7 Tips for Marketing Your Business On Instagram

Let’s talk Instagram! The social media app has grown rapidly after being bought out by Facebook. There are now so many useful tools that you can use to market your business. It can be hard to keep up with, but you don’t want to miss out, so we are here to help.

Switch to Business Profile

A very useful tool on Instagram is their option to switch to a business profile. You can professionally upgrade your profile by switching this feature on in your profile settings. Doing this adds a contact button onto your profile, which allows your followers to quickly get in touch with you.

An article by Azure Collier titled, Why You Should Switch to an Instagram for Business Account, explains the benefits of switching over, “Having a business profile gives you access to a variety of tools and functionality, including analytics on your posts and stories, additional calls-to-action and buttons you can put on your profile, and third-party integrations…” This an especially great tool for companies who sell their products online because they can incorporate direct links within their posts. It gives users a quick view of an item and allows for an easy check out process. Many online boutiques, such as Zara, use this tool.

Two words…Sponsored. Ads.

Whether you’re a new business trying to gain more attraction or an established one in search for a larger target audience, sponsored ads are for you!  

A huge perk is that there are so many options when it comes to how you want to advertise your business.

In an article by Neil Patel titled, 10 Powerful Instagram Marketing Tips (That Actually Work), he advises, “Run multiple posts to different audiences simultaneously for even more engagement. Keep in mind that there are many different forms of sponsored ads that you can post, such as: photo, video, carousel/dynamic ads, stories and stories canvas.”

Being that there are so many different alternatives to choose from, you are bound to reach your target audience through one of these forms.

Use Instagram Stories

Although stories can be utilized for sponsored ads, they are also a great way to engage with your audience in a more personal way.

What first started as 15 second clips, has now turned into a great tool which allows you to interact and gain more insight from consumers.

Stories allow you to post easy access links, polls, questions, locations, donations and much more engaging content. 

They are also a place where you can have fun! Many people use it for real time marketing to show behind the scenes insight on how their business functions.

Another great purpose of using stories is to stay top of mind. If you posted 20 times a day that could get annoying, but Instagram stories isn’t in your face. It is quick and easy for your audience to freely view. 

P.S. There are so many fun GIFS and stickers you can use to liven up your story!

Collab with Influencers/Companies

If you have connections, use them! Having other people advertise your business is a great way to gain more followers.

You see it all the time now with celebrities and influencers. It is the new way of marketing. Let’s be real, you probably aren’t best friends with a celebrity (I’m not either), but there are people out there with a different following than you that would love to collaborate. It can be very subtle, so it doesn’t seem like a sponsored ad.

Influencers are creative and ultimately start the conversation. Teagan West says it best in her article, 24 Reason Why Brands Should Work With Influencers, “Before influencers can build a relationship between your brand and their followers, they must first start the conversation. Nobody likes it when people talk about themselves, so take the humble and flattering approach and have someone else do it for you.” 

User Generated Content

There is no greater content than free content by your consumers. User generated content is posted by someone who is voluntarily advertising your business because they want to show off how awesome you are!

You see it a lot with companies like Starbucks and Coca Cola because of their effective campaigns and hashtags (which we will get into next).

This content is super organic and what most companies strive for. It is the perfect excuse for a “regram” on your page to show how people are loving your product or service. 

Use #hashtags!

When I first learned what a hashtag was, I didn’t understand the point of them, but now they have completely taken over social media marketing.

The reason why is because a hashtag connects an audience. It is the bridge between someone who you share an interest with and your brand. They increase the viewership of your post which gets more clicks onto your page and hopefully that follow button. 

As I mentioned above, hashtags are a great tool to use if you are creating an interactive campaign. It allows the audience to feel like they are involved and ultimately creates that user generated content.

Can you overuse hashtags? Absolutely, but if they are relevant to your brand and the product/service that you are selling, then you have permission to go a little crazy with them. #butnottoocrazy 

Create your voice! 

Are you funny? Serious? A little bit of both?  Let your audience know by creating a brand personality and staying consistent with it.

If you are having trouble figuring out your voice, just write like you talk. If your dialect doesn’t relate with your brand, then ask yourself this famous question:

 “If your brand was a celebrity, who would it be?”

A great example of brand personality is Wendy’s. They have so many followers on twitter for being brutally honest with their competitors… and it works! Everyone wants Wendy to be mean with a side of curly fries!

Final Thoughts

Again, Instagram has so many features and tools to help you enhance your brand that it can get confusing. It can be hard work, but once you utilize them and gain that interaction with your audience you will see the reward. We hope these tips and tricks helped!