Instagram 101 for small businesses

Learn how small businesses can impress their online customers by focusing their Instagram marketing efforts.

Why Instagram is important for your business

Engaging with Your Audience.

Instagram is one of the best social media platforms that you can use to build long-lasting relationships with your audience, from publishing creative Instagram posts that target your audience's pain points and problems to engaging them with polls or questions through Instagram Stories to interacting with them via Instagram Live or by responding to their comments.

When you respond to the comments of your audience, they will adore you. When you interact with them through Instagram Live, they will be ecstatic. People cannot help but fall in love with a business that makes such an effort.

Deliver Outstanding Customer Service

In addition to engaging your audience, you can provide superior customer service by responding to their pain points and issues via Instagram.

Suppose you operate a shoe store in New York and a potential customer asks you a question via Instagram direct message.

“Hey! I require this shoe immediately. Can you ship it within three days?

Or perhaps one of your existing customers encountered a problem with a previous purchase. Suppose this customer sent you the following message:

“Hey! The shoes I received are black, not grey as depicted in the photographs. I'd like an exchange."

Whether it's a potential customer with a question or an existing customer with a problem, you can use Instagram to ensure that they receive the assistance they require.

Some prospects may choose not to communicate with you via Instagram, though many find it more convenient than emailing or calling customer service.

Bring Customers to Your Store

After interacting with your brand on Instagram, social media followers who visit your website or physical store are already engaged. Your Instagram posts have piqued their interest in what you have to offer. Their purchase intent is greater than that of someone who has never seen your posts before.

If you want to drive engaged traffic, you must consistently publish high-quality, visually appealing Instagram posts that focus on the pain points and problems of your audience and tell your story. Optimize your profile, employ the appropriate hashtags, and interact with those who interact with you. All of these factors will contribute to the "wow" factor of your Instagram account and help drive digital and physical traffic.

3 Instagram Marketing Ideas for Local Businesses

This section will examine three Instagram marketing strategies that you should employ.

Go Instagram Live

Every day, millions of people view Instagram Live. Whether you want to share information about upcoming events with your followers, interact with them, or announce the launch of a new product, going live is a fantastic way to connect and disseminate information.

When you go live on Instagram, your customers are aware that it is not a pre-recorded video, which is a contributing factor to its success. Despite the popularity of all video formats, live videos feel much more genuine than video posts or reels.

Customers desire to see the human side of your brand, as we have previously stated. When you and your employees go live on Instagram and interact with their audience, it creates a favourable impression of your brand in the minds of your followers. They will perceive you as less of a brand and more of a friend, which positions you to convert followers into lifelong customers.

Make Instagram Reels

Publishing Instagram Reels has enabled numerous businesses to increase their reach and engagement. You may have observed that even your friends with a small number of followers who post Instagram Reels have a high rate of engagement and reach. This is because Instagram enjoys promoting reels, and individuals enjoy watching them. However, virality is not a constant occurrence. To maximise your return, you must adhere to certain best practises. Here are some tips:

Utilize trending sounds and hashtags, as well as create reels about trending topics.Focus on the presentation as a whole. People are less likely to engage with reels that fail to capture their attention immediately.  Increase the speed or slowness of your video to make it more engaging. Try out different filters. Be creative. Following trends is beneficial, but setting them can be even more advantageous.

Run Giveaway campaigns

It's no secret that people enjoy free items, so it makes sense that social media giveaways are popular. I mean, from a personal standpoint, if a burger joint in my neighbourhood is running a free giveaway promising me free burgers for the next month, I'll definitely participate—why not?

People are more likely to interact with giveaway posts than with regular ones, regardless of the size of the brand hosting the giveaway. Instagram accounts that regularly host giveaways grow 120% faster than those that don't.

It takes only a few minutes to get started, but it could make all the difference in the long run for your brand. Get in touch with SalesCaptain team and see how our software can help you expand your business.

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