Have you realized that sometimes, just posting the same content on different platforms can adversely affect your brand? It’s true. What works for Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn does not work for Instagram at all! Each platform is unique and requires a lot of planning and creativity.

A few days ago, when I was rummaging through different Instagram profiles of B2B companies, I came across Mailchimp. My first honest reaction was “Whoa!”. Who would think that an email marketing service would come across building such amazing content on their Instagram?

They were crazy, they were fun, they were cute, they were engaging – they were exactly how a brand should be in Instagram!

Instagram for your Business? What’s right and what’s not?

Let’s be honest. Although I am sure that a lot of blogs out there can give you amazing tips on how to start working on your Instagram profile, first and foremost, you, as a brand ought to be convinced. You can even take a lot of time to convince yourself before you plunge into Instagram but never ever do it for the sake of it or worse because your competitors have done it.

Holistically speaking, research and statistics has shown that Instagram plays a vital role in user engagement and driving a niche for your brand. The infographic given below gives you an idea of how interesting Instagram is to drive user engagement and traffic to your brand.

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Here are 5 best Instagram practices that should be implemented if you want to drive traffic to your brand.

Brand Talk

Sounds impeccably simple but believe me it’s not! Choosing Instagram platform as a means to engage your customers requires a lot of story telling. The whole idea of Instagram is to engage your customers/followers with chirpy, funny and inspiring pictures that also sends out a message.

Build your own story line (concepts) and design your ideas around it. Choose pictures that compliments your idea and talks for itself. Since, every story needs a climax – subtly present what makes your brand special and why you customers ought to check it out.

Picturesque

Need I say more? What else is more important when your branding your business in a photo sharing platform?

Since March 2014 more than 20 Billion photos have been uploaded to Instagram. How will you make your ones stand out?

Aside from the fact that they are High Quality, ensure that your pictures speak for itself. For example, I came across this post in Instagram by WeWork.

Notice the quality of the picture? To newbies, WeWork is a business that provides office/workspaces. This recent post from WeWork not only shows how comfortable the workspace is but also gives users an idea of what components are included in them. Simple speaking : they are speaking their brand with one beautifully through the lens. Creative and appealing isn’t it? Likewise, chose pictures that signify your brand and make it talk to itself.

Always ensure that your pictures meets the dimensions for Instagram photos.

Hashtags

Synonymous of your social posts, Hashtags play a major role in stabilizing our brand’s digital presence. So why don’t you use it in Instagram?

A successful #hashtag campaign can make your brand reach nook and corners of the digital world! Without doubt, Hashtag are crowned supreme on Instagram. Choose the best Hashtag using Hastagify and drive it in to build your profile.

Emotional Connect

Since social media is all about interaction, Instagram can predominantly be used as a tool to vibrate users emotions. In fact, I am glad that American Express justify’s my thoughts!

Greetings are, without doubt, one of the most primary way to connect with your audience. Personal greetings aside, you can use the web to post seasonal greeting for all your followers. In fact, such an effort from your brand is going to be received well. In other terms, it would also be a great means of trust building with your fans. Try and reward some of your fans with freebies and post the same on your Instagram. It generates a plethora of interest and drives in more followers!

Driving results through any social media channel requires a lot of effort & consistency and Instagram is no less! As long as you have quality posts and engaging content, believe in your brand and plunge in. Happy Instagramming!

70% of the Instagram users check their feed at least once a day, 35 % several times a day!

Videos

Videos are one of the most engaging form of marketing especially on Instagram. However, contemporary videos are a tad bit different from the original form – they are boomeranged!

If you have personally come across a practice that has created a great niche for your brand in Instagram, don’t forget to share it with us. Drop your thoughts in the comment section below!