10 Instagram Tips to Capture the Moment

1. Bio Optimization. Help people understand your purpose on Instagram and how they can engage. Do you have a branded hashtag you’d like to promote? Include it here. Include a link to your homepage, video or relevant landing page. 
2. Limited real estate utilization. Be clever, use Instagram’s Geotag feature to remind followers to use your hashtag when sharing photos. Don't have brick and mortar locations? Then celebrate the places the images are taken at. At a minimum, it will give your brand more visibility and influence in the long run.
3. #Avoid #Going #Hashtag #Crazy. I'll admit, I was at fault of this in the not so distant past. It comes off as a little #desperate, so be careful. Many organizations do a great job of incorporating their branded hashtag with a relevant, more trafficked hashtag (ex. #nonprofits) to gain exposure. 
4.  Big Moment Recognition. Launching a new product? Making a big company announcement? Helping a local, regional or national organization? Share a visual “press release” on Instagram. I've found that some Fortune 500 businesses, for instance, announce new store openings by sharing photos from their “ground-breaking” ceremony when new stores open. Did you just promote a new COO? We did, and we promoted that with our audience.
5. Timely events with relevant images. Some of the wrestlers, official entertainers of WWE, shared picture perfect moments from the matches and in their personal lives. As a follower, it's so fun to see what's happening in both their personal and professional lives. And no, I don't watch WWE, but I do watch Total Divas :).
6. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Use existing memes like Throwback Thursday or Wine Wednesday to create consistent mini-campaigns and gain exposure on heavily trafficked hashtags. #TBT has been one of our best performing weekly campaigns for nearly a year.
7. Giving Love. When loyal fans share images that feature your brand, strengthen those relationships by engaging with #UGC - like, retweet, comment, etc.
8. Exclusive Experiences. People like to know that they have insider access before the general population. Share exclusive deals, details or news with your followers. Halloween and Christmas are right around the corner, give your audience a deal that is special. Reward them for their loyalty. Don't have a B2C audience, exclusive content may be an interesting focus for you B2Bs reading this post.
9. Compelling Videos in 0:15 or less. Whether you catch a moment on the fly or upload a beautifully produced spot made specifically for Instagram, take advantage of the opportunity to deliver rich media in stream. Target used video to provide a sneak peek of their newest collection. 
10. Take a roadtrip. Instagram is inherently mobile so take the experience on the road. Use it to your advantage! It’s a great platform to share images and videos from tradeshows, facility visits, roadshows and location-based events.

Like what you've read? Don't like what you've read? Leave a comment and let's keep the conversation going.