Alex McCann, a long-standing social media and online marketing expert and founder of the social media marketing firm Altrincham HQ, shares his top tips on using Instagram for business.

 

Why Instagram?

There was a time when unless you were under 18, you wouldn’t be seen on Instagram. It used to be a place where teenagers went to avoid their parents on Facebook. But the world has changed and Instagram is a place for all ages, although 70% of the 1 billion+ monthly active users are under the age of 35.

Still not convinced that Instagram could be used for your business? Well, how does this sound:

• 80% of accounts follow a business on Instagram
• 500 million+ accounts use Instagram Stories every day

What can you do to make the most of Instagram for your business?

When you think of Instagram, you need to think of the Five C’s of Consistency, which I’ll introduce you to now.

Consistency of Message

The biggest mistake that people make regarding Instagram is thinking the only content that matters is the photos. The captions are Instagram’s most underrated feature and you need to place absolute importance on these.

Words matter, they’re the messages you convey every time you post. Are your captions short, snappy and light-hearted? Are your captions lengthy, descriptive narratives that tell a story with a beginning and an end? What do you want people to feel when they see your posts? And more importantly, what do you want them to do after they’ve read them? These are all questions you need to think about before you click the share button.

However, there is one area you should vary on Instagram and that is your choice of hashtags. Don’t use the same hashtags on every post. There has always been talk that Instagram reduces the reach of accounts that copy and paste the same hashtags on every post.

Consistency of Activity

What is the rhythm of the account? How often are you posting in the newsfeed? How often are you posting on Instagram Stories?

On social media people like to know what to expect. They certainly don’t expect radio silence followed by a flood of photos when you get a spare moment. Set a realistic level of activity that you can commit to each week. In an ideal world that will be once or twice a day, so make sure you have a bank of content ready before you launch your account.

Consistency of Quality Content

Instagram is glossy and the image of perfection. You need to set the standards high from the outset and stick to those high standards.

That doesn’t necessarily mean spending money on a professional photographer for every photo, but it does mean having strong lighting for every photo and using editing apps such as Snapseed to bring your photos up to the right level.

You also need to think about what your Instagram theme is. Is it just photos or is it video as well? Is your logo in every photo? Are there core colour schemes? Are the subjects of the photos uniform across the feed? Is your Instagram grid symmetrical and structured?

Your Instagram feed needs to look great at a two-second glance, but equally each photo needs to work as a standalone image as once followed most people consume your content in the feed itself.

Consistency of Engagement

If you post and step away from Instagram then you’re using it all wrong. Engagement on Instagram is as critical as engagement on LinkedIn or Twitter. You need to engage with your target market, ideal customers and ideal referrers.

Don’t sit back and wait for them to come to you. Keep your following list lean, follow just your ideal customers and referrers, and spend 20 minutes a day engaging with what you see on your feed.

Engagement shows you care and more importantly engagement builds real relationships. Social media without engagement is just broadcasting and won’t get you very far.

Consistency of Results

If you do all of the above you’ll get what you truly want – consistency of results, which you can define as more exposure, more new customers, more repeat customers and more sales – hitting those KPI’s for your business on a regular basis.

About Altrincham HQ

Alex McCann is the owner of the social media marketing company Altrincham HQ. With over 14 years’ experience of social media and 20 years’ experience of online marketing in other companies, clients come to McCann when they want a veteran rather than a rookie.

At Altrincham HQ, McCann works with businesses to make more of their social media marketing, delivering results via social media training or management packages.

Voted the Best Social Media Company in Manchester at the Talk Of Manchester Awards, Altrincham HQ has helped thousands of businesses and individuals across the North West including BBC, Manchester City, Manchester Arndale, Selfridges, NHS, University Of Manchester and many more.

For further information on Altrincham HQ’s services and training visit www.altrinchamhq.co.uk or call Alex on 07806 774279. Click here to follow Altrincham HQ on Instagram.