Do you want your customers to reach you quickly, directly and with a genuine interest in what you have to offer? Knowing how to do Instagram marketing can change the view of your business in social media. If you are interested in this, continue reading as you will learn why this network is so valuable and how you can fully exploit your resources.
Instagram has proven to be a true marketing opportunity, especially for small businesses. The big reason is that it is designed to be used primarily on one’s cell phone. This means it is in the hands of consumers virtually all the time, no matter the day, hour or location.
And that’s a big plus! A Google study in the US showed that 79% of people use the smartphone as a shopping aid and 74% make a decision to buy based on information from their smartphone. This proves that those who are not on Instagram miss a great opportunity to reach their customers. And what an opportunity it is!
The USA is the top country with the highest number of users on Instagram around 17% of total users globally. There are more than 29 million active profiles every month. In addition, the engagement in this network is 15 times greater than Facebook, meaning the contact with the client is much greater.
If you think that Instagram is a platform that gives results only to large companies, review their concepts. We observed among our small business customers that recurring photo publishing contributes almost directly to increased customer flow. We often hear phrases like:
“The day I forget to post an image, the involvement plummeted.”
And it’s not difficult to understand why. Imagine you are looking at your timeline and see a beautiful plate of food from a restaurant. This is likely to encourage you to eat there or, at the very least, generate curiosity to get to know the place at another opportunity. We see this same process happening with several segments.
If it is not a food dish that attracts, it is an interesting environment; it is the proposal of an innovative course or simply the person who is posting this information.
Instagram is a versatile social network. You can use it to talk about your products, showcase your company, talk about the values of your team, educate customers about a certain subject and much more. There are endless possibilities, but all with one goal: to make your customers know you better and become interested in your products and services.
Okay, but how to use Instagram efficiently manage sales? Here are a few essential steps for you to have a successful profile and engage your customers.
Showcase Your Best Items on Your Instagram
Presenting your products and services is critical to your business. Do this in a creative and diverse way, showing how the product can be used in different situations.
Another efficient way to talk about your product is to show the benefits it brings to customers through content generation. You can speak to this directly or indirectly, through testimonials and people using your product.
Market Yourself Properly on Instagram and Become Findable
In regard to Instagram, hashtags work as a search engine for your page. That is why you should use them so that your target audience finds you on the network and also to be visible to more people. The most assertive way to do this is to search for hashtags related to your business that has a large number of views. You can also visit competitors’ profiles to identify which hashtags they are using.
Creating a unique hashtag is a differential to direct people to your profile if you want to pump your Instagram marketing. This gives you a channel where you can also see the people who most relate to your brand.
Enjoy Personal Contact
Instagram is one of the most personal social networks of the present time, precisely because it is linked to a smartphone. This allows you to talk directly to customers through direct messages, to answer questions and make invitations.
However, the biggest and most interesting interaction takes place in the comments of the publications. It’s very relevant that you respond to all the comments in the posts and encourage people to interact with your posts.
Ask for comments and answer questions. In addition to creating this relationship, you will know more about your customers’ wants, problems, and needs
Show Who’s Behind the Cameras
On Instagram, people are most important. So, show the backstage of your business, post photos of who’s making it happen on a daily basis. Studies show that photos with people have 35% more engagement. Do not feel the need to just stick to the photos, videos are very popular as well.
Seek New Prospects
Keep a routine of following new profiles of people who might be interested in your product or service. Follow them to interact with them enjoying photos and commenting. That way they will know that your page exists and that it can be useful to them.
The best way I found it is to use the following strategy:
- Follow the profile
- Like 5 photos
- Comment on one of the photos
The question is also to know which profiles to follow and for this, you can follow people who follow their regional or national competitors. Another strategy is to follow the people who interact with the hashtags of your interest … Simple like that!Eur-lex.europa.eu eur-lex.europa.eu
Be Assiduous
Remember the example gave about the business whose movement fell when there were no publications on Instagram? This shows publication frequency is important to do Instagram marketing. Because users view many publications daily, it’s important that you feed your prospect with recurring content. You may not be able to get caught in the first post, but little by little they are getting more interested in your profile content. This does not necessarily mean that you need to post lots of photos a day. Depending on the segment, one per day is sufficient.
Instagram is a network of relationships that requires dedication to have a return. It is necessary to publish frequently, think about new actions and review the strategy periodically. However, it is a great opportunity for small businesses today because they have a high potential for loyalty. This is key to long-term success.
Image credits to : Torfos