9 Instagram Tips for Small Business

Using social media to market your business may be an overwhelming step to take. It can be hard to keep up with as new trends pop up, analytics and algorithms change, and you’re wondering how to keep up, we understand. Here are some Instagram tips to help your business be successful.

Instagram likely sees the most evolution and feature changes. Instagram now has over 1 billion monthly active users. Among these users 90% follow a business on the platform.

So how can Instagram effectively help you connect with your audience?

There are several steps you can take to make Instagram work for your business growth, connecting with your ideal customer/client and gaining visibility for your brand.

Find and interact with your ideal customers.

Find accounts that fit your ideal customer. For instance, if you’re a virtual assistant business you may be looking for small business owners or entrepreneurs. If you have a specific niche, such as you work with real estate agents, you will be searching that specifically.

As you find those that are within that ideal base then follow them. Interact with them daily. This includes liking their photos, leaving comments, asking questions, giving feedback, etc. Make your presence seen.

Create content that appeals to that target audience

This includes giving out content to your ideal target audience that provides some sort of value to them without a sales pitch. Resist the urge to pitch your product or service within every post.

Content that creates value but does not necessarily sell can be fitting to your product or service but in a roundabout way. For instance, you may be selling cooking products like Pampered Chef, and so you share recipes you love. You may be selling business coaching services and you provide tips and tricks for business success.

Creating valuable content your audience will consume and want to see more can bring customers to your product or clients to your side needing your help further.

Business Bio

Make sure to fill out the business bio and contact information on your profile. On Instagram there are plenty of chances for new viewers to find you and view your profile. They may not know who you are and making sure that basic information is there is important. Make sure to provide an email, phone, or address if applicable and link to your business website.

Post Regularly

In order for Instagram to create visibility for your business you have to be sharing posts on a regular basis. If you only post once in a while few people will see your posts. The more you share content the more chances potential customers or clients will see your business. Higher visibility can mean higher numbers in sales and leads.

Use Stories

Instagram stories allows you to post pictures or videos that only last 24 hours. Stories sit at the top of the feed and are often seen and more noticeable. Utilize your stories to highlight your product or service.

Use Hashtags

Hashtags on Instagram posts help the visibility of the post. A post with at least one Instagram hashtag averages 12.6% more engagement. Instagram hashtags work by organizing and categorizing photo and video content. This means audience members can search or follow by a hashtag category and find your content. The right hashtags can put you in front of your target audience, even if they haven’t connected with you before. You can use up to 30 hashtags on a post and 10 on a story.

Look at your competitors

Like any other aspect of business it is important to know and understand what your competitors are doing. Researching your competitors can help you improve your own marketing game.

Be Human

Your audience on Instagram wants to connect with people and feel your business is down to earth and relatable. Giving a human aspect to your content and posts can be ideal. This means be real with them, give your copy personality, stay true to the values of your company, and remember it does not all have to be perfect.

Experiment

Experiment and find what works for you and your business. There may different strategies you see, try, and find no success. Keep trying new things and keep in mind what seems to get engagement and leads from your target audience.

Sarah

Sunrise VA Services