Instagram for your business: 5 tips to get started

Instagram, a free photo app for iPhone and Android users, markets itself as “a fast, beautiful and fun way to share your photos with friends and family.” In a nutshell, the app lets you take photos (or use existing ones in your photo library), apply filters to them, and easily share them to your networks.

The app, first launched in 2010, has since become a mobile phenomenon, trumping Twitter in daily mobile usage in August 2012.

The app has been so successful that it even caught the attention of the biggest social media player of all. Facebook acquired Instagram on April 2012 for an unprecedented $1 billion dollars.

If you’re wondering how to levarage this app in achieving marketing goals, here are some tips on how to get started:

1. Complete your profile.

You want people to be able to find you, so make sure that your profile is complete. Add an introduction, select an ID that’s consistent with your other social media profiles, and upload a profile photo.  Include a link to your website to make it easy for people to find more information about you.

2.  Add information to your photos.

When uploading photos, add as much info as possible through the caption. When appropriate — for instance, if you’re at events — use applicable hashtags.  Include location information to your photos and add them to the photo map.

If appropriate, tag other users in your photos using their Instagram IDs to encourage them to engage with your content.

Sometimes it’s also appropriate to add links to your caption.

3. Integrate other social networks.

Connecting your Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and other social accounts to Instagram is one of the key features of this app, so take advantage of it.  In addition to making it easy for you to share across multiple platforms, integrating these accounts make it easy for your friends to find you on Instagram.

4. Be creative with your photos.

Remember the basics of photography: look for interesting lines, great composition, and colours.

Also, share a wide variety of visual content. Here are some ideas how to do that:

- Show off your products and give a preview of what your team is working on.
- Showcase your employees and show the human side of your company.
- Introduce your favourite customers.
- Provide a behind-the-scenes access to your fans.
- Share interesting and adorable photos. (Pets are always a hit!)

5.  Engage!

As with any other social network, the key to Instagram is to grow your community over time through engagement.  It’s important to follow interesting individual and business accounts on this platform and to show your appreciation by liking some of their great photos.

Use the “Explore” functionality to see what photos are trending on Instagram and to get inspiration for your own photos.

When appropriate, leave a comment on other people’s photos, but don’t be spammy.

Finally, remember to promote your Instagram account on your website or through your other social networks. Instagram doesn’t have profile pages like Facebook or Twitter do, but people can find you if you give them your user ID.

Although still relatively young, Instagram has proven to be one of the most exciting platforms on mobile — try these tips and continue to experiment to get most of it.

For more info, check out our Slideshare presentation about Instagram.  You can also follow our Instagram board on Pinterest for even more tips.

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