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Using Instagram to Promote Your Business or Service
The first time I attempted Instagram, I have to have spent an hour dealing with all of the different ways one can edit a pictures. I sampled a photo against all the available filters, with and without frames, and tested how I could share my posts through other social channels. It amazed me, too, how fast I gained followers following a short time, not to mention the social networking strategist in me wondered the way i could employ this neat tool for clients.
If you are not familiar with Instagram, it's an application that actually works exclusively with mobile like a photo sharing program. Users may download the app and post pictures - untouched or enhanced with filters that provide the photos an old-fashioned look - to a public feed. As with most social networks, users can follow one another and like and comment on pictures. While one can access Instagram feeds through various websites, users are only able to add new photos through the app.
Since launching in late 2010, Instagram can claim over 30 million users and the interest of Facebook, which has bid to buy the organization for just one billion dollars. Numerous services that allow users to turn their Instagram photos into postcards, stickers, and magnets also have launched in the last 2 yrs, further solidifying Instagram's influence in mobile.
As a business offering product or services, you may wonder the best way to use Instagram in your favor. The app can be used for sharing photographs, so naturally the first inclination is to populate your feed with relevant photos and encourage likes and comments. The one issue with Instagram is the fact that one cannot link an image to another site, so you can't count on it for site referrals. You are able to, however, use the app to obtain people involved with sharing your brand.
Instagram users, like Twitter users, may often tag the photos they upload. One idea to promote your company would involve contests where users can tag a themed photo according to your contest rules. Not just have you branded your self on the network, but you present the chance to go viral as followers of entrants detect the tag and also the feed.
It's important to note, too, that Instagram may be integrated into Facebook pages and multi-purpose Web applications. You can set up an Instagram tab in your Facebook page to drag in pictures having a specific hashtag, and encourage users to tag their photos so that they show. Individuals who use Hootsuite, for example, can certainly share Instagram photos through Twitter and facebook profiles. Present the opportunity for individuals to talk about your photos - it can make for any nice contest that may go viral.
