By Kenneth Sytian
Instagram has surpassed its primary purpose of being the hub for photos as it is now being used by businesses from all over the world to communicate with their target audiences. With over 400 million active users, Instagram is like an oil reservoir or a gold mine for online marketers. The Facebook-owned company has beaten Twitter in terms of active users, and is also considered to generate more engagements. Instagram marketing is really an effective way for businesses to promote themselves and their products.
To make Instagram marketing even more effective, small businesses can follow some of the trends that Instagram marketers are using. The following Instagram Marketing trends can truly help out online marketers in their campaign.
Trend # 1: Influencer Marketing
Influencers are those Instagram users with tens of thousands of followers. Businesses have started collaborating with influencers to reach out to their followers. Also, a lot of influencers are friends with other influencers, giving the business a network of potential target audiences.
Businesses that have engaged in influencer marketing have noticed that this trend has helped to abruptly generate traffic, engagement, and ultimately, sales.
Influencers become your brand ambassadors so choose your influencer wisely. You must meticulously look into how he gained his followers, as well as what kind of followers he attracts. You should pick an influencer who carries the values your company portrays, and who attracts followers who are more likely to be your target audience. Influencer marketing can be really helpful but make sure to make the best out of it by choosing the best influencer for you.
Trend # 2: Using Sponsored Ad Content
Instagram launched sponsored ads last year. It quickly became a haven for worldwide brands. Advertising via Instagram will enable you to have a buy now button plus a marquee placement that can surely help in generating traffic, and in yielding your desired results. With sponsored ads, you can strategically place ads on followers’ Feed, and this can quickly grab your target audiences’ attention.
Instagram promotes that its sponsored ad content functionality is available for all businesses, no matter where you’re from, and no matter how big or how small your business is.
Try sponsored ad content! It can truly help in generating engagement.
Trend # 3: Using Branded Channels
Established brands utilize branded channels as their tactic for Instagram Marketing. Branded channels are targeted to specific audiences, and promote products related to the channel. For example, @nikesportswear would be targeting athletic male Instagram users while @nikewomen are geared for women.
Branded Channels are usually straightforward, the content you can find inside are restricted to the name of the channel. It would make it easier for users to gain access to products of a division of a business that he is interested in rather than going through all of the products of the same business just to look for that one he likes.
In utilizing branded channels, keep in mind the following: age, location, and interest of your target audience.
Trend # 4: Release only quality images
Make it a cardinal rule to only upload quality images on your channel. The image of a business is treated as good as the quality of the images it releases. So make sure that your photos are clear and vivid, unless, of course, creatively made otherwise.
You may also utilize GIFs now. A GIF is a sweet middle ground between a photo and a video. Effectively using GIFs can help generate traffic, and those who incorporate GIFs to their channels already can attest to that.
These four trends can truly make a difference on your Instagram Marketing campaign. By using one or more of the trends above, you can enjoy a wider reach, and better results. Instagram Marketing can really help your business but it can only do so much. It all depends on how you make use of it. So grab the advantage – follow these trends and yield better results now!
