How to use Instagram to build your influence

Instagram is becoming an increasingly popular platform for social media marketing.

Did you know that Instagram currently has 400 million users?

Even more powerful is the fact that only 9 percent of small businesses are currently on Instagram.

This means that the majority of small businesses are missing out on the opportunity to use Instagram as a platform to connect with customers and build their brand awareness and online influence.

Instagram for influence

Given my passion for helping small businesses leverage the power of social media to build their business, I have a few tips to help get you started:

  1. Take high-quality photos: Your feed is only as good as your photos, so be sure to post photos that are high-res, clean and beautiful.
  2. Create a photo-editing recipe: Take things a step further by creating a specific “recipe” (using an application like VSCO or Afterlight) for how you will edit your photos. Following the same recipe when editing photos will result in a feed that looks cohesive, branded and very professional. (Hilary Rushford does a great job at this!)
  3. Explore: You can use the explore feature to find trending tags. I recommend using these hashtags (when they are relevant to your brand and the photo you are posting) in your posts to expand the reach of your posts. Hashtags are known to increase post visibility, just make sure you’re using relevant hashtags!
  4. Use the bio link wisely: You only have one spot to put a link in Instagram, so be sure to use it wisely. Best practices recommend directing people to your website homepage or, even better, a free offering on your site! You can use a link shortener like bit.ly to direct people to a clean & simple URL.
  5. Use video: Video is a valuable tool that lets you bring your stories to life. Videos are highly engaging, so I definitely recommended using a mix of photos and video for your Instagram strategy.
  6. Engage with your fans: Spend time on the platform each week liking and commenting on others’ posts. Thank people for leaving comments and create meaningful conversations whenever you can!

How are you currently using Instagram to build your influence online?

Comment below!

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