Big Instagram Tips for Small Business Publicity

If you aren’t using Instagram marketing, now is the time to start. This social media platform has been growing steadily and is popular for its image-based application that allows users to post directly to other websites like Facebook. While initially popular for personal use, more and more companies are signing up with big brands leading the way.

How to Use Instagram Marketing for Publicity

• Upload Videos. Instagram incorporated video into their platform around a year ago but most businesses haven’t tried it yet. This creates an opportunity for your brand to stand out by publishing video content that you generate and inviting your customers to do the same. For example, you could have a contest where your customers upload a short video of them using your product with a certain hashtag. This will expose your brand to their friends and family while creating a fun buzz around your company.

• Showcase Your Personality. Whether you have a small business with one location or have locations regionally or nationally, you can showcase the personality of your business using Instagram. Starbucks has successfully done this by posting photos of different locations and asking people to guess where it is. You could do something similar by posting pictures from around your office. If your customers know you well ask them to guess which sales rep a coffee cup belongs to or take a picture of an old product and ask who knows when you first started selling it. The key is to have fun with social media.

• Know Your Style. Your Instagram images should reflect the distinct style of your brand. This is important because of how important images are. Any Instagram marketing campaign needs to accurately portray the style and image that comes with your brand. Preserving it is essential for enabling consumers to recognize you across all social media platforms.

• Invite Participation. Get creative, and invite user-generated content. If you sell a product, own a restaurant, or business that engages with the public, this is easier than you may think. Ask your customers to upload photos with a certain hashtag. When someone is at your bar for happy hour, offer a drink special for people that upload photos of them having drinks. If you sell shoes, give 10 percent off for people that upload a photo of themselves wearing your brand. There are many ways to engage people, and Forever21 is doing it this fall by giving away a scholarship. The options are endless so put your creative hat on and have fun with it.

Social media is an excellent way to promote your brand and get more publicity. Remember to be unique while sticking to your brand image. Engage users whenever possible by asking them to become your fan and responding to any comments that they make on your profile. Enjoy yourself and your customers will too.