Social media offers an amazing opportunity for your to connect to your ideal clients and market your business. But with each social media channel, there are different tools available, and different algorithms, so it’s important to pick the right platform and use it right if you want your time online to be worth it for your business!
So why pick Instagram to promote your business, you might ask? Well, there are over a billion monthly active users on Instagram, and 500 million of those users are active daily. That’s a pretty big pool of potential customers for your business to tap into!
And it’s not just the sheer number of users that makes Instagram so attractive for businesses – it’s also the platform’s engagement rate. Engagement on Instagram is 10 times higher than Facebook and 84 times higher than Twitter. In other words, people are way more likely to like, comment on, or share your posts if you post them on Instagram.
So if you want to reach more people and get them excited about your product or service, you need to be on Instagram!
You should use call to actions in Instagram posts because they can help increase your engagement rates. Calls to action (e.g., “click the link in my bio to learn more”) tell your followers what you want them to do, and when you make it easy for them to do what you want, they’re more likely to follow through.
Calls to action are also a great way to drive traffic from Instagram to your website or other online properties. And finally, calls to action can help increase sales or leads generated from your Instagram account. So if you’re not using them already, start using them today and see how they can help improve your results!
Another great way to use Instagram to grow your business and generate leads is to run contests or giveaways. Encourage followers to share their own photos or videos using your product for a chance to win a free prize. This is a great way to generate excitement and engagement among your followers.
There are also a few different ways you can use competitions on Instagram to grow your mailing list. One option is to require people to enter by following your account and then providing their email address in the comments of the contest post.
You might also consider having people enter by tagging two friends in the comments of the contest post. This will help you grow your follower count, and introduce those people and their audience to what you do as a business.
Finally, you could also ask people to sign up for your mailing list directly on your website in order to enter the contest. This way, not only do you grow your all-important mailing list, but once they’re on your website, they’ll also see all the great things your business does.
Now that you’ve shown them the great things you do, it’s time to convert those engaging with your posts to buyers of your services.
Be gentle though – people don’t generally appreciate being directly ‘sold at’ on social media, so make sure you make your messaging individual, friendly, and make sure there’s something in it for them!
There are a few ways you can approach this. You could DM (direct message) followers who are in your target market, or just those who have recently engaged with your content. You could also run ads targeting people who have already interacted with your business on Instagram.
Whatever route you choose, make sure the messaging is relevant and valuable to recipients. Offer them something of value, like an exclusive discount or a free consultation, in exchange for their contact information. And be sure to follow up promptly once you have their information!
Instagram stories are a feature on Instagram that lets users share photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours.
Instagram stories can be viewed by all of your followers, or just by the people who follow you specifically. They can also be viewed as a list on the side of your main feed, or as a featured story at the top of your profile.
To create an Instagram story, just swipe left from your main feed to open the stories camera. You can take a photo or video, or choose one from your camera roll. You can then add text, stickers, filters, and more before posting it to your story.
There is no denying that stories on Instagram are one of the hottest features right now. And there is a good reason for it! Stories allow you to share moments from your day-to-day life in a way that feels more personal and relatable than traditional photos and videos.
But beyond just being “trendy,” using stories can actually be a powerful tool for building your brand and connecting with your audience.
One great way to use stories to promote your business on Instagram is to give followers a behind-the-scenes look at what you’re working on. Show them pictures and videos of your team hard at work, new products being tested, or exclusive discounts that they can only get if they follow your story.
Another great way to use stories is to run contests or giveaways. Encourage followers to share their own photos or videos using your product for a chance to win a free prize. This is a great way to generate excitement and engagement among your followers.
And don’t forget to add links, stickers, and polls to your stories – something you can’t do in Instagram posts!
Few platforms can rival Instagram when it comes to building a strong visual brand identity. And one of the most powerful ways to leverage that identity is through Instagram Reels.
For those who don’t know, Reels are short-form videos, usually set to music that you can post on your feed or in your Stories. They’re similar to TikToks, but with a distinctly Instagram feel.
And while they may seem like just another fun way to consume content, Reels actually have a ton of potential for businesses.
For example, let’s say you own a bakery. You could use Reels to show off your baking process, from start to finish. Or, if you’re a wedding planner, you could use Reels to give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into planning a wedding.
Generally, popular reels are punchy, creative, and visual. They often incorporate trending music or sound bites, and they always tell a story. The best reels are also relatable – they offer viewers a glimpse into someone else’s life that feels real and authentic, so though we’re using them to promote our businesses here, make sure they show the human side, and don’t be afraid to have a bit of fun with them – corporate is not the way to go here!
Of course, it’s also important to keep your audience, or ideal client in mind when creating a reel. What type of content will they respond to? What will resonate with them? Keeping your finger on the pulse of what your followers want to see, and you’ll find Reels can be a great opportunity to build trust and pre-sell your products and services so that by the time you speak to your followers, they’re already fans of what you do so more likely to buy from you than a competitor.
Send us a WhatsApp message on 07747740760 or email eve@fantheflames.co.uk and we’d be happy to help!
