Question: When was the last time you checked in with your Instagram following? Instagram is incredibly essential for many businesses’ online marketing strategy – not in the least because there are over 800 million monthly active users, with predicted growth of up to a billion active users by the end of this year. That’s a huge audience to take advantage of if you can build your audience. Here are three tips for taking full advantage of this digital marketing platform.

• Post frequently, consistently, and at the optimal time.

One of the best ways to get attention on Instagram is to be recommended to users based on their activity. The Instagram algorithm prioritizes accounts that post on a consistent basis, that do so frequently, and that have done so recently. This means that on Instagram, the best social media marketing tactic is to post a few times per day, spread out over the course of the day, and every single day, rather than aiming for a few great posts a week, like on a blog.

• Get involved in a community.

There are many ways to get involved on Instagram. It uses Twitter-style hashtags to group posts, Snapchat-style geotags to group things happening in specific areas, and more. The more you respond to those who comment on your photos, the more you’ll build your own community. However, you should also consider getting involved with the same community on other platforms as well. Invite your Instagram followers to hang out for a Facebook Live stream, for example, and then add them to your Facebook group.

• Use Instagram’s tools.

There are two primary tools that Instagram offers that can be of use to businesses. The first is Stories. Stories are limited-time-only posts, similar to Snapchats, which exist only for 24 hours in your timeline. They are often used for limited-time coupons, teasing new products, doing a flash sale, and more. These can be short video clips and photos, so they are perfect for walking your viewers through a business event, for example.

The next tool isn’t as fun, but it is an ingenious tool to use. Instagram does allow sponsored posts, meaning you can put some of your advertising dollars towards making sure your posts get in front of the most extensive audience possible. This is perfect for accounts that haven’t been growing as consistently as you would like, or for special events like new product launches.

Learn More with Organically

Instagram is not a platform to ignore. Not only is the user base growing, but it also has many tools that allow you to turn your account into a shoppable storefront. This is the perfect place to connect your products with a lifestyle, and that’s a very valuable content marketing technique. If you want to learn more, or if you want expert help in building your Instagram following, contact us at Organically. Our social media marketing services include everything from helping you create campaigns to automating your posting for you so you can focus on other tasks.