It may have taken a while for businesses to realize that Instagram is indeed an important social media tool and it can be effectively used to create more visibility. Here are 10 Instagram tools that can help you enhance your online presence.
 1) VSCO Cam (photo-editing)
VSCO (an acronym for Visual Supply Co.) has brought about a revolution to Instagram since its inception in 2013. (https://ctlsites.uga.edu/) Compared to the classic and vintage looks offered by Instagram, VSCO Cam gives a sharper edge to photographs, making them crisper, with better contrast. This gives photos better aesthetic appeal.
2) Giant Square
You may have noticed the multi-grid photo trends on Instagram these days. Users are dividing a single photograph into many parts and then placing each part strategically alongside each other to give this look. Giant Square is a mobile app which will easily create this effect for you.
3) Layout for Instagram
Collages are such an important element of Instagram that the company decided to come up with its own tool for it. The tool is called Layout for Instagram and can easily create collages for your business or college events. With Instagram’s own collage app, it might be the time to say goodbye to apps like Picstitch.
4) Squaready
You may have already learnt to skirt around Instagram’s irritating square crop feature by either taking square pictures or creating square borders. However, if you do not know these tricks yet, there is a tool called Squaready for you.
Download: iOS
5) Hyperlapse
Videos are an important part of Instagram. But it is frustrating to know that they can’t be more than 15 seconds long. What if this problem could be circumvented? Hyperlapse allows you to condense your favourite videos in high-quality time lapse.
Download: iOS
6) Repost for Instagram
Instagram is rightly called a photo sharing app more than photo liking app. If there is something you want captured but someone else has already done it for you, you would like it to be reposted. So how do you do that? With apps like Repost for Instagram, you can easily do it and credit the original poster, too.
7) Iconosquare for metrics
 If you need a measure for your Insta success, here is a special tool for you – Iconosquare. It will let you determine your Instagram performance by analysing the likes and how the ‘like’ trends have changed over time.
Download: Web
8) Crowdfire for metrics
Number of likes is but one parameter for performance analysis; your number of followers is another. Crowdfire keeps an eye on your followers. Based on changes in follower count and the rate of increase/decrease, it suggests whether you need to strategise differently.
9) Instaport for Archive
Your smartphone may have already created a new folder for all the Instagram photos, but what if you need all of them in a different place? This is what the Instaport tool is for – to archive all your photos and videos.
Download: iOS
10) Smartphone Mounted Lenses
If you are serious about giving your photographs an extra edge of quality, getting mounted lens for your smartphone could be a great idea. However, for your business, you might just as well buy a DSLR.
Image: Shutterstock
