Apart from the most obvious way- paid advertisements, there are also other ways that can help you grow your business through Instagram. Of course, firstly you need to create an Instagram profile for your business. Once you’ve done that, you are ready to start the journey.

1. Work on your aesthetics

Instagram is all about aesthetics. Make sure that you put a lot of thought on how are you going to present your business. There are a lot of options you can do.

For example, you can choose a color scheme that you would like.

Once you do that, all of your Instagram posts should align with the colors that you’ve chosen. Make your visuals distinctive, they should represent you and your business. This is how successful branding works. If people can recognize your business just from your pictures, it means you’ve done a good job.

Of course, it should be done in a visually appealing way. Instagram pages that tend to eyes of the audience always have better success than those that ignore this note.

2. Be relatable

To market your business the right way, don’t focus only on your products/services. Rather than that, offer solutions to your customers. That will make them feel like you understand them and their needs, which will make you more relatable.

You can share ‘behind-the-scenes’ footage to share some candid moments with your audience. Sharing such moments creates a bond which is something you want to do. It shows your audience that you are more than just a company and that there is the human factor behind all these posts.

3. Be smart with hashtags

How to work with hashtags? Well, there is a winning recipe. Expand your reach by using the right hashtags. Always have a hashtag with your company’s name, so users can filter content that is linked to your business. It’s best practice to use between three to five hashtags, despite the fact that the maximum you can add is 30 per Instagram post.

Combine hashtags that are about your business along with hashtags that are trending and can be incorporated into your post. This is a great way to make yourself visible to others that don’t know about your business yet. This allows them to discover your company. With the right combination of hashtags, you can gain new followers, and therefore, new customers. For example, try adding hashtags like #instagood (used is 300 million posts), or #tbt (Throwback Thursday), and don’t forget about industry-specific ones. If you are in IT, the hashtag #IT or #tech will do just fine.

4. Collaborations

Collaborating with others is a great way to make yourself known to a wider audience. Sharing your customer’s stories is also a great way to expand your audience engagement. Acknowledging your customers will make them feel appreciated, which is a winning recipe for a loyal customer.

You can make a collaboration with someone who will promote you on their page, and you do it on yours. The old “You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” can be applied in this situation. Of course, if you do decide to do it-be wise about it. Never partner up with someone who stands against the values and policies that your business represents.

5. Offer your Instagram followers exclusivity

Instagram is a great way of promoting your products/services. You can tease and announce a novelty on your business page. Let your followers be the first ones to find out about new things, reward them for their loyalty. Think of fun ways to let them know that you have something new and interesting for them. That will help in building anticipation around the novelty that you’re about to introduce.

The fact that you offered them exclusive content on your Instagram page will increase its importance. Your page can be a strong marketing tool if used appropriately, so make sure you utilize it in a smart way.

6. Take a step back

Of course, it is wise to do your research beforehand. Work on your posting strategy, your aesthetics, and gaining followers, etc. But your work doesn’t stop there. Make time to take a step back and analyze everything that you’ve done. There are a lot of assumptions about e.g. best time to post, or something third. However, it won’t necessarily work for you. That’s why it’s crucial to go over everything you’ve done and what are the results.

You will see it through likes, comments, conversions and other engagements parameters (depending on your business). Make use of social media management tools. You can schedule your posts, or use social media analytics to measure their success. It’s never too late to improve your strategy and adjust it to your audience/customers.

Instagram is a great way to promote your business because it is so fun and carefree. People won’t be feeling like you are actively trying to sell them something because you are showing them that there are more sides to you and your business, which makes you likable and relatable. Of course, it is not smart to just wing it. Make a detailed strategy that will guide you along the way. Analyze your success and make the necessary changes. Use hashtags to your advantage, as they can help a new audience to find you. Collaborating with others will also give you a platform on their profiles, and it also gives you credibility.

Keep in mind that Instagram is filled with countless profiles, so you need to find your own style that will make you stand out. Your audience will recognize that and reward you for it. It goes without saying, growing your page will take some time before you see the fruits of your hard work. Be consistent and be patient, because Rome wasn’t built in a day.

The post How to Use Instagram to Grow Your Business appeared first on Iseto.

But what does that even mean?

Here’s a quick explanation on what emotional marketing actually is. The term is used for a specific type of advertising where the main goal is triggering an emotional response in audience/consumers. In exchange, they will notice, remember, and ultimately buy the product. You are making an emotional connection which makes the consumer loyal to your product. Emotional marketing is frequently not about the brand itself, but how it makes the audience feel.

In most cases, the advertisers aim for one emotion. It can be happiness, sadness, anger, or fear that will cause a reaction. Even though it may seem pretty easy, it isn’t always the case. However, there are 5 principles you should follow when it comes to emotional marketing.

1. Inspire

The first goal in emotional advertising is inspiring your audience. Inspire them to make a change. They should see it as you are offering a feeling they aspire to feel, and your product is the gateway to that feeling. It doesn’t necessarily need to be a direct link. The subconscious connection goes a long way.

Even the most adventurous types of people are not too crazy about changes. Familiar things offer security, and your goal is to get a new customer. That is why it is important that they feel inspired to make that change. When people feel inspired, they are much more open to new things.

2. Trigger the right emotion

The first step toward triggering the right emotion is knowing your audience. Who is it that you are targeting? Once you know who you are talking to, it is easier to develop the strategy of invoking the desired emotion. People that are not part of the same culture, age group, or gender may react differently to the same thing.

For example, this is a humorous depiction of what middle-aged women referred to as ‘moms-on-facebook’ find funny. Millenials do not find ‘minion memes’ funny at all, while the middle-aged women find it hilarious. If you want to make your audience laugh, first you need to know who your audience is.

Furthermore, you need to decide which emotion works best for your marketing strategies. It’s not the same if your emotional connection with your audience comes through happiness, sadness, fear, or something else. For instance, positive emotions will get you more likes and shares, while sadness will generate more clicks. Android launched a megapopular campaign with animals back in 2015. Their cute campaign made the customers smile and went viral.

As you can see, it all depends on what you want to achieve with your campaign. Once you figure that out, it is much easier to pick an emotion you’re going to go with. By targeting one emotion, you will often trigger some of the emotions that are linked to the primary one, making an even bigger impression.

3. Create a community

Making a strong emotional connection with your audience creates loyalty. People love feeling like they belong somewhere. That’s why there are countless organizations, groups, etc. You can give your audience the same feeling by creating a community around your product. Being a part of an important milestone is an excellent opportunity for that. When Starbucks turned 40, they launched a celebratory campaign and changed-up their logo.

Anniversary campaigns are a great opportunity to make the customers feel like they are a part of something.

Local campaigns will also give people a sense of togetherness. Promoting local values and making them feel special that they are part of that. Going local can imply a town, city, or even a country. It all depends on the brand and how big you want to go.

Campaigns that promote the values of some country are a big hit.

4. Tell a story

To make people feel invested, your brand should always tell a story. More often it’s about what your brand stands for than it is about the product itself. If your audience feels like you are about more than just selling yourself, that’s a big plus.

5. Mind the visuals

Of course, the visual aspect is critical. It’s one of the first things we notice, especially when creating the first impression. For example, colors play a significant role in this. Many brands have mastered color psychology in marketing. Even though we’re often not aware of it, colors have a substantial impact on how we perceive things. Each color makes people feel a certain way.

For example, red is linked to excitement, passion, encourages appetite, and so on. McDonald’s is a perfect example of a company that recognized the power of color and incorporated that into their image. Blue is associated with tranquility and reliability. It gives you a sense of security and stability. Oral-B is one of the companies that recognized blue as an ideal color for their brand.

When choosing a color, you want to go with, do thorough research. It’s more than just ‘what looks pretty.’ Even if your product is the premium quality, it will not matter if the aesthetic doesn’t match.

Yes, it can be very complex.

There are so many elements that make up successful emotional marketing. This is why it is important to do thorough research and strategize from the very beginning. And of course, always look into competition’s strategy. You can get inspiration, learn on their mistakes or simply see what worked for them. The road to success is always combining something new with something familiar.

The post 5 Steps to Successful Emotional Marketing (With Examples) appeared first on Iseto.