INSTAGRAM OPENS ITS DOORS TO BUSINESS AFFILIATES

Tuesday, 05 July 2016

INSTAGRAM OPENS ITS DOORS TO BUSINESS AFFILIATES

For many years now, the use of social media in affiliate marketing has become an essential, unavoidable activity. With three main social networks (Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter) hosting an enormous amount of people and catering to different audiences, it has become immensely important to use all of them effectively.

Last month, Instagram announced that they will be launching their “Instagram for Business” accounts. This foray into the business world means there is yet another enormously popular platform opening up for all kinds of business advertising, including affiliates.

Instagram started back in 2010 as a social network allowing its users to easily share images. It created a simple interface where users could upload, modify, share images and curate their account thus creating a certain type of brand image. The photos uploaded to Instagram can be modified within the platform interface and text messages and tags can be added extending the branding possibilities and allowing users further manipulation. In a way, it allows users to create a visual brand that conveys their lifestyle and values in a very potent, exciting, visual and direct way that speaks directly to users desires.

Over the years, Instagram has become very popular and according to their site, around half a billion users access their accounts at least once a month. Although originally designed to be used by individuals in order to share their personal photos, Instagram quickly realized that the platform they were offering was in fact influencing peoples’ dedication towards self-representation. Soon, the personal amateur photos Instagram was predicting people would share were becoming more and more professional looking. What Instagram found out is that their users desire to manage and uphold the esthetical value of their brand image was not to be underestimated. This is exactly the reason why those personal amateur photos became more professional looking so fast. With the promise of big exposure, people were really putting in an effort to present themselves in a more pleasing way close to their imagined ideal. With this realization, Instagram found its true potential was much deeper than previously conceived and a personal photo sharing network was quickly transformed into a powerful and influential branding platform used by an enormous number of people.

In the beginning of the year, Instagram revealed that it is now ready to make a slight shift to cater to its more business oriented users and they announced that it would now be possible to easily switch between different user accounts. While before, you needed to log out of one account in order use the other one, users with multiple (personal and business) account could switch between accounts without this unnecessary trouble.  A further announcement from Instagram made it clear that within the next few months, users in USA, New Zealand and Australia will be the first to be able to use new “Business” accounts. These accounts will bring about a set of new features including a contact button (which will show detailed information on contacting the company), detailed in-app analytics and promotion tools to help you turn your Instagram photos into effective adds to reach a new audience.

If you are an experienced affiliate, you will know that this already sounds perfect for affiliate business. Not just because the offered tools make the work as easy as possible, but also because this novelty opens you up to a new territory with millions of active users. Instagram is a fast, fun and possibly very effective way of advertising - almost perfect for online affiliates.

HOW TO PROMOTE AFFILIATE PROGRAMS ON INSTAGRAM?

In order to understand the best way an affiliate can use a particular social network like Instagram, the first thing that must be done is to try to understand the nature of the network itself. In the case of Instagram, we could say that it represents a way to share snippets, personal moments, the most charming and enjoyable parts and moments in your life. It is a way to show off you best sides. So, in order to successfully advertise on Instagram, one must adopt the same tactic concerning your business. In the case of poker for example, the right way would be showing the best parts of a life of a poker player, the side that enjoys the game and the winnings.

Instagram is about creating allure for yourself, or now - for your business. The principle is basically the same - show off the best stuff, the most personal, the stuff that will make you alluring and above all else - sociable. Be careful not to appear unattainable and try your best to raise an interest in the topic and the way of life that goes with it. Don’t only sell poker, sell its benefits and try your best to make yourself and your business seem relatable and achievable.