Why is Instagram Great for Small Businesses?
Instagram is one of the top downloaded social media applications and boast 500 million users per month. Wouldn’t you want that kind of audience for your business?
Of course you do! But how do you make Instagram work for you?
Below are my top suggestions to make the most of Instagram:
Collaborate with other Instagrammers
By collaborating with other Instagrammers you can make the most of each other’s Instagram followers. It expands your reach and also can get you a new market. Many people collaborate within their own industry for a more targeted approach. If someone feels like eating a steak you wouldn’t suggest a fish fillet would you? Rather you should suggest a selection of meats. If someone is looking for flower delivery in Sydney or florists, you give them what they want. The same goes within marketing, for example, if you sell workout clothes you should collaborate with a business that sells protein powder or gym equipment. Keeping to the same industry increases your chances of reaching a target that is already interested in your products, for example if you are a florist and you offer flower delivery in Sydney or Melbourne, or if you are a florist in Brisbane or elsewhere too.
Reach out to influencers
If you have a bit more budget you can always have ‘social influencers’ to market and promote your product on their Instagram account. Today there are many social influencers who aren’t super stars and don’t cost and arm and a leg. Many of them actually do it for the free product and a small fee for their time. For example I know a friend who sent many products like the Hitachi magic wand massager for free to people on Instagram for a bit of exposure for his online shop. There are many influencers out there you may not have even heard of but have a stronger online following. Time to do some research!
Engage with your audience
Are you the kind of Instagrammer that posts something and forgets about it? That’s a big no-no. What people love the most about social media is the fact that it’s engaging. You customers are probably trying to reach out to you and see what’s behind the brand image. If you ignore them you’re giving off a very bad first impression.
Imagine if you own an airport parking in Melbourne… it would be pretty hard to create engaging content on social media! But you should still have a Facebook page and Instagram account for your airport parking business. For example, many people use Instagram as a search engine, and would look for an airport parking on there using hashtags, instead of using Google.
So what’s the key to putting these good practices into use? First you have to build up your Instagram followers. If you’re just starting out and don’t have too many followers then don’t worry. Many businesses buy Instagram followers at the beginning so they can look credible straightaway. There are many websites that sells Instagram followers. On many of these websites you can even buy Instagram followers from dedicated counties. I would caution against this, as you have to remember that they are not the real audience to target. Buying Instagram followers is just a method to increase your numbers at the beginning.
These services are great for small businesses such as sex shops or other adult industries. Since adult businesses tend to find it hard to build their online profile. A purchase from a sex shop isn’t something you would usually share all over social media. Even if you’ve bought the Hitachi Magic Wand, the most famous adult toy, you’re unlikely going to shout about it. Therefore for businesses that sell toys such as the Hitachi Magic Wand in Australia, their only recourse to get more Instagram followers would be to buy them.
Of course, this is by no means the only way to go. It is merely a suggestion. Having an online following takes time and dedication and not something that can just be bought. Keep in mind the tips above to develop ways to use Instagram to best suit your business.