Being thrust into hard times managing your photo editing on Instagram has been a common problem for several account holders. This social media platform is your one stop destination to add selfies, build photo libraries, and share them on other social media channels including Facebook and Twitter. All you need to do is to get the right photo editing tool/app to organize your photos. Following are top three Instagram Photo Editing Apps that have become widely popular in the past few months.

1. Square FX

Cropping can be a real problem for many images while uploading and fitting them on the square frame on Instagram. The Square FX app can be used to prevent cropping, refit or resize the images as per choice and requirement. You can perform a number of functions with the Square FX app including:

• Changing frames, styles or colors

• Instant photo selection and placing on the frames to prevent cropping

• Save images in the photo library

• Perform functions including flipping, rotating or scaling images

• Select a background from a range of options including gradient, color and pattern to induce amazing look and effects

• The new version comes with a bug fixing feature

• Upgrade to the premium services to enjoy additional features of the app

The iTunes account holders can download this app free of cost to use the basic features. This app is built for iOS devices.

2. VSCO Cam + VSCO Grid

The VSCO Cam + VSCO Grid are available for majority of the iOS and Android 4.0 version empowered devices. This minimalist platform is suitable for creating, publishing and displaying the photography skills. The VSCO is the most exquisite platform that allows the integration and interaction between the photographers and the interested takers. In a world where images express more than texts, you can hardly find a platform that allows the power of sharing to the photographers from across the globe. VSCO Cam + VSCO Grid features and facilities are:

• Instead of Instagram filters use the VSCO preset photo-filters

• Color edit the photographs for an enhanced look before uploading on Instagram

• Compatible for using on iOS and Android based devices

• Get to know about the most astonishingly talented photographers from across the globe through VSCO journals

• Explore the gallery of pictures and pick your favorite ones

• A lot many featured tools and presets are available on the VSCO Cam Store

3. Snapseed

Snapseed app is largely developed for the iOS platform to perform several functions with your photos on Apple devices. Here are some important features of this app:

• Tweak all your photos on the iPhone and iPad

• Edit your images to change the contrasts, brightness, sharpness and saturation using the loupe tool

• Bestow a retro style to your pictures using the professional black and white filters

• Apart from Instagram, this app allows you to share an image or a selfie on other sites including Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, etc.

The tags are very important to be attached to all your images on the social media profiles including Instagram. Whether it is your business profile or a personal social sharing account, you would always want to attach details of the images. Your brand and product line gains maximized customer response through them. The hashtags on the other hand are important for the optimum visibility of your Instagram profile on the search engine. The Instagram photo editing apps allow you to perform these tasks easily.

Using popular hashtags

Hashtags provide a good way to get likes on Instagram for your photos. Hashtags can be based on the subject matter, the style of photography or processing, Instagram filters, location or your apps. You can also choose from one of the popular tags used frequently, such as #photooftheday, #instagood or #tigers. Explore the hashtags used by other users. If you feel that adding these tags from your phone is difficult, you can post your photo from the phone. Then using Instagram’s web based interface, copy and paste the hashtags from a draft in your email, a saved document or use Tagstagram.

Participate in community activities

Innumerable Instagram activities on mobile social networks provide options for you to participate. One of the biggest community activities is perhaps JJ’s daily forum that was started by Josh Johnson, an Instagram user with nearly 280,000 followers. With thousands of members, his forum has expanded to now include a network of editors working to highlight photos every day. To participate, follow Josh Johnson, find out the daily theme and submit your photos. The themes are generally based on style or content, such as black and white or reflections. Other Instagram communities include Steetphoto bw, Photooftheday, Ampt, EyeEm and many others.

Give and take

The most important element for success at Instagram is engagement, just like any other community or social network. The more you give your time to other members and interact with them the more they would do the same for you. Like others’ photos and leave thoughtful comments to catch their attention. Paying more attention to photos by people outside your immediate group of friends will get you more likes and followers. In turn, their friends will notice you and your network will expand faster. Be selective about the photos you like, since it pays to engage with Instagrammers interested in similar kinds to photography.

Be creative with photo-editing

You might want to try Instagram’s filters, but don’t stop there. Although they are amazing, there are unlimited options with Android and iOS apps for enthusiastic mobile photographers. Use Adobe Photoshop Express or Snapseed for photo-editing, or PicCollage or Fuzel, creative apps that let you generate striking collages. Create your signature style and add your mark to your photos. Once you establish your distinctive niche or style, you will get noticed more easily and soon build a substantial following.

Get featured by Instagram

While getting featured by Instagram is rather difficult, this could get you thousands of followers in a day. Instagram has not disclosed its policy or criteria for choosing users for their suggested users’ list. If you do get selected, you would stay on for one week, giving you the greatest possible exposure on the social network. If you don’t know about the suggested users’ list, you can check it out in settings-find and invite friends-suggested users. The list varies immensely and you could feature on it for an interesting perspective, a unique style or for your niche.

Instagram is at the top of the list of daily enjoyments for me. When I first started using Instagram I was looking for inspiration and motivation for the kitchen. 99.9% of my pictures are of meals I have created. The reason for this is to showcase that making delicious and healthy meals does not take a Culinary Institute Of America trained chef, nor does it take a lot of fancy ingredients. I like to make my meals simple and tasty, thus the hashtags #KeepItSimple and #KeepItTasty. No reason to cloud the flavor of the ingredients in your meal with items that don’t enhance the flavor of the dish nor have a purpose.

Along the way instagram took on a different role in my daily life. The inspiration and motivation was still there but the unintentional comedy rose to new levels. Before I discuss the pictures that are my favorite let me say that I love laughing and these pictures help to take the stress away from life even if for a few moments. If you are on Instagram then I think you can agree with these pics in that they make you chuckle when you are scrolling through the pictures on your iPhone or iPad.

Top 6 Reasons I Go To Instagram Daily

The Artist At The Coffee Shop Pictures

We have all seen these pics. The one where the barista, do they only call them that at Starbucks?, decided that they were either bored or a starving artist and turns your cappuccino into a canvas. You see the heart shapes all the time but I have never seen one of a face or of an animal. These pictures always make me laugh because I can envision the person order their cappuccino with the hopes of tasting that steamed milk and hot coffee and easing their stress and outcomes a heart. Who does the barista decide gets the heart? Why does the person on Instagram decide that another picture of milk in the shape of a heart is something to be posted. We get it. Coffee as art. Let’s move on!

Quest Bar Pictures

I am not sure when the Quest Bar became the face of healthy eating but if you visit a healthy feed there is almost assuredly a picture of a Quest Bar. And it isn’t enough to just be a Quest Bar but this product has been chopped and put into cookies and cakes, broken up and tossed into yogurt and so many other variations of its use that this post would be too long. I have never had a Quest Bar and most likely never will so I cannot comment on the taste. Why do the Instagram pictures make me laugh? They are everywhere and you cannot go a day without seeing a picture of them.

Starbucks

I mentioned the pictures of coffee barista artists up above but a day cannot go by without pictures of cups of Starbucks. They may be just the outside of the cup, they may be the inside of the cup. I have even seen pictures of the inside of the Starbucks. I see them and I think to myself: you purchased a Starbucks coffee and at some point between paying and drinking you decided you need to photograph it but did you taste it first? Did you sit down and talk with your friends and stop the conversation to take the picture? I have a lot of thoughts float through my head and I laugh because I am putting a conversation together that most likely is not taking place but in my mind it is and it is hilarious.

Mug Cake

This is my third favorite picture on Instagram. I am not sure why it cracks me up when I see them but they do. I guess on the inside I am thinking to myself: when you cannot bake use the microwave. Maybe secretly I want to make mug cake. I’m not sure, but I am certain that when the pictures on the Instagram show up I laugh from the gut. I can say that I have seen some wonderful mug cake creations like the molten chocolate mug cake. That is incredible in my mind, but the old I poured 1 egg, protein powder and whatever else and voila I ‘baked’ a Protein Mug Cake just cracks me up.

Green Smoothies

These just kill me. They are on Instagram in droves and they make me laugh because my thought is: Wow, you know how to use your blender. It is a cooking snark of course, but how many pictures of green smoothies can one person see before thinking: awesome, now try cooking those greens in a different form or fashion. I know that smoothies are fast and I make them as well, but when I do make them I don’t share them with Instagram because I didn’t do anything other than adding water, vegetables and fruit to my blender. I want my Instagram feed to be inspiring and motivating to get people into the kitchen to cook but that being said if a green smoothies gets somebody started on the path to health then I am all for it. Let me be clear and say that there is absolutely nothing wrong with green smoothies or smoothies in general it is just when you see 20-50 green smoothie pictures per day you have to just laugh.

Seflies Before, During Or After Workouts

These are my all time favorite. The picture of the flex pose is the best, but today I am presenting my friend Marlene of Mission To A(nother) Marathon because her selfies have me just about hyperventilating. I love when she posts pictures of herself from the bathroom at her office after a sweaty ride or run and her face tells the whole story. My favorite picture of Marlene is in her swim goggles as she looks like those dudes in Despicable Me and hence my nickname for her is Despicable Marlene. Selfies are the gift that keeps on giving because you know you will see dozens of them at any given time and one is just funnier than the other. Do you wait until the bathroom is clear to take the pic? Do you not care if the bathroom is crowded?

These 6 reasons are why Instagram will always have a place in my daily routine. How you cannot laugh at some of the stuff you see on Instagram is beyond me. There is a ton of inspiration and motivation, like the 21 Day Sugar Detox I will be posting about on Monday, but some are comical as well. I truly enjoy following the people in my feed to generate creative ideas for cooking, to get me out to the gym and to make me laugh.

When it comes to the social networks, Instagram is still fairly new and there are people out there who do not know how to use it properly. This puts many people off joining, but it is not difficult at all.

If they just took the time to have a look at the App and website, they will see that it is fairly easy to use.

If you want to join Instagram but you are put off by not knowing how to use it, then you should read ahead to know everything there is to know about Instagram.

What is Instagram?

Instagram is a social network that works with pictures only. When you sign up, you are given a profile and you can fill in some details about you, but after that, it is all pictures.

You take a picture, upload it to the App on your phone, or to the website on your computer and then you can give it a name, some tags, and you can even apply a filter.

You can choose to share the picture to other social networks, like Facebook and Twitter, and then once you push share, the picture is live and other people can see it on your profile.

Friends

Like other social networks, you can add your friends so that you see their pictures on your news feed and they see yours on theirs. They don’t have to be your friend in real life, but it is better to start off with people that you actually know.

You could also add businesses as friends. For example, if you like taking pictures of sneakers, then you can add all the brands and some of the famous collectors.

Then other people with similar interests will see you on their friends list and they will be more likely to add you as their friend. Once this happens, you will be branching out and you might have friends who you have never met in person.

Tags

You might be wondering what a tag is, since it is mentioned above. Well, a tag is a describing statement or name about your image. For example, if you have a picture of a hotel in Las Vegas, you can tag it with the name of the hotel and the location.

A tag always starts off with a hashtag, so it is easy to find. Then, users will search for keywords and your image will appear in the search results for that tag. Once more people can see your picture, you will start to get a lot more friends.

If you don’t add a tag to your image, then no one will see it. Only the people who are on your friends list will be able to see the image. If you want your images to be kept private, then this is fine, but if you want more friends with similar interests, then you should tag your images.

Limit

People tend to go over the top with their tags. They could have an image with over 20 tags on the image. The image will be listed in the search results for these tags, but Instagram will start to limit the amount of tags you use.

If you want to add more friends and reach more people, then you should use your tags wisely. You might be finding out which tag is the most popular and then uploading a picture for that tag.

When looking to bring in more clients, people turn to social media. While true, a lot of website and business owner forget about Instagram as it’s a smaller operation when compared with other sites. However, this is a mistake, and a smart entrepreneur needs to use Instagram if he or she wants to find more clients. With this in mind, there are some drawbacks. Here are three pros and three cons of using Instagram.

Pros:

A picture is valuable: As is often said, a picture is worth a thousand words. Think about it, when running a company, one will want to use images to show off their product or service. This is especially important when selling food, weight loss products or any other items that people love to look at and enjoy. However, one can take it further and show off travel destinations or any number of things. Simply put, this is one of the best tips for using Instagram for business as a picture will really show visitors the true value of a product or service.

Viral: Without a doubt, when using the Internet to market a product, service or idea, one will want it to go viral. If a site or idea goes viral, one will make a lot of money and find plenty of new and excited visitors. For this reason, when using Instagram, one needs to make sure they provide true value to a visitor. Then, and only then, one can see the photo go viral, which will result in a lot of new visitors to the site.

They do the work for the company: Finally, as mentioned, when one shares a photo with their friends and so on, it can go viral. Not only that, when using Instagram, the followers will do most of the work. Provided a company offers an interesting photo, it will likely go viral. In the end, one should follow the best tips for using Instagram for business. That way, the followers will do the legwork.

Cons:

Younger crowd: Now, when looking to find new clients, one will usually want to go after an older crowd. Yes, while a lot of teenagers and young adults use Instagram, not all of them have the cash to spend. However, there are chances to get them hooked and coming back when they are older. Either way, when looking for the best strategy for Instagram, one must remember that not all people can lay out any cash.

Not business-minded: When following their favorite celebrity online, a lot of people are not interested in anything but wasting idle time. Meaning, while on Instagram, a lot of people are simply looking to pass some time on the train and have no intention of spending any money.

Not household name: While the likes of Facebook and Twitter are famous, a lot of people don’t even know about Instagram. This is changing, but not quickly, and a smart entrepreneur should realize that he or she needs to follow the best strategy for Instagram if they want to find success as it’s not as easy as using other social media sites.

When running a website or business, one needs to use Instagram. While not the best game in town, it’s beneficial to use this social media site to find new clients from all over the world.

Instagram has over five hundred million active users. The stats on Instagram could be described as highly impressive and encouraging. A little break down will surprise you and at the same time get you excited. Instagram has over 500 million active users with over 300 million active users daily, 80% of those users are outside the USA, 4.2 billion likes every day and over 95 million photos and videos uploaded every day. This is simply wonderful and a goldmine for online marketers and business.

Those statistics should send a signal to your nerves and let you understand how important Instagram could be for your business. The issue is that, how do you get on Instagram and acquire followers that will become your loyal customers. I will be showing you how to do that in the following steps and guidelines

1. Signup with Facebook: This is the most easiest and quickest way to set up your Instagram account. It will automatically allow you to follow your friends that are already on Instagram and in turn they will follow you too. Your friends and family will be the first followers on Instagram which will help boost your profile and get you ready for the main deal

2. Quality Photos: the most important thing on Instagram is the quality of your photos, make sure your photos are of high quality before posting them on Instagram. Having quality photos on Instagram help you get more likes, comments and more followers which will help push you up the ladder and on top of all your competitors within the same niche. If you are taking the pictures with a camera, make sure the lighting and focus are right to get you the right photos you need to go viral on Instagram.

3. Like other Photos: I call this trick notice me. Is like your first day in school, no one knows you and the only way people will start interacting with you is by you taking the first step to say hi or introduce yourself to them. When you like other people photos, those people visit your profile and decide to follow and also like your photos. This is how you start growing your network on Instagram

4. Follow Others: This is the fastest ways of growing your followers on Instagram. When you follow others, they decide to follow you back and create a connection between you both. This helps increase your followers and likes on photos you have on your profile. Follow others to get more followers

5. Comment on other Photos: This method takes more time and work but it surely pays off. When you comment on other people’s photos, you increase the chance of them following you and liking your photos too. Just take some time out of your social media marketing timetable and comment on other people photos to increase your followers

6. Use relevant Hashtags: Hashtags have come a long way on social media and Instagram is not an exception. Making use of relevant hashtags help get you more visibility and popular on Instagram. The more hashtags you use, the more popular your photos will become. This means more likes, more followers and more comments which all help boost your profile

7. Exchange Shoutouts: this is simply a method of promoting others while they promote you too. It’s simply a win-win situation for both members. This method helps in promoting your profile. You need to simply find people within your niche and reach out to them and ask for a shoutout. You can simply do this by sending them a simple email or request on Instagram.

Instagram is a great tool for schools, nonprofits, churches and civic groups to use. It’s easy, and people love it because it’s all about visuals. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Why should you be on Instagram?

Here are some statistics that should get you excited.

• Over 600 active monthly users.
• 40 billion pictures have been shared on the social site.
• Each day, 4.2 billion people like pictures and videos on Instagram.
• 28 percent of Internet users between the ages of 18 and 29 are on the platform.
• 8 percent of brands use Instagram, and it’s expected to increase to over 70 percent by the end of this year.

Some reasons brands, including nonprofits, are migrating to Instagram:

• You can upload as many as 10 videos or pictures into a single post, which means if you grab someone’s attention with your primary image, they’ll take a few more moments to scroll through your other videos or pictures.
• You can sponsor your posts or create ads to a target audience, which helps you grow with the right people and encourages those in your target audience to get involved with you.

The reality is that Instagram is an excellent tool for nonprofits and others to grow their base. By telling visual stories, you can raise awareness for your brand and get people caring and involved in the work you do. And with the creative use of hashtags, you can grow your follower base every week.

If you’re looking to grow your followers on Instagram, here are some helpful tips you should consider:

• The best times for engagement on Instagram are on Mondays and Thursdays.
• You can use up to 30 hashtags on Instagram. Use relevant hashtags. Some hashtags you can use include #philanthropy, #fundraising, #volunteer, #causes, #nonprofit, or
• Make sure your videos are fun. And, if you can’t make them fun, then make sure they’re high-quality and striking. Ask yourself when posting if the videos or images grab you. If they don’t, they’re not going to engage others either. Remember, you’re trying to capture people’s attention, and since a lot of young people are on the site, they’re looking for things that catch their attention.
• Tag people in your posts. Use @mention (username) to tag your best supporters, champions, and others outside of your organization to help you raise awareness. When you tag others, it helps your post stay relevant longer.
• Social media is all about networking. People want to see YOU. Make it a point to let your followers get a “behind the scenes” look at the work you’re doing.
• Millennials and Generation Z, many of those who are on Instagram use filters and emojis. Make it a point to use them on Instagram. Filter your images and add emojis to your posts and videos. As people are scrolling, this helps grab their attention.

Want to take a look at some great examples of nonprofits using Instagram effectively? Take a look at this Causevox article by clicking here.

Statistics provided by: https://www.omnicoreagency.com/Instagram-statistics/

Instagram has transformed tremendously from becoming just a simple photo sharing site to an effective online sales medium. Not many people are aware that engagement in the platform is greater than the top social media sites. Engagement on Instagram is 15 times more than on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

Interestingly, 13 percent of internet users are using Instagram while more than half of the top 100 brands have also established their presence on the site. Small business owners should also take advantage of this platform to promote their products.

Here are some of the best ways to do it.

Use Apply Hashtags

Hashtags let people find you and your products on Instagram. Make sure then to use the right hashtags every time you post an update to reach more people who might be interested in the items you're selling.

Apart using hashtags in your business name and products, it would be a good idea to include those that are frequently searched for and used on the platform. You may also want to use free online tools such as Iconosquare and Websta to find popular hashtags based on your preferred keywords.

Use Filters Often

It's okay to post regular photos on Instagram but know that by using the site's filters, you can attract more attention to your images. A study published by TrackMaven showed that photos using the Mayfair filter, no filter and the Inkwell filter gained more likes and comments on the site.

If you're new to using the filters, you can experiment with different types first then find out which is popular along your target audience by using an Instagram management tool.

Post at the Best Times

When posting on Instagram, you need to do it during the times when your target market is using the platform. You can use a tool to help you with this. IconoSquare features an optimization report that finds out the best times for you to post an update based on your previous interaction with your community.

Once you determine those best times, make it a point to post your updates during those period to attract more views, likes and comments.

Connect with Other Followers

While you have your own set of followers, it will not hurt if you also interact with the followers of your competitors. By doing so, you have an opportunity to increase your own followers and leads.

Again, there's a tool that can help you do this. The JustUnfollow tool can search for your competitors on Instagram through their names and it will give you provide with their list of followers. You can them follow them and engage with them such as by commenting on their photos.

For this reason, business owners who are into selling products will greatly benefit if they add Instagram to their list of online sales channels.

If there’s one thing the youth needs, it’s a cool platform with terrific features to post pictures and share videos online. After all, it’s their source of entertainment. With the trend of selfies at its pinnacle, such platforms have become the need of the hour. Businesses are searching for the perfect platform, while the truth is both Snapchat and Instagram have their own market niche and massive following. A majority of the users of these platforms are youngsters who are totally mobile-driven and obsessed with their smartphones. This article will guide you through the features of Snapchat and Instagram and help you decide which platform is better and safer:

Snapchat

Snapchat is like texting with pictures. Parents are concerned because kids spend a lot of time on Snapchat sharing their pictures, which worries them. On Snapchat, there are a set number of videos and pictures you can send or receive at a particular time. Each session lasts a few seconds and when it expires, the data is erased. It claims to be safe, but the privacy policies of social networks are often voluntarily ceased without the users knowing.

A significant danger of using Snapchat is teens don’t even know that by agreeing to their privacy policy, they have allowed Snapchat to use their data. It’s important to keep in mind that whatever pictures your child shares on Snapchat, they are aware of the fact that it is accessible worldwide. Snapchat offers “Snaps” and “Stories”. Snaps are the pictures or videos a user shares with a single person, though anyone can save the photo as a screenshot and share it with ease. Stories are videos which a user shares with numerous people and can be viewed unlimited number of times before the session expires, i.e. 24 hours.

Instagram

Have you ever come across people who have nothing to do with your life, but you know a lot about them? Surely, the answer is yes! We are living in 2016, where social media has made literally everything accessible, on our fingertips. Instagram freaks share their daily life on this app through photos, especially whatever they munch during the day, with popular hashtags, though other users aren’t really interested in what this person had for lunch! Hashtags are the in thing for Instagram users. They are totally obsessed with them, while many others get irritated by this rising trend. According to Instagram’s policy, the user’s pictures can be public or private. The setting depends upon the user’s preference. Users post their photos which are searchable through hashtags.

Analyzing Snapchat and Instagram

Instagram builds a library of images for its users, whereas Snapchat’s underlying characteristic is that the data shared by its users isn’t permanent, which, however, is easily violated by its users. The analysis unravels the fact that Instagram is safer than Snapchat, and therefore a better choice for the average user.

Needless to say, Instagram is one of the most powerful mobile applications that allow you to share photos, videos or do many more things either publicly or privately. It was founded in the year 2010 by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger. Because of its popularity, its number of users rapidly increases on a daily basis. Nowadays, it is widely used to promote a business or to drive sales. It increases your followers who are actually interested in your products and services. If you are new to Instagram, don’t need to worry. It’s because here in this article, we covered all points, which you should know to promote your brand worldwide and to increase your sale. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get started.

Create your separate identity: If you want to promote your brand on Instagram, so, first of all, you have to create your separate identity on it. For this, you just need to create a new business account, which is totally separate from your personal account.

Include a link to boost traffic: Another easiest way to promote your brand over the Instagram is by adding your website link to it. It allows you to directly lead a click over to your website. This will help your follower to land your website directly without facing any problem.

Include an informative bio to hook your followers: You should always keep in mind that your follower will first go through your profile, if they seem it interesting or informative then only they will start following you. This will help you to promote your products and services or your brand name as well.

Optimize your images to stand out: Instagram automatically makes your photo square; you just need to crop it professionally, so that it can easily grab the attention of the follower and they will start getting engaged with you. You should always use quality photos of your offered products and services to drive sales or for its promotion as well.

That’s all, what you need to promote your brand on Instagram. As a social media manager, you should understand the power of Instagram and use it accordingly to get more results. This is one of the easiest ways to get engaged with your followers, you just need to know how to actually use it. And all above points will help in this. Always remember marketing is not for you, it’s for your audience, so, think from their perspective, so, that your efforts will never get wasted.