Instagram is the online social network based on the sharing of photos. It’s a mobile phone app that’s completely customizable for online music promotion and visibility worldwide.

Here are some tips for making Instagram work for your band:

Use Hashtags:

A hashtag is a clickable keyword, characterized by the # symbol preceding a word or phrase. Include hashtags at the end of your captions and in your comments to increase your discoverability.

Explore: On the Instagram app, clicking on a hashtag takes you to the Explore page where you can see everyone who’s recently used that hashtag.

Share on All Social Networks:

Since Instagram is a mobile phone app, make sure that you link your Instagram posts to your Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, email list, website, and more – so that all of your Instagram posts are immediately spread through the internet, viewable for all fans, even Instagram nonusers.

Link to Your Store:

Keep online music promotion in mind. Ensure that you have a link to your website or online store (iTunes, Amazon, Spotify) on your Instagram. The website you specify in your profile shows up at the top of your Instagram page, so when editing your Instagram profile ensure your music store web address is in your profile’s website field. This way when someone visits your Instagram they have the immediate option to further explore your music.

Reach Out:

Explore hashtags of fans. Whether you’re on tour or staying local, explore the hashtag of the festival, venue, or city you’re playing at so you can reach out to fans and potential fans to let them know you’re coming.

Tag People:

When you tag a user in a post, that user and all of their followers are notified of it, increasing the traffic to your post. To tag (or “mention”) someone simply precede their username with the @ symbol. This works in photo captions and comments.

Develop a Photo Series:

Similar to the draw of a television series – give your posts a sense of regularity and theme so that after people are compelled to become your follower, they will feel the curiosity and excitement of awaiting your next post.

Post frequently:

Post consistently so that your followers can rely on the entertainment of your photos. Instagram feeds update live 24/7. If your photos are fresh in your followers’ feeds then your band is fresh in everyone’s mind.

Use Photo Personality:

Take compelling photos that provide followers with a view of your band they haven’t seen before. While behind the scenes shots from shows, rehearsals, and recording sessions are fun because they show followers the secret world behind the music, showing your human side with behind the scenes shots from lunch, the record store, or walking down the street has equal appeal to followers. To keep it interesting, pre-edit your photos using photo combine apps to show multiple shots in one post.

Caption Clarity is Key:

Be sure to make your caption to-the-point. Keep it to a few words that tell exactly what your photo is saying. Followers will appreciate the clarity of communication. You never want a caption to come off as mysterious, or even worse, as an inside joke, because you don’t want your followers to feel un-included.

Want more tips for online music promotion? Be sure to check out http://blog.songcastmusic.com/ for the most up to date indie artist marketing ideas.