Instagram has been growing in popularity for the last couple of years. Everyone and their dog has an account they use to post images for others to see. It is also a great way to be social with a lot of people with minimal effort.
But why should businesses use Instagram? Posting on Instagram is the easiest way to reach consumers in our busy, everyday lives. By uploading intriguing images and using relevant hashtags, you can reach thousands of people in an instant.
10 Ways a Business can use Instagram
1. Show your products
2. Show how your products are made
3. Go behind the scenes
4. Show what your products can do
5. Make your followers feel special
6. Show your office
7. Take your consumers with you
8. Introduce your employees
9. Share celebrity sightings
10. Share the cuteness
You can read more about these in-depth here.
Five Benefits of using Instagram for Business:
1. Connect with consumers – Anyone can search, find, and follow your business. They can share your content with others through tagging, aiding to increase interest in your product.
2. Learn what people like – Using the search function can help you to easily identify what is trending on Instagram. This can assist businesses in creating content that will appeal to more consumers.
3. Reach new audiences – Businesses who use Instagram can attract consumers that they wouldn’t normally target. This can help to increase traffic both digitally and in reality.
4. Fuel your other marketing channels – With the option to easily link Instagram to all your major social media networks (Facebook, Twitter, etc.), it makes it easy to seamlessly share content.
5. Generate sales – Who doesn’t love more money? With the above mentioned benefits, you should have no trouble increasing the cash flow (or attracting new visitors – it all depends on your product).
Five Common Misconceptions about using Instagram for Business:
1. It only works if you sell visual products
Wrong! Look up many of your local businesses (agencies, companies, etc.) and see how many of them who don’t sell products are using Instagram. You will probably be very surprised!
2. It’s only for big brands
Many small companies use Instagram to get their information out to a larger market. Using this network can help them to reach consumers they may not be able to reach otherwise.
3. It’s only for posting photos
Businesses will post photos of products, sure, but it’s also a way to show consumers a behind-the-scenes look at your business they may not get otherwise. Share photos of employees, give consumers a look into how products are produced – the possibilities are endless!
4. Results can’t be measured
Where there is a will, there’s a way! Using a web-based program such as Iconosquare allows you to see many different stats. Track how many likes or comments you are receiving each month; see where you rate on Instagram; find out when your followers are most active so you know when the best times to post are. You can check the site out here.
5. Instagram will sell your photos
Instagram does not have the right to sell your photos to anyone, and this would violate their policy. Check out both the Terms of Use the Privacy Policy.