5 Tips for Using Instagram to Market Your Business

By Abigail Gleason

Instagram has an impressive 1 billion active users globally each month. While it doesn’t really hold a candle to Facebook or Facebook’s Messenger platform, a billion folks on one platform is nothing to scoff at. Here are a few tips for leveraging Instagram for your business.

Set “Smart” Goals

Personally, I’m sick of hearing about SMART goals, but hey, things (usually….well, hopefully) become a cliche for a reason: they work.

Smart goals are:

Specific
Measurable
Attainable (or Achievable)
Relevant (or Results-Focused)
Time-bound

Clear goals help you more accurately track progress and performance, which is key for Instagram if you want to see Insta-growth (I’m sorry, I had to…dad jokes are “in,” right?).

Be thoughtful when you introduce yourself.

Instagram is a tad stingy with the space on your profile page. Your Instagram bio gives you 150 characters to impress your audience, which is even shorter than an OG tweet. Mastering a witty, informative sub-150 character thought is an art form. When writing your bio, think about what folks will need and want to see in order to press that follow button or follow a call-to-action.

Take your content seriously.

One popular misconception regarding Instagram content is that your Instagram posts and Instagram stories can be last-minute, low-effort posts that will still boost your engagement rate because these types of content are typically brief, visual, and “real.” The key here is to recognize the difference between authentic, on-the-fly content and sloppy, slapdash content. Remember, if you can spot the difference, so can your audience.

Learn from others, but find your own way.

The tricky part about Instagram marketing is understanding that what works best for Apple or a Kardashian might not work best for your business. Pay attention to key performance indicators (KPIs) like follower engagement and shares to see what works for you. Pro tip: Instagram’s own analytics tool is pretty nifty if you’re not ready to invest in a paid analytics platform.

#DoYourHashtagResearch

(#SeeWhatIDidThere…#SorryNotSorry)

Hashtags help drive engagement by giving users something to which they can contribute their own content while tagging you in their #ThrowbackThursday, #SundayScaries, or #DogsOfInstagram posts. Branded hashtags unique to your business work well for seasonal campaigns, partnerships with other users or brands, and your long term social media content strategy.

Before you can have a thriving Instagram presence, you’ve got to have a strong brand identity on which to build your social strategy. We love sharing some free advice here and there, but we can’t give away all of our secrets willy-nilly. For more marketing pro tips, check us out at resources.nuexpression.com/blog. And remember, #HashtagsAreYourFriends.

Let’s grow your business.

Nu is now located in Industry Hill. Come see us at our new office to chat about your business goals, and ask about renting one of our meeting spaces for your business.