Is Instagram Still Relevant in 2023?
The world of social media was dominated by TikTok in 2022, with the video platform gaining massive worldwide attention. Forex affiliates, and broker affiliates generally, were quick to see the potential of TikTok and started uploading marketing content. Twitter was also in the news almost non-stop as billionaire Elon Musk fought to take control of the increasingly controversial platform.
Social media platforms like Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram were pushed to the side by the media attention surrounding TikTok and Twitter, but they are still going strong and have loyal user bases. Figures already available for 2023 show that Instagram has an estimated 2 billion users worldwide.
It’s worth noting that when Instagram introduced various updates in July 2022 to try and emulate TikTok’s video formatting and feed, there was a major user backlash that generated over 2 million likes and 275,000 online petition signatures. Instagram placated its core user base and rapidly dropped the updates. The platform is clearly here to stay and can compete with its main rival Snapchat while maintaining a distinct market niche apart from TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook.
All broker affiliates need to exploit social media to the full if they want to achieve their earning potential in 2023. Despite all the hype about TikTok over the last couple of years and Twitter’s roller coaster acquisition ride, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Linkedin, YouTube, etc., all have great affiliate marketing potential. Instagram should be one of the key pillars of your campaigns.
Read on for a detailed guide on how to use Instagram to promote your unique affiliate links, drive traffic, and make money in 2023.
Launch Campaigns and Make Money on Instagram
Social media platforms, especially Instagram, are a great way to promote your broker or forex affiliate business. Instagram is not just for foodies and fashionistas, and what most people are unaware of -it has more than two billion monthly tech-savvy users just waiting to be approached – making it one very powerful marketing and affiliate tool. Instagram is where you can promote your forex or broker affiliate links by simply putting them out there and driving more online traffic to those links via free or paid marketing.
It is also where you can better engage with prospective clients/referrals by putting a “face” to your forex affiliate marketing business and offering a more human experience to your followers. By creating an Instagram page – and filling it with valuable forex trading-related content – as well as following and commenting on similar accounts, you’ll be:
- Building relationships.
- Engaging in conversations.
- Proving your page’s value and your authenticity.
- And, finally, increasing conversion, leading to higher forex affiliate commissions.
So how can you best utilize Instagram to advance your forex affiliate marketing business?
Here are 8 tips:
Capture attention –Grab it, and you’ll get that following!
Kevin Costner, who played in ‘Field of Dreams’, used a powerful line that later turned into this great idiom “Build it, and they will come.”
To become a successful Instagrammer, you have to grab attention, build your profile, make your presence felt. Fans and devotees will soon follow. Populate your own account with forex trading-related images and videos – regularly and often – so others could comment. Follow other forex trading-related accounts and comment on their posts. Join discussions. Most importantly, be visible: Make sure your site, your forex affiliate marketing brand, and your Instagram profile can be easily found.
Create a perfect bio that easily identifies your niche and can help position you later on
You’ll want your Instagram bio to be attractive and, just as importantly, to instantly inform your audience about what you do (example: forex or commodity trader) and what action you want them to take (click on your forex/broker affiliate link and become a referral client). Additionally, make sure your bio uses specific keywords to reach your niche audience and optimize SEO (like forex, options, trading the markets,etc.); keywords that reflect your personality. Provide links to your website or blogs in addition to your affiliate links; includes your branded hashtag; and contains a call-to-action and contact information.
Offer interesting and engaging content
It’s not enough to appear in other users’ feeds. Growing your forex affiliate network requires people’s involvement, participation and, especially engagement with your content. This can be achieved by providing valuable content, i.e., content that provides solutions to their problems.
Attract prospective clients/referral traffic with how-to videos on trading and investing in the markets. Provide trading tips or your personal trading strategies or stock picks. Inspire them with great trading choices and their outcomes. Update them on the latest trading platforms and coolest trading apps such as Today Markets.
Make hashtags work for you
#forextrader #forex #forextrading #forexlifestyle #CFDs #stockmarket #trading #money #forexprofit are just some of the more popular forex-related hashtags. Make sure to include these in your posts as long as they are relevant, or they reflect the post’s content. But don’t limit yourself – have some fun creating new and witty trading related hashtags. Create an organized hashtag list that you can refer to at your convenience. Using hashtags expands your content’s reach, and enhances its chances of being found or discovered, and improves your credibility.
Build and position your brand
Since you’re promoting a business – in your case, your forex affiliate marketing business – branding is a must.
First, define your Instagram goals; here are a few examples to choose from:
- Increase website traffic.
- Get more people to click on your affiliate links.
- Acquire new referral clients.
- Grow your followers.
Once you’ve pinpointed your goal, decide on your focus, theme, or style – one that fits your brand personality – and stick with it. Then, be sure to stay active. This means publishing high-quality content regularly, and following other forex/trading related accounts, liking and commenting on their photos or posts. Very important: Attach your logo or company name to the images you post – this will ensure that the image remains yours and yours only and will prevent other affiliate sites from stealing it. Also, create branded hashtags – a hashtag that’s unique to your business, like your company name, product name, or tagline – in order to acquire more exposure and followers.
Last but not least, feature posts from other accounts but with similar themes to yours to connect with even more people and increase engagement.
Engage, engage, engage!
Don’t think your job is done just because you’ve got a whole lineup of quality content waiting to be published. Remember how we mentioned earlier that promoting your business on Instagram puts a “human face” to the business?
Well, it’s time to put words into actions by actually engaging with your followers: Reply to your audience’s comments; respond to their direct messages; engage with your followers’ content through likes and comments. Proving that there is a real human behind your profile picture will encourage your audience to engage back, will earn their trust, and will create strong referral/client relationships.
Take advantage of Instagram stories
Instagram stories is a feature that lets you share photos and videos with your account’s followers – these will stay live for 24 hours only. Instagram stories drive a lot of engagement and value and can increase your credibility and approachability. When your number of followers exceeds 10,000, you’ll be able to add hyperlinks to your stories.
You can use Instagram stories to promote your forex affiliate marketing business through several ways: For example, you can demonstrate how potential clients can earn money by trading with your partner-broker; post news or updates about the forex industry or the latest trading platforms and apps and how they are beneficial, preview a blog post, or give a shoutout to your partner-broker (if he has an account), those who work with you or follow you – a great way to nurture relationships.
Cross-promote and collaborate
Generate more interest and attract more followers through contests, special hashtags, and giveaways (for example, an eBook on forex trading tips). If you also have Facebook and Twitter accounts, use them in conjunction with Instagram to post content (make sure each platform’s content is different or unique so you can generate traffic on ALL your social media channels.
Additionally, you can collaborate and cultivate relationships with other accounts in the forex and CFD trading niche by following (and commenting on) their posts, publishing co-created content, or simply asking them for shout-outs on their posts.
Instagram is a proven traffic-boosting social platform, but achieving success requires time, patience, and effort. If you’re willing to commit and build your forex affiliate business through Instagram, you may find that your invested time and efforts will be well worth it in the long run.
FAQ
Can Instagram promote a broker affiliate business?
Instagram reaches an estimated 2 billion users worldwide. It can definitely be used to promote a broker affiliate business. All you need to do is connect with forex and CFD traders, people who are interested in financial matters, and people who want to make money. If you can influence them on Instagram with persuasive creatives and marketing materials, you will be able to generate traffic that converts. Many successful broker affiliates are already using Instagram.
How do I promote my affiliate business on Instagram?
Your starting point is to create a unique brand for your affiliate business. You need a clear voice and style that resonates with your target market. All your Instagram images, content and creatives should match your branding. They need to be interesting and must appeal to potential forex traders. Use relevant hashtags to extend your reach and hit a wider target audience. These can include anything relating to forex, CFDs, brokers, trading platforms, or any aspect of your own affiliate business.
Is Instagram the best social media for forex affiliates?
Every social media channel has its own fans, but there’s no evidence that Instagram is the best social media for forex affiliates. It is easy and convenient to use and Instagram Stories can give your message extra reach. Forex affiliates who use Instagram regularly usually aim to cross post their creatives across other platforms like Facebook and Twitter. You will need to get your content out there and actively promote your forex affiliate business. That also means analysing and optimizing your messages.