3 Ways to Use Instagram to Increase Customer Loyalty and Maximize Branding

For a few years, Instagram had a reputation for just being an app of pictures. Today, it’s far more than that. Instagram is arguably the top social media network in the world, collecting stories, developing new tools and resources for consumers and advertisers, and opening up a whole new language of branding.

Because it is so new, many entrepreneurs and businesses still may not know how to get the most from their Instagram accounts. It is not as easy as putting up a picture, writing a quick caption, throwing in a few hashtags, and then you’re set for success. It doesn’t work like that. Leveraging your Instagram account begins similarly to how you should be approaching other social media networks. Every post should be deliberate, meaningful, and branded. For businesses not already taking Instagram seriously, you should be because it’s fastly becoming the top platform for branding in part due to its focus on images. More than on other platforms, your branding on Instagram needs to be top notch and strong. By focusing on branding via Instagram, you can build customer loyalty, a credible base of consumers, and maximize revenues in this space.

#1 – Building your Consumer Base is about Attracting them First

Cohesiveness in color, message, and imaging is key to building a consumer base. Decide on a theme for your Instagram feed that is consistent with the messaging you want to send out.

Think about the type of audience your feed attracts. Think about what would appeal to the customer base you want. Any prospective customer tuning in to your Instagram feed should feel like they see some representation of themselves in the content. This builds trust and confidence that your feed is worth following.

In addition, think about what your company represents to you beyond an opportunity to make profit. If there are any causes you are associated with or any specific solutions you want to introduce to the marketplace, this is worth publicizing. For a customer to support you though, they need to know who you are, the direction you want to go in, and what you believe in.

#2 – Become a Storyteller and use Instagram to share your Stories 

Branding is all about telling a story. Engage the consumer, be authentic in your communications, and don’t shy away from informal language. Instagram encourages creativity and interesting ways of delivering messaging. Don’t ignore the opportunity and have a little fun with it.

There are many opportunities to share stories, be it a behind the scenes look at a product or service, a customer story such as a testimonial, a live streaming video of you in the field answering questions, or other.

Carefully brand your Instagram feed, maintain a focus on telling stories, and have some fun along the way. Take the chance to learn a little more about your customers and their needs. Learn how to provide them value in ways that go beyond simply offering product.

#3 – Successful Branding builds Communities

McDonald’s, Adidas, Apple, and Harley-Davidson are among the world’s biggest brands and each one of these come with their own community of people. For these brands, it’s about building an image that individual personalities are attracted to.

In a sense, think about the type of qualities that would attract your audience – be it coolness, toughness, intelligence, etc. 

Branding is more than just a color palette. It’s about the personality of your business. Those who do it well are rewarded with communities of people willing to invest their time, money, and association with your brand.

Invest your Branding Efforts into Instagram and see Big Rewards

Instagram is a serious growth opportunity for businesses in almost all categories of the marketplace. The immense network of people that we associate with Facebook today is fastly developing at Instagram and in an arguably more trendy way.

Whether you’ve been successful in the past with branding or even if this is your first time using Instagram to do so, there’s a lot to learn here for all businesses. Explore thoroughly and pay attention to how your messaging is received on this platform. Way more than simply pictures, begin building personalities and stories for your consumer base. The immense rewards of this are a community of consumers willing to support your brand as you reach for the next level.