Version 2 Build #170918

Greatly improved performance, especially for users with large profiles or multiple profiles.

• Added automated search method for finding users based on a list of photos. Option to search for photo likers or photo commenters.
• Added automated search method for finding photos shared by a list of users. Option to limit results per user. Ex. Find the most recent 2 photos of all of your (or someone else’s) followers.
• Added option to automatically like a photo after you comment on it.
• Added option to manual photo search to limit search results per user.
• Added option to automated photo search to limit search results per user.
• Added options to easily save your followers / following lists to a new user list
• Added option to create new user/photo/comment destination lists directly from search screens
• Added option to manual photo search to limit search results per user.
• Added option to automated photo search to limit search results per user.
• Added options to easily save your followers / following lists to a new user list
• Added option to create new user/photo/comment destination lists directly from search screens
• Added UserID to photo’s lists
• Added ability to add users to blacklist or whitelist using UserID number
• Upgraded: Photos can now be posted in resolutions/orientations other than square
• Upgraded: Photos in lists and search results can now be viewed full size by clicking on the thumbnail
• Upgraded: Blacklist now prevents likes, like backs, photo comments, and direct messages in addition to follows
• Upgraded: Disabled sending direct messages to multiple recipients – this was creating group conversations which most users did not intend, and creating a possibility to be flagged for spammy behavior
• Improved the way default settings are saved to ensure new settings always have a set default value
• Improved bar graph charting speed, and improved chart display.
• Fixed error that sometimes occurred when adding a new search with a newly added profile.
• Changed some wording to make parts of the software more intuitive

7 Ways To Win Using Instagram

Comment, Like, Like, Comment

Of course these do not need to be done in this exact order. However commenting and liking on other’s shares is just as important as the content you’re sharing. In general the more energy you put into liking and commenting on photos and videos, as well as having interactive conversations the more other people will want to network with you through your Instagram account. Simply find accounts and people who have hobbies you’re all about and start liking and commenting on their shares. Not only will the user that you’re liking and commenting with see your account, but many of their followers will take note of your witty comments and then find your account also.

Use Both Photos and Videos

Now that Instagram allows users to post videos, sharing your videos is a powerful way to share your story and generate more traffic while growing your account. Mixing up videos into your photos shares is a fantastic way to add significant more value to your account. In general videos generate more “buzz” and will be shared and spread more easily and quickly than your basic image shares. It’s a really valuable tool to tell your story in a fun, engaging and emotional way which people love to share. You could create your own videos or find some help to create new video content. Maybe you have a amateur videographer in your office or company that would enjoy helping you create new videos! If you’re offering a service or product try enlisting your customers to create their own videos and then you have highly valuable video content to share without creating them yourself. There are many ways to get video content so don’t let creating your own stand in the way of adding more value to your Instagram account by mixing videos with your photo shares.

Be Creative With Your Bio Link

If you’re using Instagram for personal use then you can still have fun and be creating with your bio link. If you have a Facebook page, maybe link to your favorite photo. Or even link to other sites you like at the moment. Using Instagram for business use opens up even more ways to be creative with your Bio link. When marketing a product or service you’ll want to be more calculating with your Bio link. Maybe send the link to specific landing pages at different times depending on your latest service or product. Ideally it’s best to track the traffic through your Bio link to see what shares or posts are generating the most clicks to your link and page. You’ll also want to plan your most valuable posts well in advance and change your Bio link accordingly. This is a great way to promote your new services or products, collect valuable leads or even just subscribers to your blog or newsletter.

Track Your Traffic

If you’re using Instagram for marketing purposes it’s critically important for you to be tracking your traffic from Instagram. You’ll want to know how well your Instagram account is generating leads and traffic so you can make necessary adjustments or keep on the same trend with your shares. Over time it is very likely you will notice what type of images or videos are generating the most traffic for you so you can focus on those type of shares. You could use a custom URL shortner or a more advanced tracking tool to keep a close eye on traffic from overtime as you post shares.

Crop Your Photos

Editing and cropping your photos adds a nice final touch before sharing. Your photo is your story so when sharing be sure to crop and edit the image in the best way to tell your story. Simple cropping goes a long ways to edit out things you don’t want in your photo before you post them. You can use the tools on your Smartphone, Instagram’s cropping function or another tool you prefer. It’s not too difficult to pick up some basic Photoshop skills which makes seriously light work when editing images to post. In seconds you can change 100’s of photo settings or add unique filters to make your photos pop and stand out. Adding this final touch will help your photos get liked and shared more than simply posting un-cropped or un-edited photos.

Highlight Your Most Valuable Content

It’s very likely through all your shares on Instagram you’ll have some that generate the most traffic or “buzz” and in these shares you’ll want to send visitors to your most valuable content. Maybe you have a famously popular website page or blog post you want new visitors to see? Or you’re promoting a new service and you’d like new visitors to see this service? You can highlight your most valuable content in many different ways. Simply using your Bio link is a quick and direct method. You could also add text or an image over your shared image or video highlighting your most valuable content. When other users start to comment on your shares this is a great opportunity to share your most valuable content with them and other visitors. If you have content you’re sure will add value to most your followers you could even send them all a Direct Message mentioning your content.

Tell your story

Being sure your individual photos and videos tell a story is just as important that your whole content stream tells your story you want visitors to experience. As visitors quickly view your photos or scroll through your content you’ll want to be sure you’re happy with the story your shares tell and the story of your account. Most visitors only take a few seconds to make up their mind if they are interested in your story and account. Make it interesting, interactive, beautiful, emotional and aim for a level of cohesion so your whole account story has a theme. The more quickly each visitors gets your story, the more quickly they will click the follow button to follow your account. Of course all of us or most businesses have different interests, but keeping your shares consistent with your story will help your account grow more quickly. So be sure to express your story and aim to keep a level of consistency while sharing.

Top 5 Reasons Why Everyone Should Be On Instagram

Instagram isn’t just a social media site for the “cool kids” or only for friends to share photos back and forth. It’s a far reaching and powerful social media site that everyone can use. Whether you only want a place to share what’s happening in your life, you’re a large enterprise brand with millions of customers to communicate with or a small business seeking new customers, Instagram is the place to be.  The site is as useful as you want to make it. From simply documenting one’s hobby to handling customer engagement with millions of customers, all this is easy to do on Instagram.  Instagram’s simple interface makes is very simple to distribute an ongoing stream of shares and content that highlights you or your brand.

Sharing is quick and easy

Instagram is setup to post shares of photos and videos with short captions if you want to add them. This makes delivering sets of images or video from a smart-phone very quick and simple. Instagram makes sharing easy by helping with image cropping, adding filters and more through your phone. Whereas before social media users may need to use a computer or another program to edit their photography or videos before posting.  Not any more!  Simply snap photos, add filter or some light editing and share away. There are also no complicated settings or unneeded features with Instagram which makes it easier to keep up with your social media strategy.

No professional marketing is needed

Connecting with users through visual media is simpler than ever these days. You do not need to have professional videos taken or a photographer to create and share awesome looking content on Instagram.  It does help to choose an overall theme for your account if you’re a brand to help uniformity between your business and your Instagram account. Touching up on your photography skills helps as well as using all the image features on your phone.  Many have filters you can automatically add to an image which can help particular images look much better. Literally everyone can snap and share images while looking great on Instagram.

World wide connections

The whole point of social media sites like Instagram is to be social and connect with others. Through Instagram everyone can connect to others world wide at the click of a button. Photos and videos are like food, everyone mostly understands them regardless of where they’re from. If you’re promoting a product or service, mostly likely you’re limited when attracting new customers by your marketing budget. Leveraging Instagram to connect with 1,000s more customers than you normally could with traditional marketing is a powerful method for growth. Using photos and videos is a method everyone can use to overcome language barriers to connect with others world wide.

Direct customer relationships

Nurturing and building relationships with your current customers has never been easier. If you’re launching new products or marketing existing products or services, rather than sending out traditional emails once you share your new product’s photos or videos on Instagram your followers are going to see these right away.  It’s a wonderful way to market to your customers and new potential customers without pestering them with to many emails.

Sharing images of you, your staff, family or co-workers is a powerful way to build more solid relationships with your customers.  It’s been proven that visitors click more on images with people in them than images without people. Sharing “people” photos nurtures and builds a stronger bond with your customers, ultimately generating more interest and value for you as well as your brand.

Everyone can share in the fun

Sharing on Instagram isn’t limited to bloggers, website owners, businesses or any group at all. It can be used by anyone to share their hobby, story or business in a visual way. Creating dynamic and visually appealing shares on Instagram is something everyone can do.  With Instagram it’s easier than ever if you can click a button. All types of people, businesses and groups use Instagram to create, share and connect with others. There are so many reasons to join and start using Instagram but the largest reason is it’s fun! Once you start snapping photos or videos, sharing your interests with others who have the same interests and connecting with them you’ll see how fun Instagram can be. Don’t blame us if you become addicted to Instagram.

Do you want to get more Instagram Followers? Who doesn’t right? Here are 5 simple ways to quickly gain more Instagram followers to your account.

Reach out to targeted users

With Instagram, there are so many different ways to communicate with other targeted users. This will act like a magnet to bring followers to your account.  Target users who appear to have interests related to your content.

Here are some ideas to help you reach out to other accounts:

• Like the user’s photo and video shares
• Post comments showing interest in other user’s shares, maybe mentioning your account
• Like back user’s shares who like your shares
• Send users a Direct Message (DM) inviting them to check out your content or complementing their account
• Send your Followers a Thank You message, maybe encouraging them to spread the word about your account with their followers

Use hashtags with your photo and video shares

Hashtags identify your shares with a specific topic to help other users find your account and content.  Users will find your content through the hashtags you’re using.  You’ll quickly see your follower number increase.  Don’t only use the most popular hashtags, rather use specific hashtags users you are wanting to target may search for to help you get Instagram followers quickly.

Here is a list of popular hashtags used on Instagram:

Target your industry influencer’s Instagram followers

It is very likely there are Instagram accounts with large amounts of followers that share similar interests to your account’s content. It’s possible the large account’s followers would also be interested in your content and shares! To easily get more Instagram followers all you need to do is target these followers of the large accounts.

To build large lists of accounts that you would like to have as followers, you will want to first create a list of industry influencer accounts with followers that would be good matches for your Instagram profile. Then organize lists of their followers so you can reach out to them. Then simply reach out to your “target follower” list using similar methods we mentioned before. 

Here are some ideas to help you get more Instagram followers with these lists.

• Like some of their shares, showing interest in them and their content. It’s likely they will visit your profile and start following you.
• Send them a comment using your best image. Once they see how interesting your account content is, they will start following you.
• Gently send “DM” messages to the accounts. Maybe mention how you noticed their interests and though they may find your content interesting. The key here is to be non-invasive and not just directly ask them to follow your account.

Once you’re creative with this method there are many ways to get more followers that are targeted.

Diversify your photo and video sharing

Spread your shares of photos and videos around on all your social media accounts. By posting your Instagram shares on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and other accounts you may have you will be maximizing your exposure to get more followers. It’s likely there are people just waiting to follow you from Facebook, Pinterest, etc. to Instagram as one of your followers.

When spreading your Instagram shares on your website, blog and other social media accounts be sure to use your Instagram username and link your account everywhere you can.  You’ll quickly get more followers from these other social media sites with each post linked back to your Instagram account!

Get your Instagram account featured

Beyond spreading your Instagram account around to your other social media accounts, your blog and website it’s critical to network and get your account featured in other places. Ideally sites or accounts with very high traffic. Network and reach out to industry websites or blogs to see if you could feature each others accounts. If they do not need their account featured try to figure out something beneficial to them you can offer in return for sharing your Instagram account on their blog or with their followers.

Often times local news stations always look for interesting local businesses or people with interesting hobbies they can create a news story about. This can be a method to reach out both to offline followers and online followers as long as the news station links or mentions your Instagram account in their show or in the written piece on about your business or hobby.

Your account can also get featured on Instagram to other Instagram users.  This helps other Instagram users see your account as a highlighted or featured account which helps you get more Instagram followers quickly. 

Here are some tips to help get your account featured:

• Narrow down the accounts you want your content to be featured in and try to “fit in” with their style of shares or mimic their design.
• Make sure your shares comply with all Instagram guidelines and best practices. 
• Use large brand names in interesting ways with your photo and video shares. Being sure to tag the brands in the image and use the correct hashtags with each share. Send shoutouts to specific accounts that have similar content and a large followings.
• Create a list of accounts you would like to swap shoutouts with and see if they would like to give a shoutout or mention your account to their followers if you mention their account to your followers.  This is a great method when targeting related interests or businesses to get more Instagram followers.