We spoke to Danielle Smith of Curated Digital to find out how important Instagram can be for your business.

First off, you have to ask yourself is Instagram the platform for you? Always keep in mind who your audience is and speak to them.

Is your audience using Instagram? If yes, then so should you. If no, perhaps this won’t be a priority platform for you. Also, when speaking to your audience, use their language.

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Write copy they would be comfortable reading, while retaining your brand’s own tone of voice.

What to post

More so than all other social platforms, Instagram is all about eye-catching imagery; plain product shots aren’t going to cut it here. You’ve got to stand out from the crowd.

Find your niche, and go with it. As much as you want to stand apart from the competition, try to keep a consistent visual theme throughout your own feed.

This could be down to the colour schemes you use, the Insta filters you pick, the style of your shots, etc.

Post regularly

As with any organic social media strategy, consistency is key. It’s not necessarily about quantity, just as long as your posting schedule is consistent, you’ll be off to a good start.

Try different forms of content. Yes, Instagram is an image platform, but who’s to say that has to mean still images? Mix it up; try video, gifs, carousels.

Use relevant hashtags to engage with new audiences, but don’t overdo it! Be a Goldilocks: not too few, not too many, just the perfect amount!

Paid vs. Organic

Now, all of the above refers to your organic strategy. Once you get into paid strategies, it’s a whole new ball game, but an exciting one! Paid and organic activities help to support each other.

In order for your paid strategy to work, your organic strategy must be strong. Equally, when you have a successful paid strategy in place, it benefits your organic efforts.

Now you have the basics, it’s time to implement your Instagram plan to perfection!

Pictured – Danielle Smith

Having started out in TV, Smith is senior social media executive at digital marketing company Curated Digital where she has spent the past two years.

Founded in 2014, Curated Digital was nominated for The Guardian’s Start Up of the Year in 2015 and its head of content was nominated for The Guardian’s Rising Star Award in 2015.

Have you ever debated whether or not to use hashtags on Instagram? We spoke to Jennifer Corcoran, founder and managing director of My Superconnector, to find out why they are so important.