Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms with over 500 users active every day. The premise is simple; you post a picture and people like it or comment. For some people, this is a purely social process, but for others, it is a great business tool that can raise brand awareness, and hopefully, attract new customers. The app itself is free to use and download, and with links to Facebook, you can pay for advertising if you wish.

The bulk of Instagram use has to be done on a mobile device, you cannot upload and post from a desktop, so it makes sense to have your supporting apps on your mobile too. When we talk about Instagram supporting apps, we are talking about a variety of tools from image manipulation to followers, insights and more. Here are some great tools you can get to help make the most of your Instagram postings.

Layout from Instagram: Collage

This is a great free app for building collages and creating unique and eye-catching images that are made up of more than one photo. Simply select up to nine images, and you will be presented with a series of layouts that are the perfect size for an Instagram image.

Once you decide on the layout, you like you can further tweak the image by moving each individual picture, using pink and zoom, pushing the boundaries of the collage, and even swapping the location of each image until you are left with the perfect post ready to wow your fans. You can use images saved on the device or take a picture there and then to create your best post yet. Once uploaded to Instagram you can further enhance your work with the filters and tools built in.

The collage is designed to be correct dimensions for Instagram but once saved to your camera roll the images can also be successfully used on other social media platforms or on websites, so this is also an excellent tool for building a uniformed brand image to create your awareness.

Canva App

If you are looking for truly unique images that are made up of more than just photos, then why not download Canva. This is a fantastic tool that enables you to create graphics with a massive range of free templates, font styles, images, clip art graphics and much more. There is a paid account option but to be honest, the free account offers so much it is perfect for most users. Again you can select a perfectly sized template for Instagram, or for many other functions from Facebook banners to PDF documents.

The finished creations are professional and can really boost your performance without having to pay expensive charges to a graphic designer. Once you have created your image, you can simply download and save to your camera roll meaning you can move them to other application whenever you need.

Best HashTags for Instagram

One of the key ingredients to a successful Instagram post is the hashtags you use. By using the hashtags, you are getting your images out to the people that are most likely to be interested in what you have to offer, whether that is garnering a large social following to show of the exploits of your beloved pet, or whether the business is looking to find new customers.

If you do not take advantage of the hashtags and learn how to use them your posts will disappear into the millions of others and be seen by a handful of people only. The Best HashTags for Instagram app has been designed to help you relate the most popular hashtags to your images in a way that will find people that are genuinely interested in your brand or product. There is no point using unrelated tags just becomes they rank as popular as people won’t follow if they aren’t interested.

Using this app, you can rank for the best hashtags, add your own and create a post that should get you loads of interest every time you post. The app doesn’t just work for Instagram it has been designed to work for all social platforms in order to maximise the following while using the rules of the platform. For example, you can use loads of hashtags on Instagram, and it is advised that you mix top level with more specific tags, whereas on Twitter only two are considered the correct etiquette and spamming tags will get you unfollowed.

Follower tracker for Instagram

Now you would be forgiven for thinking that if someone follows your Instagram account, they must be a potential customer and very interested in what you do. Sadly that is not the case and learning more about your followers can help you target your posts better and create a more genuine following. There are bot followers and ghost followers that really do nothing to support your campaign.

With this app, you can learn whether accounts you follow, follow you back, where you have been blocked and more. You can use the app to track the performance of your posts and spot trends. Do your followers like a certain type of post more than others, which posts got the most likes and which got the least, and who commented on your posts. The app also provides great account analytics which is vital for any successful marketing campaign. This is a free to download and use app, but in-app purchases allow you to add to the functionality making it even more useful.

The more you can learn about your followers the more ammunition you have when it comes to creating posts that target your key demographics and give you the best chance of using Instagram to generate customers.