In today’s world, the role of social media in marketing cannot be understated. Social media has the ability to make or break any business. With such power comes great responsibility for brands to ensure their online presence does more to help than harm. If you are running your own photo booth rental business or considering starting one, here are some of our favorite Instagram marketing strategies for your photo booth rental business.
Hashtags
One of the most basic – yet critical – Instagram strategies is hashtagging. Besides images, hashtags are the most vital parts of your Instagram posts. Images might tell your story, but hashtags are what allows your photo to be seen by those outside of your followers.
Hashtags are how brands get found on Instagram. When your target audience is searching for industry-relevant content on social media, you want your photo booth business and photos popping up. For a hashtag strategy to be effective, you need to research and find the tags which are most likely to attract the people you are seeking. There are several catch-all tags which can be useful, such as #follow, #tbt, or #photo, but it is essential to keep up-to-date with competitors and Instagram trends to ensure your hashtag game is on point.
It is best to save hashtags by groups. You can create a list by the type of event that you cater to:
- Corporate
- Movie Premiers
- Weddings
- Birthdays
Secondly, you can create lists for the cities that you offer or perhaps the venue has its own hashtag. This can increase the chances of your photos as well as Instagram stories be seen. Many weddings now have custom hashtags a well so check with your bride and groom and hashtag away.
It is ideal to mix up your group of hashtags with many posts for that hashtag so, for example, 500k plus and use hashtags that have 1k plus or even less. This can help you land on the top 9 feature for that hashtag which is always a great win.
Tip: Choose a social media publishing tool that allows you to easily add your most frequently used hashtags. You can try Planoly, Later, Tailwind
Focus Your Brand Messaging
It may sound obvious, but to be successful on Instagram, you need to fine-tune and focus your photobooth brand’s messaging. You should be able to answer questions such as who your customers are and what do you want your followers to know about your photo booth business without hesitation. If you can’t, then you haven’t clearly established your brand or Instagram strategy. Once you have a firm grasp on what your identity is, don’t be afraid to add some color and spice – make it you. Thinking outside the box will attract the types of clients you want to work with the most because they’ll appreciate your particular style.
Use Stories
Video content is here to stay. Instagram Stories allows you to bring your target audience closer to your business and brand. You can show behind the scenes of an event day from set up to break down. You can also launch new products and even go live to answer FAQ. Here are some Instagram marketing strategies to keep in mind.
- Add hashtags. Hashtags in stories can help you triple story views. Typically it’s best to choose one main hashtag so it doesn’t look too spammy.
- Add geolocation. Instagram automatically adds stories to location stories, so this can also increase your story views
- Check insights. It is critical to see what type of content is getting more views and monitor any patterns.
- Add captions. Many people watch stories with the audio off because they may be working or perhaps they are next to someone and don’t want to turn the volume up. Adding captions of what your particular story is about can help people keep on watching.
- Boomerang, baby. People love a good boomerang which can be a fab way to showcase the partyyyyy.
- Showcase the people behind the brand. People trust people so when you can personalize your brand and show it via video, this can create a closer connection with your audience
IGTV
Speaking of video, Instagram TV has an updated feature where they are doing a preview of your latest episodes of IGTV on your feed. IGTV is different from regular videos or stories because you can upload a video that is up to 10 m
inutes long to a channel that you create, much like a YouTube channel. Instagram is trying to push IGTV more so now is the time to capitalize on that push. You can create slideshow-type videos showcasing a full event or video summary of your day. You can even add your favorite GIFs. Last but not least, you can do a series of FAQ videos to what you post on your YouTube channel.
Convert to a Business Profile
While Instagram is a friendly, laid-back platform, don’t think that you should simply treat your photo booth company’s account like you would your private account. Business accounts on Instagram are allowed to display a range of additional information like a contact button. Not only that but having a business account allows you access to Instagram’s analytics tools, meaning you can see how your Insta efforts are performing and how to streamline your marketing efforts. And, for those brands with over 10,000 followers, Instagram allows you to add links to your stories. Boom: CTA!
Post Regularly
While posting engaging content is key, so is knowing when and how often to post. According to a white paper published by Union Metrics, the average brand posts 1.5 times per day. They note, however, that increased postings do not seem to affect user engagement. They found no correlation between excessive posting and decreased engagement. This means that you shouldn’t be afraid to push the boundaries when it comes to posting – just make sure you follow all of our tips when you post!
Use Social Media Planners
Social media is an effective way to get your brand’s message across. Unfortunately, however, you may not have enough time in the day to regularly post. Fortunately, there are countless social media planners out there to help you stay on track with your social campaigns. These tools help keep you from being overwhelmed by scheduling posts ahead of time, monitor your social media stats, and keep you up-to-date on every aspect of your campaign. There are literally dozens of planners to choose from, but a few of the more popular options are HootSuite, Coschedule, Planoly, and Hubspot.
Now that you know how Instagram can help boost your photo booth business, as well as how to use it to your advantage, check out some of our other photo booth blog posts at LA Photo Party or visit our Pro Tips YouTube Page to learn more helpful tips. Also, you know, if you want to give us a follow we wouldn’t say no 🙂
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