The magician of marketing

Social media marketing is a magical tool that can fast track your business to the next level. Using platforms such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook in the correct way is a guaranteed strategy for increased product sales and brand exposure. So where do you start and how is it done?Create a Facebook, Instagram and Twitter account and invite your entire network database to accept, like and follow you. It does not matter if some of your contacts are not your target market, invite them all! You need this initial support as potential future customers will look to your number of “friends” and “followers” for product security. While researching social media platforms, I came across an article on Forbes.com by Jayson DeMers, the Founder & CEO of AudienceBloom, called 50 Free ways to increase your Instagram followers. This profound insight gives business owners a brilliant basic handbook to generate brand awareness through online marketing using Instagram. I have included the first 15 points to get you started.

15 ways to increase your Instagram followers

 

1. Use hashtags that are known to help increase followers: #FF (Follow Friday), #instafollow, #l4l (Like for like), #tagforlikes and #followback.

2. Like hundreds of random pictures from people in your target audience. Neil Patel has used this strategy and found that for every 100 likes he did of random pictures, he received 6.1 more followers.

3. Hold a contest on Instagram. One of the easiest ways to do this is to post an image promoting the contest and then ask people to like it in order to enter.

4. Promote your Instagram account on your other social media accounts and profiles. Tell people what they can expect once they’re following you (e.g., behind-the-scenes photos, sneak peeks, coupons, etc.)

5. Like and comment on other users’ photos. This is the most natural way to gain new followers.

6. Use popular hashtags so your images get found in the search. Some of the most popular ones are #love, #instagood, #tbt and #photooftheday.

7. Post photos at 2 am or 5 pm. Research shows that these are the most effective times to post.

8. Search for and follow people who are using popular hashtags like #followme and #likeforlike. Many will follow you back!

9. Remember that quality beats quantity. Edit your account to leave only the best images. No one wants to follow someone with thousands of pointless images of food or other random shots.

10. Use the Mayfair filter. According to Track Maven’s Fortune 500 Instagram Report, it’s the single most effective filter for marketers.

11. Make sure your bio is complete. Include relevant keywords and hashtags, and a link back to your site. Above all, don’t be spammy; this is a guarantee that no one who reads your profile will follow you!

12. Ask questions in the captions of your photos. This is a great way to increase engagement.

13. Post on Sundays: Sundays see the fewest images posted, so posting then may get your images more visibility.

14. Be consistent. Know why you’re posting, and who you’re posting for. Be consistent about how you use the platform and your follower count will grow organically.

15. Use calls to action in your photo captions. Get your followers engaged by asking them to take further action (e.g., “Let me know what you think in the comments”).[vc_column_text]Now is the time to increase your online empire. Collaborate with the creative team at Simply Graphic about managing your social media platforms, monthly newsletters and blogs.