Instagram is an excellent tool to increase awareness, reach new customers and clients, network with industry professionals, and build your brand. On Instagram, you are in complete control of exactly how you want your brand to be represented online. If your business is not already on Instagram, these 5 reasons outlined below will surely give you the push you need!
1. More people are using Instagram than ever before
According to Hootsuite, Instagram has over 1 billion active users, 500 million of which use the platform daily. And what’s more – 38 percent of these users check the site multiple times a day. And with engagement on Instagram being 10 times higher than on Facebook, you don’t want to miss out on all those potential eyeballs on your business!
2. Use stories to make your business more relatable
The best way to show your customers/clients that you are more than just a faceless company, is to take full advantage of the app’s live posts, IGTV, stories, and highlights features. You have full creative freedom to choose what you post on here – you can show a behind the scenes look on how products are made, bits and pieces of your employee’s personal lives, live Q&A sessions – the possibilities are endless! Remember that live posts and stories are an excellent (and cheap!) way to build rapport, trust and credibility with followers, as well as show that there’s a human side to your business.
3. Use hashtags & geotags to increase visibility
As a start-up or existing small business, you may be intimidated by the competition, but with the proper use of hashtags and geotags, you are in full control of making your brand stand out from the crowd. Hashtags are essentially keywords that summarize what your post is saying. Also, many people will be able to find your business by searching up key words that relate to your product/service. It also helps Instagram show your content to users with similar interests.
Geotags on the other hand help your posts reach a local audience – making it easier to network with those near you. Make sure you are tagging your physical location (if you have one) or the cities/towns you serve. You can also check in at local businesses and events to increase your visibility even more!
4. You can effectively and creatively engage with your customers
On Instagram you can connect with your followers daily through likes, comments, shares, and much more. The more likes and comments you get, the more visible your company becomes. You can get more likes by taking high-quality photos, using local hashtags, and partnering with other brands. Also, you can get super creative! Show the public that your brand has personality by mixing it up with contests, polls, vivid images, live videos, and more.
5. Keep an eye on your competition
Your company can use Instagram to keep an eye on your competitors and see how they interact with their followers. Watch carefully to find out how often they post, what they are posting and how they engage with their followers. You can use the information you gather to better define your own personal strategy.
BONUS Tip
How frequently you post also has a huge impact on building and maintaining your follower engagement. Here at Rosewood we firmly believe in quality over quantity. We strongly encourage posting engaging, original content 2-3 times a week rather than sharing filler posts or re-posts daily. Therefore, for our clients we typically post 3 to 7 times a week to effectively increase their visibility and following.
One final take away – more people are paying attention to Instagram than ever before, and you may be missing out on millions of potential customers/clients by not leveraging Instagram to boost your business. Take these 5 tips and use them to start building your Instagram presence today!
Questions? Get in Touch!
Until Next Time,
Deanna
