Copyright 2015 Silicon Valley Digital Marketing Institute, All Rights Reserved

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1 Instagram is a robust photo and video sharing website and mobile application that allows users to upload, filter and share photos with followers and friends on Instagram and other social networking sites simultaneously. What s unique about Instagram is that photos appear to be square rather than the 16:9 aspect ratio photos that are generally available on most mobile phones today. This square photo format gives your images a vintage feel as if it were a polaroid instant photo. As previously mentioned, Instagram also offers video-sharing options allowing users to share videos up to 15 seconds in length. Today, Instagram is widely used by individuals for both social and business purposes. As with other social networks, businesses use Instagram as a resource to promote their products and services while connecting with their followers. In order to connect with a specific individual or business on Instagram, you really need to search and follow them. Public profiles are easy to follow and basically, anyone can. However, private profiles are restricted and require permission from the

2 profiles owner. Brief History of Instagram Launched by Mike Krieger and Kevin Systorm in October 2010, as a photo-sharing application, its primary purpose was to allow people to share their life through pictures simultaneously throughout the world. Since then, Instagram has evolved and added features like profiles, filters, and video-sharing applications. Today, Instagram is very popular among celebrities and influential people throughout the world such as LeBron James, Michelle Obama and many more. They re on Instagram not only to connect with their friends and audiences, but also to keep them updated about upcoming projects or events. In just a short period of time, Instagram has become an indispensable social media tool for many people, primarily because long contextual content hardly catches people s attention anymore. In fact, attention spans are decreasing and with the content available online increasing everyday, viewers are demanding instant connections and visually appealing content to keep them engaged and informed. Because of this, it s no wonder that it has become so

3 popular for individuals and businesses. How Instagram is Helping Businesses Instagram, like other social networking sites, was not originally designed for businesses, but just like others, it has seen its fair share of business potential. Big names in music such as MTV, the Foo Fighters, John Mayer and others are able to promote themselves or their businesses utilizing Instagram. Sporting icons include behind-the-scenes virtual tours for exclusive tournaments like Wimbledon, The Maters, The Super Bowl and the World Series. All of these people and their respective brand sponsors capitalize on Instagram as part of a larger internet marketing strategy. Whether you are a restaurant owner, website owner, fashion blogger, plumber, a logistics company, or in the food industry, the evolution and popularity of Instagram provides the potential to connect with and do business with millions of people across the globe. Today, Instagram is filled with success stories about businesses that gained popularity with customers all through the use of pictures and there s no reason that yours can t make it too.

4 Instagram encourages customer participation and enables them to connect with you on a more personal level compared to other internet marketing strategies. Whether it is behind the scene of a video or a photo of project progress, your followers will feel like a greater part of the whole development process. Social media is only useful for businesses if it focuses on engagement and this is also the case with Instagram. Instagram Features you Need to Know About Instagram offers numerous features that are not only a lot of fun to try out, but also helps you connect deeper with your audience. We ll now briefly discuss some of most popular and commonly used features on Instagram. Your Business Web Profile Your business profile is the window through which followers can get a good idea of exactly what it is that you re trying to promote. Remember that your profile should be updated regularly with the correct information.

5 Above you ll see a shot of MTV s Instagram page and as you can see, it briefly outlines what the page is all about and includes the URL to their website. In fact, the pictures reflect their business and gives you a taste of what you can expect. Your Instagram page needs to reflect your business so that those who come across your page can make a quick decision on whether the content you provide will be of any value to them. Hashtags Just like all social media platforms, Instagram s hashtags work pretty much the same way in that they enable users to get access to their desired content rather quickly.

6 All you really need to do to get started is to simply start clicking on your photos and giving them hash-tags with the proper tags. One example of this would be for a photo to celebrate 1000 followers on Instagram. You could do this by simply taking a picture of a celebratory cake or placard that says Thank You (or something even more creative) and then place hashtags such as #Thankyou, #Youreawesome, #Celebration or something of similar nature. You can also add hashtags in the comment section once the picture is taken. The following are a few hashtag rules when using Instagram: You can only tag in your own pictures and videos and can t tag others. You can only use a maximum of 30 tags per photo or video. If you were to try and add more then the comment will not be posted. You can t use characters like % or? in hashtags but you can use numbers. Make sure your profile settings are set on public rather than private, otherwise your photos and videos will only be available for your followers and not the rest of the Instagram community.

7 Following Just like Facebook s subscribe option or Twitter s and Pinterest s Follow option, Instagram enables its users to follow whomever they so desire. It s important that you set your profile to public so that it is easier for others to find and follow you. However, don t just wait for others to follow you. You should be following other similar users and businesses in order to get an idea of what people are talking about and what s trending. Therefore, make sure that you follow your competitors, news channels, celebrities, and other prominent and similar users.

8 Filters Filters are easily the star component of Instagram. They add character and personality to each image and video by providing a myriad of options to edit photos. Below you ll find a sample of some of the filters that you ll find on Instagram. All of these filters offer impressive post-editing options that can easily enhance the quality of your images. You can even choose to use third-party photography or other editing apps and then upload them to Instagram. Other Photo Editing Features There are plenty of other photo editing features available on

9 Instagram including Lux, which makes the picture more prominent and profound, High Dynamic Range, Light Bokeh, Auto Exposure and more. The Web Feed Instagram first introduced their web feed in early 2013, and enables users to login and check their newsfeed on their desktop the same way they do on their mobile phones. Obviously, Instagram has been a mobile-based site for a long-time and it still is but you can still access Instagram on any device. The web feed makes it easy for your followers to check your photos and videos on-the-go and at their own convenience. The larger screen undoubtedly increases the visibility of your products and enables them to move from your image directly to your website and thus leads to more brand exposure and web traffic. Instagram Video Instagram first introduced its video feature in June As previously mentioned, you can record up to 15 seconds of video while choosing from over 13 different filters. This feature has seen a lot of positive feedback because of its ease of use and editing

10 options. It also allows you to choose a specific frame from the video to appear as the cover image so as to make it more visually appealing. Instagram s video feature also offers the cinema feature with which you can stabilize the video once its been made. From a business perspective, you can use this function to encourage your customers to post videos when using your products or services, or post short videos of why they love them. One idea to implement when using this feature is to ask for feedback, or you can even post your own behind-the-scene videos. The options are endless and so is the potential to communicate and connect with those who matter most to your business. Know your Audience You can t post pictures of baby feet with the objective of generating more sales for your office supplies. In other words, you really need to understand exactly who your target audience is and what they re interested in. You have a better chance of connecting with them if you have a reasonable idea of who they are. This is where Instagram differs from personal use and business use. For example, when you use an

11 Instagram account for personal use, your objective is to let your personality show through interesting pictures, regardless of whether or not anyone approves. On the other hand, with your business account, it s not what s personally relevant to you but what is relevant to your audience. This doesn t mean that your images and videos have to be static or boring but rather it means that you need to reflect your potential followers preferences. You can get an idea of what your target audience wants by following and analyzing your competitors Instagram pages. We suggest you go through them to see what kind of images or videos they ve posted and what their followers are commenting on. You can also use geotags to see what people are posting in your area, and what seems to be trending on social media in general. At this point, research is paramount, and it will enable you to plan your strategy accordingly. Remember, once you understand your audience and their preferences then you can begin posting your pictures accordingly. Simply posting images of your products or services will do very little if anything to interest your viewers.

12 The pictures in the images above are from Whole Foods Market, the popular food chain. Now although all of these in some form or another reflect their business, they are not simply product pictures. That s exactly the kind of thing you need to do. In other words, you need to post photos and videos that reflect your business rather than literally hoarding the newsfeed with boring and uninspiring imagery. When you get started, try not to post too many pictures and videos at one time. Just post once a day, or three to four times a week should suffice when starting out.