Brent Pinney

Instagram Marketing For Your Local Business January 8, 2018 Businesses today have an edge in marketing that businesses didn’t have even twenty years ago, and that’s the Internet.​ In the past, businesses had to rely on big mediums like television and radio in order to market their business. And word of mouth was one of the biggest forms of advertising out there. But all of that has changed. While word of mouth is still one of the best ways for businesses to attract new customers and let existing customers know about new products and promotions, it’s much easier to get that word out there. That’s because today businesses have opportunities right at their fingertips. They can advertise anytime they want, reach a vast amount of people, and do it all for just a few dollars. The secret to marketing today lies largely in social media networks. Businesses today can post a product demonstration video to YouTube, or send out a link to new products on Facebook. Or, they can use their Twitter account to get feedback and comments from customers that can help them improve their business. But there’s one social media platform that allows businesses to do all of this and that can be even more effective than all the others – Instagram. Instagram doesn’t just allow businesses to get the word out, it does it in a way that doesn’t place a lot of limitations on how they do it, like so many other social media platforms do. And while many may just think of it as a ‘picture app’, there’s so much more behind it. Read on to learn the benefits businesses can get from Instagram, the best practices when using it, all the different apps that can work alongside Instagram to make it even better, and more. If your business isn’t on Instagram, after reading this report you’ll wonder why. And if it is on Instagram, you’ll still learn ways to make it so much better and so much more effective for your marketing purposes. Benefits of Instagram Marketing Those that think Instagram is just another social media platform need to think again. While it’s true that with just over 700 million users on Instagram, there are certainly bigger social media platforms out there, its rate of growth is surpassing that of those other networks. In 2016 Instagram announced that it had hit a milestone of 500 million users. And just a year later, it’s over the 700 million mark. That’s a growth of almost 50 percent in just one year, and there’s no telling how much higher that number is going to get within the next year or even two. And while it’s true that no business is likely going to reach each and every one of those users when marketing on Instagram, it does highlight the potential for marketing success. Ads on Instagram are often less intrusive than those on other social media platforms, too. Because people are on their phones while looking at Instagram, and because they’re there mainly to look at images and videos, they already expect to see it. They don’t have to click past ads that they’re not interested in as they would when scrolling on a laptop or computer; and they don’t have to be interrupted while watching a video on YouTube – something that can be especially annoying to users. But the chance that users are going to scroll past ads is less than when on other social media platforms. In fact, the engagement rate with ads on Instagram is much higher than on any other platform. But it’s not just easy for users to use; it’s also easy for businesses. In 2012, Facebook purchased Instagram and ever since the two have been closely linked. This doesn’t mean that the same ads that run on Instagram have to also run on Facebook. But it does mean that business owners that are already comfortable on Facebook won’t take long to adjust to Instagram. Instagram has all of these benefits and more, and the rest of this report will highlight even more of those benefits and tell business owners how to use them to their advantage. Business vs. Personal Accounts Many business owners don’t realize that there are different types of Instagram accounts – business and personal. And those that do realize it are reluctant to switch from their personal account to a business account because doing this in the past on platforms such as Facebook has seen engagement drop off. But this also doesn’t mean that business accounts are ideal for every business owner. Both business and personal accounts offer different features and have their own pros and cons. Business owners need to take all of those into consideration before deciding which type of account is best for them and their business. Personal accounts Personal accounts are by far, the most uncomplicated and simple Instagram account anyone could own. This is often great news for business owners that don’t have a lot of time to dedicate the inner workings of Instagram and don’t want to make a big commitment to it. While it may not offer things like sponsored posts and detailed analytics, that doesn’t automatically mean that business owners shouldn’t consider using a personal account alone. Some businesses may just want to get the word out about their business, and may not be so concerned about things like actual ads. Personal accounts can still upload videos and images, which can be great for personal blogs or even large e-commerce sites that just want to get the product in front of a customer’s eyes. There is a lot that can be done with these two types of media and if used correctly, they can be very effective. Personal accounts also have the ability to be set to private. A private Instagram account means that people have to ask for permission before following any business, and the owner of the account has to gran that permission. Most businesses won’t be concerned with this because the more followers they have the more people they’ll reach with their posts. But privacy might be a concern for some business owners and when it is, they may opt for a personal account over a business account. What business owners may be more interested in is the fact that personal Instagram accounts can be linked to multiple Facebook pages, while business accounts can only be linked to one. Linking to different Facebook pages is great for franchise businesses that may have more than one location or large businesses that have different pages for new promotions, complaints, or more. If linking to more than just one Facebook page is a priority for a business, they may want to consider sticking with a personal account. Business accounts But even with all that personal accounts have to offer, there is a place for business accounts on Instagram. Business owners that are looking to move past the basics of Instagram and really want to get a lot more out of it may consider using a business account instead. Instagram Insights is one of those advanced features that many business owners like and have them make the switch from personal to business. Insights are Instagram’s highly analytical tool that’s built right into the app. It provides detailed information on who is following that business, when they are online, what their genders and ages are, and even more. All of this can be invaluable when business owners are trying to determine who their target audience is, and when the best time to post to Instagram is. Instagram ads and promoted posts are two different things, but both of them are very similar to some of the features business owners love most on Facebook. With Instagram ads business owners can not only run ads to promote their business but they can also run and track those campaigns similarly to the way they’re currently doing it on Facebook. Promoted posts, on the other hand, are not necessarily ads but using them is a way that business owners can get their posts in front of the eyes of Instagram users. It’s a lot like boosting a post on a Facebook page, which is different than a Facebook ad. The feature business owners may love most about the business accounts on Instagram is the contact button. Personal accounts certainly do not have this, and it can easily help business owners gain more customers and give them a way of contacting them easily and conveniently. On an Instagram business profile, there is a contact button at the top of their profile. And because Instagram needs to be viewed on a phone, customers can just touch that button and instantly be in touch with the business. In addition to just a phone number, businesses can also include directions and an email address. Which to choose? Even after sorting through the different features it can be difficult for some business owners to know whether they should choose a personal account or a business account. And there won’t be one right answer for all businesses. Business owners that want to leave things simple and uncomplicated may find they’re better off with a simple personal account. They won’t have to worry about getting caught up in column charts, wheel graphs, or popups and will be able to focus solely on the content they want to share with followers. Some business owners also feel that by switching to a business account they’ll lose the authenticity that comes with simply posting as a person. Those who are worried that words liked ‘sponsored’ will take away from their brand’s authentic identity should stick with a personal account. On the other hand, business owners that want a detailed look at who their followers are, what they’re most interested in, where they’re located, and what demographic they fall into should opt for a business account. In addition to these features of course, is the ability to run ads and sponsor posts to get the brand’s name and ideology out in front of more customers. This can greatly help to generate more sales and help build even more engagement from certain posts. For business owners that are still undecided, it’s important to remember that they always have another option than choosing between the two. Creating a business profile and a personal profile for the business is always an option and will allow businesses to get the best of both worlds. Setting Up an Instagram Account for Business Setting up an Instagram account is dead simple, but there are some practices that can help businesses make the most out of it. The app just needs to be downloaded (for free!) from the Apple Store or Google Play onto a smartphone. When downloading and using it for the first time, the app will ask a person to sign up which means entering their email and choosing a secure password. Then the business owner will be asked to fill out their profile, and this is the first time the business owner can really make their Instagram account stand out from others. Using your biog to let customers know about your business For consistency purposes, the business’ username should be the same as it is on all other social media platforms. In addition to the username, a public profile will also include the URL of the business’ website and a short bio. It is imperative that businesses always enter the address of their website, as users will be able to just click on this and be taken directly to the company’s website to learn more about the business. The bio should be used to explain more about the business and what it’s about. It should also, indicate what people should expect to see on the Instagram account such as, “Check us out to find all our new products and promotions we’re running!” You can also use this space to kick off branded hashtags such as #bestcupcakesinNYC, which you can then use throughout all of your Instagram campaigns. The profile photo There are a lot of people, business owners included, that stress about any profile photo they have to place on a social networking site. After all, it’s one of the first things people will see when they arrive on your page and it will also show up alongside any of your posts. But for those that are already on other social media platforms, this part is actually pretty easy. Like the username, the profile photo should be kept the same across all platforms in order to encourage consistency and automatically let customers know who they’re dealing with. In most cases, the profile photo will be a company’s logo but if that’s not applicable or a business owner thinks another photo will be more fun and encourage more engagement, there’s no reason it can’t be used. The big takeaway here is to keep it consistent so that users do not become confused as to who the business is or what they do. Start following people No one wants to see that a company is there simply to speak to the masses without showing any other kind of interest in them whatsoever. This is one reason why it’s so important for businesses to start following other people and commenting and liking on their posts. Industry influencers, customers, and others that are relevant to the industry and brand are great places to start looking when looking to follow others. Before taking this step, it’s important to understand that there is no one demographic on Instagram. While it may be known as the app for millennials, there are people on there from every single age group and from all different walks of life. For this reason, it’s important for business owners to understand exactly who they’re trying to target before they start following people that won’t really help their business. Interacting and engaging with people is important in order to build trust within an audience. But there is another reason to start following people; it can greatly help the number of followers a business gets after signing up for Instagram. Instagram is a lot like Twitter that way. The more people an account follows, the more Instagram will show it as a suggestion to those who are also just signing up for the app and also looking for accounts to follow. Get followers Uploading great content and following relevant people within the industry are both great ways for business accounts to get more followers. But there’s something else that can help, too. That’s by adding the Instagram account, username, and link to other web spaces such as a website or blog. Also, don’t underestimate the power of asking Facebook and Twitter follows to follow you on Instagram too. People love following others across all platforms, even if the business is uploading the same content to each social media platform. Not all followers hit every single social media platform every day so if they follow you on all of them, they’ll be sure to see your content no matter where they go. The Nitty Gritty Details of Managing an Instagram Account So you’ve got your account all set up with a username and interesting bio and you’ve even got a few followers. But you haven’t posted anything yet! And really, there’s no point in having an Instagram account if you’re not going to be sharing anything with those followers you’ve amassed. And when it comes to this, there are a few practices to follow. Set goals Nothing should ever be posted on Instagram without reason. It needs to have a purpose, and business owners should know what they want themselves, and users, to get out of each and every post. Those goals should always tie back to the company’s overall goals, or goals for a certain part of the company, such as customer service or the sales department. A few goals that business owners may set for their Instagram posts and campaigns are: Boost product sales Increase traffic to website or blog Increase brand awareness Increase customer satisfaction Attract top talent and highly qualified workers to the company Establish relationships with followers When considering what an Instagram goal should be it’s important for business owners to remember that their goals need to be S.M.A.R.T.; that age-old marketing acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. Develop an Instagram content strategy Any plan a business owner has for using Instagram marketing needs to be just that – a plan; and it doesn’t really matter whether they have a personal or business account. They need to have a goal and understand that it’s not just about throwing a picture up whenever the mood strikes no matter how random those pictures may be in relation to each other. Here are some things any business owner should know when it comes to preparing their Instagram content strategy. When to post, and how often Unfortunately, there is no magic number for when anyone business should post, or how often they should do it. But it is something that business owners should take the time to figure out on their own. This can be done by posting at different times and tracking the results in terms of if and when people saw them and how much engagement those posts received. Once the business owner determines when their posts are most appreciated by their followers, they can then set up a shared content calendar to keep track of what they want to post, and when. The one thing that should not be done is uploading several different images and videos all the time. This doesn’t mean leaving it to just once or twice a week, but it does mean not bombarding followers with ten posts in a row every single day. Remember, Instagram is built to be less intrusive than other social media platforms and business owners that go along with this idea will benefit from it. Create themes for content Randomness will kill any business’ marketing strategy, no matter where they’re advertising. And the same is true for Instagram. Business owners should have an overall content theme and the goal they’ve set for their Instagram marketing will greatly help them determine what that theme should be. Do you want customers to come to your website? Your theme will likely be the new things that are happening on the site and the new products that are listed there. If it’s during the holidays, even tailoring the posts to a holiday theme can work. Catering companies may want to showcase the new menus they’re offering or the venues that they’ve worked in the past. A college campus, on the other hand, may use their Instagram account to run contests, show alumni stories, or use pictures of campus life to attract new students. A content theme is simply the bigger picture that every single post will point back to; and no content should be uploaded until the business owner has determined what that the theme is. Establish guidelines Sure, Instagram has their own guidelines for what can be posted on their site and how it should be posted. But creating your own guidelines will help ensure that all posts remain consistent so followers know what to expect and can recognize a business’ posts as theirs as soon as they see them. And when establishing guidelines, it’s important to do it for two different aspects of the posts: their style, and how the company engages with other accounts. Style guidelines include the actual style that posts will be written in. It would be weird to see an attorney suddenly using emojis in their content when they never have before; and it would be odd for a bookstore to constantly include grammatical errors in their posts. For this reason, there need to be guidelines telling anyone posting to the account what to include and what not to include. Use of emojis, grammatical guidelines, the type of photos posted, visual cues such as logos in every corner of every picture, and more should all be included in these guidelines. Even if only one person is authorized to post to the account, it’s still a good idea to write these guidelines down for a point of reference. It’s easy to suddenly want to use some form of content that’s not normally used, such as hashtags, for certain posts but it may not keep within the branding goals and theme of the overall account. That will hurt the consistency of the account, which can hurt how many followers actually pay attention to the post, which can hurt the effectiveness of the Instagram marketing as a whole. The other part of Instagram marketing that should have a written guideline is the type of engagement an account uses. This is even more important if there is more than one person engaging with users from the business account, but it’s still important if you are the only one. Engagement guidelines include what posts will be liked on other people’s account, what will be commented on, and how those comments will be handled. For instance, if someone’s business was conventional and very professional, they likely wouldn’t want comments to include swear words. No matter the type of company you’re running, it is likely that you never want your business to comment rudely or derogatory towards anyone else, so that should be included in the guidelines. One of the biggest tips to remember about your engagement, no matter what it’s being used to comment on or like, it’s not wise to automate your engagement with things like automated replies. People will see these for what they are, make the judgment that your business is not authentic, and be turned off by the company or brand. How to Create Dynamic Content for Instagram Social media platforms are all about the content and when it comes to Instagram, that content is all about visuals – photos and videos. But not only do businesses have to be concerned about making great photos, they also have to worry about properly representing their brand and conveying an idea or message to their followers. Here are some tips on how to do just that. Keep visual consistency in mind Like so many other elements of Instagram, the pictures and videos you post should be kept fairly consistent. This obviously doesn’t mean posting the same picture over and over again, but it does mean creating the same type of photo every time. Maybe you add a border to all of your photos, or maybe it means using the same filter every single time. The key here is that you want your followers to be able to recognize your posts right away, even when they’re doing a quick scroll. And when they do, you want them to stop and check out what you’ve posted. Using the same type of style or filter every time you post can greatly help with this. Of course, there are tons of filters available within the actual app, but there are also many different photo editor apps that can help your business stand out even more because they don’t rely on what the app alone can provide. They include: For iPhone: VSCO Adobe Lightroom Enlight Adobe Photoshop Express PicsArt Photo & Collage Maker For Android: Snapseed Photo Mate R3 Prisma Pixlr Facetune Choose your subject matter You may already know what the subject matter of your posts is going to be. For instance, if you’re an e-commerce business you’ll likely post pictures of the products you’re selling on the site. And if you’re a restaurant, you’ll likely post photos of the food you sell. But no company should leave the subject matter of the photos they post to these obvious items alone. While you always want to stay consistent, it is okay to switch things up from time and time and add posts that are truly just meant to be interesting and fun and not promotional in any way. For instance, HootSuite, the social media marketing mogul, posts photos and videos of new staff members (and sometimes even their pets) every time someone new joins their staff. This can make posts more entertaining to followers, and make them feel as though they truly know the staff. Creating branded hashtags One of the most popular and effective styles that can be used on Instagram is to use branded hashtags. One of the reasons hashtags are so popular is actually because they were created by a Twitter user. Not a marketing agency, not a business, but just a regular user on Twitter. Today they’re used to allow users to easily search for a product, service, or term and find it easily within the conglomerate of different posts on social media. Branded hashtags let users do all of that, but are designed by the business and can be a very effective marketing technique. This doesn’t always mean using the company’s name as a branded hashtag, although that can certainly be one that the company uses. But a branded hashtag can, and should, also include tags that will encourage followers to share photos that are appropriate for that image. A restaurant, for example, may create a branded hashtag such as #bestfoodever while a housecleaning company may create a brand tag such as #notimeforthat. The idea is that branded hashtags are not only that your company can use, but also those that followers can use to get onboard with it. Know your audience When marketing your business, you always have to know your audience; and the same holds true for Instagram, too. What works for one business won’t work for another simply because they’re marketing to a different audience. Before posting anything, business owners need to really take a look at their audience and understand them. They need to know what interests their audience, what their expectations are, and what will really hit home with them. Of all the other tips, this may be the most important because this is what’s going to get that audience to engage with the business on Instagram, and off. Use captions Let’s be honest; a picture doesn’t always tell a thousand words. Sometimes those pictures need help to further the story, and that’s where captions come into play. Captions in Instagram can expand on an image, give it more context, and even make people laugh and be entertained. It can also tell people how that image ties back into the business. Captions may seem like a small thing to some, but the impact they can have is huge. Instagram Stories Typically, what you put out on social media stays on social media. But that’s not true with Instagram stories. Instagram stories have hopped onboard with other types of social media that allow posts to stay online for a very short time and then be erased. Snapchat was the first of its kind and now anyone can do it with Instagram Stories. Instagram Stories are a way to keep loyal followers engaged and create new content for new customers and new audiences to discover. And it’s Instagram Stories that turn Instagram into something more than just your company’s online photo album. But when many business owners hear about the feature, they wonder why they would create online content that would only be available for a very limited time. But the truth is, there are plenty of reasons to do it. The first is that Instagram users have fewer expectations from stories than they do pictures that have been shared through a post. While posts should have the best lighting, proper angles, and include catchy hashtags, Instagram Stories don’t need any of that. All you need is a little creativity and an interesting moment or fun idea you want to share. This is also what makes Instagram Stories such a great testing ground for any new ideas you may have. Think of them as a kind of focus group. You have an idea, but you’re not sure if your audience will love it. Maybe it’s a new product demo, or showing off the changes you’ve made to your office. Maybe it’s just a little bit of backstory on your company. You want to share it, but you don’t know if it will be a hit with the crowd. Post an Instagram Story and then look at the reception it receives. Did people like it or comment on it? Did they watch the Story all the way through without leaving? If so, this is probably a good idea for a permanent post or to post on another channel such as YouTube. Instagram Ads So by now, you’ve done quite a bit on Instagram in order to market your business. You’ve created a great profile, added dynamic content and may have even dabbled with trying your hand at Instagram Stories. All of this is great and can easily help you get more organic traffic and more exposure for your business. But there’s one more thing you can do to get Instagram working for you and that’s by placing actual ads on it. Instagram ads are just like Facebook and AdWords ads in the sense that they are costper-click, so you will only pay for that ad every time someone clicks on your ad. And with this structure, you also get to set your own budget. On average Instagram ads cost anywhere between $0.70 and $1.00 per click, but that doesn’t mean that choosing a the lower cost won’t be effective. There are a number of ways an Instagram ad can be run. The easiest ways to do it are right within the Instagram app itself, Facebook Ads Manager, Facebook Power Editor. Just like you had to determine a few things before setting up your Instagram account, there are also a few things you need to consider before running an Instagram ad. You’ll be asked all of these things while actually creating your ad but having them ready beforehand can make the process much easier and run more smoothly. The first thing you want to know is what your objective is for your ad campaign. Do you want to increase brand awareness, local awareness, or extend your reach across the platform? What is your objective of your campaign? Do you want to drive more traffic to your blog or website? Increase engagement? Get more video views, or generate leads? You’ll also need to create your target audience, but if you’ve run Facebook ads in the past, this part can be relatively easy. That’s because with Instagram ads you can either use a Facebook ad audience you’ve used in the past, or you can create an entirely new target audience. Then you’ll need to determine where you want your ad to be placed. If you’re running your ads on Instagram, there’s a good chance you want your ad to actually appear on Instagram. But because Facebook is also linked to the app, you’ll have other options as well. Those are: appearing in the Facebook news feed for mobile and desktop users; appearing in Facebook’s right-hand column; the audience network such as across other apps and websites; or through a streaming video that will start playing as soon as a user scrolls down to it. While it can be difficult to determine where you want your ad to run with all those options, there are some guidelines to follow. Facebook and Instagram should be chosen to increase brand awareness, increase engagement and get more video views. For increased traffic to websites, increased catalog sales and conversions, Facebook and the audience network will likely get a business the best results. After determining all of this, it’s really just a matter of selecting the preferred ad specs such as whether you want to use a carousel of images, a single image, single video, or slideshow. Of course, you’ll also have to fill in the actual ad copy such as the headline, text, and call to action button. Once those are all filled in, you just need to review your ad to make sure you like how it looks and then send it to Instagram so they can review and publish it. But Instagram ads aren’t the only way to market a company through the app. You can also choose to promote posts, which won’t require creating a new ad at all and so is much easier to do. Promoting Posts on Instagram Promoting posts on Instagram is by far the easiest way to advertise within the app. You don’t need to create any new ad copy and it’s not as complex as running other ad campaigns. There are, however, a few requirements you need to fulfill before boosting an Instagram post. You must have an Instagram business profile, you need to be the Admin on the Facebook page connected to your Instagram account, and you need to follow the advertising policies set out by Facebook. After you have met those requirements you just need to open the Instagram app, head over to your profile, and tap on the post you want to promote. Below the image, in the post, you’ll see a button that says ‘Promote’ and you just have to tap it. From there Instagram will give you a few options, similar to those you would choose if creating an entirely new ad. You’ll need to set your objectives but here there are only two options – ‘Visit website’ or ‘Call or visit business.’ Then you’ll just need to fill in the details of your promotion including setting the audience and determining how much you want to spend. And while the promoted post will start running as soon as you’re done filling in these options, you will also have to determine the duration you’d like to see the promoted post run for. Then you’re done! With just a few minutes and a couple of taps – all done right on your phone, wherever you are – you’ve promoted a post that even more users on Instagram will see. Resources to Use with Instagram By now, you have probably realized there is a lot you can do with Instagram without ever leaving the app. But if you’ve had an Instagram account for some time, you’ve probably noticed that other users somehow manage to create truly vibrant posts and videos that just look different than all the other posts out there, including the ones you create. The secret behind these posts is likely that those users are using third-party apps that have been designed with the sole intent to enhance Instagram posts. There are a number of these apps available and below are the best ones to use. Boomerang Available for Android users here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.instagram.boomerang&hl=en Available for Apple users here: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/boomerang-frominstagram/id-?mt=8 Boomerang is an app that the developers of Instagram actually created. It allows users to create 3-second videos that will play on a loop, constantly repeating itself. This can be used to show a single idea or those who are strategic about it can get really creative with the idea that as soon as the video ends it will start again. For instance, a few years ago there was a video of a man trying to break through an ice block with a sledgehammer. The ice never breaks but the caption was, ‘Watch until the very end’, leaving some users to watch the video for a full two minutes before realizing that what they saw was all they were ever going to see. Layout Available for Android users here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.instagram.layout&hl=en Available for Apple users here: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/layout-frominstagram/id-?mt=8 Another great app from the developers of Instagram, Layout lets users create collages quickly and easily by simply selecting the different pictures they want used in their collages. This is a great way to quickly share different pictures from a single event, or create a series that really shows off a business’ latest products. Hypocam Available for Android users here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.xnview.hypocam&hl=en Available for Apple users here: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/hypocam/id-?mt=8 Sure, you could use the black and white feature on your phone’s camera if it has one. Or you could just choose an Instagram filter that will post your pics in black and white for you. But if you really want to fine tune those pictures before sharing them, you need to get Hypocam. In this app you can even take black and white selfies before sharing them on Instagram. YouCam Perfect Available for Android users here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cyberlink.youperfect&hl=en Available for Apple users here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/youcam-perfectphoto-editor/id-?mt=8 Ever notice that other people’s selfies always look so much better than yours? The chances are that they have YouCam Perfect, the app that has a number of beautification features such as skin tone adjustment and enhancement of facial features. Use this app when uploading your profile picture, letting staff members take pictures so they can be uploaded, and a number of other uses. Microsoft Hyperlapse Available for Android users here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.hyperlapsemobile&hl =en Available for Apple users here: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/hyperlapse-frominstagram/id-?mt=8 Have you ever wanted to post a video of your staff barbecue, but you can’t decide which pieces to include while still keeping the video short? Or maybe you want to show how your staff and office is getting ready for a new promotion, or opening a new location, but you know that uploading a video including two days of work is going to bore users. Enter Hyperlapse, an app developed by the geniuses at Microsoft. Just open the app, start recording, and then adjust the speed. You’ll be able to see your staff members zipping around hauling boxes and then ten seconds later, be able to show the newly designed store. Or you can show the entire baseball game played at your staff’s barbecue from the starting lineup to the final score – and all in just twenty or so seconds. Hyperlapse is a great way to show a number of things in a very short period of time. Quote apps for Instagram Your Instagram doesn’t always have to limit itself to just pictures and videos of things happening in your business. Sometimes you can find a really great quote that’s perfectly suited to your business that you want to share. And, Instagram users love quotes, particularly if they’re inspirational or motivational. But how do you post a quote, which is written text, to Instagram, the app for images? Easily, with any of these apps that are available for both Android and Apple. All of these apps will let you place quotes on pictures that better illustrate the point while sometimes being able to change the font color, style, and even edit the photo. InstaQuote Available for Android users here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.redcactus.instaquote&hl=en Available for Apple users: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/instaquote-add- textcaptions/id- Text2Pic Available for Android users here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=textpic.wonder.caption&hl=en Available for Apple users here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/text2pic-musical- texton-photo/id- Quotes Creator Available for Android users here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ist.quotescreator&hl=en Available for Apple users here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/quotescreator/id-?mt=8 Quote Maker Available for Android users here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.appwallet.instantquotes&hl=en Available for Apple users here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/quotemaker/id-?mt=8 All of these resources will take your Instagram account to the next level and make them really stand out while users are quickly scrolling through their feed. And when you’re posts stand out on the app, people are more likely to stop on your post and want to learn more about it. And that’s really the whole point of using Instagram, isn’t it? Conclusion When it comes to online marketing, even when using social media platforms, there are a lot of options out there for businesses. When choosing between them, business owners likely want something that is easy to use, has a lot of options and is budget-friendly. Instagram hits all of these marks and once business owners start using it, they’ll not only learn how easy it is to use, but also just how effective it can be! Recommended Resources We know that idea of Instagram marketing can be intimidating. While we hope this guide has provided you with everything you need to give you the confidence to do it, we understand you may need further information and assistance. You can always contact us directly.