No one can ever doubt the immense power that Instagram has these days in what regards to Social Media Marketing: the photography giant has set its niche for both professionals and amateurs, fully interacting with other social media networks like Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr, not to mention Facebook, who is now the owner of Instagram. Business is all about reaching people, and if we are at the very early stages of it, creating an audience becomes crucial; but how can Instagram help Startups to grow?
Let’s think about this: you are making an investment, from the time and human resources to transform your original idea into something material, to the mere fact of getting funds to finance your project. And in case you are relying on crowdfunding, this applies even more!
So, is there a better idea than making people expectant for what you are going to produce and sell? Most certainly not.
For most startup owners, reaching their audience through photos can become a valid insight for showing that:
- Your business is a serious thing, and it’s growing up fast.
- Your product is awesome! And people should expect it.
Having established this point, let’s move to some really interesting strategies for helping the development of your Startup with Instagram!
1.) Establish your brand’s hashtag
If, for example, your company is named “My Cool Gadget” and you start posting content with the hashtag #mycoolgadget, when you reach a certain number of posts, the value of your hashtag will certainly grow. That makes your content easier to trace if, by chance, your hashtag becomes trendy.
Photo courtesy of USA-Reiseblogger
Start encouraging your fans and friends to post photos related to your product using your hashtag; it’s the easiest way to make the hashtag get the relevance. Another useful approach is to use trending hashtags along with your publication, or trending hashtags overall the platform like:
#photographylovers
#enjoylife
#beyourself
#love
And so on. The chances are that random people will come across the content you share by looking at those trendy hashtags, and if your content appeals to them: voilà! You have a new fan.
2.) Do a giveaway
Most e-commerce companies know the advantages of hosting giveaway promos through Instagram. The deal is to craft a visually appealing graphic and promo your product saying something like: “if you repost this image along with the hashtag of our brand and tag a friend, you are taking part of our product giveaway.” Promise something like an early bird shipment of your products: potential clients will love it!
Be sure also to include your Startup’s website along with that post, so you can maximize your chances for attracting an audience.
3.) Show Behind-Scenes moments
Nothing can be more exciting for a client than getting to know the insights of the product they are expecting to be released. Work like tv shows and movies do with their teasers: the most intriguing the image happens to be, the better. Leave some clues along the post, so customers will start guessing how is the product coming along, if you are going to announce some cool new feature since your latest beta stage, and so on.
Besides that, there’s an undoubted beauty in telling your company’s story from the very early stages, with the people that made it possible.
4.) Post witty quotes
Several websites around the internet can offer you images with famous quotes, as well as Instagram profiles that you can repost. By doing this, you can broaden the current audience your profile has, while also attracting customers to your website. It’s an easy win-win situation.
5.) Dedicate time and effort to build your profile
Don’t just upload pictures with catchy hashtags: go further, and develop a genuinely worth profile. Dedicate time to investigate which content is visually appealing for your brand and share it; include your website’s address in your profile description, while also follow the rules listed below:
- a) Do a daily post, better if done twice a day for catching a broader audience
- b) Follow users accounts linked to your niche, the trendier, the better
- c) Like and comment other people’s photographs
- d) Always answer, within 8 hours, the messages sent to your profile
With those four easy steps, you are guaranteeing your success within Instagram. Remember not to become too spammy or self-promotional about the content you share but provide the community a profile they can value.
