Page 215 - Social Media Marketing for Dummies

» Inspiring photos just because: A beautiful image from nature or daily life to
make others feel good. While this story category might be the one least tied to
your business, it will probably be the most popular.

Engaging users by using consistent story themes is the best approach. When users
see a new image, they can relate it to all the other images that have made up that
storyline for your brand. This creates a series feeling that keeps visitors coming
back for more. Think of it like a TV show with particular stories that are continu-
ally updated.

Here are two other items that your team should pay attention to:

» Hashtags: As discussed earlier, hashtags are how people find your content. Make
sure to use ones that are already in use that relate to your brand. Using them is a
habit people already have. In addition, create specific hashtags for your brand.
» Captions: Any photo should have a caption. We are trained to look for them
and read them. Therefore, captions are an important part of the marketing
process on Instagram. Don’t assume that they are optional. Users have been
shown to favor long ones, so give careful thought to what you write.

Curating and sharing

Key to everything you do on Instagram is the idea that sharing will create buzz
and new followers. If you are creating and displaying only your own pictures and
not finding and sharing other people’s content, you are talking to yourself. As we
said, you are presenting stories. But you also need to spread other people’s stories
to demonstrate that you are interested in more than just your own company’s
activities.

Some brands known for their success on Instagram include Ben and Jerry’s,
Disney, GE, and Warby Parker. So what, for example, is Warby Parker (http://
instagram.com/warbyparker) doing right?
Warby Parker is an eyeglass manufacturer and seller of high-end glasses that
start at the $95 price point. In addition, whenever a customer buys a pair of
glasses, Warby Parker donates money and glasses to train a person in a designated
overseas community to sell them very affordably. So right away, the company has
two story lines on which to focus their images:

» Well-designed eyeglasses that are reasonably priced (see Figure 12-4).
» A program called Buy a Pair, Give a Pair, shown in Figure 12-5, that trains
others to give eye exams so that those in need can get eyeglasses.

CHAPTER 12 Delving into Instagram 199