Instagram for Business: 10 Top Tips!

21 September 2018

Have an insight into the world of social media written by a member of our Marketing Team, Rhi! This blogs explains the bests methods of using Instagram and how you can use it to benefit your own business…

Analytical features on websites now allow you to directly trace where your customers have come from before landing on your selling platform. This handy little feature allows you to track where your marketing is most successful. A huge section of this will definitely be traffic driven from social media; Facebook and Instagram having the highest percentages. Instagram can be a tricky platform to decipher, especially if you’re completely new to the site. These are just some tips I’ve found via experience that really work to boost exposure on Instagram!

1. Post frequently! I try to aim for one post per day. This may sound difficult but I’m not always posting about myself and my own products. Building relationships is incredibly important in marketing so posting other products that you’ve picked up from other businesses adds a bit of variety to your feed – as well as improving your own image.

2. Engage with other user posts! It’s so important to like and comment on other businesses posts, particularly for Instagram. Not generic comments and emojis, but rather real comments and observations. This will help boost the other business’ exposure and will help the posts appear higher and display more frequently in user newsfeed, therefore improving post reach. They will often return the favour too! 

3. It’s all about the aesthetic! This might seem obvious, but go that extra mile to make your images visually pleasing. I’ve done some absolutely ridiculous things to get that perfect shot of a pin. Many instances involving angry seagulls that think I have food on Blackpool beach! I learnt very early on that in marketing, you’re selling a lifestyle rather than a product; and your brand is a contributing factor in this. The images you post represent the brand. As the kids would say, do it for the aesthetic!

4. Hold competitions and giveaways – Especially loop events! Giveaways are an amazing way to spread awareness of your business. Especially if it’s a like and share! If you can get your followers to share your giveaway (perhaps by rewarding them with extra entries for doing so) it will increase your brand exposure. A loop event is when you team up with a few other similar small businesses and create a loop graphic on Instagram. You tag the next business in your loop. The next business in the loop does the same. The idea is that the person entering the giveaway clicks on the tag and is taken to the next businesses page. They follow that page and repeat the steps until they return back to where they started. They can then comment “Done!” to let you know they’ve entered. Only then will they be submitted into the giveaway. This is beneficial for all businesses involved. It’s even more rewarding if you have a popular account with a lot of followers participating!

5. Do not buy followers! Genuine followers are the way to go. I know amassing followers is a slow and tedious process but it’s worth it in the long run. Instagram suggests your profile to other users based on followers that share the same interests. If you’ve bought followers, they’re usually fake profiles often using inappropriate pictures. This will not help the algorithm which suggests your business page you to others. A large portion of your followers will come from Instagrams suggestions and recommendations.

6. Shop swap! A shop swap is when you and another shop exchange products, typically of equal value. Each party will then create a post on social media that’s similar to a review to promote the product. Each business will receive exposure plus it helps to build positive business relationships.  

7. Use the correct #hashtags! Instagram has a limit of 30 hashtags per post. Use them wisely! Do a bit of research and find out the best hashtags to use for your industry. You want the right audience to find you and hashtags are the best way to do it. When you begin to type in a hashtag on a post, you can see how many posts have also included this hashtag. This will give you an idea of what is popular within your network and what isn’t.

8. Call to action! Everything you post should have a call to action. If it’s a picture of the product, let the customer know where they can purchase. 

9. Respond to DMs and comments! It can get tedious, and the answers may be obvious, but you should always respond to questions and comments from other users. It helps your brand image and makes the customers feel special and appreciated. Even if there are a lot of comments, make time for an intelligent response. If people feel ignored, they’re more likely to head to a competitor.

10. Focus on user generated content! If people are taking pictures of your product, share them on your page! It’s a chance for followers to involve themselves with your brand, as well as making them feel noticed and appreciated. Plus, you don’t have to create the content yourself – bonus!