Today, social media has become an integral part of the modern world. People not only use it to socialize but also to find businesses and other opportunities. For that reason, to grow rapidly, most business owners promote their products or services on various social media channels like Instagram.
Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms, with more than two billion monthly active users. Therefore, it’s the best opportunity to get your brand in front of a huge number of potential customers.
Benefits of Instagram marketing
Instagram marketing is the practice of uploading video and photo content to increase the visibility of one’s brand. Simply put, it’s how you use the Instagram platform to connect with your target audiences and market your products or services. It’s one of the best ways to engage with clients and show your offerings in a new light.
There are several benefits of using Instagram to promote your business. Below are some of them:
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1. Increases brand awareness
Instagram is one of the most effective platforms for publishing your content and promoting the visibility of your enterprise. As noted earlier, Instagram has many active users. So, putting things there increases your brand’s awareness since you’ll engage with a broad audience of consumers.
2. Promotes SEO ranking
Enhancing your company’s search engine optimization (SEO) strategy is a good option if you want to level up. Also, it helps your brand become more visible so more people can learn about your offerings. Your company will barely take off the ground without boosting your SEO ranking.
There are many ways of enhancing SEO ranking. One of them is to invest in Instagram marketing. Going in this direction ensures more people will become aware of your business. Therefore, you’ll likely see increased web traffic. Not only that, but it can also boost your brand’s visibility and SEO ranking.
3. Helps save money
The long-term growth of your enterprise primarily depends on how it saves money. Saving money means increasing profits, which is essential to a company’s success. One of the most effective ways to save money is using Instagram to advertise your products or services.
In most cases, advertising in traditional media, such as newspapers and television, would cost more than your company’s annual revenue. Hence, you won’t be able to save a significant amount of money if you move in that direction.
On the other hand, the expense of using Instagram to generate leads is minimal. Besides, you can opt to advertise organically and still be able to connect with customers. Instagram marketing is one of the best strategies for saving money to increase company profits.
4. Promotes conversions
Leveraging the power of marketing is crucial since it helps promote your brand’s awareness. However, all your efforts will go down the drain if there are no conversions. No matter how many qualified leads you can get, they might not be of any value. Therefore, finding effective ways to boost your conversions is necessary.
Instagram can increase your brand’s visibility, which means more opportunities for conversions. Any video or image you post may direct viewers to your business website. This can help increase web traffic and lead to higher conversion rates.
Using Instagram to grow your business
Instagram can be a game-changer to the growth of your enterprise. However, it would be better to implement the right strategies to grow your business.
There are two common approaches to launching Instagram ads to help grow your business. You can either advertise organically or pay. However, if you want better results, you can combine both approaches. This way, you can grow your company quickly.
Here are several ways you can use Instagram to boost your growth:
1. Create an Instagram business account
Creating a profile is the first step to using Instagram for your company’s growth. This is an account that can be identified with your products or services. Significantly, it should reflect your brand.
The best way to have a business Instagram account is to start from scratch. It would be better not to use a personal account to promote your business. Instead, you can switch it to a business profile.
You can create a business Instagram account yourself or hire experts. But whichever is the case, developing a comprehensive and attractive account is best. This way, you’ll likely connect with more potential clients.
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2. Know your target audience
It’s essential to determine your target audience when establishing any promotional campaign. And that’s true when it comes to Instagram marketing. If you know who you’re trying to sell to, you can tailor your marketing pitches to them and generate more interest.
There are several ways to know who your ideal clients are. For instance, you can look at your competitors to see who their customers are. And since you share the same market, you’ll be able to know your target consumers.
Do you aware of customer relationship management (CRM) software? You can also invest in CRM software to collect data from people visiting your website. The collected data can help you understand their problems and pain points. As such, you can create Instagram content that directly addresses their issues.
3. Share high-quality content
Customers will want to visit your business Instagram account to find helpful information. It’s essential to give them what they want. In other words, any content you publish should address their problems.
In connection with that, it’s best to ensure your content is of high quality. Low-quality materials will likely turn away potential clients, and your company will barely grow. Furthermore, using the right tone when creating content for your intended audience is necessary for making a strong emotional connection.
Apart from that, using the right keywords to increase your content discovery is helpful. Most people type these short phrases or words into their devices when searching for information. The right keywords will help your content rank better. Consequently, more people will engage with you, boosting the visibility of your business.
4. Engage with your audience
Unfortunately, creating high-quality Instagram content isn’t enough to grow your business. It’s also crucial to generate comments and shares on your posts. Hence, it’s best to respond to comments and mentions of your company on Instagram. Doing so makes users feel valued and motivated to keep engaging with your business.
On the other hand, you might be tempted to ignore negative comments or feedback. But that can hurt the growth of your business. Anyone commenting on your Instagram posts indicates their interest in your products or services. Therefore, it pays to respond to their positive or negative feedback.
It’s vital to appreciate any positive opinions and try to offer solutions to negative criticisms. They can help promote positive customer experience and elevate your brand’s reputation. When you have a good reputation, you’ll have higher chances of retaining customers and gaining new ones.
Meanwhile, it’s best to avoid automating your Instagram engagement using bots. Most people will want to interact with a human being. In most cases, when someone realizes they’re engaging with bots, they’ll likely consider finding help from your competitors.
Instead of using bots, dedicate some time to responding to all the customer comments and mentions. However, ensure you don’t delay responding because that may harm your clients’ experience.
5. Partner with Instagram influencers
Almost every business owner is collaborating with influencers to grow their companies. For most businesses, influencer marketing is one of the most cutting-edge strategies, and it looks like it’ll be around for some time. You can also integrate them into your Instagram advertising strategy to increase your followers or customers.
Most influencers have millions of followers. They can influence their followers’ decisions or choices. Hence, partnering with one or two helps promote your brand in no time. Also, having one to mention your brand from time to time can increase your sales.
However, not all influencers can be suitable for your brand. Significantly, you may select one who’s more aligned with your niche. Additionally, the chosen influencer should have adequate experience in Instagram marketing to promote your business effectively.
6. Grow your audience organically
You may be tempted to buy Instagram followers, thinking it’s a good idea. However, it won’t help your business grow since they won’t interact with or buy from you. You can find better ways to grow your audience by researching or improving your brand’s aesthetics.
On the other hand, if people realize that you bought followers, they’ll most likely lose their trust in you and won’t want to engage with your brand. Instead, grow your audience naturally by publishing valuable content or asking your existing audience for referrals.
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Takeaway
Investing in Instagram marketing can be one of the best ways to grow your business. It exposes your products or services to a broader audience. As such, you can generate more quality leads that may convert to sales.
However, growing a business using Instagram isn’t always a walk in the park, especially for new marketers or business owners. If you’re one of them, you’ll likely face many hurdles. But with the tips above, you can be guided as you start growing your enterprise through Instagram marketing.
Web developer and SEO specialist with 20+ years of experience in open-source web development, digital marketing, and search engine optimization. He is also the moderator of this blog "RS Web Solutions (RSWEBSOLS)".
