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In this day and age, Instagram is one of the major social media platforms. It helps you personally connect with friends, family, influencers and other businesses. As a business, it helps you to connect with clients and customers, in the fastest and most direct way.
The negative aspect of Instagram for all businesses is that you are competing against a lot of other people for your customer's attention. It can feel like you are constantly putting effort in and getting nothing in return.
So what is the best way to stand out against the competition? This article will take you through some of the best ways to help grow your Instagram.
Promote your Product or Service
Use your Instagram to get your products or services in front of your audience. If you don't tell your customers about your offering then they will never know what you can offer them. This is your chance to get your product or service out into the world. It can help your company be the one customers choose. It's important that you always keep your product and service content new and fresh. Finding new ways to tell your audience why they need what you offer in their lives can be challenging but it helps you cut through the noise.
Post a Variety of Content
In order to keep the audience engaged, you need to be versatile when it comes to the content you are creating. It helps to create three or four content pillars. These form the base of your content and from there you can put your own creative spin on them. Take a look at some examples below -
Content Ideas!
Education - You could create an educational post telling your audience about one aspect of your business.
Testimonials/Social Proof - Share a testimonial from previous customers as a way of showing your audience that your business can be trusted.
Behind the Scenes - Share something personal like the face's behind your company.
It's important to let your customer in so that they can get to know who is behind your business. You never know it may be just the thing that convinces them that you are the right fit for them.
Engage with your Audience
We are sure you know that successful businesses have strong relationships with their customers. When you interact with your audience they feel a part of your business. This can be achieved by posting a Q & A or doing a 'This or That' with images on your Instagram stories (example below from @prettyvintagehireuk).
Engagement is key to keeping people interested. Your customers can become ambassadors for your brand and create the buzz your company need to bring in new customers.
Instagram and Facebook Ads
If you have the budget, why not look into using Instagram or Facebook Ads to help promote your business. This can help spread your content far and wide, especially to people who may not have engaged with you before seeing your paid ads. Gaining new customers is key to a company's growth so why not use every resource possible. If ads are something you would consider it is always best to contact experts like Edinburgh based Yatter. If you are spending money then it's better to get expert help as it can help you get the best result possible.
Don't Forget Your Hashtags!
A hashtag serves as an indication, for both users and algorithms, that a piece of content is related to a specific topic or category. This then helps the content become visible when someone is searching for something specific and in turn reaches more people.
You might find it difficult to know which hashtags you should be using. To find the hashtags which are relevant to your brand and your audience, you'll need to do a little research. Look at your competition and which hashtags they are using. You can also find hashtag search engines online which can be helpful but may mean you get spam comments on your content.
The perfect amount of hashtags to use is between 2-3 per post. We recommend however that you use 5-10 for some posts as this will help increase your reach.
Bonus Point - Consistency
Without consistency, you won't see the results you want. Think of it as a friendship, if you put the work and effort in for one week but then none for the next six months, the friendship probably won't be the same. Try to think of your relationship with your audience in this way.
They can end up going cold and what good would that be for your business? Relationships need work and if you are willing to put it in and maintain it then you will see the results you want and need!
Social media platforms are an opportunity to express and share your business in a way that represents you while also connecting you with your audience. Make sure you're grid stands out against the competition by following the simple steps above to help your Instagram grow.
Still unsure of where to take your social media or do you just not have the time to invest in digital marketing?
Why not reach out to us here at Sophie Jones Social to help your social media grow, you never know the impact it can have on your business.
