Kristina Gledhill - Bayshore Solutions Account Manager

By: Kristina Gledhill – Bayshore Solutions Emarketing Team

We’re all familiar with the popular photography app, Instagram, by now. The super fun app allows the average Joe to take photos on their mobile phone, edit the photo with a filter to make it look unique and more professional, and then share it with friends and followers on a variety of social networking sites (including Instagram’s own).

But did you know that businesses can also utilize Instagram? Your company can use the hip social photography app, which was recently bought out by Facebook, in the following ways:

•    Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – Name your photos with keywords, including alt tags, using Instagram’s editing features
•    Contests – If you sell products, ask customers to take photos of themselves using the product and then upload the photo to win a prize. Add an element of interaction by encouraging people to vote on their favorite photo.
•    Event Marketing – Ask people to take photos of an event you’re having. This gets people excited about the event and allows for more interaction.
•    Social Media – Share photos via social media. Instagram allows you to add a hashtag to the photo, which will help you keep tabs on any picture via Twitter or social networks.
•    Connection – Your customers are more than likely using Instagram, making it another avenue to form connections.
•    Location – Instagram allows you to add a location to your photo and you should definitely take advantage of this feature!

Instagram is currently all the buzz, so why not join? Although Instagram does not currently offer specific brand accounts, you can still create an individual account for your company. Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to reach your customers or potential customers in a new way!

Kristina Gledhill is an Account Manager at Bayshore Solutions—a Tampa Web Design, Web Development, and Internet Marketing Company.