Is Facebook losing steam? Many say yes, but just the opposite is true for its sister company Instagram with over 1 billion monthly active users and 500 million daily users.

This year, more businesses than ever are flocking to Instagram to promote their products and services, and share their stories. In fact, research from Omnicore.com shows that an estimated 71{1ebec527b4ba00bba44d6d71828072e701044d28b52bd1ec6430b2d22282f44a} of US companies are onboard with the platform and 1 million monthly advertisers and 8 million business profiles are active.

That means if you’re not on Instagram, you may be missing out, with about 50{1ebec527b4ba00bba44d6d71828072e701044d28b52bd1ec6430b2d22282f44a} of its audience female and about 49{1ebec527b4ba00bba44d6d71828072e701044d28b52bd1ec6430b2d22282f44a} male. Note: Stats vary from study to study, and by date, so check facts for your particular industry.

7 Instagram Marketing Hacks to Grow Your Business

1. Put effort into your images. Poor quality images won’t gain followers. Think about how you might stage a home for sale. Want it to look good, right?  Do the same with your Instagram content. Stage shots for best branding, likes, and sharing. Go behind the scenes for a sneak peek. Grab your target market’s attention any way you can.
2. Add testimonials. If people are using your products and service, share it. Beats by Dre captures Tom Brady using their ear buds in action-packed videos. Have others tell their story on why you’re awesome. No time to be shy. You don’t have to be a million-dollar brand to post video, but you do want to create a video others will remember.
3. Have a plan and a theme. Consistency always wins over random posting. Be strategic in your approach, posts, and calls to action. Prospects and customers need to understand who you are and what you do. Images are key and your copy should support your CTA and brand. Surprise, entertain, make people laugh.
4. Capitalize on what’s trending. Ben and Jerry’s used this themed post on Valentine’s day which asked about the flavor of your soulmate via an online quiz. Delicious marketing to 686k + fans and so on target. Look at National Day Calendar to see what holiday or month you might tie in with.
   

   As featured on Wishpond

5. Think about contests. Add contests to your marketing mix and include hashtags. This allows you to gain visibility, track results, and select a winner. Consider using a third-party partner like Wishpond for social media promotions ideas and contest tools. Ask fans to take photos using those same hashtags and create an incentive for them to win. Promote like crazy.
6. Use campaign, brand or event hashtags. Want to run a campaign? Be sure to create a specific hashtag for it. #Justdoit. Same holds true for an event. If your event is an annual one, change it up each year. Here’s what Pan Mass Challenge used last year #PanMass2018.
7. Put a dog or cat in your picture. Umm, yes. Let’s just say people love cute animals and can’t help to like them, almost automatically. Amazon does it. So does Hootsuite. Heck, animals have their own Instagram accounts. Check out this article on best dogs on Instagram These pups must be eating smart treats.

Adding Instagram to your small business marketing and PR plan will work, if you work it. Does it make sense? See what others are doing in your industry. Can you put the time, effort, and resources to make it worthwhile? If that’s a yes, don’t go crazy. Go for it. One Step at a time.

Want to Learn More about Marketing on Instagram?

B2B Instagram Content: Tips and Tools for Content via Social Media Examiner

17 of the Best Brands on Instagram via HubSpot

10 Instagram Marketing Tips (That Actually Work) via Neil Patel