Instagram became popular to be the first one to introduce mainly images as a medium to tell a story, it serves as an electronic photo album that you can easily revisit whenever you feel like it and an electronic leaflet for brands.
Another feature they popularized is their Instagram Stories where you can share photos or moments that happened within the day and will only stay for the next 24 hours, similar to Snapchat’s feature.
To fully use the maximum reach of the app for your brands, here are some tips that you have to keep in mind to perfect your Instagram caption and to attract engagements and leads.
#QUOTATIONS ARE OVER, SHARE A STORY
Even though Instagram is known for its visual engagement it is still important to remember that you have to tell a story. It’s no longer a competition between two philosophers’ beliefs and sayings but actually more on compelling stories.
Tell a story as if you are writing to a friend and do not sound all business-like. If you are a business brand start with the product’s description and story behind it before promoting sales; because people tend to shut their minds off after the sales part so it is best to establish the product and the brand first.
Remember that people want to be associated with the product and its story and not the sales.
#DO NOT END IT
What this means is do not end the post’s conversation. Your visuals and stories will get you “likes” but it is also important to get interactions. Initiate and provoke some comments and opinions from your followers, visitors, and buyers by adding engaging lines, topics, or questions at the end of your posts.
After being able to get some engagements for your post make sure to reciprocate and show them that you value their efforts by acknowledging their comments, either reply to them or like their comments just to let them know that you saw it. In this way you make them feel important and valued.
#FIND THE PERFECT HASHTAG
Unlike Google which uses phrases, lines, and questions, Instagram, on the other hand, is known for its hashtag. You can use up to 30 hashtags per post but remember that you are not required to use all of that. The perfect number of hashtags is around 5-12 depending on the number of niches you are targeting. Your main hashtag should be the main target (e.g. #Vegan #Vegetarian #NonGMOAdvocate) and followed by sub-hashtag containing the location and other sub-category associated with your brand and product (e.g. #VeganJapan #VegetarianAsia #NonGMOAdvocateAsia #VeganLover #VeganAdvocate #AnimalLover #NoToAnimalCruelty)
SOURCES:
https://blog.hootsuite.com/instagram-statistics/
https://medium.com/@obtaineudaimonia/how-instagram-started-8b907b98a767
