Instagram is a social network platform on which pictures and videos can be shared. This online social media community has an active user base of 130 million people. Since videos can be up to 15 seconds long, businesses can and should use this powerful advertising opportunity to reach potential customers and build the company’s brand.
Instagram allows its members to link their Facebook, Flickr, Tumblr, and Twitter accounts for easy cross-referencing and interconnection. This ease of access and use is a time saver for individuals managing business accounts on Instagram.
Businesses that use Instagram as a promotional vehicle have the bonus benefit of utilizing the “Weekend Hashtag Project”. This popular weekly trend is a series that is given specific themes and hashtags and those who choose to participate can upload relevant photographs. The themes and related hashtags are posted every Friday. Instagram can be leveraged in other ways to promote your business including:
- As the timing warrants it, different pictures featuring various aspects of your business as well as your products can be uploaded and shared
- Using hashtags to tag your videos and photographs will allow those searching for specific keywords and hashtags to locate them
- You can ask a question to generate responses and thus increase the number of viewers for your videos and photographs
- Use your videos and photographs to tell a story; even a continuing story so that viewers will keep coming back to learn more
- Start a contest to increase viewership and follower base.