Instagram now has 300 million monthly users, picking up 100 million since March. The photo- and video-sharing app has surpassed Twitter’s official user count of 284 million.
As a digital marketeer and an Instagram addict, everyone I know are launching their own businesses on Instagram. From fashion designers like @May_agameya , to restaurants/cafe’s like @Karma_eg , they’re all asking what are the do’s and don’ts 3ala el Instagram. Here’s what I learned from my humble experience, some points that might benefit SME’s to get the most out of Instagram as the world’s leading photo sharing digital platform:
Don’t Copy
It’s highly recommended not to copy and paste your photos first shared on Instagram on Facebook and/or, Twitter. You will lose the interest and attention of your fans/followers when they see the same content spread across all your Social Media outlets, neglecting the nature and specifications of each medium. Create genuine material only for your Instagram account.
Don’t go all Fifi Abdo on us
Don’t Flood Instagram with your photos! Remember when Fifi Abdou posted more than 50 photos of her daughter’s wedding consecutively. A lesson learned here: DON’T repeat the same mistake. Just do simple posts like 1-3 times a day, and if you have an activation or covering an event not more than 1-2 photos per hour [BE SELECTIVE] and choose the best.
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Be Relevant
Find out the peak times to post on social media and stick to them! The peak posting times are critical for viral reach and just like @samsungegypt did in the below post they posted relevant content during the morning peak time. Usually Egyptians during the week check their Instagram in the morning (especially in the bathroom, self-included) and before they go to bed , so from 8:00 am till 1:pm and from 8:00 pm till Midnight are the peak times to post. Make sure you publish in consistent manner that matches your target behavior to guarantee the most interactions on Instagram.
Don’t Tag and Mention
Don’t mention & tag, both are kind of the same thing. Use either one of them but don’t use both!
https://instagram.com/p/wgS0Q6uBUO/?modal=true
Be Simple
Take your own photos, post pics of yourself/product that is taken from the phone’s camera, no need to photo-shop pics, don’t hire a professional photographer, remember that you are not @NANCYAJRAM … just be simple !
https://instagram.com/p/whRDeSNvVY/?modal=true
Don’t Impose
The more your brand is humble, the more people will love it and buy into it. People are smart that’s why you should think of your posts as if you do Ad placement in your Instagram posts, try to tell a story just like what @foooltank is doing. Tell a story and include your brand in a subtle yet #smart way 🙂
https://instagram.com/p/wdS9JMvZff/?modal=true
Use the Right/Popular Hashtags
#dont #over #use #the #hashtags , the less the better #likesforlikes #followforfollow #boy #girl , don’t be that desperate MISH KEDA !
Follow your Followers … MISH 3eeeb
You can follow back your most active and interacting followers, users like to see accounts following other accounts too.
Balash Lakk
Don’t write a caption that is longer than the photo on the timeline, trust me if I want to read the full story, I would have gone on to any news website or a blog . The shorter, the sexier and hence, the more the interactions it would generate.
https://instagram.com/p/wYT-QussjN/?modal=true
Get Creative with Competitions
Always have an Instagram ONLY Competition/Activation with your followers , for sure you want to increase your followers numbers, well you can offer a reward or, a prize, that will entice the instagrammers mind-set to join and follow, but for sure you won’t be able to do what @cocacolaegypt did #Brazil #WorldCup
https://instagram.com/p/n-EmPJsJrG/?modal=true
Join the Vines Hype!
For sure it won’t be as fun as @Sheriffayed’s videos with his dad, but it’s worth a try. Videos feature exists on Instagram to be used, make sure you make use of this option for more engaging content.
https://instagram.com/p/vMDKk8JM2h/?modal=true
Finally, just remember, your social media outlets (especially Instagram) could be a great way to connect with your audience and attract the right kind of users.
I wish you enjoyed the article, 5 MOUAAAH (Inspired from the Phenomenal @fifiabdouofficial)
