On Instagram, you’re bombarded with celebrities who market the newest and latest and get a million likes in the process. Meanwhile, you spend hours trying to come up with an amazing interactive post for your product, but only get ten likes for your effort.
We understand your frustration; we’ve been there!
Using Instagram to market your business is a smart way to engage your target audience and showcase your company brand, but you need to know the strategies to take advantage of this golden ticket.
Here are 5 ways to use Instagram to help market your small business: let’s learn the magic!
1. Link Back To Other Social Accounts
Got a Facebook or Twitter account for your business already? Be sure to link it to your Instagram account. Combining your accounts allows you to publish content on Instagram and other social media platforms at the same time. Also, during profile set-up, add the link to your website in your bio so your followers can easily access your site. If your URL is too long, try using free resources like Bitly to shorten it. Got multiple links you want to share? Set up a LinkTree.
2. It’s ‘Stories’ Time!
Instagram Stories have unlimited potential to show off your company’s creativity. Whether it’s a quick 10-second video, a boomerang, poll, or take over, Instagram stories are a great way to build engagement. It’s also a winning way to respond to questions asked in your posts’ comments!
3. Don’t Discard Your Data
While it can be time-consuming to monitor which post performs the best or who is interacting with your account, this data can be used to optimize future posts to attract new followers. For example, Instagram Insights shows you the days and times with the most engagement on your account, so take advantage of that feature the next time you schedule a post.
4. Add FOLLOWABLE Hashtags
We’ll tell you a secret on how to get users to your page: in your next post, incorporate hashtags in your post to increase your chance to be discovered by new visitors. Instagram allows users to follow hashtags, so posts that use specific hashtags will show up in users’ feeds. For example, if your post includes #marketing, users who follow that hashtag will view your post in their feed. It’s a quick and easy way to reach potential customers!
5. Get Your Followers Talking With a Contest
A contest is a surefire way for brands to increase engagement from their followers. Why? It gets your followers to share their thoughts on your brand, tag friends, and increase your brand’s awareness among your already-loyal followers to their friends, creating user-generated content that your business can share for months to come.
You’re now armed with the same knowledge that the big brands use to ramp up Instagram marketing; just remember we helped you get there! (wink, wink)
Click here to read more tips on our blog and don’t forget to sign up for a free Social Media Audit to see where your business can improve online!
