Top Five Tips For Using Instagram
Instagram has a lot to offer tourism businesses. The visual nature of this social platform makes it an excellent tool for sourcing and leveraging content, and sharing inspiring vacation stories. Instagram offers up its own unique set of features. Trying to sort out filters, hashtags, captions, etc. can be a puzzling task. Here are a few tips to help you use your Instagram account to its full potential.
Top Five Tips for Using Instagram
Thursday, January 28 2021
- Load-Up Your Profile
- Engage With Others
- Make Imagery and Hashtags Count
- Balance Your Posting
- Monitor Your Stats
On Instagram, your profile bio is the only place that you can add clickable URLs. Use this valuable real estate to your advantage and make sure that you are including a link to your website or to a current promotion or offer.
Follow relevant users and engage with others on this platform. Search for content that relates to your business via hashtag searches. Use hashtags that are activity or location-based (i.e. #ExploreSask), and like or comment where appropriate.
Instagram is a visual tool, so use quality photographs to your advantage. Every image that you post is a reflection of your brand. Make high-quality, appealing photos your standard. Use mobile phone editing tools, and don't overdo it with the filters. Vertical images and video are preferable, given that most content is consumed on mobile devices.
Subtle promotion will keep followers interested. Imagery that constantly includes your logo may come across as too pushy - followers may become disengaged and stop following your account. Consider more of a soft sell by showcasing an experience that you provide, and use photos of your location to entice people.
Hashtags allow users to find topics of interest and share posts with an engaged community. Avoid overusing, underusing or misusing hashtags. Irrelevant hashtags can devalue your credibility and your account, or potentially be perceived as spam.
Posting too often can make people feel like they are being spammed by information. You want to keep them engaged and inspired. On the other hand, posting infrequently can look like you are neglecting your account. Be consistent and try to use content that is not time-sensitive. That way, gaps in your content cycle are less obvious.
Instagram Stories and IGTV are additional tools offered on the platform. For testing ideas and building audience curiosity, Instagram Stories is effective because posts are automatically deleted after 24 hours. IGTV was created to house long-form vertical video, unlike Instagram's original feed that limits video to one minute. Although created specifically for vertical video, IGTV can also accommodate horizontal video.
Numbers count. By keeping track of your statistics, you can determine which days and times get you the most engagement. Time your posts accordingly.