6 Things You Should Be Doing on Your Instagram Business Page

Social media has completely changed the way we live our lives, do business and how we market our businesses and products. Having Facebook and Twitter accounts seems to be a staple now for almost any business, no matter the size. 
 

While Facebook may be the most popular social media outlet, Instagram has quickly become an effective marketing tool for helping brands and businesses connect with their customers on a different level. If you have a business that has an interesting visual aspect, whether it’s the products you sell or the way you conduct your services, Instagram is a platform that you should explore. Thinking of adding Instagram to your social media marketing mix? Here are a couple ways to make sure that you’re getting the most from your account.  
 

• Utilize your Instagram online profile. Many people don’t realize that every Instagram user has an online profile that can be accessed from a desktop rather than a mobile device. These profiles look similar to a Facebook profile page. Be sure to put a link to your Instagram profile on your site to let your visitors know that you have an account. Your profile should give the user an overall look at who you are as a business. Below is a great example of a profile page. Whole Foods Market makes sure to show you a variety of vibrant pictures of how they are using their own products.

• Tell a story with your gallery of photos. Instagram is all about promoting the lifestyle that surrounds your business. Use your photos to show your followers a human side of your company. Sharing behind-the-scenes pictures of your staff on and off the job is a great way to connect with your audience. Adding pictures of cupcakes from a company lunch, or your staff doing some volunteer work are other ways to add a little personality to your social media marketing campaign. 

A brand that does a great job of giving life to its image is PayPal. Instead of just showing pictures of the main part of their business, money, they show the things money can buy through PayPal. Here is a screen shot of their Instagram profile. With pictures of adventures that started with a PayPal purchase, they give viewers a whole new outlook on their brand.

• Give your fans/customers an incentive to follow you. Whether it’s a contest for a free product or service, discounts, early access to a sale, or a sneak peek of a new product, there are several ways that you can make your followers feel like they are getting the VIP treatment. By showing them that they will get something out of interacting with you, your customers are much more likely to follow you. Outstanding in the Field, a business who sets up farm dinners at the source of local ingredients, occasionally uses photos to let their followers know when they are going to be in different cities and states. 

• Use hashtags (#) to reach a broader audience. To use hashtags, you put the hashtag symbol (#) before the beginning of a relevant keyword or phrase that describes or categorizes your picture. For example, if you post a picture of a flower in May, you could use the hashtag “#Flowers.” You can also get a little more creative and post something like “#AprilShowersBringMayFlowers.” Users are able to click these tags and see what other photos have the same tags. Hashtags are completely customizable. Many companies use a hashtag with the name of their business and keywords related to their industry for each of their posts. 

• Get creative. Just because you think you are in a boring industry doesn’t mean that you can’t make it interesting with a little creativity. Look at the PayPal example: PayPal itself isn’t a visual brand, but they used their profile to show what you can do with it and those things ARE visual. Another example of a seemingly “boring” brand is Maersk Line. Maersk Line is a cargo shipping company that transports bulk shipments of every kind. They have done a fantastic job of turning bland shipping services into amazing pictures. 

It is important on any social media platform to post regularly and consistently. Instagram is the same way. However, make sure that you aren’t posting too often. If you start to see your number of followers dropping steadily, you may want to reconsider how often you’re posting or even the content that you’re sharing. Overall, if you follow the tips listed above, Instagram can be a great marketing tool for a variety of businesses.

For more information on how you can use Instagram for your business, contact Full Media.