I’m so tempted to say this was my idea… But, truth is, I saw this amazing trick from IKEA, of all places. So. Cool. And really easy to do if you take the time to follow instructions to set it up.

If you have multiple products or services, and want to try a fun campaign using tagging and hashtags on Instagram, check this out:You’ll want to be fairly comfortable with Instagram, and have some design abilities… or pass this along to someone who can help you.

Here’s what to do:

[az_dropcap mode=”dropcap-color”]1.[/az_dropcap] First, determine how many products or services you want to promote.

[az_dropcap mode=”dropcap-color”]2.[/az_dropcap] For each product, you’ll need to have a unique email address. These are usually free from your hosting company (or wherever you have your business email created). I suggest creating emails as PRODUCTNAME@YOURDOMAIN.COM. You’ll need to be able to access your webmail to verify each email.

[az_dropcap mode=”dropcap-color”]3.[/az_dropcap] Using your smart phone, you need to create a unique Instagram account for each product. Instagram permits up to 20 unique accounts per device, so borrow a friend’s phone if you have to.  For each product you’ll need to upload a profile image, create the username (the product name you want to promote), and add a product/service description (include the appropriate website url).

[az_dropcap mode=”dropcap-color”]4.[/az_dropcap] For your main Instagram account, update your profile description to include, “Tap each photo below to see our latest products revealed,” or… something to that affect, and include your website url.

[az_dropcap mode=”dropcap-color”]5.[/az_dropcap] Ok, now the fun part of designing. Instagram images are square, and a landscape phone displays 12 posts in chronological order starting with most recent (top left). I like to make images that are 1000 pixels wide by 1000 pixels high because this makes for easier math.

[az_dropcap mode=”dropcap-color”]6.[/az_dropcap] Using a design tool (Photoshop for advanced, Keynote or PowerPoint for beginners), create a canvas that is 3000 pixels wide by 12,000 pixels high. Minimize the canvas so you can view the whole thing on your monitor.

[az_dropcap mode=”dropcap-color”]7.[/az_dropcap] Create one full-bleed image to cover the entire canvas. Using the video’s example (or go look at their live Instagram account), make it playful and add appropriate text. Have fun with this!

[az_dropcap mode=”dropcap-color”]8.[/az_dropcap] Slice the image into 1000px squares. Note, you may want to adjust your text accordingly to fit around slices.

[az_dropcap mode=”dropcap-color”]9.[/az_dropcap] Save each square as a unique image on your desktop, naming them in order (12, 11, 10…).

[az_dropcap mode=”dropcap-color”]10.[/az_dropcap] You need to be able to retrieve these images from your phone, so either email them to yourself or place them in Dropbox or Google Docs. Select your method so that all 12 images are now in your phone’s image library.

Final (and most rewarding) step:

[az_dropcap mode=”dropcap-color”]11.[/az_dropcap] Login to your main Instagram account, and upload each image, STARTING WITH #12. For each image (so it loads in correct order!!!):

• Add a caption that includes: “Tap on the photo!” and appropriate #’s.
• Tag the photo with the account username you created for this product/service.
• Don’t share this image to Facebook or Twitter, as it’s just a piece of the puzzle (unless you want to tempt your audience?)

If you’ve done this right, now when you go to look at your main Instagram account page, you should see….. Your single image you created!

Now, go forth and share with everyone and get them to tag your products and share their stories about how much they love your services!

Hope you liked this. Feel free to share your finished pages with me, or give me some Instagram LOVE. I’m #gretaroseagency (@gretaroseagency on Twitter) and I’d love to follow you!