The number of people using social media is growing every day, with users spreading themselves across multiple platforms. This has presented a bit of a challenge for businesses looking to engage with their audiences on social networks. With demographics and social behaviors shifting, how do you know which platforms are worth the time and investment and which will leave your marketing efforts deflated?
What businesses on social media need to focus on is the type of content that generates engagement, and today that type of content is highly visual – like what you find on Instagram. Combine the focus on visual content with 800 million monthly users and you have the perfect social media marketing platform to reach out and engage with your audience.
Why Instagram Is the Perfect Fit for Small Business
While Facebook appears to be the preferred social media platform for small business, there’s an incredible untapped potential with Instagram. For example, brand engagement is 10 times higher on Instagram than it is on Facebook. This equates to 10 times the potential to win over new customers and keep your existing ones coming back.
Small businesses that adopt an Instagram marketing strategy are positioning themselves to stand out from the crowd. Not only does visual content build a sense of trust and authenticity for your brand, but you’re also doing something that other small businesses aren’t, and that’s putting yourself out there.
When we take a look at the brand presence on Instagram, we see that an overwhelming majority of top big brands are on the network, but that doesn’t hold true for small businesses. This means that your field of competition isn’t as broad as it is on other networks. Plus, it’s an unfortunate fact that many of the conversations that audiences are having with brands are completely one-sided. Something as simple as taking the time to respond and engage is enough to earn a small business major followings and social love.
How to Leverage Instagram to Grow Your Small Business
The goal of social media marketing is to build visibility and generate awareness of your brand. The highly visual nature and fresh, interactive atmosphere of Instagram make it easy to accomplish this goal. Here are a few top strategies for using Instagram to grow your small business.
Be Responsive and Engaging – It’s been said before, but it deserves to be repeated. If you do nothing else on social media, take the time to be responsive and engaging. A growing majority of customers prefer to use social media for brand communications, meaning they’re expecting you to respond back.
Build a Community – Small businesses need to approach social media marketing from a different perspective if they want to really grow their audience. For them, it’s more about building a community than it is being able to claim the next viral post. Use Instagram to showcase your community involvement and build trust with a community audience through the promotion of locally themed visual content.
Focus on the Visuals – A strategy that aims at directly selling or promoting a product or service through Instagram is one that’s going to fail. Instead of telling your audience how relevant or useful your brand is, show them through visual content that tells the story on its own. For example, a local coffee shop posting a picture of a frosty, cold glass of lemonade on a sweltering day is going to generate more interest than the promotion of a 2 for 1 offer.
Ready to learn more about Instagram marketing and how it can help grow your small business? We’re the social media marketing agency that can help. Contact JLB Florida today to learn more.
