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It?s all about #Instagram!
Over 300 million active users
30+ Billion photos shared
2.5 Billion likes daily
70 Million Average Photos per Day
Sue B & I at #SMMW15 (Notice the props?)
Insta is one of the fastest growing social media platforms out there! After listening to Sue B Zimmerman?s webinar on ?How to Monetize Instagram?, I thought I would share some of her amazing insights to help you get started or improve your #InstaExperience.
(That?s Sue B & I at #SMMW15! Notice the props?)
Username
Your username should be easily searchable and recognizable. Consider using your name or the company name or both! You can have multiple accounts for sharing different types of content. All you need is a separate email address. You may need to get creative with the username if the one you want is already taken. You can always add ?The? or an underscore or period if need be. Sue suggests you don?t use numbers as it is confusing and people will be less likely to find you.
Cover Photo
Ensure you have a good cover photo with a clear picture of you or your logo. You can include your product or a prop to help you stand out, just be sure it?s related to your business or what you want to portray. There is no excuse for having a bad profile photo or post on #Insta for that matter.
Your Bio
This is the spot where you tell everyone what your business is all about. Be sure to include plenty of keywords & a strong call to action (CTA). The call to action could be to ?visit our website? or ?join our mailing list? click here 
www.SociallyPowered.com
You may want to consider using a ?link shortener? to track where the clicks are coming from. I prefer bit.ly, but there are many options out there for link shortening. Something else to consider on your bio is to include eye-catching emojis. 
Creating Great Visual Content
Now that you?ve got your account set-up & optimized it?s time to start creating awesome visual content. First, you need to consider how you want to portray your business. Consider coming up with a few keywords to accurately describe your business & align your strategy for posting. Next, it?s time to start creating! There are many options out there, but some of my favorites are Canva & WordSwag. These are both FREE tools that allow you to combine amazing pictures with text and your logo. Be sure you are posting quality pictures that aren?t blurred or poorly lit.
Descriptions, Tagging, & Hashtagging!
Always add something to the description that adds value to your post. The best way to do this is to comment on your post immediately after posting with people or brands you want to mention and your hashtags. You can add up to 30 hashtags, but it?s best to keep it to 8-12, you don?t want to look desperate or spammy, right?
Follow Others
If you are new to #Insta you need to start following people in order to get people to follow you back. Click on the magnifying glass and search for people or companies you want to follow. Start liking and commenting on their posts, this increases engagement. In addition, the more you interact with others the more people will want to follow you. The more time you can spend doing this the more likely people will start to follow you back.
There is plenty more to discuss on Instagram and strategy, but I?ll save that for another day.
#SueBTip
Get out there, snap those pictures and share!
Be sure to follow Sue B on #Insta & let her know we (@SociallyPowered) sent you!
@SueBZimmerman
@InstaGalLive
@Suebdo.capecod
@TheInstagramExpert
For More Insta Tips from Sue check out #SueBTips
If you want even more #InstaInfo check out Sue's website: www.suebzimmerman.com
Happy #Instagraming
