In the year 2016 Instagram was the social network that had the most growth, in June it published in its corporate blog that exceeded 500 million users, of which 300 million enter at least once a day. In the same text, he reported that 80% of users are outside the United States, which shows that the application is used throughout the world. But not only people use Instagram, corporate account growth was reported by 55%. This means that in any digital strategy it is of vital importance to have this social network, which is even surpassing the number of Twitter followers.
This growth is due in large part to the constant changes that have been made since 2010, when Facebook decided to buy the company for one billion dollars and some shares. One of the most significant changes occurred last year when Instagram Stories was launched, which is the direct competition to SnapChat, the social network of ephemeral messages most used by Millennials. Another important addition is that it allowed creating profiles for companies in order to have the most important statistics of the accounts such as: number of impressions, Instagram views, people reached, demographic data and location. Something of vital importance for companies.
The growth of Instagram has allowed a democratization of photography, now anyone with a cell phone with a good resolution camera can upload powerful images and be seen by thousands of people. It is also the social network preferred by celebrities, many celebrities show a part of their private life through Instagram, something that the public loves.
1. Optimize the Instagram profile
Unlike the other social networks, Instagram only allows you to use the avatar’s photo and does not include a cover, you must take into account that the photo is shown in a circle, that’s why the company’s logo or the main image must be in the center. If you manage the profile of a company you must change the person-to-company account, this profile allows you to include a contact number and email.
2. Choose the hahstags very well
Form a list of hashtags according to the business sector, analyze them before using them and observe what type of content they publish with it. It is important to use them because frequent use increases the possibility that it appears in the Instagram search engine, it also helps to filter potential new followers. I recommend using between 5 and 15 hashtags in each publication.
3. Use Instagram Stories
More than 50% of Instagram users are young people who like to consume ephemeral content, that is, it disappears in 24 hours. It’s not in vain that Instagram has copied the same Snapchat features. You should take advantage of this tool to upload different content, it is important to use the elements it offers such as brushes and stickers. In this part there is more freedom for creativity, you can upload short stories or 6 photos and videos that have a logical sequence. Another advantage is that when uploading a story the profile image appears at the top.
4. Make emotional and fun publications
Instagram is one of the most emotional social networks there is, that is why it becomes very important to publish images and videos with emotional and fun content. It is important to explore different formats and themes to achieve these purposes and identify which of them generates more interaction on the part of the audience.
5. Create valuable content on your Instagram account
In order to create content of value for your audience, it is essential to know it very well. This allows you to identify the type of content of your interest. The content of added value to the audience is recognized because it has great interaction, it is important to note that you should avoid that these contents have commercial messages. An example of content of this type for a travel agency is for example: tips to plan a trip, are images where in each publication a tip would be written.