Top 5 Ways to Utilize Instagram to Grow your Business
When Instagram first arrived on the social media scene in 2010, it was seen as a new and unique way to share photography with your friends. Since then, the platform has been purchased by Facebook for a cool billion dollars, grown to over 800 million active users and has become an essential part of the social media marketing canon. As a result, Instagram for business is an essential tool that business owners need to learn.
Put simply, if you have a business, you should definitely be utilizing Instagram to grow your online presence. It’s a no brainer–Instagram provides the perfect outlet to advertise your product or service in a way that allows you to target specific audiences in a very cost-efficient manner. Mastering the art of marketing your business is no small task. That’s why we’ve put together the following article detailing the top 5 ways to utilize Instagram for business.
We hope the 5 tips below inspire you to start taking full advantage of Instagram and help your business reach new heights.
1.) Create Quality Content
An Instagram account is only as good as it’s content. One of the best ways to grow your business on Instagram is by creating truly quality content that resonates with your ideal customers. Your Instagram for business account is a direct reflection of your company’s mission and values. If you are haphazardly slapping together cheesy inspirational quotes or using amateur level photography, you are doing your business a disservice and potentially causing more harm than good.
Spend the time to create content that is intriguing and gives viewers a reason to anticipate your posts. A great example here would be providing interesting ‘behind the scenes’ content that gives viewers a glimpse into the process that goes into creating your products. You also can’t go wrong with clean, aesthetically pleasing photos displaying your products. Put some video content out as well to really take your Instagram feed to the next level. Finally, don’t underestimate the importance of creating quality copywriting that incorporates hashtags to caption your posts.
2.) Stay True to Your Brand
The concept of branding should not be new to you if you have spent any time considering how to handle marketing for your business. Instagram for business provides you with the opportunity to stay true to your brand and solidify the message and values of your company. Stay true to your company’s roots. Know your ideal customers and how to create content that resonates with them.
Don’t be afraid to show off your companys’s personality. The best Instagram for business accounts find the perfect balance between giving followers insight into what your company does while also portraying the brand’s personality. Every post is a direct reflection of your company.
3.) Take Advantage of Influencers
An “Influencer” is someone that has developed a large and devoted following on Instagram or a Social Media platform. Their thousands of loyal followers anxiously await new posts, recommendations and content from the influencer. This provides the perfect opportunity for you as a business owner to partner up with an influencer in order to grow your business.
You can find an influencer specific to your niche or product line that will promote your business or Instagram for business account. This method certainly will require an investment on your end, but the rewards can certainly be plentiful.
4.) Utilize User Generated Content
A new trend has sprung up on Instagram that is very exciting for anyone looking to grow their business via social media. Customers have started creating their own content directly related to their favorite products or services. Fans are creating posts that show what your product or service means to them. These people aren’t getting paid, they are just creating the content out of love and respect for your brand. What better way to show off your business?
The stats are compelling, with 84% of millennials stating that User Generated Content from strangers has at least some influence on what they buy. You can’t go wrong with including user generated contentin some form on your Instagram feed. They are authentic testimonials that directly show why your brand is so important to your customers. UCG provides social proof to the world that people really do love your products.
5.) Dive into the Data
One of the most compelling aspects of using Instagram to grow your business is the sheer amount of data that the platform can provide. Having a business account on Instagram means you have access to Instagram Analytics, a powerful tool that can tell you who is visiting your page, who is engaged and what type of content is converting. Taking advantage of the wealth of data that Instagram provides is crucial towards growing your account and gaining valuable insights.
Youcan typically break down the data into two separate categories, audience analytics and content analytics. With audience analytics, you are looking at who is viewing your content and why. Things like active hours and active days can tell you when your audience is most active on Instagram so that you can make sure your posts are going up during that time. You can even see your most engaged followers.
Content analytics provide priceless insights on which posts are making the biggest impact. The number of likes, comments, saves and impressions are all great ways to see what posts are working the best. You also want to take a look at reach and engagement metrics, which tell you the total number of accounts that saw your post and the number of accounts that have liked, saved, or commented on your post, respectively.
Instagram is only going to continue its rapid growth. It’s currently one of the most popular social media platforms out there today, and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see it become the premier social media platform in the very near future. By using Instagram to grow your business, you are staying ahead of the curve and taking advantage of some truly powerful analytics.
Remember to create quality content that keeps your followers looking forward to every post. Staying true to your brand will also go a long way towards growing your account and adding new customers to your cause. Influencers are a great way to take advantage of established accounts with large followings to grow your own brand. Don’t forget to incorporate user generated content into your account for some powerful real life testimonials. Lastly, diving into the data that Instagram provides can ensure that you know your followers and what they like to see.
We hope this article has provided you with some great ideas on how to use Instagram to grow your business! Do you have any additional tips on how to use Instagram to grow your business? Are you currently using an Instagram business account? Leave us a comment below, we would love to hear your thoughts!
