Instagram is one of the fastest growing social media platforms, and it’s ideal for businesses. The visual nature of this platform makes it easy to show off the lifestyle that your brand sells, and you can even turn your Instagram into a shop. But with the competition heating up on this platform, how can you stand out? Here are a few ways.

Use Hashtags

Instagram offers users the ability to follow every post tagged with a specific hashtag, which means that hashtags are even more powerful here than they are on Twitter or other websites. You can use hashtags for all sorts of social media marketing techniques. Create a contest, get your audience involved, or use the hashtags to connect products that you want to cross-sell.

Post Regularly and Consistently

Instagram operates on content that can be consumed in just a glance. That means that content is just as quickly forgotten. Posting to Instagram several times per day, once daily, or at least more than three times per week is a very good way to stand out from the usual business account on Instagram. Most social media marketing pros recommend posting at least daily.

Consider Color Psychology in Your Photography

Photography is highlighted on Instagram, so consider thinking about visual techniques for getting emotional reactions from your audience. Color psychology is one of the easiest ways to instantly create an emotion – red, orange, and yellow create energy, where blue, green, and purple are seen as peaceful and soothing, for example. Consider using filters to give your photographs a dreamy look, and so on. The key is to take a look at what your competitors are doing and try the opposite.

Try Using Candid Shots

Businesses often want to show a very professional, polished look on social media. This is definitely something you should do, but try mixing it up with candid shots, that show the “behind the scenes” views of your events, your days at work, and more. This can help your audience feel connected to your brand.

Embrace Instagram’s Tools

Instagram has tools such as Stories, which allows you to create short videos or temporary photo posts that only last for 24 hours. This is a great way to offer a limited coupon or to give fans a live tour of an event you are attending. This helps create a feeling of exclusivity, which also makes you stand out.

Let the Professionals Help You Stand Out

If you want to learn more about standing out in your social media marketing, a great place to start is by talking to the professionals. Contact us at Organically, or learn more about our social media managing services here, to find out how we can help.