Instagram: Who is it Good for?

Instagram is an online, all-mobile photo and video-sharing social network. This Power App for your smart phone enables you to take pictures or video and share them with a variety of social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. If you haven’t yet, download the app here.

So Who Is This Good For? Your business. Your brand. Instagram's singular focus on imagery as a rich visual storytelling platform, gives your business a point of view to share with the world. With 200 million active users and over 20 billion photos shared, Instagram is a thriving stage for your business to shine on. Watch a quick video on Instagram & Business. What is unique about your brand and how will you share it with the world?

Start With A Clear Goal. Are you trying to increase the awareness of your brand? Shift the perception of your business? Or reach a new audience? Your goals can be achieved by connecting with the highly visual and creative community on Instagram. Instagram followers are highly active and drawn to your business or brand’s profile through your use of photos and videos.

Tell Your Story. Choose story lines that are genuine to your business and convey that through captivating imagery. You will be able to create a diverse array of posts that remain consistent to your brand. Take the time to create high-quality content. As a retailer, you can share new products highlighting your best offerings and value-adds.

Simple Is Best. When you are ready to get started, set your business name as your Account Name. This way it can be easily tied to your brand. Select your logo as the profile picture, so people will quickly recognize your business. Add a link to your website in your profile description. When you begin to post your well-crafted imagery, keep your captions short and fresh incorporating a few hashtags. You can ask questions to engage your followers. Don't forget to like and comment on other's images, especially if they are related to your brand.

Get Connected. Connect your Instagram account to your other social media channels including Facebook and Twitter. You will be able to easily share your content simultaneously across these other networks. Your followers on Facebook will see that you are on Instagram and follow you there too. This raises your visibility, increases your engagement, and gains new followers.

With the ever growing popularity of Instagram, your business and brand can reach new audiences, shift perception, and tell compelling stories through imagery. Engage your customers across multiple social media channels simultaneously while cultivating a community. Click here to start your story today!