Promotion on Instagram. Instagram self-promotion tools

Do you run a business page on Instagram and do not have time to keep track of who unfollowed you and who became a new subscriber? Comments are lost, and it takes several hours to select a list of hashtags?

Then the tools in this article will definitely come in handy for you, which will make it easier to work with clients, track comments and likes, analyze the reputation of your brand, and plan posts for several months in advance.

We have already told you about , but not all of them are suitable for Instagram. Therefore, I have prepared for you a new review of the 10 best apps that will help you run your business on Instagram.

1. Buffer

Instagram does not allow you to set up posting without the participation of the author, so Buffer acts as Instagram alarm clock. With other social networks, it works as a service for automatic delayed posting.

What Buffer can do:

• Prepare posts in advance with photos, descriptions and hashtags. You set the day and time when you would like to post it, and the service will remind you of this with a notification. You will only need to confirm the publication (if desired, the post can be edited). It's easy, even if you're on the road or at work.

• Work on both PC and smartphone. But notifications will only come to the smartphone.

• Remind you to check which Instagram profile you are currently on (relevant if you have multiple pages). The function can be disabled.

Price:there is a free tariff plan that allows you to work with only one social network and create no more than 10 posts in advance. On the site you can find out about tariff plans .

2.Hootsuite

Hootsuite has recently joined Instagram, but has already proven to be a good tool for scheduled posting, monitoring your audience and their preferences. You can publish posts on several social networks at the same time. The app supports not only Instagram, but also Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and more.

What Hootsuite can do:

• Prepare content ahead of time. You can create Instagram posts (for a day, for a week, for a month) and specify when they should be published. On the appointed day and time, Hootsuite will send a notification. By clicking on it, you will be taken to the post preparation field - here you can edit the image already uploaded for posting, insert another one and hashtags with one click.

• Analyze audience behavior. You have access to the lists of users you are subscribed to and the list of followers. In addition, you can monitor all uses of your brand's unique hashtags.

• Watch for mentions of the company. Set up streams with the geolocation of your company. This will help you track posts from customers who take photos of your product and geotag them, but forget about the branded hashtag. Another plus is that you can find, which are often marked near your company.

Price: e There is a 30-day trial, all others tariff plans — paid (from $19).

3. Crowdfire

This service will greatly simplify the work with subscribers: you can see everyone who subscribed or unsubscribed from your profile, create whitelists/blacklists, and even find customers who are definitely interested in your business by analyzing feeds of subscribers of profiles with similar topics.

What Crowdfire can do:

• Show people who didn't follow you back. Convenient buttons to the left of each user in the application menu will quickly remove them from the unfollowers list.

• Generate lists of those who subscribed to your profile, but whom you did not add to the following. This will allow you to easily follow new users and subscribe to them in response using a single button (it is also located to the left of each profile in the list).

• Copy lists of users who are subscribed to profiles similar to yours in terms of topics. This will help you quickly find "warm" customers. The application shows you a complete list of subscriptions of any brand, and right from this window you can add any page to following in a couple of clicks.

• Publish scheduled posts at a given time. Each post prepared in Crowdfire will have the hashtag “via Crowdfire” (regardless of the tariff plan).

Price:there is a free tariff, the rest - from $ 10. You can see all prices only after registration or on the screen below :)

Member of the Business Academy? Everything you need to know about attracting new subscribers and . Look for the link: how to switch to a business profile, protect your account from hacking, create a content plan, connect automatic mailing in Direct, etc.

Find all information about the Business Academy

4. Social Insight

This service offers mainly analytical functions. With Social Insight, you can easily create posts in advance, develop a content plan independently and as a team, choose the best time to post based on the service’s analytics, keep track of your most active fans and analyze what content is the best to hit.

What Social Insight can do:

• Follow the full statistics on your profile. The service even gives statistics on the most popular photo and video filters. You will see:
  • who subscribed / unsubscribed;
  • when was the largest increase in subscribers;
  • total number of comments, likes;
  • what content your subscribers liked the most, etc.

• Give advice on the best time to post based on your profile statistics.

• Compose on a PC and post the right content on time.

Price: there are 3 paid plans ; You can evaluate for free whether the application suits you in 14 days.

5. Sendible

Sendible will help you plan your posts in advance, choose the optimal posting time, work on tasks on Instagram as a team, publish content on multiple channels at once, and even monitor your brand’s mentions on social networks.

In addition, the service supports not only Instagram, but also Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and integrates with Google Analytics, Slack and Dropbox. Application includes A CRM manager that will help you manage email and SMS messages.

What Sendible can do:

• Combine all social media channels on one display. Thanks to this, it is easier to watch content streams, you will not miss interesting posts and comment on them in time.

• Monitor your online reputation. The service automatically generates statistics on positive, negative and neutral reviews about your brand by analyzing keywords.

• Select the optimal time for publications based on the collected statistics. With Sendible, you can achieve maximum audience engagement. Create individual or team content plans, store pictures in a dedicated media library, and use support services like Canva.

Price: e There is a free trial period for 30 days and 3 paid plans. Acquainted withcharacteristics of each can be on the website.

6. Later

This delayed posting program is only as an announcer, she will not publish a photo on her own. Set the day / time when you need to remember to make a post, and wait for a notification on your smartphone. In addition, powerful analytical functionality is available to you.

What Later can do:

• Provide statistics by profile and business niche. In addition to sending notifications, there are basic / advanced analytics functions - you can track likes, clicks and monitor the number of subscribers. There is a function to search for content by hashtags, users and even likes.

• Best organized. You can choose how the photos will be placed in the profile, Later allows you to practice with the profile view - rearrange posts, plan the perfect color scheme. The main difference compared to other Instagram alarm clocks is built-in photo cropping service.

• Share content from different devices thanks to the media library, where you can save photos and videos from PC, OneDrive, DropBox. It is also convenient for teamwork. For the extension for Chrome, another library has been developed, into which with one click you can add all the ideas that interest you while searching.

Price: there is free version , which allows you to post up to 30 posts on Instagram per month (you can also connect Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, for them the number of available posts is the same). You will also have access to the media library, where you can store all the files you need for publishing, and basic analytics tools.

AT paid versions the number of posts per month increases, a multi-user function appears (when 2-3 or more employees can maintain a profile). Videos can be attached to posts. Also, all paid packages provide improved analytical tools Pro Instagram Analytics.

7. Tailwind

First of all, Tailwind helps plan publications weeks and months in advance. You can prepare posts directly from your PC; to do this, create a file library on your computer. It is very convenient that you can see how your content plan from prepared posts looks like in a simulated Instagram page.

What Tailwind can do:

• Save photos and pictures directly from sites and add them to the image database or even directly to the content plan of delayed posts.

• See which hashtags in the selected area are the most popular, right in the post preparation mode and insert them into the signature with one click.

• Set up notifications with reminders of prepared posts. You can turn on/off the sound, choose the optimal type of reminder, etc.

Price: d A demo version is available, but all tariffs are paid (from $10 per month).

8. Hashtagify

Hashtagify is one of the most well-known services for tracking top hashtags on a given topic. The main advantage of this service is search and analysis including Russian-language hashtags.

What Hashtagify can do:

• Choose thematic hashtags in the form of a tree. Each "branch" can be clicked to see the next branch of frequently used words.

• Display statistics for each hashtag. Data can be viewed by hovering over a branch and in screen mode.

Price:a demo version is available for 10 days, after which you need to choose . You can use the limited features of the hashtag library for free only with Twitter, you will have to pay for Instagram analytics.

9 Iconosquare

The service helps to monitor from one screen all activity in your business profile, generates statistics of the top profile posts and the most popular hashtags in your niche. In addition, it allows even those users who do not have Instagram to view photos and leave comments on your profile.

What Iconosquare can do:

• Simplify account management. You can like, see new comments and respond quickly to them, follow followers who have just added or unsubscribed - all from one platform.

• Show detailed account statistics. Learn what content in your profile has become top and got the most likes / comments, what was the increase in subscribers over the week. The service generates daily statistics on your account and sends it to the mail.

• Remind you to post. You can set up a schedule in advance on your PC, and Iconosquare will send you a mention on your smartphone at the right time.

• Schedule posting. Based on statistical data, the application calculates when it is most profitable to publish content.

• Make it easier to run contests on Instagram (paid feature). The service can show all comments (there are problems with this in the social network itself) and analyze activity for a certain amount of time. Therefore, you can even arrange contests with voting.

Price: free trial period - 14 days, after which you need to choose one of the paid tariff plans.is on the official website.

10. Repost

What Repost can do:

• Make reposts in 2 clicks and save a link to the original post.

• Search for the desired content by hashtags or username.

• Follow your favorite channels on one screen.

Price: is free.

If you liked the selection and want to see similar tool reviews for other social networks, please like and share the article with your friends.

And you can learn more about how to start selling your goods and services on the Internet from the article “ ”.

In the few years of its existence, Instagram has come a long way. Today it is one of the largest social networks with 400 million active users. For most American teenagers, this is the main playground. But not only for them: according to Simply Measured, 85% of brands have Instagram accounts. To make promotion in it effective, each marketer uses certain services. Today we will present 5 effective tools - perhaps among them you will discover something new for yourself.

Formerly Latergramme, a tool used by Lonely Planet and the Wall Street Journal. There is a function of delayed publication, uploading photos, videos and quick repost. The free version provides limited functionality: a maximum of 2 accounts and only 30 posts per month. Paid packages - from $19.

You can work simultaneously with three social networks: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. There is a function of delayed publication, managing multiple accounts, editing photo images. Five package options - from Starter for $19 per month (1 account on Instagram, 5 each on Facebook and Twitter) to Enterprise Plus for $179 (20 Instagram accounts, 25 each on other social networks) ). There is a free period of 7 days.

Works with 35 (!) social networks, with Instagram only since last year. An excellent tool for analytics, receiving feedback from the audience and evaluating its involvement. It also helps keep accounts secure. The Hootsuite collection includes 80 social media productivity apps. There is a free trial (3 profiles, basic analytics) and paid Pro and Business packages.

Another tool for analytics. Allows you to sort followers by engagement and value to you, determine the best time to post and those publications that your subscribers like the most. There are three packages: for digital agencies ($299 per month, 20 accounts), businesses ($79, 3 accounts) and ordinary users ($29, 1 account). All three plans have a free trial period.

Instagram's success only confirms the hypothesis that niche cleavage is the future of the social media market. As predicted by Western marketers, social networks are beginning to be divided not only by the type of users, such as LinkedIn (for professional contacts), but also by the type of content, such as the “visuals” of Pinterest and Instagram. By the way, both of the latter are dedicated exclusively to graphic content, but it was Instagram that became an amazing success story.

The number of Instagram followers is growing every second. It would be reckless not to use such a "live" platform in the interests of your business, despite the fact that the largest social networks have long and more than successfully been used to promote brands. Strategies, methods have been developed, a real industry of SMM services has been created. Perhaps it's time to look at the possibilities of Instagram through the eyes of social media specialists, since this is no longer one of billions of applications, but a social network that can, like others, become a powerful marketing channel for brands.

II. What Instagram gives brands

Instagram in its potential is an "untilted field" of various opportunities for both B2C brands (aimed at the end consumer) and companies oriented towards a business audience (with a well-built business strategy). By the way, unlike the methods, the goals that can be achieved using the service are largely identical to those set in a standard social media marketing campaign, namely:

#Recognition

Although there are no ads on Instagram, you can pinch off some of the fame from here: you need to give such content that users themselves subscribe to you (it is important not to slide into an account with funny pictures). The absence of a viral effect complicates everything, since sharing (posting other people's posts in your feed) requires a special application. In what situation would a user rush to install it? Perhaps, if only you take a picture of him and he wants to get a picture of himself beloved. There is only one way out: to become the very best, the most interesting, the most useful.

#Loyalty

It's such an interesting thing when people love your brand. Not products, not employees, but just a brand for what it is. Yes, not every online bearing store will be able to repeat the success of Apple. But you can and should try to make the buyer fall in love with you, and here visual content will help you. Today, when people have no time to read, communication through pictures can be considered the beginning of flirting.

#Reputation management and feedback

Any impact on someone else's opinion gives rise to an instant reaction, as in Newton's mechanics. You can make the most wonderful product (which we have no doubt), but there will still be critics. It is necessary to respond to angry reviews (whether fair or not). Answering questions about the company, products and services is your sacred duty and the ability to win over a potential client.

The process is hindered by limited search functionality on Instagram. Here the principle of “hashtag or nothing” applies, which also gives good results.

#Lead generation (receiving targeted calls to the company)

Let's start with the frustration: Selling directly from Instagram is hard enough. Of course, the service can indirectly present the product to a potential client, but the issue of switching to an order/purchase will have to be solved by indirect methods (a personal appeal to the account moderator, a call to visit the site, call back, etc.). The main difficulty is the inability to perform the target action directly from the service.

Link clicks cannot be counted as such. Yes, and in principle, there is only one active link - in the description of the account in the profile. But no one bothers to sign under the photo that the product has appeared on the site or in any store, tell about the new model, etc.

III. How to maintain an account

The main difference between Instagram is that people come here exclusively for cute-looking content, while other social networks serve several purposes: communication, entertainment, information (for example, consult with friends about which pan to buy as a gift). That's why to promote a brand, you have to do anything but give the user that delicious picture. There are several tools to help you.

Strategy

Before registering an account on Instagram, you need to understand what can be your “trick”. If you plan to post photos of your product from different angles, you will not achieve anything by this (it is better to immediately give the budget to someone who urgently needs money). At this stage, you cannot do without a clear digital strategy tailored to this social network. Let's consider its main components.

#Idea

Look at successful brand accounts or just Instagram bloggers with many thousands of followers who may not be famous people. Each of them has some idea. Perhaps the most famous example is the account of photographer Murad Osmann and his Follow Me project.

Of course, it will be enough for some Madonna to simply take a picture of herself in the mirror in the bathroom. If you are not Madonna, you will have to work much, much harder. You have to provide really interesting content, in a pinch - useful, and at the same time do not stray too far from your brand. Suppose you have an online store of sweets: no need to photograph the counter or copy the candy catalog. Take a lot of beautiful still lifes with different moods and post a couple a day.

#Content plan

This life-simplifying thing is usually always written down when drawing up a strategy. So, no matter what enterprising advertisers promise you, remember: an Instagram account is when less is better. Just imagine yourself in the place of a user who, yawning, opens the Instagram feed in the morning and instead of a selfie of friends in every second photo, he sees, in fact, the advertising content of some brand. Remember what the news feed looks like on a smartphone. This is really a tape where you need to scroll through the photos from one to another, from interesting to even more attractive, and everything will immediately fall into place. That's right: everything boring and intrusive will only cause irritation and a desire to immediately unsubscribe from such a subscription.

As an example, let's take the account of the home appliance manufacturer Korting. According to the concept and content plan, photos of mouth-watering dishes with pleasant wishes were posted to the community several times a week, and only on Thursdays - branded content designed in the style of the company.

#The target audience

It is important to reach out to your audience so that your content is interesting and useful to them - this rule applies to all marketing on social media, it also applies to Instagram.

Be sure to make your profile photo - your business card - bright and memorable. It will be the company logo in its purest form, some variations of it or an image within the framework of the chosen account strategy - it's up to you. But remember: the vast majority of users watch the feed from the screen of their smartphones, and they are quite small. You will definitely not have a second chance to make a first impression on potential customers - think over this moment in advance. As an example, let's take the Forever "21 brand: a bright, recognizable and at the same time concise profile photo that fits perfectly into the overall concept of the account.

Content

There are two types of content on Instagram: photos and videos. The ability to shoot videos appeared not so long ago, the timing of videos is limited to 15 seconds, and nothing can be done about it. Undoubtedly, at the moment, the photo has a huge advantage over the video, as it requires less effort to create and view.

Uniqueness. We have already talked about the uniqueness of your content as a defining feature of a successful promotion on Instagram. So this is actually very important: the content must be really original. If you already take some existing pictures, they should at least not be hackneyed. Here you can help various photobanks, of which there are a great many on the network.

Description. It is often useful, in addition to hashtags, to add a description to each photo (some kind of brief explanation, question or comment). Of course, the option of simply posting photos also has the right to life, but it’s better to somehow prove yourself. Most importantly, do not confuse Instagram with Facebook and do not write long posts. A couple of suggestions are enough. But remember: users prefer to like rather than comment.

#Photo content

It can be interesting to everyone or narrowly thematic, useful or purely entertaining. One thing is important without a doubt - it must be of high quality both in meaning and in the quality of photographs. Yes, there are individuals who create content for Instagram solely through the camera of their smartphone. Of course, this is a personal matter for everyone, but your branded account should not have any blurry shots, pixelation, and other joys of a pseudo-photographer.

Use different options - still lifes, collages, portraits - anything that can attract attention. Don't limit yourself to photographing your products, think a little wider. Play charades with your brand, act on associations. See what the accounts of various Western brands look like, for example, the very “tasty” page of the Oreo company:

But even less well-known, or even local brands can not be inferior to the titans of marketing. Here is a stunning Instagram showcase for American clothing store Topo Designs. It is simply interesting to be subscribed to such an account. The best photos of users are placed here, which is why it all looks so attractive. Notice they manage to do this without actively promoting their own hashtags. But there is also a little trick that you can safely take into service. Along with a glossy account that attracts users, there is a second account that specifically represents goods from the store.

Don't post your logo instead of photos. Even if your boss is happy about it, who else cares? And in general, you should not overdo it with branding: remember, the viral effect on Instagram is negligible. If a person has subscribed to your account, it means that he has already expressed a certain degree of trust and there is no need to disappoint him. For example, the Red .Bull energy page reflects the concept and emotional message of the brand:

Now imagine what the account would look like if it had photos of energy jars.

We will talk about contests, promotions and bonuses further, and as part of a conversation about content, we can mention such a form of interactive, such as publishing photos of subscribers selected according to certain criteria. Best photo of the month, hundredth shot, first photo of the day - it doesn't matter. The main thing is that the picture from the user's feed posted in your account is at least the joy of the author of the masterpiece and the interest in what happened from all his subscribers.

#Video content

This format, which appeared not so long ago, in principle, is already popular, especially among brands that have everything necessary to create it. The most interesting videos are famous Western accounts Oreo, Lego, National Geographic, Go Pro, etc.

Additional features

#Hashtags

Hashtags are one of the main magical powers of Instagram, so let's talk about them in more detail. It is with the help of these words, and sometimes phrases, that the inhabitants of this kingdom communicate.

Why are hashtags needed? This is a kind of cataloging within a social network. When you search for text, for example, on VKontakte, theoretically you can find it by the words it includes. With photographs, everything is more difficult. Therefore, arbitrary hashtags are put under each picture: they can refer to what is shown in the photo (#cat), display some mood (#happy), season, weather, event - whatever. Top hashtags can be seen here.

Using hashtags, you can both search for images and tag your pictures so that they can find you. You can use a hashtag with the brand name under your images or come up with your own as part of an ongoing advertising campaign. Each hashtag is an active link. By clicking on it, the user sees all the images that they have marked.

For example, the well-known Western youth clothing brand Forever .21 maintains its account under the motto Wear it. Share it ("Wear. Share"), realizing this with the help of your own hashtag #F21xMe. It is also interesting that this hashtag does not just voice the brand. He helps customers feel their connection with him, as if saying: "This is Forever 21 in my performance."

#Location detection

Instagram functionality allows you to determine the place where the photo was taken. You can choose the current location or create a new one using the suggested options (right in the service interface, at the stage of preparing a photo for publication).

How can this be used in marketing? There are many options. Let's take an example: did you open a new store in your network? It is very convenient to take beautiful pictures and mark the location. Also, under an interesting photo of the product, you can note in which store it is sold, etc.

#Going beyond Instagram

Instagram "besides itself" provides ample opportunities for posting existing content on other sites. You can:

• Post photos from your account on the company's website
  This is very easy to do directly from the Instagram web interface (from the official website, not from the mobile application). In this case, you will receive a clickable Instagram photo with a link leading to your profile. In order to get this link, you need to open the desired photo, click on the button with three dots and select Embed - a window will open with a link that can be inserted into the site page code.

What does it give? Photos from Instagram can be used for a variety of purposes: from summarizing the results of the competition to a selection of images, in order to highlight any interesting event, the pictures from which users uploaded to the application (with a specific hashtag).

Photos inserted in this way will retain both likes and a link to the profile, and since they are often taken on a phone and are far from perfect in quality, it is better to mark this separately.

However, photos can also be saved directly from the Instagram feed. However, this allows you to get only an image opened in a separate tab (without likes and comments), which can be saved as a picture. On mobile devices, this can be done using various applications, for example, InstaSave works on iOS and Android. In the web interface, just open the source code of the page and find a link to the photo itself there, for example, //photos-g.ak.instagram.com/hphotos-ak-xaf1/10735041_1480567495564702 _720656284_n.jpg:

An even easier way to download a photo is to use a special service, such as 4kdownload.com.

Be prudent: it is extremely difficult to contact the technical support of the social network. To be frank, in Russia, compliance with the rules may not always or not be monitored as quickly. However, this does not eliminate the risk, and the likelihood that sanctions will be applied remains quite high.

IV. Instagram promotion techniques

Once you have decided on the strategy, content and other main points, the natural question arises: how to make sure that at least someone sees all this? Yes, there will be ads on Instagram soon. However, no one names the exact dates, and it is still impossible to assess its actual effectiveness. However, millionaire accounts do exist. How did they achieve such results?

There are, in fact, only two methods for attracting subscribers to an account. We conditionally divide them into artificial and natural.

Artificial attraction of subscribers

This category can include both quite effective methods of paid posting in popular accounts, and senseless cheating of subscribers (and likes). Let's take a closer look.

#Cheating the number of subscribers

The method, frankly, is controversial. It consists in buying subscribers, but simply bots. These accounts are either originally registered for promotional purposes or have been bought or stolen from their owners. And if at first glance, especially to a non-specialist, they may seem quite natural, for the most part they are of no use, but your account can be blocked for cheating.

If you really resort to such a method (for example, to promote a "zero" account, create the appearance of activity), then this should be done very carefully, and it is better to refuse altogether.

Therefore, although such a method exists, it, like in other social networks, can at best be auxiliary, but, most likely, it will bring you nothing but harm, waste of time and money.

#Paid posts on Instagram

If you already use Instagram and follow any public pages or celebrity accounts, then you have probably seen paid posts. But even if you have not encountered anything like this, pay attention to this promotion format - it has shown itself well in practice.

It's actually quite simple. In the same way, advertising is bought on public pages in other social networks, be it Facebook, VKontakte or Odnoklassniki. First you need to make a list of thematic accounts (find them by hashtags or in the list of popular ones) and contact them. The second option is to use the Instagram advertising exchange - a site that will act as an intermediary between you as an advertiser and the owners of popular accounts you are interested in.

Further - easier. A post is posted in the desired account, you (your account) are marked on the image (in the description). As a result, you get coverage, subscribers and other bonuses - depending on the goals, content quality and the correct choice of the site. For example, promotion of the Oh, My Master! in the official profile of the famous model, presenter and fashion blogger Victoria Boni gave excellent results (including in attracting new subscribers).

The most traditional of the paid types of promotion is promotion on blogs, with the help of PR articles, on websites. These are all kinds of promotional materials, the inclusion of your account in the collections from the category of “10 most fashionable Instagram accounts that you need to follow” on any popular resource. This can be an active link to a photo from your profile inside the material or on the site where your target audience is concentrated. It is desirable that the resource on which you are hosting has an adaptive layout for mobile devices.

Natural ways to promote

If all the previous methods had in common that you usually have to pay for them, here the situation is reversed: it all depends on your skills and your coolness. But in any case, such methods of promotion require certain labor costs, please note.

#Using popular hashtags

We have already talked about where to look at this list, but you can resort to other methods, for example, use search engines. We won’t dare to give the TOP 100 hashtags right here: it is constantly changing and from the moment the book is written to the time it is read, it will become outdated several times.

Hashtag search works great - it is loved by users, it is also convenient for brands. When posting any content in accordance with the chosen strategy, it will not be superfluous to put a hashtag from the list of popular ones. So you can significantly increase the reach of the publication, get new likes and even subscribers if they like your content.

Also, overly common hashtags like #happy may not give an unambiguous effect. It is difficult to find your target audience when every third user around the world uses such tags.

#Subscriptions and likes

If the mountain does not come to you, then pack your backpack and go to the mountains. Go to subscribers, like their photos found by thematic hashtags, subscribe to their accounts. Too difficult? However, it works and is more than effective: ad personalization is a great technique. At least the user will go to see who subscribed to him.

It is also impossible to measure such an important metric as reach. Here we would recommend using various statistics collection services, for example, J.conosquare, known from SMM specialists. Due to the novelty of this type of promotion, such tools for Instagram are much less than for other social networks, however, you can choose the one that is more convenient for you from the available ones.

#Competitions, discounts, bonuses

Nice "buns" are still a good means of engagement, because everyone loves to receive gifts. Discounts, bonuses for subscribers, drawings of a priceless prize - here the fantasy is not limited. As for the methods of conducting competitions, at the moment there are two main ones most often:

• Using a custom hashtag
  The main condition of the competition is to post any (specified by the rules) photo in a personal account with a certain hashtag.
  It's great if it contains the brand name. Also, one of the prerequisites for participation may be a subscription to a promoted account.
  But in such competitions, significant motivation (a good prize, a bonus) and a simple task are required. Few people want to sew a Batman costume and climb high-rise in it because of a branded lighter.

An example of such a technique can be a competition in the account of the home appliance manufacturer Korting. Participants were asked to upload photos of various dishes with good wishes and the hashtag #cutemeal. About fifty pictures were posted, and the most active ones took part in a professional culinary master class.

• Using the repost app
  In the wake of the spread of such applications, contests like “Repost this post and get a pink elephant” began to gain popularity. Actually, this phrase describes the whole point. In this way, you can get a lot of coverage, but there is one “but”: the user must have the same application for reposts installed.

The number of Instagram users today is 130 million active users, billions of new likes appear every hour. If you work with this service correctly, you can provide instant viral marketing success. But otherwise, failure is inevitable. For those who have just started promoting a brand on Instagram, business2community.com has compiled 52 useful tips on how to successfully run an advertising campaign using this social platform.

account settings

1. Create an Instagram business account - it's very easy.

2. Use the name of the company or brand as the name. If it is taken, then choose the name that is most associated with the brand.

3. Fill in the profile information: upload a beautiful brand photo, add a short information about yourself, link to the company website.

4. Integrate your account with Facebook.

5. Set up automatic integration of photos from Instagram to Facebook, this will increase the number of reposts. Companies like Mercedes Benz get a lot of likes with cross-posts:

6. Come up with a unique brand strategy, rely on it in all aspects of promotion, show people your company's view of the world, focus all content around a bright unique idea.

Advertise your account

7. Use the tools to promote your Instagram account. For example, big brands in Russia use plibber.ru - it's enough to come up with creative content and an image, and then choose the accounts in which you are going to advertise. The average cost of one organic subscriber is from 1 to 3 rubles.

Hashtags

8. Hashtags in updates are one of the key components of the service. It is with the help of hashtags that the user will be able to find photos of the desired brand. Unlike Twitter, the number of characters is not limited, but do not overdo it, it looks intrusive.

9. Include the brand name in the hashtag. Write unique hashtags for individual advertising campaigns. For example, if you decide to run a photo contest, come up with a special hashtag for this. This tactic will not only be a good advertisement for the brand, but will also allow users to connect with each other, the contestants will thus see who they are competing with. Here's how Dry Soda used #fridayDRYday to engage users and share photos:

10. Use generic hashtags in every post. For example, if you're a coffee shop owner and you posted a photo of a latte, use the hashtags #latte or #coffee.

11. Use popular hashtags. Trends on Instagram change very quickly, so if you have time to join the fashion movement in time, add a suitable hashtag. Thus, your post will be among the most famous, and the number of views will be measured in thousands.

12. Be sure to follow new and relevant hashtags on Instagram. Add them to your posts. Take some time to connect with users who add these hashtags, comment and like their posts. Your activity will not go unnoticed.

13. Monitor the web and look for users adding your brand name as a hashtag. This is how subscribers use feedback to tell you something important. Track all mentions the same way you would on Facebook and Twitter. Reply quickly to ensure a good and long relationship with buyers.

The main thing – this isclients

14. Show your followers how much you appreciate them by posting and sharing their best photos on social networks. But remember, before you leave a post, be sure to ask permission. Starbucks, one of the top three brands on Instagram, uses this tactic very often. Once every few weeks, they dedicate a post to one of the followers, posting their artwork depicting one of the Starbucks products.

15. With the new feature on Instagram that allows you to embed Instagram photos on other sites, you are given the opportunity to host full-fledged fan posts. Make sure the user is aware that their post will appear on your site.

16. Like your followers' photos, especially if they feature your brand.

17. Comment on followers' photos.

18. Respond to all comments that are left on your photos / videos, even if they are negative.

19. Use mentions with @. Users love to be approached personally. For example, Coca-Cola singled out a subscriber who won a photo contest:

20. Use @mentions and tag celebrities. If your image is somehow related to the figure of a famous person, then do not be afraid to mark a star. Perhaps the photo will interest him / her so much that a repost will follow.

21. Focus on attracting buyers, create publications, constantly thinking about customers. An Instagram business should be geared towards the lifestyle your customers lead.

Show yourself

22. Don't forget to be creative: use various filters, interesting angles, lighting effects and other photography tricks. Add variety with programs like Photoshop, Diptic or Photoshake. Merge multiple images into one. Here is a great example of how you can combine three photos:

25. Show users how to use your company's products in real life. Here is an example of Whistler Water showing fans drinking their water at a concert:

26. Always maintain a perfect image: followers like cool brands. For example, Pilot Pen USA, which sells pens, is an example of successful marketing. Their Instagram is filled with stylish photos of notes and pens:

27. Illustrate the brand story colorfully: post beautiful photos and videos to show users the fundamental principles and values ​​on which the life and work of the company are based.

28. Open up to the world: post photos of your employees, tell us who is behind the success of your brand. Shoot videos from behind the scenes, share how a typical working day goes in your company. This will strengthen the brand image and the perception of the followers. Williams Sonoma practices a similar technique:

29. Post funny, entertaining CEO videos to get "closer to the people." For example, shoot short funny videos where he talks about what he likes to do outside of work hours.

30. Post unique content to make users feel special. Share photos that can't be found on other social networks.

31. Whether you're launching a product, hosting a band's first gig, or opening a new store, do it on Instagram. For example, on the day of the opening, make a video of the staff getting ready for the official moment while the customers wait in anticipation.

32. Create a teaser that will show the preparation of the product for the launch on the market or the event for the opening. But do not reveal the secret of what exactly is at stake.

33. Post a report on Instagram about an event that has already taken place. Feel free to show how the company's employees work in real life.

34. Build partnerships with other brands, no matter what business you represent: a small store or an international holding. You can achieve ideal cooperation - mutually advertise the products of companies in the feed. For example, Wimbledon and Nike:

Be creative

35. Ask users to write comments. If you want maximum engagement, speak up. Questions breed discussion. Ask readers what they think of a recently published post or image.

36. Ask questions about the company or product, get users talking about them. Ask if they've used the brand's product today, create a hashtag so followers can post photos about the topic. Target, for example, asks questions like “What flavor of popsicles do you like?” and users in turn start talking about the brand online.

38. Create interactive "fill in the gaps" posts. For example, if your business is a grocery store, post an image of a breakfast cereal and caption “I love starting my day with a plate of _____.” People will discuss your product and express their opinion.

39. Another original way to capture the attention of users is to ask them to come up with a caption for the image. Be original and post an unusual photo of one of your products. Announce a contest for the best signature and don't forget to come up with a small prize for the winner.

40. Crowdsource: Ask users to post pictures of the role your brand plays in their lives. This will help to understand the target audience, as well as useful for further research aimed at business development. But in order to attract the maximum number of users, you will have to launch a photo contest.

Competitions inInstagram

41. An Instagram photo contest is an opportunity to get a huge amount of user generated content and new ideas, or just to get all the attention for your company. Set the theme of the competition you need and let customers show their creativity. Here is an example of what you can do if you sell mocha:

42. If you run an Instagram contest, make sure the prize is good enough to motivate entry and further spread of the word online. Sometimes it is the prize that can cause the viral effect of the photo contest.

Don't Forget Mobile Users

44. Use geotagging - linking photos to a map. Add your location to the post to target local users in this way.

45. Stop separating online and offline reality. Post QR codes on Instagram so that users can scan them to receive, for example, discount coupons.

46. ​​If you're hosting an event, create a suitable hashtag for people to post their photo reports and get to know others.

47. Organize an online meeting for active users who may be potential buyers.

RaiseROI

48. Regardless of the number of subscribers, post content consistently. Users will look specifically at the brand account, knowing they will find interesting updates.

49. Decide on the frequency of publications. Some brands post 2-3 times a day, others 2-3 times a week. Use analytics to determine the frequency that suits you.

50. Find out what is the best time to post content. Each brand is individual. Therefore, you should resort to the help of analytics to find out when photos get the most likes, or what time subscribers actively use hashtags.

51. Analyze results: track activity across all metrics (hashtags, likes, shares, etc.)

52. Improve yourself. Based on the results, draw conclusions and improve the content.

Today, there are many services for automated account promotion on Instagram, which, for a small fee, will help you attract followers and increase brand awareness.

53. The Zengram online service combines in its functionality a wide range of benefits and opportunities related to the promotion of Instagram accounts.

Its main advantages:

• simultaneous maintenance of an unlimited number of accounts from one personal account;
• full control over actions;
• advanced targeting settings;
• mutual liking of their subscribers;
• sending welcome messages to new users in direct;
• instaspy;
• attentive and responsive. support;
• full analytics;
• work through a proxy;
• cleaning from bots and commercial accounts;
• parser and comment likes.

The cost of the service depends on the number of days of subscription, the more days you buy, the more you save. For each new user, the first 7 days are free of charge.

The Zengram blog regularly publishes useful informational articles about the promotion. If you have not yet decided how to create an account for business on Instagram, focus on the article "What to write about yourself on Instagram: designing a business profile" . It will provide guidance on choosing a name for promoting a small / large business or personal brand, Tips for designing a profile header and maintaining an account.

54. The innovative SMM promotion tool Instapromo occupies one of the leading positions in all areas of Insta promotion. The service offers a full range of services:

• promotion (mass liking, mass commenting, mass following)
• deferred posting

Free Instagram promotion on your own: tips and tricks from experienced analysts. Self-promotion and programs for cheating Instagram.

Promotion on Instagram: free or effective?

How does self-promotion of Instagram begin? From the search and selection of suitable promotion tools that, in your opinion, can bring the blog to the top positions in the popularity rating. Whether this is done in order to achieve publicity or to implement a business project, it does not matter at this stage. Search engines still focus on sites with a proposal to wind up subscribers and / or likes. These tools are important for self-promoting Instagram, but they work in conjunction with other techniques. What? Let's figure it out together.

Promotion on Instagram for free

You will not find step-by-step instructions or an algorithm for free Instagram promotion, since they do not exist. Instead - the conclusions of analysts who empirically determined effective methods for boosting accounts. Such experience is provided by studying thematic literature, attending a single master class, training, and then practice and learn from your own mistakes.

Such thoroughness will require a lot of time, which in a rapidly changing world will only remove you from the cherished success. Today, in order to succeed, it is important to act quickly and accurately. Your promotion on Instagram directly depends on the speed of response to system changes.

Promotion of an Instagram account requires an integrated approach, which includes:

• competent description of the profile;
• choice of page theme;
• publication of photos and videos (optional);
• placement of descriptions;
• adding geo tags and hashtags;
• increase in audience.

For self-promotion, Instagram is a prerequisite. So, hashtags and geo-tags will increase the visibility of the blog in the search. Thematic accounts are more attractive to users, therefore they are gaining popularity more intensively. Compliance with the chosen style and format, information in the profile description using keywords are additional bonuses for promoting on Instagram.

Instagram promotion programs

Today, numerous websites offer tools for getting subscribers on your own. Such promotion programs are available for free download. These services are responsible for automating work on Instagram, attracting followers, and arbitrating traffic.

They search for the target audience by geolocation, hashtags and other queries, however, automatic placement of likes and comments, cheating subscribers is far from a panacea. Often, such actions end for account holders with a page ban. Promotion on Instagram requires flexibility and responsiveness. Only an individual approach guarantees the achievement of positive results in the development of your own blog.