Instagram Marketing for start-ups - how to create a brand that sells !

Not more than four years back, two friends Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger visualized a dream and ‘Instagram’, evolved to what it is today knows as the leading social media community with over 300 million users across the globe.

Ever wondered what the word means ? "Instagram" is a hybrid of two words ‘instant’ and ‘telegram’. Surpassing the already existing social platforms - Twitter and Facebook, Instagram which was erstwhile considered just as a photo-sharing app has come forward as a much-needed platform for marketing and branding products and services. Marketers have realized the need of a platform which helps showcase their brand and also take it viral through  media and Instagram fits the bill.

‘Photos’ and ‘Hashtags’ – that’s all you see on Instagram. However, as a famous proverb says, ‘A picture is worth thousand words’ does not seem to be wrong when we visualize the number of followers brands have attracted by marketing through this social platform. So, when it is about your startup, do not give a second thought to this photo-sharing app.

These steps give an idea of how to market a start-up on Instagram and make your brand stand out.

#Illustrate Your Brand, Don’t Tell

Have an awesome product or service to launch in the market? Demonstrate your potential consumers what it does or how it functions by posting real pictures. Fashion brand ‘Lakme’ posts eye-catching images of Lip shades and eye-shadow shades. The shoe brand ‘Vans’ posts real life photos of shoes on ground and a huge fan base follows them. People don’t want to listen to stories, they want to experience the real feel of the product by its visual appeal.

#Share Exclusive Content

‘Content is the king’ stands true for spreading the word and when it is about Instagram, your Insta feed is where you can post content, which you have not shared on other channels like Facebook and Twitter. Take for an instance ‘WeWork’ – the company offers only shared office spaces across the globe. The brand posts only unique content related to their slogan, "Do What You Love," and they use hashtags, which encourages audience to share similar pictures of office spaces. Post a picture that speaks volumes of content, on top of which an impressive caption can play the role of ‘cherry on the cake’.

#Relate Users with Happiness

When users search a brand ,they look for their likings & they are interested in knowing how your brand is going to make them happy. No wonder why brands like ‘Coca-Cola’, succeeds to drive a huge social media presence. A lot of it can be attributed to their punchline “Open Happiness”. The company posts happy, friendly and refreshing pictures about people sharing a good time while gratifying their taste buds.

# Only Being Unique Works

You are in the process of becoming a brand or trying to spread the buzz about your brand. How many fans you will have in future would only depend on the uniqueness of your product or service. Come up with a creative ad with an unmatched theme highlighting your product. Frooti, one of the ancient beverage brand in India uses Instagram to showcase its unique photos with advertisements as well. Simple yet different, that’s what exactly you will clearly witness in the Insta feeds by Frooti, and the brand seems to unstoppable.

# Reach Out Uncensored

Fans always want to know about what goes behind the scenes of a film, serial, realty show, celebrity’s life. The trend is continued on Instagram as well. Leverage this opportunity when you are a startup. Connect personally with followers by showing them real pictures of your development team, manufacturing process of products, and other happenings. A leading fashion brand ‘Burberry’ posts real-time images on Instagram feeds of scenes behind the Fashion shows such as live stage, photo-shoots and models without make-up.

# Blend Videos with Photos

Mixing up your photos with videos can be a fantastic marketing strategy especially when branding your startup is on your mind. A video generates three times more inbound links than simple tweets or posts. It will engage thousands of fans at one go. ‘National Geographic’- the brand has proven that, “you don’t stick to one place, you keep growing.” The way the brand utilizes photos and videos on Instagram can certainly be witnessed by the growing number of its followers everyday.

Brands mentioned in the lists were once only startups. Today, they are achieving new bests of lifetime numbers, be it followers or web or even mobile traffic. Your success on Instagram marketing depends on how you retain your followers; and, it’s as simple by giving them what they want.

You don’t need to stretch your marketing budget, but modify the approach to reach out to your target audience. Strive for consistency in your marketing strategy and Instagram is certainly going to help you reap the benefits quickly. .