Do Small Businesses Need Instagram?

When Instagram is used properly, it gives your business exposure and increases the opportunity to reach new people. Instagram has become one of the most popular social networks with more engagement found compared to Facebook and Twitter. With a great platform for sharing videos and images, businesses have much to take advantage of through Instagram advertising.

Instagram has 400 million users with over 75 million people using it everyday. The estimated age of its user base is below 35 years. It is a young and growing demographic, one that businesses of today can benefit from if Instagram marketing is effectively used to reach out to people.

There are numerous reasons why your business can post on Instagram. Firstly, it gives your business a kinship in a visceral sense; you can expand your reach, grow your customer base, build loyalty and inspire followers to make future sales.

Depending on the type of business you operate, Instagram advertising provides the opportunity to draw your followers closer to your world. You can show them snippets of your product or service, marketing campaign or what goes on in the workplace.

When posting images, be imaginative, creative and do it from a novel angle. It is easy to post, everyone is publishing photos nowadays. How you publish and what you publish certainly makes a difference. Visual images are powerful, drawing people in more than when you post text based content. It is imperative you post relevant photos, something that is relatable to your brand. Avoid bombarding followers with a new photo every few hours. Learn to be restraint, post in such a way it makes your followers excited to see something new, rather than get turned off each time they see a new business story appear on their news feed.

It is hard to express your brand’s personality on other social media networks, but Instagram makes it easy. The visual impact Instagram offers gives you the opportunity to post not just the brand image, but the lifestyle in its entirety. For instance, if your company is into surfing, think about all the surf and sun images you can post to not just sell your product but also make it seem like people are totally missing out on having the best time of their lives.

Keep up with the latest trends on Instagram. Create an effective Isntagram marketing strategy, which allows you to have a good idea on the types of photos and videos that will draw attention to your business. Leave a little room to be spontaneous. Respond to trending hashtags, industry developments and big news stories. Always have your finger on the pulse!