Blog, Tweet and Facebook Your Way to Success SELF-PROMOTION THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA: INSTAGRAM

Transcription

1 Blog, Tweet and Facebook Your Way to Success SELF-PROMOTION THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA: INSTAGRAM Spring 2013

2 WHAT IS SOCIAL MEDIA? The term social media refers to forms of electronic communication (websites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content. (Merriam-Webster)

3 TYPES OF SOCIAL MEDIA Pinterest Twitter Wordpress Instagram Facebook There are many types of social media platforms. Some may be more familiar to you than others. Almost everyone has some experience with Facebook, and applications such as Twitter, Instagram and YouTube are fairly well-known. Others, such as Pinterest, Flickr, Tumblr and Wordpress, may not be so familiar to you, but they are important applications to know and use.

4 WHAT IS INSTAGRAM? Instagram is a fun and quirky way to share your life with friends through a series of pictures. (via Instagram) Instagram allows you to share photos on the go and give your followers a glimpse of your daily life. Take them with you to your favorite business-related places. Snap some in-progress photos of your projects, business meetings or conferences you re attending.

5 WHY SHOULD I USE INSTAGRAM? Successfully managing your online presence can take your business to the next level. Consistent posts on social media platforms keep you in the minds of your followers. Each post also marks a place with your name on the vast Internet. Each tweet, Facebook post and Instagram picture (and now video) becomes searchable. This makes it easier to find and connect with you.

6 WHY SHOULD I USE INSTAGRAM? The insta in Instagram doesn t have to be. Many users upload fully edited photos to Instagram. You can post a combination of these polished pictures (which could be of your jewelry or artwork or other products) and some instant on-the-go pictures. This mash-up appears more authentic and makes you seem less like a salesperson and more like a real person.

7 HOW DO I JOIN INSTAGRAM? You can join Instagram by downloading the app (short for application) to your smartphone or by accessing it on Google Play. The set-up is very simple and can be completed in a few moments.

8 HOW DO I USE INSTAGRAM? There are five icons at the bottom of the screen. The first, a little house, takes you home. This is where you view your followers photos. The star is the Explore screen. From here, you can search for Instagram users or photos of interest by hashtag.

9 HOW DO I USE INSTAGRAM? The camera (the Instagram logo) in the middle allows you to post photos. The Heart key shows you your news, such as who liked your photos, and your followers activity.

10 The last icon takes you to your profile where you can view all of the photos you ve uploaded and how many followers you have. You can also (via the little gear icon) access a friend-finding feature, privacy settings, help and other administrative features. HOW DO I USE INSTAGRAM?

11 YOUR INSTAGRAM PROFILE Your Instagram profile allows for a brief bio. This should be the same, or an abbreviated version, of the profile you use on other social media sites. There is a place to add a link in your profile, too. This could be a blog or shop link. As with your bio, your profile photo should be the same one you use on your other social media networks. This consistency makes you easily identifiable and helps viewers recall where else they ve spotted you on the web.

12 POSTING TO INSTAGRAM You can use the Instagram app to take your photos or pull them from your phone s photo library. 1. Press the miniature Instagram symbol at the center bottom of the screen, to start. 2. Once you ve selected a pic, hit the Crop key to crop the photo. 3. Tap a filter (or leave your photo unfiltered) to change your photo. When you find the one you like, press Next. 4. Add a caption to your pic. Use hashtags (#) to make your photos searchable to other Instagram followers. 5. Now you can add people who are in your photos. You may also add your photos to a map. 6. Lastly, you can share your pics on several other social media apps. 7. Click Share when you re all done.

13 THE BENEFITS OF INSTAGRAM In addition to more exposure for your business, you can also sell products directly from Instagram. Many sellers run Instagram-only sales and promotions. Some also avoid listing fees on sites like Etsy by offering items their followers.

14 THE BENEFITS OF INSTAGRAM Instagram has a feature that allows you to post your photo posts to several locations at once. You can share them with Facebook, Flickr, Tumblr, Twitter, Foursquare and . This is beneficial as it keeps your presence live across social media without additional work. You can also connect your Instagram account to your blog/site. There are widgets available to add your Insta photo stream to your sidebar.

15 OTHER THINGS ON INSTAGRAM Users can search for photos using hashtags. When you add them to your photos you show up in those search streams. This is how users find new streams to follow. Making your photos easy to find makes your profile more likely to be noticed. Providing a link to your blog or Facebook page can direct traffic to your business.