What if I tell you that you could leverage Instagram and Twitter for business together, instead of just going with one? The reality is that you could perform extremely well with both social media marketing platforms, but before we go down into details, allow me to explain a little about Instagram and Twitter … you know, just to get to the right mood.
Facebook acquired Instagram in 2012 for $1 billion (9 zeros if you are wondering) and it was probably the best move e-v-e-r. The photo sharing network announced on Wednesday that they have hit the 300 million mark in members.
And if you are wondering, it surpasses giant Twitter which stands approximately at 285 million members. Businesses around the world (including bloggers and social media strategists) are scrambling to determine if they should be changing their marketing tactics.
Well, you could leverage both platforms at the same time … but you got to have the right social media strategies.
Both requires different approaches and you can just literally copy and paste contents from one platform to another.
At the end of this article, you’ll be able to find some powerful tips to help you leverage both Instagram and Twitter for business.
How To Leverage Instagram And Twitter For Business?
1. Instagram
Instagram is a photo sharing application on mobile, that makes photo sharing easier than ever. The ultimate goal using Instagram is to share photos and it is extremely popular for selfies.
Selfie (in layman’s English) means taking photo of yourself while posing for the camera. ~ Unknown.
Influencers like Sue B Zimmerman uses Instagram on daily basis for business. And yes, Instagram-ing is a form of visual marketing.
As a matter of fact, Instagram is an excellent visual marketing strategy … if you got it right.
The availability of filters in Instagram makes newbies photographer become professionals and it doesn’t require more than 10 minutes to master them. Trust me on this!
How to leverage Instagram for business?
Instagram isn’t the same with any other social media platforms. It requires creativity – lots of them.
Important facts when using Instagram:
- You can’t reshare images but you could only like and comment
- You can tag a person by using @username
- There are 150 characters in Instagram bio
- 20 image filters to utilize
- Ability to share across various platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr and Foursquare)
- Using relevant tags help you to increase reach
Photos shared on Instagram must be meaningful, providing CTA and encourage clicks back to your bio page.
And this is because there is no hyperlink allowed in Instagram posts. Therefore, the only way to encourage clicks is to convince followers to check out your Instagram bio and ultimately, clicking on the link provided.
So yes, meaningful images + good call to actions = better chance of clicking.
However, if you are in the fashion business, you do not need to focus (entirely) on clicks.
You can easily leverage Instagram by adding a location (in this case, the location of your premise) and even a writing signage. The below is an awesome example by the First Lady, Michelle Obama.
An image like the above, carries a significant effect in terms of sharing. This brings hashtag usability to a whole new level.
Personally, I noticed businesses that has more tangible products are able to leverage Instagram marketing more than other counter parts.
2. Twitter
Twitter is probably one of the most popular social media tool for literally everyone. According to Statistic Brain, 9,100 tweets are send out every second. Now, that’s really massive!
Unlike Instagram, tweets from Twitter can consist of images, videos, links and quotes. Influencers like Chris Brogan uses Twitter for both leisure and business.
As for the record, I’m a huge fan of Twitter and using it since 2009, I know (and you know) that Twitter is a must-have for any online marketer.
One single retweet could easily trigger the next, most viral tweet of the day!
How to leverage Twitter for business?
Unlike Instagram, Twitter is really a fast moving platform. A tweet literally last a mere few seconds on the timeline before it gets buried in thousands of other tweets.
It is way easier to attract readers to your blog using Twitter than Instagram.
There are several effective methods to use Twitter for business:
- Connecting with relevant people and influencers
- Draw people to your blog
- Finding prospective clients
- Establish and increase brand visibility
- Become an expert in your own field
- Keeping up with current trends
Personally, Twitter (for me) is more towards following and leveraging the current trends.
You can easily find the current trends on Twitter using Twitter trends based on location.
Lastly, you can use Twitter to convert your competitors customers to yours. In other words, it is called social listening (here’s an useful article about the topic).
This is extremely powerful especially when you are competing heads on with a competitor which is larger than you. Listen to their customers feedback and understand their needs. You can create or amend your services to be in line with their needs and even keeping them informed (follow them first and then send them a private message).
Avoid public tweet directly to them as that isn’t a good etiquette.
Over to you
When it comes to Instagram versus Twitter, I don’t think there will be any fair match. The biggest question would be, “How ready is your business to adapt to each of them?”
For example, a brick and mortar business would easily leverage Instagram as they may have more tangle products while online businesses would be able to leverage Twitter by driving more clicks back to their websites.
Here’s a food for thought for you. Do you think that this whole Instagram hitting 300 million mark is overrated for business owners?
See also: 5 Ways For Businesses To Maximize the Potential of Instagram
