Wondering how you should be using Instagram to grow your small business? Check out our article for a healthy dose of tips on the matter.
Did you know that 90 percent of Instagram’s one billion monthly users will follow at least one business?
After all, Instagram has evolved from a photo-sharing app to a center of commercial activity in a little over ten years.
Brands may host fundraisers using Instagram Live broadcasts, operate stores from their profiles, and allow users to make reservations directly from their profiles. The software has been updated with new business tools, features, and advice regularly.
So, if you’ve wanted to work on growing your business using the power of social media, you’ve come to the right place. Keep on reading for our full breakdown of how to use your Instagram account to transform your engagement numbers.
Using Instagram 101: Set Up Your Profile
You may scoff at this, but it’s an important reminder. Please take a look at your Instagram profile after you’ve set it up as a business account.
New features and settings are added regularly, sometimes without warning. It’s not a bad idea to see if you have any new elements to test out.
Update the company categories, hours, location(s), and contact method. Then, connect any service or product catalogs. Also, add any other typical important business profile elements to consider.
Then, you’ll want to check that your profile components. Such as your bio and profile photo. Those are consistent with your overall social media branding while you’re here.
Engage With Your Audience
With an estimated engagement of two to seven percent (compared to 0.10 to 0.15 percent on Facebook), the opportunity to interact with current clients while also expanding your reach can only assist sales efforts.
Furthermore, utilizing just one hashtag may increase your interaction rate by almost 13 percent. Tagging your location can improve it by 79 percent. This is particularly beneficial to small companies in the area.
The Gram’s Main Meal of Choice: Hashtags
Learning to utilize hashtags relevant to your company may help you get your name out there beyond your target audience. You may use up to 30 hashtags in a single post and up to ten in Instagram Stories. The trick here is to make sure you’re not repeating hashtags and that each post is labeled with appropriate hashtags.
Are you new to using hashtags? Learning the language is very simple and easy to conjure, depending on your profession. Many people utilize hashtag tools to find out what is “trending” in their industry.
Also, you might want to explore how to repost on Instagram with the right hashtags on hand.
Highlight Your Bio
If you spend even a few minutes on Instagram, you’ll notice the offer to check out the “link in my bio.”
What exactly does this imply? The “bio” section of the website where a company may explain its role in the industry. Besides, it helps communicate a corporate personality and encourages customers to take action. An eye-catching picture of your top-grossing product. The company’s symbol, or any other image that encapsulates the spirit of your firm should be the focus of your business bio.
Following that, Instagram biographies only allow you 150 characters in which to describe your company. Emojis are great to keep it short and clean.
Also, the bio section of your Instagram profile is the only place where you may link to your sales page or general website, so make use of it. A call-to-action button, which may lead visitors to your email, phone number, or DMs. This is another feature of the business-optimized IG profile.
What’s Your Story?
Instagram Stories are brief video clips that can be seen by followers and assist in creating a more distinctive user experience and a better understanding of the business. For example, a microbrewery could post a short Instagram story on creating a new IPA, which would pique followers’ interest and perhaps lead to them visiting the taproom to sample it.
Stories are an excellent way to show off your personality while also interacting with your audience. You may use hashtags, @ mentions, and location tagging in your stories, as well as other fun features like GIFs, countdowns, polls, and questions to ask your followers. The more you interact with your fans, the more genuine and accessible you become.
Make Use of Influencer Marketing
Influencers are individuals who can use their social media following to draw business and increase revenue. Influencers may benefit your company in various ways, so it’s worth familiarizing yourself with the idea and learning how to use this dynamic in your marketing plan effectively.
Influencers, often known as ambassadors, may be a significant asset. Many websites can assist businesses in connecting with influencers, or you can start by just reaching out and providing free products/services in return for their willingness to promote your company on their social media pages.
Connect With Your Followers
As your following grows, you should start to get more comments on your articles. Respond to these questions. Whether to praises or criticism, a genuine response will make your company seem accessible and authentic if you get significant feedback in the comment area.
Of course, hostile or disrespectful discourse will not be allowed, and you should report and delete such chatter immediately. Also, don’t feel obligated to respond to every single remark since this may come off as dishonest and forced.
Check alerts regularly to see if any consumers have mentioned your product, tagged your company in a picture, or left an unsolicited review on their page. It may be an extraordinary chance to remark on the image and repost it (with permission, of course), resulting in long-term customer connections and, ideally, repeat customers.
Ready to Transform Your Instagram Following?
Using Instagram to cultivate loyalty and elevate your brand image doesn’t have to be as complex as rocket science. We hope that our guide has shed some light on the different strategies you can use to boost your Instagram engagement truly.
And, if you enjoyed reading our article, then you’ll love checking out our marketing and business sections for all the additional tips and advice you could possibly need.
