6 Amazing Ways to Succeed with Instagram as a Small Business
Today we’re doing something a bit different – here’s a guest post on using Instagram as a marketing tool for a small business. At Aspire we’re not currently using Instagram, but there’s no denying it’s a big platform and there are a lot of reasons to consider using it. Check out Marquis’s post and leave a comment to let us know what you think.
Shawn Kinkade Kansas City Business Coach
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With over 800 million active monthly users, Instagram is one of the most widely used social networking site in the world. The platform present certain opportunities that the discerning can seize. Instagram is not a reserve for big multinationals with big budgets. For those who know how to navigate the site and capture the imagination of its users, even the smallest businesses can gain traction. Here are six amazing ways your small business can begin its journey to success on Instagram:
Be unique and stand out
If you are just getting started, you must already know that there must be other businesses on Instagram with the same, or a similar business proposition to yours. Therefore, you must find a way to stand out. Growr gives several tips on how you can grow your business, increase engagement and ultimately, make money on Instagram. Identify what differentiates your brand from everyone else’s and use this information to create a unique presence that your target market will be interested to explore.
Engage your audience
By engaging with the people who follow you on Instagram, you show them the value of following you as well as make them feel like part of something good and important. An audience that feels valued will be more likely to engage with you in future by leaving comments and reacting to the pictures, videos and stories you post on Instagram.
When you find some customers complaining in the comments section, respond to their concerns. It will make them feel valued and important enough to get your attention. A customer who’s concerns you’ve adequately addressed can go ahead to become a loyal and devoted customer and an excellent brand ambassador.
Instagram ads
Instagram ads perform particularly well for ecommerce enterprises that rely quite heavily on visuals to get people to buy products. If your business has some stunningly beautiful images of your products, you can use them to get the attention of your target audience and compel them to visit your website.
On Instagram, your ads will appear almost identical to the rest of the posts an Instagram user sees when navigating her feed. According to a report by Mobile Marketing Association, social media users interact with native ads 40% more than traditional display ads. This is what makes the idea of serving your target market with Instagram ads very enticing and such a brilliant undertaking.
Have a consistent style
It is easy for business organizations to devote themselves to posting regularly on Instagram, but sticking to a particular style is often a challenge. Consistency in style is important because it creates an expectation in the minds of your followers and keeps them interested by tapping into what attracted them to your brand from the very start. Stick to certain colors, color themes and fonts throughout your social media channels and make it easy for your followers to identify your posts as they scroll their newsfeeds.
Create high quality content
High quality content on Instagram refers to vivid images, enticing videos all with straightforward relevance to your business proposition plus excellent captions and accompanying hashtags. When you publish images and videos on Instagram, review your audience’s comments and reactions to determine what they think about your content. If your audience thinks it’s not good quality, you should change it, however much you might be convinced that it is.
Contests
Contests help businesses improve engagement and allow you to reach out to your followers with giveaways that will get them excited about your business. Some of the most common Instagram contests include asking your followers to caption one of your images or asking them to upload to their channels images of them using your products, etc. This is a brilliant way to gain exposure.
Author Bio
Marquis is a writer, social media manager and SEO content marketer. She currently lives on the coast of Ecuador, working remotely as a freelancer. Her primary focus is on building online visibility of new, up and coming brand, particularly brands that promote health and wellness. She lives a nomadic lifestyle, though is originally from California.