5 Instagram Marketing Tips for Small Businesses

If you own a small business, you have probably wondered whether Instagram is a good way to reach customers. That’s why we assembled these Instagram marketing tips for small businesses. Instagram can be a great tool for reaching customers if you set yourself up for success.

Why Instagram?

Let’s start with some statistics about why your small business should consider becoming active on Instagram.

According to TechCrunch, Instagram currently has over 500 million daily active users, and over 800 million monthly active users. These numbers bring Instagram up to the second most popular social media platform out there, second only to Facebook. What makes Instagram so popular?

After researching and talking with several mid-sized social media users that have large social media followings, Jayson DeMers of Forbes found that these users liked Instagram because of its functionality, visual nature, and novelty. Since Instagram is a mobile-heavy app, it’s always accessible to users wherever they have an internet connection.

Brands are also getting on Instagram in a big way. It’s easy for companies to quickly take a picture on their mobile devices and edit inside the Instagram app itself, or download one of the many Instagram-adjacent apps for further editing tools. Mostly, companies are choosing Instagram for their marketing because the average Instagram user is under the age of 30. So, Instagram is a venue to reach younger audiences, people who are set to become the bulk of consumers in the years to come.

Now that we know what makes Instagram so good for your small business, let’s discuss 5 specific tips for using Instagram to your advantage.

5 Instagram Marketing Tips for Small Businesses

Instagram Marketing Tip #1: Share to Other Accounts

Connect your Instagram account to your other social media accounts, especially Facebook. Since Instagram is a heavily visual social media platform and pictures and short (60 second) videos are all that users are allowed to post on it, it’s helpful to spread those images and videos to your other accounts. Instagram even makes it easy to select which other social media platforms you’d like to share your post with when you create a new one on Instagram. Making sure that you can as many of the same posts spreading across your accounts is a good way to continue your brand recognition for your users and followers.

Instagram Marketing Marketing Tip #2: Use Hashtags

Just like your small business should do on a platform like Twitter, hashtags are an important way to engage with your followers or allow new followers to find you. Creating hashtags that are relevant to your business and your overall industry will increase your visibility within Instagram and help you reach new followers.

Instagram Marketing Marketing Tip #3: Mix Photos and Videos

Consider a mix of both picture-based posts and video-based posts. What makes Instagram marketing for your small business unique is the opportunity to mix static visual image posts with short, 1-minute long videos. These 60-second spots allow you to talk directly to your followers, to show off a cool project you’re working on, or to explain some of your services or products. Better yet, Instagram allows you to make posts with multiple pictures or videos, so your followers can swipe left and right within the same post to see more information regarding your company.

Instagram Marketing Marketing Tip #4: Develop Rapport With Your Followrs

As a small business, you may be starting with a small group of followers. What will help set your small business apart from some of the bigger companies is the rapport and connections you build with your audience. The best way to develop this rapport is to respond to comments on your posts. Every few days, whether you create a new post or not, hop on to your Instagram page and check out what posts are getting likes and comments and see if you can respond to some people who have expressed interest in your business. Even just responding to a comment saying something like “Thanks for the comment, we love to hear from our followers” means a lot to your followers and makes them feel more connected to your small business.

Instagram Marketing Marketing Tip #5: Consistency Is Key

Be consistent. People will follow your small business because they value the type of business that you are. If you’re a hair salon, you can certainly post some personal stuff to help put a face to your brand, but people will probably expect you to post new hairdos, tips for styling your hair, product reviews for haircare products, etc.

We all have to get started somewhere, and with social media being so important to a small business getting their name out there, Instagram is a great place to start.

Need Help With Instagram Marketing for Your Small Business?