5 Instagram Articles Every Marketer Should Read

It's no secret that Instagram has incredible reach. It grew more than 400 million users just in 2015. Here are 5 Instagram articles to help your brand. 

Does your business have a presence on Instagram?

Instagram has doubled its user base, to 700 million monthly actives in two years, fueled by Stories, web signups and better onboarding on low-end Android phones. Instagram’s growth rate is actually speeding up. It took just four months to add the last 100 million users since hitting 600 million in December , while it took six months to go from 500 million to 600 million.

However, not every business has jumped on the Instagram marketing band wagon and we understand why.

At first glance Instagram seems like it’s really only beneficial for those in e-commerce. Some businesses struggle with figuring out what they could post in Instagram that could really help grow their brand. And for many, it’s just one more social network to manage. Now that Instagram lets users manage multiple accounts from one device, it will be even easier for marketing managers to use.

All that aside, there is some true potential and value in Instagram, and the businesses that are taking the plunge are quickly seeing results.

Whether you’re active on Instagram, are thinking about starting your business profile or are reminded every once in a while that you should look into Instagram, these five articles can help you leverage the power of the platform.

1) How to Build Your Brand With Instagram:

    4 Tried-and-True Tips

HubSpot just got done helping a business grow their Instagram followers by 400,000 people which resulted in 70,000 email subscribers in just 12 months. It’s safe to say they learned a thing or two from their experience and we love that they’re sharing it with the world.

In this article they discuss four surprising ways that you can use Instagram to build your business and brand. The ideas include:

1. Grow your Instagram following with strategic partnerships Instagram,
2. Build your email list by converting your followers into subscribers
3. Create compelling content that’s worthy of being shared by others
4. Foster a community of highly engaged followers

Each strategy includes a variety of additional tips that any business can start implementing on their Instagram profile today.

Original article: How to Build Your Brand with Instagram Marketing

2) 5 Ways to Grow Your Instagram Following

Most businesses on Instagram report that it’s their most engaging social media platform. That’s exactly what Jess Ekstrom, CEO and Founder of Headbands Of Hope, explains in her article, even though her business’s Instagram profile has fewer followers than their Facebook Page.

Jess has found a strategy that allows her business to grow their presence and in this article she shares her five tips.

1. Put your handle on your packaging and marketing materials
2. Send products to Instagram influencers
3. Comment
4. Tag a friend
5. Give people a reason to follow

Two nuggets really stuck out to me in this article and those were put your Instagram handle on your packaging and marketing materials and send your products to Instagram influencers. Both of these strategies gives people a reason to upload a photo of themselves wearing your product to Instagram and tag your business, resulting in more eyes and followers on your profile.

Original article: 5 Ways to Grow Your Instagram Following

3) Never Designed an Instagram Ad?

  Here Are 7 Things That Will Make You Stand Out

Once you have a presence on Instagram you may want to look into your advertising options. According to our friend, Jeff Bullas, the two most important elements of an Instagram ad are inspiration and information.

In Jeff’s article he discusses seven tips that businesses should keep in mind when building their Instagram ad. The tips include:

1. Think about composition
2. Decide on a focal point
3. Create an intimate perspective
4. Don’t be aggressive with your logo
5. Use the power of color and contrast
6. Pay attention to consistency
7. Go easy with text

Jeff has an image example to go with each of his tips so that you can see exactly what he’s referring to. This article will help you get your Instagram ads up and running and seeing success in no time.

Original article: Never Designed an Instagram Ad? Here are 7 Things That Will Make You Stand Out

4)The 5 Best Free Instagram Analytics Tools

Now that you know how to build your Instagram presence and create beautiful ads, you need a way to track your efforts. You may or may not know that Instagram does not have native analytics. This means you have to use a third party tool to track your efforts, but knowing what works and doesn’t work will be worth it in the end.

In this article from Pete Schauer from SEMGeeks, he discusses five free tools for Instagram analytics. The tools include:

1. Iconosquare
2. SimplyMeasured
3. InstaFollow
4. Union Metrics
5. Crowdfire

Keep in mind that free analytics tool with come with some limitations, but they’re a good place to start. If you’re looking for some more advanced analytics consider paying for a software such as Postano or Unmetric.

Original article: The 5 Best Free Instagram Analytics Tools

5) 15 Hidden Instagram Hacks & Features Everyone Should Know About

Everyone loves a good social media hack. They save us time and usually show us some interesting things we didn’t know were possible.

Whether you’re a business using the social network or an individual perusing Instagram when you’re bored, these 15 hacks from HubSpot are what they call “game changers”

1. Get notifications when your favorite people post
2. See all the posts you’ve Liked
3. See the posts your friends have recently Liked, commented on, and so on
4. Look through pictures without worrying about accidentally Liking them
5. Clear your search history
6. Reorder the filters, and hide the ones you don’t use
7. Use Instagram as a photo editor (without having to post anything)
8. Insert line breaks into your bio and captions
9. Hide photos you’ve been tagged in
10. Adjust your settings to approved tagged photos before they show up in your profile
11. Remove photos from your photo map
12. Browse photos taken in certain locations
13. Drive traffic to an external website
14. Hide ads you don’t relevant
15. Send photos privately to your friends

Original article: 15 Hidden Instagram Hacks & Features Everyone Should Know About

If you’re ready to get started building your Instagram profile, check out Short Stack’s latest template, the Interactive Gallery Template. For e-commerce businesses, the Interactive Gallery Template allows you to create a shoppable gallery. However, the template is also designed to feature links to external pages, contest entries, newsletter sign-ups, downloads or even other pop-ups from within the Campaign. Use it as a landing page where your fans can click through to learn more about what you’re posting on Instagram.

Start improving your Instagram business profiles. Connect with your customers and increase sales. If you want more marketing suggestions and a way to generate conversion-ready prospects each month, then click here and learn more about my done-for-you system.

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Creating a Social Media Business Profile That Connects with Customers

You’re likely already using social media as a part of your marketing strategy. If you get a lot of traffic to your website and don’t get a lot of attention on social media, then your business profile may be turning potential customers away.

Social media business profiles that connect with customers are more likely to result in high-converting traffic to your website.

Make Sure That You Use the Right Name

The first, and one of the most important, factors of your social media business profile is the name of your social media account. If you’re developing a personal brand, you should stick with your own name. This is especially true if you use your name for all promotional purposes.

For businesses with a specific business name, make sure that your social media account matches. Basically, whether you’re developing a personal brand or a business identity, the name should match your website and your promotional material. People should not have trouble searching for your profile.

Choosing the Best Profile Pic

Once you choose the right name, you need to choose the best profile pic. Again, there’s a difference between profile pics for personal brand and business brands. For a personal brand, such as an internet guru or a blogger, you’ll want to use a picture of yourself.

Businesses should use the same logo that they use on all other promotional material. You’re probably noticing a pattern here. The goal is to make things consistent across your website and social media profiles.

Along with remaining consistent between your website and social media account, you also need to use the same name, profile pic, and other details across all networks. This means using the same info on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and any other social media networks that you use.

Be Clear and Direct with Your Bio

After looking at your profile pic, a visitor may check out your bio. They shouldn’t have any trouble determining what it is that you sell, after reading your bio. So, keep your bio clear and direct. It should be short and to the point.

Describe your business or website in a single sentence. Don’t worry about making a sales pitch in your bio. Instead, focus on the actual value of what you do.

Use a Background Image That Matches Your Image 

The background image that you choose for your profile should match the overall image that you’re promoting. In fact, the background image can be more important than the profile picture. A poorly created background will look unprofessional, limiting your ability to connect with customers.

If your background appears pixelated or hard to read, you need a new background image. You could hire a graphic design freelancer to create a background for you or take the time to create a clear, easy to read background yourself.

When you make your own background, either use a vector editing program or make sure that your image matches the exact dimensions recommended by the social media network. These recommendations are different for every network.

Keep in mind that the sizes of backgrounds and other details can change. Twitter and Facebook have updated the layout of profile pages several times in the past few years. Make sure that you remain up to date as these changes occur.

Choosing the right name and using a professional profile pic and background can go a long way towards helping you connect with customers. You should also interact with your followers. Respond to questions and comments and encourage a discussion in your posts by ending a post with a question.

Start improving your social media business profiles. Connect with your customers and increase sales. If you want more marketing suggestions and a way to generate conversion-ready prospects each month, then click here and learn more about my done-for-you system.

 =======>>Current Bonus Deal of a 7 Day Trial for only $1

Up Your Traffic With 4 Easy Steps of Sharing Content

This video shows you ways to increase the likelihood of getting more content shares.

 First, it would be best to incorporate psychological triggers in their content. Next, he/she needs to check the layout and structure of the content, and if it is easy to share. The next step would be to add a featured image. Then the last step would be to remind people to share the content.

For Further advice and support check out my done for you system