In general, most people agree that social media is a useful tool for businesses – small and large ones alike. However, there’s one social media platform whose utility to small and medium businesses is questionable: Instagram. This platform is unique in the sense that only a caption and a picture are allowed to be posted. There is no opportunity for lots of text, and sometimes it’s hard to even fit a call-to-action in because people are there to look at pictures, not read underneath pictures. However, with a little bit of practice, skill, and some new marketing techniques, you can bring business in from Instagram. Here are a few ideas on how to make that happen.
Take Advantage of the New Rotating Picture Display
The new Instagram profiles have a neat new feature that rotates through the pictures you’ve taken every couple of seconds; it’s like a rotating shop window, and that’s exactly how you should treat it. Take good quality pictures and create color schemes that always match so that when the pictures rotate, they’re attractive and cohesive. One idea is to create a series of questions or statements that pertain to a certain hashtag, like #programmerproblems or #computerproblems or any tag that pertains to your core audience. Then, post these pictures and only these pictures.
Use Other Social Media Channels to Involve Your Audience on Instagram
If you connect your other social media accounts, you can share your pictures across other social media channels – obviously, Facebook and Twitter are the most notable. Using these platforms together can really boost your social reach and you don’t have to do work in three different places to do it. When you post on Instagram, just make sure you tap the two buttons at the bottom that say, “share with Facebook and Twitter” and any other platform you might want to share on.
Get a Little Personal
While you do want your pictures to all look and feel the same, there’s no harm in getting personal with some of the things you post as long as the photos are of good quality. Instagram is a GREAT way to share a photo that speaks a thousand words with many people, and there are tons of behind-the-scenes photos you can share with your audience. Maybe it’s daughter-daddy day at your work; maybe you made your desk beautiful with fun, nerdy things you think people would enjoy; maybe you brought ice cream for lunch. Seeing the inner workings of the companies we love helps build deep connections, which is what you need in loyal clients.
Whether you’re a veteran to Instagram or just starting your picture journey, all of these things can help you build a loyal base of fans that enjoy your photos and follow you because they do. With a little hard work, a little personal investment, and a little cross-sharing, your message can and will go further than it would without Instagram.
