With over 300 million monthly users, Instagram recently overtook Twitter and Facebook as the world’s most popular social network. That’s a headline stat that shouldn’t be underestimated. But while creators are pretty well versed by now in using the latter two – with their sophisticated ad platforms and all – Instagram’s much more limited functionality means that it can actually be more challenging to use as a successful marketing platform. Here are our tips to get the most out of it.
Maximise Your Profile URL
While putting a URL in your upload caption won’t generate a hyperlink, you can use the website link in your profile to drive people to different places. So when you have a new release, change the link to your release on your chosen retailer’s site, then mention that the link to buy is in your profile when you post about it. Two clicks from your post and they’re on the buy page. Update it regularly to drive clicks to new content or promotions.
Use Instagram Direct to distribute exclusive content
Instagram’s private messaging function Instagram Direct may not have exactly taken off, but it has its uses. Use free Instagram analytics tool Iconosquare to identify your most engaged and influential followers and send them exclusive previews of new content to regram, share limited promo codes for discount, spread the word about secret events or send out guestlist offers.
Promote new releases with videos
Got a new release coming out? Don’t just post the artwork; create a 15-second video clip with SOUNDS. It’s a great app which lets you easily create video clips with audio and artwork from millions of songs and mixes on SoundCloud and seamlessly share them to Instagram (Snapchat too). It even fills in the description of the video with the track and artist info. Then combine with our URL tip to drive viewers to the full track or buy page.
Videos are also great for sharing production or performance tips, behind-the-scenes footage, mini tour diaries…
Make hashtagging easier
It’s no secret that more hashtags = more likes (up to the recently introduced limit of 30 tags), but it can be laborious typing them all out. Most smartphones let you create keyboard shortcuts – whereby you can assign a shortcut to a whole sequence of words. So you could, for example, save the command ‘myhashtags’ to quickly paste in ‘#techno #np #newmusic’ etc. Type in your saved shortcut, and your phone will suggest the entire string of saved hashtags as a predicted word.
Showcase more content with DiY Regrams
It can be a bit frustrating that Instagram still doesn’t have an automated regram feature – like Twitter’s retweets and SoundCloud’s reposts – but that doesn’t mean you can’t share other people’s posts (ultimately with their consent, of course). Search for your artist or label hashtag and ask users if you can save and repost their photos to make fans feel more valued and to give your feed more diverse content. You could also run competitions in this way, regramming and rewarding the winning entries.
Schedule posts while you’re away
If you’re managing a particular busy Instagram account, scheduling services can be a godsend. The best we have tried is ScheduGram, which starts at £12 per month for an account with less than 10,000 followers. It even lets you schedule videos. This can be really useful if you’re going to be away and have releases or content that needs promoting in your absence, or if you just want to keep engagement up. If you just need it for a few weeks, you can pay for a month then discontinue your paid plan when you no longer need it.
Click here to see 6 Essential SoundCloud Tips You May Be Missing.