Did you know that 99.8% of all Canadian businesses are small- to medium-sized companies, with less than 500 employees? So, you are not alone in this race to success. As a small business owner, you must have already been aware of the power of Instagram. It is not just a photo-sharing app for individuals. Businesses from all around the globe are using this social media platform to attract clients and earn unsurpassed revenues. But how? Are there any definite tricks to use Instagram for business? Well, there are! In fact, it is better if you are aware of the Instagram tricks for small businesses before you take the leap.
In this article, we will break down the use of Instagram for your small business, and how you can take advantage of the same to increase your digital footprint.
· Set Up Your Profile Properly
This is the very basic thing you need to do but it’s also necessary to set up your business profile on Instagram properly. The features of this app keep changing all the time. So, you need to keep checking for new settings and features to remain up-to-date. Set your business profile and fill in all the details correctly. Update your business hours, location(s), contact details, product catalogs, etc. Also, make sure that your bio is crisp and has every important element regarding your business. Do not forget to put up a professional profile picture; this should essentially be your company logo.
· GeoTag Your Posts
Whenever you start posting on your Instagram profile, add the location to your posts. If you haven’t done it before, you can edit those posts and do the same. How will it help? Geotagging will be more visible to your customers and your brand will start gaining attention. Instagram will also compile all your posts tagged on a specific location and all of this will add up to brand awareness in front of your target audiences.
· Make Use of Stories and Highlights
Instagram Stories are a great way to grab the attention of your followers. You can even pay some amount to boost your stories so that they can reach your target audiences better. You must ensure that your profile has stories almost every single day. The Stories could be related to your products, services, about your employees, yourself, fun topics related to your industry, polls, AMAs (Ask Me Anything), and so on. Now, if you have any specific Story ideas which you wish to keep for longer than 24 hours, post it as Highlights. The Highlights will prolong the life of your Story posts and feature them on your profile even after they disappear from your Story.
· Go Live Frequently
Many business owners might not be aware of this but an Instagram Live has several benefits. Wherever you go Live, your followers will get a notification about the same. Also, this can be an amazing source of instant communication with your audience. You can run a Q&A session, give your followers a glimpse of your office, conduct an interview of another professional from the same industry, and so on. The Live feature on Instagram will actually boost your credibility in front of your audiences.
· Create Contests and Promotions
Posting contests every now and then will help you gain more followers. Also, if you have frequent ‘followers-only promotions, it will keep your followers glued to your page for a long time and you can also gain new followers over a certain period of time. Contests, giveaways, and promotions are an amazing way to stay active and gain new engagements on your Instagram profile. And if you can target your contest posts to your right audience with some money, it will be better to gain more viewers for your post as well as more followers for your profile.
Summing it Up,
If you are all set to beef up your Instagram game, then this simple list can get you started from scratch. Being a small business, it’s important for you to form a deep connection with your audience through social media, keeping the post-pandemic situation in mind. And Instagram for business could be the right step towards achieving the same.
For more such information on small businesses in Canada, do not forget to subscribe to the CanadianSME Small Business Monthly magazine.
