Sales Strategy

How To Use Instagram For Business October 28, 2015 (0 comments)

Merrick, NY—Ok, you’ve got Facebook down to a comfort zone, but how’s your Instagram feed? If the last time you posted anything on Instagram was anything but insta—or not at all—it’s time to, um, snap to it. According to social media industry analyst Mary Meeker, Instagram is the number-one site for American youth age 12-24, surpassing Facebook this year. Last year, Forrester named it the “king of social engagement,” delivering 58 times more engagement per follower than Facebook and 120 times more than Twitter.

Facebook remains a favorite for Boomer customers, but the people who are going to be your primary customer audience in the future are on Instagram now, so it makes sense that you also want to be there (in addition to Facebook and Twitter, not in place of them.)

This blog on Hootsuite offers a primer on using Instagram for business. Some goals you might strive for, says the blog:

• Increase product sales
• Increase traffic to your website
• Increase brand awareness
• Increase branded hashtag mentions

Instagram is all about the visuals—and what’s more visual than beautiful jewelry? Hootsuite says the next step is to build a cohesive, recognizable brand identity. Their tips:

First consider the visual style for your Instagram brand. Since your goal is to get Instagram users to stop scrolling and engage once they see your image, the more instantly recognizable your photos are, the better. Read more about choosing a visual style here. Choose one filter or a set of filters that you will use for the majority, if not all of your photos. By using the same filters over and over, you establish a recognizable style to your followers.

Also consider the non-visual elements to your Instagram brand, like a repeating hashtag to associate with your brand. You will use it and so will viewers you invite to submit their own photos. Hootsuite says go beyond just #yourcompanyname. Its own is #hootsuitelife, and it cites as another example the athletic-wear brand Lululemon, which invites users to tag their workout photos #thesweatlife.

Find something that resonates for fine jewelry lovers and make that your signature. Also consider a separate hashtag for bridal customers.

Read Hootsuite’s full guide here. For more jewelry-specific guidance on setting up an Instagram page, see The Centurion’s own tech-savvy Caroline Stanley’s how-to feature here.