image Attribute: Austin Distel via Unsplash

 

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