Insta-Growth
When it comes to social media there are plenty of options you can use to promote your business. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are all great options for getting your material and promotions out there to drive hits to your website or storefront. But for today we are just going to focus on one: Instagram.
At a glance this application can seem like just a way to share photos with your friends and leave some comments, however there are a slew of features packed into this app that, with the right strategy, can be used to gain a lot of reach for your company.
Instagram Stories
With changes to the Instagram algorithm over the years, posting to your main page can unfortunately get lost in the fold, pushing more engaged photos to the top instead of chronological order. A good way to make sure your posts are visible is using stories, especially if you post multiple times a day. The stories bar is located at the very top of the application when you open it. Because it’s always refreshing, this is a great way to get your content seen. The more interesting your stories, the better chance of people heading to your profile to check out more!
Switch to a Business Profile
With Instagram you have the option of making your page a business profile in just a couple of clicks. This will open up more options for you but most importantly, give you insight with how your posts perform. You can see what days you have the most engagement and even what time of day is the best time to post! It’s like a cheat sheet of posting. Having this information can make or break your posts in terms of engagement and getting more views.
Run Giveaways
One of the main factors in pushing your posts to the top is comments. The more comments the algorithm sees, the more important it views it. A surefire way of getting comments and exposure is to do a giveaway. It could be something as simple as a gift card, a product discount, or even just a book. Who doesn’t love free stuff? And all it takes is tagging a friend in the comments! This will increase the number of comments on your posts, as well as get more eyes on the page. Coupling this with posting about the giveaway or contest in your stories can make a great combo in terms of getting page traffic.
Comment, Comment, Comment
A lot of people tend to forget that social media should be social! If you see something you like, comment on it! Building communities and writing on each others posts is what can bring your business to the front. The more you comment, the more you engage with other accounts, the more inclined others will be to do the same on yours. Don’t be shy. Reach out and say hello!
Post Consistently
When creating posts, giveaways, contests, and stories you want to make sure that you are doing so on a regular basis. The more often you post the more likely it is to be seen by others. If possible, try to post at least 4-5 times a week. This will ensure that you have a steady stream of content being sent out for people to view on comment on.
These are just a few tips to get you started on using Instagram to better market your business. Just remember, at the end of the day social media should be social. Engage with people, talk and build relationships, and watch your grow your business. You never know who could be a possible future client!
