Instagram’s effectiveness as a promotional tool for local companies has been demonstrated over the past few years. Potentially attracting a large number of new customers, it also provides a wide range of opportunities for expressing your brand in novel ways. With over a billion monthly active users as of this writing in July 2021, it ranks sixth among the world’s most popular social network platforms.
When promoting your small business on social media, the key to success is to work to build an active online community around your brand. If you’re just starting out in business, there’s no better mantra to live by than “smart work is always fruitful than hard work.”
The following are some suggestions for establishing yourself in the Instagram community in 2023:
1. Accept Instagram’s Story Format
Instagram’s stories feature is a great way for local businesses to expand their audience. A follower’s attention is immediately drawn to a story because it appears at the very top of their feed. They have a tonne of cool features and are much more interactive than standard feed posts. You can update your followers on a regular basis with multiple stories without overwhelming their feeds. Incorporating narratives like these into your brand’s messaging is thought to be a good move.
2. Examine the strategies of your rivals.
If you’re revelling in perplexity and can’t figure out where to start, check out what other local businesses are up to on Instagram to get some ideas. Take note of the types of content they share, the hashtags they employ, the ways in which they interact with their audience, etc. If you’re having trouble seeing the forest for the trees when it comes to marketing, it may be time to hire a social media marketing agency.
3. Make strategic use of hashtags:
By using hashtags, even users who aren’t following you can find the content you’ve shared. This makes it one of Instagram’s primary selling points to companies. Depending on the number of people who see your post, the optimal number of hashtags to use is either seven or thirty. Using relevant hashtags is crucial for content sharing. You can now see how many people discovered your post by using hashtags, a relatively new feature on Instagram. Find out how well your chosen hashtag is reaching people who might become paying customers by using this method.
4. Inspire participation:
Interacting with your audience not only makes them more likely to pay attention to your posts, but also gives you access to valuable user-generated content. Asking your followers questions about themselves or tagging other users who they think should see your message are two easy ways to increase interaction. The emoji slider, quizzes, questions, and chats are all great ways to get your followers involved with your content on Stories. You can also ask your audience for feedback on what they’d like to see more of in order to improve your content.
5. Publish throughout busy periods: –
Your content will be more engaging to your followers at peak times. It’s a great tool for expanding your audience and piqueing their interest in your posts. However, the optimal posting time is context-dependent and will change depending on who you’re writing for. Experiment with different times of day to determine when you can expect the highest level of engagement with your posts.
6. Give Instagram users access to special promotions: –
Offering something unique on Instagram can help you attract customers from other social media sites. Maintaining the satisfaction of your current fan base can also help you expand your organic reach.
Digital media marketing agency The Marcom Avenue offers a full spectrum of services, from paid advertising to website design and development, from content promotion to search engine optimization. The time to get in touch with us is now if you’re interested in integrated media and marketing communication.
