With so many start up business’s happening everyday, business’s want to make the most of what’s available to get the message out there and in the most cost effective way.  Social media has fast become the number one place to spread the word with big and small brands sitting up and taking note.

Take my instagram account for example, 38,300 people follow The Stylist Splash for inspiration and ideas on homewares, interiors and new products on the market.  That makes my audience specific and only interested in those topics.  Unlike a mail out, using social media influencers (like myself), brands can hone into their specific target market.   This makes social media a very effective way to get your brand message out there.

Growing your instagram account can take time. It has taken me just over 3 years to grow my audience.  I am always changing and evolving to suit the needs of my audience but there are some tips I can share with you today.

If you are a small business or just want to grow your personal account, these marketing tips for instagram might come in handy for you.

1. Post Content Relevant to Your Account

People follow an account as they are interested in the content.  If you are a food stylist and you start posting a lot of photos of your cute little baby, chances are your audience will loose interest.  Post content that is relevant to your business or account and you will keep your followers interested.  Having said that, every now and then it is OK to post some personal content so that your followers know there is a real  person behind the brand.

2. Use Hashtags and Use Them Well

Use brand specific hashtags, use popular hashtags, use general hashtags.  Start exploring accounts similar to your own brand and see what hashtags they are using.  Explore hashtags on your explore page on instagram and learn what is popular and what would suit your content.  Hashtags are a great way of getting your name out there for the world to see.  Who knows, your image be printed in a magazine using a hashtag.  I have had several images go to print by using hashtags that are relevant to my brand.

3. Focus On Your Customers

I get asked quite a lot on instagram about ‘where can I buy that’, ‘what do you think about that’ all the time when I post images of product or even just images from around my home.  Be active on line and answer all the queries back in a positive manner no matter how weird or annoying they be.  Don’t act on nasty comments either.  You could reply back with a happy emoji or an acknowledgement or just let the comment go. The weirdest comment I’ve had was how disgusting they thought my bedroom looked with a phone charger on the bedside table.  I just let it go.

4. Be Creative, Be Authentic

When it comes to marketing yourself or your brand stay true to yourself.  Be creative with your images and be authentic to who you are.  I believe that a lot of my success on instagram has come from only posting my own images and styling my own shots.  Everyone that follows me knows that I don’t regram other peoples images and only like to post authentic, original content.  This keeps my audience engaged and interested and never knowing what I am going to post next.

5. Post Consistently and At The Right Time

Learn when the best time of day/night is post and monitor the results.  If you post at lunchtime and only get a few likes, chances are your audience isn’t engaging at that time of day.  If you post at 5.30pm (which apparently is the most popular time post) and you get the most likes or comments then perhaps this time is when your audience is active.  Posting consistently at your target times of the day/night will ensure your images appear on your followers feed.

Most importantly stay active on Instagram and stay up to date with the current trends.  Keep improving yourself and you will continue to see results.

These tips are based on my own knowledge and experience and I hope they help you also.  There are so many other tips I use.  Let me know if you would like me to share these with you in another post.