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How to Use Instagram To Dramatically Improve Your Business: “Use professional photos”, With Alexandra Zelenko and Candice Georgiadis

It’s true that social media is a powerful tool that can help us connect with people globally. Also, social media is a vital aspect of teenagers’ and children’s social and creative lives. While this can be used to their advantage, it could also be used against them. Facebook and Instagram open up many dangers especially for a younger generation if they don’t use it carefully. If I could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, I would create guidelines about social media use that help teenagers and children avoid risks and stay safe online.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Alexandra Zelenko, Marketing and Technical Writer at DDI Development company that provides web and mobile digital solutions for a wide range of business expertise, such as recruitment, fintech, CRM, e-learning, logistics, etc. She has always been passionate about writing, language, and psychology. Also, she knows what works and what doesn’t when it comes to social marketing, including blog writing and unique well-structured content.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

The growth of social media has played a significant role in the need for marketing professionals. Internet presence is exceptionally vital to business success these days, and brands also should communicate effectively through the use of social media. The biggest reason why I chose this specific career path is that it allows me to be creative and to come up with new strategies that could win over consumers and grow business. This industry requires me to be very logical and structured as well. I find that this combination works well because it allows me to explore my imagination while remaining focused on marketing tasks at hand.

Can you explain to our readers why you are an authority about Social Media Marketing?

I personally believe that social media marketing is one of the most effective and affordable digital tools for any businesses. Over the years, it has turned into a fundamental marketing component for companies of all sizes. As for me, it is ideal for businesses because it requires minimal financial investment and, if executed correctly, it can help to boost any business. In our company, it helps us to build a reputation as a professional provider of web and mobile solutions. With the countless social media platforms, we stay engaged with other professionals in our industry and thought leaders that allow us to interact closely with them and help in generating new leads for our business.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started this career?

I was an intern at DDI Development company. Once I was asked to write an article series that were going to be published in a blog of a large company. To make a long story short, I accidentally deleted all the articles I had already written. Facepalm. I had to spend the rest of the day and night refreshing my memory and re-creating the same that I already did. No doubt this was a nightmare. But, thankfully, with each mistake is a lesson to be learned. Yes, it is a travesty to lose information, but there’s always a solution to every problem. It was a good thing I proved to be a quick thinker and calm. No doubt in any situation where something is lost or deleted feels like the end of the world. But there is always a way to correct what has gone wrong. Just stay calm and move forward.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Once I was working on the Facebook social media advertising campaign. I have crafted an efficient and successful strategy that would work well when done right. In the evening I decided to check how many people viewed my ad because I was sure the campaign had been already started. Facepalm. Nobody. “0” views. I anxiously began to check what was wrong, where could be a mistake. Then I remembered that the social ad campaign would be launched tomorrow;-) The lesson I learned from this is never panic. There is always a way out from any situation. You just need to sit down, think, and find a solution because no one will do it for you.

Which social media platform have you found to be most effective to use to increase business revenues? Can you share a story from your experience?

Social media platforms are the best ways for businesses to reach and engage their target audiences. If business owners are not using social media, they may be missing out on a compelling opportunity to grow their business. Currently, Instagram is definitely at the top of the list when using social media for business. This platform works the best for brands that have a product or service that lends well to images and video. It can also be an excellent space for companies from niche industries that rely on visual content to tell their story.

Let’s talk about Instagram specifically, now. Can you share 6 ways to leverage Instagram to dramatically improve your business? Please share a story or example for each.

  1. Provide professional photos. The power of high quality product images is essential to any business. Instagram’s visual platform helps to showcase products that are valuable toward impressing consumers and making purchases than just delivering the product information or even other customers ratings.
  2. Product Tagging. E-commerce businesses should tag item prices and include special offers to the photos they are going to publish on their business profiles, as well as connecting these products with an item page on their website. Business should have a full catalog with the same range of goods on their Facebook page to implement this feature into the Instagram account.
  3. Instagram saved stories. Instagram accounts which have 10,000+ subscribers received the opportunity to add direct links to their stories that boost sales channel for many businesses. Thanks to the usability, a consumer can be taken to a website using one swipe. Most e-commerce accounts find creative approaches to the new section. One of them duplicated the main website categories, and others — split stories with links “see more” to new folders as “winter must-have”, “summer must-have”, “best-sellers” or “customers” choice.”
  4. Filter hashtags. This solution is useful for sales or special prices. When you offer discounts for a specific group of products, you can create a separate tag below each post which contains any of these offers. This way, a consumer will see all products at a discounted price by clicking this hashtag. And a business, thanks to the “editability,” can easily remove irrelevant hashtags at any time.
  5. Instagram booking and native payment system. According to a Techcrunch report, Instagram places its stake on adding a native payments feature into the app for some users. Currently, this is available for electives from the US only, but it is conceivable that Instagram users will soon be able to book a cinema ticket, apartments or a restaurant directly via an app in the future — no redirecting to websites required.
  6. Include a link to increase traffic to your website. Instagram provides only one opportunity to directly lead a click over to your website. Your bio is the one place where you can click a link. Don’t forget to include the link to your website or a targeted landing page in this spot that will definitely boost traffic.

Because of the position that you are in, you are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

It’s true that social media is a powerful tool that can help us connect with people globally. Also, social media is a vital aspect of teenagers’ and children’s social and creative lives. While this can be used to their advantage, it could also be used against them. Facebook and Instagram open up many dangers especially for a younger generation if they don’t use it carefully. If I could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, I would create guidelines about social media use that help teenagers and children avoid risks and stay safe online.

Some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂

I’d love to talk with Lisa Buyer, CEO of The Buyer Group. She is passionate and ambitious about how public relations, social media, and online marketing influence each other. She is also an instructor of the Advanced Social Media Certification Training Course in San Francisco, United States. It would be great to hear from her a piece of advice on how to better elevate brands and execute robust social campaigns.

Thank you so much for these great insights. This was very enlightening!


How to Use Instagram To Dramatically Improve Your Business, With Alexandra Zelenko and Candice… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.