Hey Instagram... Marry me ?

As the great Beyonce says, if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it. With these words in mind, I would like to say that if Instagram was a living breathing human, we would be engaged to wed.
I have only recently begun using instagram for business, but I can tell you that it is not a decision I see myself regretting. So to get to the #instgoss, here is what I have learnt thus far.

- Keep your content fresh, interactive, and aligned with the brand attributes you want your fans to notice. Photos allow you to connect with customers in a different way. Fans and followers are more than happy to respond and take part if they are interested in the information you are sharing.

- Make sure the pictures you post have meaning to your customers and induce shares. If you don’t get excited about the picture you just took, neither will your fans. Take the time to think about what pictures your fans want to see from your brand and how to present them in an interesting way.

- There are 400 million shared photos on Instagram, and most were not shared by companies, but by the consumers themselves. Your customers love taking pictures and talking about their favorite products, so find ways to get your customers involved in your content creation.

- Give customers a better understanding of how your product is made. Craftsmanship is a dying art in this day and age. You work hard to build products that your customers love; show that side of the story alongside your finished product. 

- If you have a less-than-sexy product or service, you can get creative to successfully increase customer engagement with your brand. Holding a photo contest is a great way for customers to get excited about something they'd normally consider dry, expand your audience, and educate people about the important topics that surround your brand. 

- Take and share staff photos. Let your audience know what is happening behind the scenes of the company. Remember, any photo that demonstrates team unity and teamwork will be a strong selling point for your brand image.

- Create a personal hashtag. The best and most effective marketing strategy in Instagram is to promote your brand or business using a hashtag (#). It doesn’t matter whether you are using your business name or a targeted keyword, a hashtag gives you an opportunity to interact and monitor prospects and visitors who interact with your business on given issues.

Without a doubt, Instagram has become the choice social media channel for individuals, B2B Marketers, and businesses to share photos and connect with other businesses and service providers. I believe that Instagram Marketing has the potential to raise your profile, to boost your lead generation and, increase engagement with your target audience and customers. So try taking Instagram on a date, probably somewhere where the food is instagram worthy, you won't regret it.