To Instagram or not to Instagram? What type of question is that?

If you are not on Instagram as a business owner…then we are obviously judging you right now.

With Instagram showing the highest usage growth year on year, and having a core audience of Millennials you should be very nervous if you don’t have a ‘sh*t hot’ Instagram content strategy in place. For quite some time influencers have taken advantage of this uncluttered platform to build relationships with online audiences and convert that love into serious cash, so the big question is why are you not leveraging off this opportunity in a big way?

Here are a few things you need to know about Instagram and why we love it more than ‘chocolate fondant’:

Visual content is the Queen and Instagram is her King.

Instagram is a visual platform and getting consumers to love you on Instagram means you need to work for it. No dull photos are welcome in this space, think authentic content and #hashtagging like a pro. We love that this personality trait of Instagram can’t be dampened, if you want to share more raw and real moments use insta stories. What we love about the combination of beautiful curated images and real insta stories is that you get to show off a much more interesting dynamic of your brand. If your final product is all about perfection, then show it in your images and share the process of making your product through the stories.

You can’t buy fame on Instagram:

Unless you are a brand like Nike or a celebrity you are going to have to work for your following, yes you can advertise and leverage the power of reach on Instagram, but even that doesn’t mean you will have 1000 followers overnight. Building a following requires consistency and authenticity.

Find your own voice – everyone else’s is taken.

If ever there was a platform you had to be your true self, it is Instagram; people are looking for brands that not only make them feel good, but share information that is relevant and real. This means that brands have a huge opportunity to build real relationships with their consumers.

Instagram and #hashtags go hand in hand:

Some people love the hashtags and some hate them, but what if we told you Instagram and Hashtags go hand in hand? – According to Later – posts with at least one #hashtag will average 12.6% more engagement than posts that don’t have a hashtag?

Instagram #hashtags and great content are gold as they help to expose your brand to large and more targeted audiences. In summary using hashtags on Instagram will lead to an increase in your chances of attracting new followers and increasing your likes and engagement.

Have a look at the following links about hashtags and some great #hashtags to use:

https://later.com/blog/ultimate-guide-to-using-instagram-hashtags/

http://www.butfirstcoffeeblog.com/2017/01/the-best-girl-boss-hashtags.html