Social media has become an indelible part of our lives. Facebook will have over one billion users by the end of 2012. Tweets became the preferred mode of communication during the Olympics. Businesses professionals throughout the world network on LinkedIn. As a small business owner, you should be aware of these social media outlets, plus the up and coming sites that allow you to share photographs that pertain to your business. You probably have heard of Flickr, but I bet that you have not considered upstart Instagram as part of your Internet marketing strategy.
What is Instagram?
Launched in October of 2010, Instagram has acquired more the 80 million users, with that number expected to exceed 100 million users by October 2012. The photo app initially appealed to a narrow demographic of teenagers and young professionals, until Internet marketers discovered how the app could help businesses market their products and services. Instagram is a free photo app that you can download from Apple?s iTunes store or the Google Play Store. However, only Apple devices currently run the app.
You create a free account by submitting a username and password. The reason for the account is that Instagram has morphed into a social network. As with Tweets, users follow your photo feeds. Whenever your small business uploads new feed, all of your current followers with have the options of commenting on the new photos and, like Facebook, press the ?Like? icon to demonstrate their admiration for your photos. The Facebook reference is especially relevant, since the trailblazing social media giant recently acquired Instagram.
Why Your Business Needs Instagram
Instagram has registered more new users over the past eight months than Facebook was able to garner during the first 4 years of its existence. The rapid ascension of Instagram means small businesses have little time to take advantage of the myriad Internet marketing opportunities. In some industries, such as service industries, the window to take advantage of Instagram has already closed.
A recent study conducted by Simply Measured showed 40 percent of the top 100 companies in the world have integrated Instagram into their Internet marketing strategies. Moreover, the research revealed that most of the companies use Instagram independent of Facebook, instead of using it as an application that posts business related photos on Facebook pages. While large companies dominate the list of Instagram users, small businesses have jumped on the photo sharing bandwagon to get out their brand messages.
How Your Business Should Utilize Instagram
The rule applies to Instagram as it does to any other social media network: Fully commit your time and resources. If you do not have photography skills, find someone in your small business that does. Makes sure you have the time to post unique photos every few days to take advantage of Google?s search engine algorithm, which rewards fresh content and images. As with Google+ Local, complete your profile by providing as much information about your business that Instagram allows.
Never repost photos that are nothing more than edits of previously uploaded photos. Your Instagram visitors want to see images that other people cannot see in cyberspace. Any photos you post on Instagram should not be available for view on your organic business website or through other photo sharing portals. Your followers want to see behind the scenes action and sneak peaks of new products that have yet to hit the market. Above all, fresh photos that connect your business with your targeted audience go a long way towards establishing the type of trust that garners your business loyal, lifelong customers.
Another way to engage your customers through Instagram is to encourage them to send you photos that you upload on your small business Instagram page. Loyal customers want to feel a part of your brand. By giving them a platform to share photos of them engaging your business, you create the type of social connection that develops into loyalty. Think of a restaurant grand opening or an all day sales extravaganza as perfect events where photos capture your customers engaging your business. Most people love to have their faces splashed across the Internet and Instagram makes that happen in an easy to use photo-sharing platform.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. With Internet marketing, we know fresh content is the key to ranking high in search engines. Now, we know that a recently uploaded photo on Instagram is like uploading a thousand words of fresh content.
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