Social media has changed the face of online marketing, with Instagram being among the top sites enabling marketing professionals to reach vast audiences. What sets Instagram apart from other social media platforms is its focus on images and videos.

To be an effective Instagram marketer, you need to develop your skills for creating visual content. It is imperative that you come up with very interesting posts because you’re competing for attention with a multitude of highly talented content creators. In highly competitive industries, such as fashion, it takes a lot of creativity to make it to the top.

That is not to say that it’s not possible to gain a strong footing on the platform. By coming up with unique content and doubling in on areas that your competitors commonly ignore, you’re destined to succeed. Here are two areas of your Instagram marketing strategy you need to work on.

Up Your Caption and Hashtag Game

Posting photos on Instagram is not the same as posting photos on Facebook or Twitter; you need to make each one count. A lot more thought and creativity goes into Instagram posts because the aim is to impress. But what would be the point of creating the perfect Instagram post if only a few people see it?

That’s where captions and hashtags come in handy. Used correctly, they can vastly increase the size of the audience that views your posts. Remember the following when using them.

• Only use hashtags that are relevant to your brand, and most importantly, your post. Otherwise, you run the risk of being seen as spam, which would seriously hurt your brand image on the platform. Also, don’t add too many hashtags to your post, even if they’re relevant. It comes off as spam to your Instagram followers.
• Coming up with posts that gel well with popular hashtags is more of an art than a science, and it involves more than just thoughtlessly hopping on seemingly popular hashtags. Put some thought into it and make sure you understand the primary aim of specific hashtags before using them.

Interact With Your Followers

This may sound like a no-brainer but far too many brands use Instagram as a primitive broadcast tool or simple catalog for their products and services. Such brands end up missing out on opportunities to truly connect with their audience and build lasting relationships with existing and prospective customers.

It’s called social media because you’re meant to have conversations, i.e., two-way interactions with your audience. As such, you should encourage your followers to interact with you through calls to action asking them to like and comment on your posts. Respond in kind by commenting and liking posts relating to your brand.

As you engage with your audience, keep in mind that the comments you make depict your brand’s personality. Find the right balance between being thoughtful and professional as well as casual and relatable. Instagram users are drawn to the human aspect of your brand, so talking to them will certainly keep them watching.

Bio:

Walter Moore is one of the leading editors at a budding social media marketing consulting website (https://instamacro.com/). His expertise in social media comes from leveraging Instagram followers for destination organizations.
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