Instagram Marketing

[Grittyrustic]

If you are looking to increase your company exposure, increase local traffic to your leather shop, traffic to a link, promoting a product or even promote your start-up company or blog. Then I would recommend the almighty little Instagram. Instagram is a mobile phone app that allows you to take pictures of things and share them with the Instagram community which is massive and still growing. 

Currently Instagram has over taken Facebook as the biggest platform for building a fan-base and driving traffic to websites. It costs nothing and is the biggest trend for companies and individual people wanting to promote. All you need is the know-how. If you have never used Instagram before or have and need some tips then here are some steps I have prepared that I think make a successful Instagram post.

1. Download to your phone and create an Instagram account. Filling in all the account details like, website, name, email and so on. Use a good business name user I.D. You want to come off as a business or someone with a brand or leather shop.
 
2. Post an image. The image should not be a graphic designed image but an interesting photograph of something related to your field of business or an image of the actual product itself or just about anything that seems to do the trick.
 
3. While posting the image you will be promoted with adding a filter that changes the attitude of the image by giving it a splash of vintage or monotone colors. I prefer to use nothing at all when posting product images, just because I want viewers and followers to see the actual product I am showing. However If I am posting an image of a scene that is not directly related to the importance of showing the product then I will use a filter to enhance the scenery.
 
4. In the text area for the image posting you want to be a bit radical in a positive way or make a strong point about the image or be humorous. Instead of saying something common like "Genuine leather backpack" in all of your posts, you should mix it up and say something like "The first and last bag you will ever need", “20 years and counting, almost like it was never used”.
 
5. Followed by the text you want to write your website web-link of importance. Example: www.leatherworker.net
 
6. After you have written the text you want to begin adding hashtags. Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags. Hashtags make you discover-able through Instagram's search function and some other unknown functions. Your first hashtag after the text and web-link should be your company or products unique name hashtag. 

Example: #leatherworker. Yes, use your company name to make a hashtag.
 
7. After your company hashtag, you want to add 29 more. These 29 more hashtags should be related to your product and its scope of business. I usually add 14 hashtags directly related to the product itself and 15 hashtags related to the industry. As you input hashtags into your Instagram postings you will be given random lists of different hashtags showing the amount of users who have used these hashtags in the past . This is important because the more people using your choice of hashtags basically means the more exposure you will get from using that hashtag. 

Example: 14 hashtags related to the product itself would be #backpack #briefcase #bag #messengerbag #satchel #laptopbag etc...and then 15 hashtags related to the industry #menswear #mensfashion #mensstyle #businesscasual #travel #hiking #business #mensaccessories #leathergoods #leatherwork etc...

Here is an example posting from my Instagram account. At the bottom it shows the amount of people who have liked the posting. It doesn't show the amount of followers you obtained from the posting, but once people follow you they will see everything you post in their home feed and in search as well. Example Instagram Post

This is my personal way of posting on Instagram and it has played a decent role in giving my company and product extra exposure. I hope this post was very helpful to you. If you have any question about this feel free to reply.
 

Edited May 11, 2016 by GrittyRusticLeather

[ConradPark]

Interesting article for the person that is unfamiliar with social media, however you forgot to include how to do, when to buy likes/followers from 'booster companies', and pros and cons to why to do such a thing.

Also, it might be worth to mention the importance of the quality of the photos, the tactics of when and how often to upload pictures, replying to comments, experimenting with subjects, holding contests, follow other relevant users, but most importantly, the fact that real, honest, organic growth takes time.

In fact, it takes a long, long time. Most people should not expect more than a couple of thousand followers even after posting a few hundred pictures during a 18 month period. Guess there is always the one amazing exception.

  Edited May 12, 2016 by ConradPark

[Grittyrustic]

11 hours ago, ConradPark said:

Interesting article for the person that is unfamiliar with social media, however you forgot to include how to do, when to buy likes/followers from 'booster companies', and pros and cons to why to do such a thing.

Also, it might be worth to mention the importance of the quality of the photos, the tactics of when and how often to upload pictures, replying to comments, experimenting with subjects, holding contests, follow other relevant users, but most importantly, the fact that real, honest, organic growth takes time.

In fact, it takes a long, long time. Most people should not expect more than a couple of thousand followers even after posting a few hundred pictures during a 18 month period. Guess there is always the one amazing exception.

 

Hey there, good points! This was just a simple tutorial for beginners. If you could elaborate on some more technical points that would be great. I understand there are many who aren't familiar with how to use these kinds of platforms for marketing and I didn't see anything posted on the leatherworker website about it. Hopefully I was helpful to someone.

Booster companies offer services that send followers to your Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest accounts and are a great way to increase brand exposure! They give off the impression to viewers that you are an established brand because of the amount of followers you have thus increasing in more followers. People like what seems popular. Of course there are pros and cons like everything has but its no different than using google adwords to increase website traffic and conversions.

I understand what you mean by "real honest organic growth", but thats not always the most efficient approach to building brand awareness. And not everyone has 18 months or years to build up a strong honest fanbase on Instagram or other fanbase platforms. The whole moral standpoint of "real honest organic growth" shouldn't limit your actual potential or ability to make a sale. In my opinion, return customers converging on your website is your primary goal and thats worth bragging rights.

[Grittyrustic]

Another great way to build a strong fanbase and brand awareness on Instagram would be to use Facebook ads. Many people don't know that Facebook bought Instagram and through Facebook ads you can advertise directly on Instagram. The advertisement will appear on Instagram as a normal Instagram posting from your Instagram account, only there will be a "shop now" link on the Instagram posting allowing potential customers and interested followers to be redirected to your website. This alone is equivalent to posting a new Instagram image every hour. We do this and we average about 15 to 30 new followers everyday with the added addition of driving traffic to our website.

So in doing this, you can develop many new followers and customers without the need to pump out images on a timely basis. I recommend this over Google Adwords because it costs less and you have direct engagement with your audience and you have a better idea of who is interested.

[ConradPark]

It's not about right and wrong and I make no such claims, rather it's about transparency. People need to be aware about the fact that without sinking money into advertising they won't be able to have 10 000 followers after only 47 posted pictures on their Instagram like you. (And according to your own later admitted advertising formula, it should have taken you between a year to one and a half to get that many followers, but I suspect that you haven't had your account for that long, rather paid for a bunch of followers at once.) In your original post you didn't mention anything about paying for followers, hence I felt it was needed to point that option out. And again, organic growth might not be more right from an business point, nor did I claim it to be. However it is without doubt - real and honest.

[Grittyrustic]

2 hours ago, ConradPark said:

It's not about right and wrong and I make no such claims, rather it's about transparency. People need to be aware about the fact that without sinking money into advertising they won't be able to have 10 000 followers after only 47 posted pictures on their Instagram like you. (And according to your own later admitted advertising formula, it should have taken you between a year to one and a half to get that many followers, but I suspect that you haven't had your account for that long, rather paid for a bunch of followers at once.) In your original post you didn't mention anything about paying for followers, hence I felt it was needed to point that option out. And again, organic growth might not be more right from an business point, nor did I claim it to be. However it is without doubt - real and honest.

An "advertising formula" and a "how to use Instagram" tutorial are two completely different things. Lets stay on topic here. My original post wasnt about my account in general or how or why I have folowers. So I don't find it too relevant to make personal attacks. My original post was just a basic tutorial about how to use Instagram and drive traffic to a website for someone who isnt sure how to. If you find you have questions you can ask.

But since we are on the topic of real and honest why dont you shed some light on everything that you feel is real and honest in relation to Instagram. I also have an Instagram ad running which loads up on followers every hour all by itself. Would you consider that real and honest? If not then please explain how paying for followers through these two "advertising formulas" is different. And why one is not real and honest and why one is.

Also, it helps to acknowledge that people have different motives, agendas, financial situations, intentions and plans when doing things and not all are subject to being dishonest.

[JerseyFirefighter]

My instagram definitely has more exposure and followers than facebook. The mix of photos and linking them with hashtags gets you seen by those looking at similar topics. While business is business and buying likes or followers helps expand, I personally find it disingenuous by creating a fake buzz over your account. I would rather slowly gain followers by their choice and not by a bot. Hell I even get down when I see instagram bots liking my posts. I know it helps but I would rather get the appreciation from someone liking my product, and not because someone is trying to get exposure for their own company. The biggest culprit on instagram for bots are social media marketing accounts. 

For those not tech savy wishing to expand their marketing reach.. instagram is definitely the way to go. I would also make that list of hashtags on a word document or mobile note and save it. So every time you want to make a post you dont have to type all of the same hashtags out one at a time. 

 

And taking REALLY GOOD photos are important. Nobody wants to see dim lit, fuzzy pics. People want clean, well lit, and if possible creative photos. They like your pictures just as much as they like your product. 

[Reegesc]

@GrittyRusticLeather  Hahaha, not even a month into your membership and you're already stirring up controversy.   I like you already!  

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

At the risk of sounding like an old fuddy-duddy, I'm still trying to figure out what the hell Instagram is and how to use it!  I don't like all this new technology stuff, even though I know that in today's world, if you don't keep up with it you'll get run over and forgotten.  Honestly, I'd rather be standing there scratching my head and cussing over why my stitcher just started dropping stitches, and that rates right up there with housework, like scrubbing the shower or cleaning the toilet. I think I need an IT person to manage all that crap!

 

[JerseyFirefighter]

6 hours ago, Big Sioux Saddlery said:

At the risk of sounding like an old fuddy-duddy, I'm still trying to figure out what the hell Instagram is and how to use it!  I don't like all this new technology stuff, even though I know that in today's world, if you don't keep up with it you'll get run over and forgotten.  Honestly, I'd rather be standing there scratching my head and cussing over why my stitcher just started dropping stitches, and that rates right up there with housework, like scrubbing the shower or cleaning the toilet. I think I need an IT person to manage all that crap!

 

Facebook is a place where you can share thoughts, comments, and literal diatribes to almost anyone, or simply your friends that you add to your gorup. You may of course add pictures and videos to you post. Twitter comes along and limits what you can say to 143 letters, numbers, spaces etc in one post. A very shorthand quick delivery of opinions. Instagram takes the polar opposite of facebook where it is centered solely around photos or short videos. You may add commentary to the picture, but the main goal of instagram is to put a photo in your face. With all three forms of social media, you may use hashtags, which essentially is the pound sign followed by a subject matter you are wishing to categorize your post in.( no spaces) you want to "tag" your post so people searching for #leathercraft... adding the hashtag to the comment section will automatically include your photo in all searches for that tag. 

 

I make firefighter accessories.. If I posted a picture without hashtags mostly my followers would only see it. If I use hashtags such as #firefighter #firefighting #firefighterleather etc. Then my post will show up in all searches that contain those tags. 

 

Social media is an awesome tool because most people now use that as a primary source of non face to face communication. What once was a world where your small business would cater only to local, and sometimes regional customer base... you have to opportunity to connect and share your brand globally. My first few sales were across the country.. and I gained those sales by marketing my work on social media. Hope this helps. Id be happy to dig a little deeper into the subject if yo uhave particular questions. 

[brmax]

Grit, I'm finding this interesting.

As I'm not a member of face or insta at the present, Ive only at this time thought about it more.

The photos are always a key, so thanks and now I will go back to the top where I took a break.

Floyd

Edited May 20, 2016 by brmax

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

Thank you Jersey! I am familiar with Facebook and have both a personal and business page there, but beyond that, all the rest is foreign to me. And I was only slightly joking when I said I need an IT person. And an office manager, and a cleaning service, etc, etc. Business is the best it's ever been, and the managerial work (and basically anything that isn't revenue producing) is getting to be too much. Thank you for the time you took to explain:-)

[Grittyrustic]

54 minutes ago, Big Sioux Saddlery said:

Thank you Jersey! I am familiar with Facebook and have both a personal and business page there, but beyond that, all the rest is foreign to me. And I was only slightly joking when I said I need an IT person. And an office manager, and a cleaning service, etc, etc. Business is the best it's ever been, and the managerial work (and basically anything that isn't revenue producing) is getting to be too much. Thank you for the time you took to explain:-)

Well, if you would take a small leap of faith into the world of technology, it may prove to be just what you need. I worded the tutorial to the best of my ability, and I am sure you have a smart phone. Give it a go, if anything it is the same as Facebook only pictures do most of the story telling. Be sure to add a hashtag of your city and state eg. #LosAngeles #California in every post and use the location function in every post as well. You want that local patriotic traffic walking in your front door.

But none of this will make any sense until you got the hands on and the visual. Start with downloading Instagram and give it a quick spin, then read this and the tutorial. And a friendly caution, Instagram is extremely addicting. As addicting as making good leather goods, only you get to show them to the world.

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

Umm. . . actually no smart phone. I've been stubbornly resisting that as well:-)

[JLSleather]

Me, too, Big Souix.  Truth be told, a lot of the youngsters only have them because they're terrified of not having what the neighbor has.

You'd think they'd learn how to USE them, though.  Many of the patterns purchased in the past year (sites like etsy or ebay) are available FREE if you search.  Perhaps those smart phones aren't that smart after all.  Oh, wait -- yes they are... they're talking people out of $1,000 per year!

I actually walked away from one person who said "hashtag" in a conversation. Just left 'em standin' there ...

 

 

Edited May 20, 2016 by JLSleather

[kiwican]

50 minutes ago, JLSleather said:

Me, too, Big Souix.  Truth be told, a lot of the youngsters only have them because they're terrified of not having what the neighbor has.

You'd think they'd learn how to USE them, though.  Many of the patterns purchased in the past year (sites like etsy or ebay) are available FREE if you search.  Perhaps those smart phones aren't that smart after all.  Oh, wait -- yes they are... they're talking people out of $1,000 per year!

I actually walked away from one person who said "hashtag" in a conversation. Just left 'em standin' there ...

lol Awesome!

 

 

[Reegesc]

I'm guessing some of you guys are still leasing wall phones from the phone company and would switch to a party line if it were offered.  Lol    Come on guys.  The future has arrived.  Forget social media, trip to Mars, self driving cars.  They don't even qualify as child's play compared to what's coming up next -- Super AI.   Read this and see if it doesn't set your hair on fire.   Personally, I'm optimistic and eager for it to arrive.   

Edited May 20, 2016 by cseeger

[graywolf]

I used to be on the bleeding edge of technology. In the last 20 years I have become more and more retro, heck I do not even own a pair of jeans. 90% due to lack of funds, 10% due to lack of motivation. Good old stuff, I have found, is just fun.

While I have a smart phone, and a tv, I cannot afford the monthly fees to use them. On the other hand I have a more powerful computer than 99% of the people out there...

I am reading this particular forum, trying to decide if I could make a few bucks doing leatherwork part time. So far, I have not seen anything posted that answers that question. Maybe I need to do a specific search rather than just reading from top to bottom as I usually do.

[JLSleather]

I never touch the stuff. Somebody sent me 'pinterest' stuff, so I put in a couple of pics.  Next thing, I'm getting emails about "pins you might like".  WHEN exactly did i ask for that?

So down the road, somebody said "check out my blahblahblah instagram", but when I got there it wouldn't show me the pic without signing up, so I NEVER DID see that one

That whole "social" thing is just ONE of the many things wrong with hand made crafts these days.  Some people could stand to spend a bit less time "marketing" (we used to call it @$$-kissing) and spend that time IMPROVING their skills (or acquiring some).

Guess I'm not feelin' the need.  And certainly not feelin' it for " increase local traffic to your leather shop ".

SAD, really, that there is some truth in all that poop.  People DO pay for "followers", which is no matter to me. The sad part is, a bunch of people who are TRAINED over the years not to think for themselves will "follow" that same thing, simply because it looks like "everyone" else is.  It's pathetic, but true.

 

I of course am the odd-man-out.  For a long time, I didn't own a tv or a couch.  People would come in,.. and say (in disbelief and shock) HEY you don't have a couch!.  Yeah, I know.  I knew it BEFORE you did.   They expected a couch... cuz "everybody else' got one. 

I bought a house 4 miles outside town.  Not in the zoo of the rat race, but still get to town in 5 mins if I care to.  But not people casually just "happen to be in the neighborhood".  So one night, couple gals show up with like a 5-course meal... thought maybe I was "lonely".  WHY?  Did you see my truck go past yer house?  Did yer phone ring?   Hey, I like girls,AND I like food, so all worked out there.  But do not... like pinterest.... assume that I want you to stop by again when I'm doing something else 

 

 

[JLSleather]

DISCLAIMER:  Any sofas or similarly shaped object now found in my home are property of that other one and not up to me  

[MADMAX22]

Guess I should get a facebook account one of these days ........ or not. 

[JLSleather]

9 hours ago, MADMAX22 said:

Guess I should get a facebook account one of these days ........ or not. 

I have a facebook.  Basically just so nobody else can open one and say that they're me.  Hey, don't laugh -- I've had it happen.  Bout 11-12 years ago I got a call from a lady lives about hour anda half from here... wanted to know when we could start work on her house.  And we DID own a contracting business.  Seems she had a estimate from "Jeff" for an $8k roof repair.  I drove up and met the lady -- nice gal who showed me MY estimate sheet, but that aint my signature.  Turns out, somebody had put a logo on a truck, and was driving around with MY software and a portable printer,signing up people for "jobs".

We had the office number on there, but always had the boys doing the estimate put their OWN cell phone number on the sheet, so if the home owner had questions about the job, they could call and get someone who already knew that home. Apparently, on this one, the guy forgot to clear the phone number area at the bottom, so the lady called and got ME. 

I generally wouldnt' travel that far for a job that small, but I told her I'd do it for that price (which didn't leave me rich OR broke), and I'd give her $100 out of myy own pocket if she can get that guy to show up to discuss the job on the day we start

Now, somebody is gonna git thinkkni''' hey that's a funny story, but what you telling US fer?  Well, honestly, it did happen.  And I did create a facebook to avoid that happening again.  And it was my turn to fill the page with a bunch of stuff that don't really matter.

 

 

[Grittyrustic]

Goodness! After reading all of your stories I actually feel like I'm on Facebook. So go right on ahead and keep pretending like your a Neanderthal in these modern times. You must think it makes you sound special or different, well I assure you it doesn't. If anything it makes you sound ignorant. Now go ahead and manipulate my words and accuse me of calling you stupid.

So I guess this ain't the place for cutting edge or having an entrepreneurial spirit or being an innovator of leather, is it? All this "I don't use Instagram or Pinterest because yadda yadday yadda" is just pure lazy self centered talk.

It comes down to two kinds characteristics in the world of business. Those who are remembered because they strived to share their passion and those who are forgotten because they didn't have the courage to take on change or were simply outwitted.

I'll remember Saddleback Leather Co. for sure. Sweet Jesus, you should see their Instagram profile.

Edited September 2, 2016 by GrittyRusticLeather
Grammar fix

[RockyAussie]

Thank you Gritty Rustic for your contributions with regards to marketing, but I'm curious about what the purpose is in expressing your feeling on a world wide forum about a member that many members use free patterns and advice from - and as I see often - thank them for. We mostly all have something to give here, and to start something like this is not very nice for the value of some free advertising I think. I assume that is what this is for or ......................

[MADMAX22]

Wasn't really sure how to respond to this. I am definitely one of those ignorant/Neanderthal/self centered lazy ones because I don't follow or necessarily agree with what your saying Gritty.

Seems to me your a business man only, you took a vacation overseas and set up some products that get manufactured over there and you setup a receiving/shipping station over here. Good for you. I will say that knowing your marketing scheme, its kind of hard to figure out what the actual story is to be honest.

 

Edited September 2, 2016 by MADMAX22