Instagram, the image centric app is one of the leading social media networks today. It is extensively used by all the major brands to establish their identity online. However, for marketing purposes, just uploading the pictures on Instagram wouldn’t do the trick. You have to play by certain specific rules for Instagram marketing for the maximum effect.
Two things that play a major role in Instagram marketing are :
- Photo Captions
- Hashtags
Are your Photo Captions Catchy Enough?
A lot of Instagram users, edit their pictures using the filters and upload them. That’s it. Now that’s definitely not the end of the game. For the maximum impact, you need to write a crisp caption to every picture your upload. The captions add to the oomph factor of the pictures. The purpose of the captions is to give highlight a certain aspect of your picture and provide deeper insight or clarity to the viewer. It is with the help of a proper caption that the viewer can interpret the photo from a different angle than he would have had without a suitable photo description.
If you are using Instagram for marketing purposes, do not forget to post your pictures without a caption. When you are writing a caption, see to it it’s relevant. Don’t just put a quote or a famous one liner. It’s best to go minimalist, using the appropriate words.
For example, if you are sell handmade soaps, you can’t simply post a picture of the same and expect it to get a number of likes and create the impact. Along with the picture, you must post a caption, wherein you state that it’s a handmade soap, list a few essential ingredients etc. This way, the viewers will know more about the product and that could trigger an interest in them to buy your product or refer it to others.
A lot of Instagram users add emojis in their captions, which is not completely a bad idea. However, don’t make it a habit every time you post a picture. Using one or two at times might add flare to the caption but if you use too many and always, the seriousness or the smartness of the caption might lose its flavour.
And those Hashtags!
Another important part of Instagram marketing is the hashtags. You might have come across several captions, filled with hashtags. People might do it in order to attract maximum number of followers but overall, it’s not the best Instagram practice at all. Infact, you should include not more than 2-3 hashtags, per photo caption.
Hashtags are used for organizing and categorizing the extensive collection of pictures and videos on Instagram. Without hashtags, Instagram marketing won’t be any effective. By using the correct search hashtags you can boost the visibility of your pictures and videos. For examples, if you are posting pictures of eco-friendly home décor products, using tags like #homedecor #eco-friendly etc will be beneficial for you. People who will search using these keywords will find your content easily, if your pictures are appropriately hashtagged.
The leading brands don’t use hashtags blindly. They either use the popular ones trending or create new hashtags, according to their brands and products. Hashtags help the marketers in 2 ways:
- By helping them network better
- By helping them reaching out to more number of target audience and enhancing their brand recognition.
So, if you are planning to start using Instagram for marketing, or are already using but not getting the desired result, see to it that your photo captions and hashtags are appropriate and impactful enough.
