Some people may not use Instagram as actively as others, but even if you’re not a fan of the app it can offer a new outlet to build your blog and personal brand. After all, your blog is just one aspect of your life if you’re on Instagram. If you have a blog you need to search for new markets for promotion, marketing and branding. In this article, we break down several ways to do this. Straight from our marketing offices in Dallas!
Why use Instagram for marketing?
This is a social sharing site around photos and 15-second videos. Instagram also has more than 150 million monthly active users, and 76 million per day. 55 million posts are shared every day and 83% of them include a #hashtag. People make 1000 comments per second and 8500 likes per second. Instagram is definitely a viable option if you want to lead new visitors to your blog.
Promoting your blog on Instagram
Most blogs these days are powered by Wordpress - it's a common open-source website content management system (CMS). If you're one of these people then alll you need to do is include your Wordpress blog URL in your Instagram bio so that users can around the mobile verison of your blog. For example let’s say you work in tourism and are tasked with marketing Dallas to potential visitors. You can take pictures of Reunion Tower, Arlington Stadium, the Grassy Knoll and other cool things in town and make an Instagram-based blog post. This would help your blog with visiblity issues (since the photos would be viewed a lot more on Instagram than if they were just on your blog) and also save you a few hours of banging away at the keyboard. I'm also sure the Dallas marketing or tourisum bureau wouldn't mind the free press. They may even share a few of your pics and comments!
Videos on Instagram
Instagram can also be used for video. You can create and upload short videos to brand and promote your blog on Instagram. Anyone visiting your profile can watch the videos and decide to follow the blog.
Be aware of your brand
Invest in Image Branding too. Instagram is primarily an image-sharing website. If you want to promote blog on Instagram and build a brand, be conscious about the images shared on your profile. 90% of the images should be relevant to the blog brand.
Use #Hastags Wisely
Use hashtags wisely is our last tip Adding hashtags in a comment is a simple way for new followers to find your Instagram photos and, ultimately, to engage new followers to your blog. Don’t tag a photo with every possible term imaginable, like this: #art #street #city #urban and on and on. Only use relevant hashtags and follow some best practices we've outlined here.
New bloggers need to be creative in how they get intereset from Instagram followers. Pictures of them showcasing their abilities, meetings they attend or a video to promote their community like mentioned in the Dallas marketing example are all good ideas for bloggers to try.
