How to Integrate Instagram into Your Affiliate Marketing Business

Throughout this week we will take a focus on how to integrate external social media and content platforms into your affiliate marketing business. The addition of these platforms will allow your business to flourish in many ways such as through lead generation, customer support, or content marketing. The platforms we plan to cover come at no cost other than time spent learning and using the platform.

Who would have known a simple photo sharing app, Instagram, would explode in popularity and now boast over 150 million active users?

In just three short years (at October 6^th, this year), the platform has evolved from being just a simple way to add photo effects.

The platform has become a giant of its own and with it came many new features for users and businesses. The recent addition of video is now becoming the standard for quick video sharing, too.

If you know how to take a photo or record a video, let’s be honest – we all do, than you already have 90% of the skills required to leverage and integrate the platform into your affiliate marketing business.

 

5 Ways to Integrate Instagram for Affiliate Marketing

Here are a few ideas to get started …

• Share Product Updates and Releases – Snag and share a few pictures throughout the development process of your new product. Build buzz around what’s about to launch by adding a bit of mystery and ask your followers their thoughts about what it may be. Launch the product and do a big reveal through pictures and video on the platform.

• Hold a Photo Contest – Integrate Instagram into your contest efforts by creating on specific to taking and sharing pictures on the platform. Announce the contest, choose a prize, and method for narrowing down the winners, and then start plastering it on other social media accounts you own. Have it so your followers take pictures of your products or do a video review of your services which will help grow your brand. Find a lucky winner and announce it right there on the platform – photo log the entire process – then make a post about it, too.

• Distribute Discount Codes and Coupons – Create exclusive coupon and discount codes for your products and services that are only available to your Instagram followers. This will jump start your following and gives you the ability to deliver your marketing message directly to their phone (since people will have access to the app nearly anywhere they go since so many are glued to their smart phones).

• Rapid Interviews – The length of your Instagram videos can’t be too long but it still gives you enough time to hold quick interviews. Try shooting and sharing single questions to industry leaders when you’re attending a conference. Consider interviewing your employees with common questions about your business, too. This will give a face to what you have to offer and will help build your brand through association with other leaders.

• Personalized Customer Service – Take advantage of the customer support calls, emails, and messages coming through the social channels by responding to them via photos and video instead of a basic line of text. Show how to do particular things with your products when a customer asks for help. Record short videos for the solutions tailored to their needs but also available for anyone else having the same trouble. Compile all these items into a customer support database and knowledgebase to improve customer service.

Got employees? Hand over the reins of Instagram to them.

They’re the ones using your products and services every day; they’re also the ones reaching your customers. Who better to share photos and videos of what’s going on behind the scenes than your employees? Set a policy in place so you don’t share too much insider information but don’t be afraid of the competition snooping because getting followers buzzing about what’s going on is what truly matters.

Need more? Read SocialMediaExaminer.com’s list of 26 tips for using Instagram or these businesses using Instagram video.

It’s More than an App to take Food Pictures

Instagram exploded in popularity not just because it has cool photo effects but because it drew in a massive community. It’s very easy to begin amassing many likes, shares, and followers on the network if you’re creating great content.

You can leverage the hell out of the platform for business if you don’t overly sell.

You will engage users if you bring a visual media to your brand; there’s no reason not to use Instagram for business especially if it takes just a few moments to take a picture or record a video.

 

Source: http://www.affiliateprograms.com/blog/integrate-instagram/

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