It’s no secret that a lot of today’s marketing happens online. Small businesses who might not have their own website often view Facebook as the best communication platform to promote their store. If you are one of them, you should consider switching your focus to Instagram.
Why Instagram?
Over the last few years there has been a huge increase in the use of Instagram from a business perspective. 58% of users are more interested in a brand after seeing it in an Instagram Story and 90% of users follow at least one business on the platform. This is due to the rising numbers of influencers using the platform and with small store owners using this as their main sales and marketing channel. Instagram gives an authenticity and connection with the customers, as the direct message function is being used increasingly to get in touch with brands.
Instagram is an easy app to use and allows you to share your everyday life with the public. You can do this through either a post, story, or reel – the options are many. This way, your customers and others who are interested can follow your journey and get to know you and your store. And hey - you even might find yourself enjoying creating content for your store.
On Instagram – inspiration profiles and brand profiles have increasingly been merged, and this can be used to your advantage. People, and especially the younger generations, are doing just as much research on Instagram as they do on Google. Need a restaurant tip? Check Instagram. Want new clothes? Check Instagram. Before they know it, they are deep into an Instagram feed of a small boutique because they enjoy their pictures and end up thinking “I have to visit this place”.
Visual content is key for the customer
Research shows that most people tend to search for visual content to gather as much information about the product before making their purchase decision. In addition, they want this information from an authentic and trustable source – often from people like themselves. By using Instagram to publish visuals of your products taken by your customers, you’re adding that touch of authenticity to your page which helps you appear even more trustworthy to your future customers.
Get started on Instagram
Maybe you’re using Instagram for private browsing but haven’t created a profile for your business. If so, you have two options. Either, you can choose to change your current Instagram profile to a business profile, or you can register a new account and make that your business-account. You can set up a business account by clicking on settings -> account and then tap on ‘switch to professional account’.
With a business account on Instagram, you have access to more insight than on a regular account. With the built-in insights tool, you can keep track on what time your followers are most active, see the reach of your posts, gather even more information on your target audience – e.g. age and what countries they are from. In addition, you can run ad campaigns directly on the platform.
You can read more about how to set up a business account on Instagram’s business page
Use Instagram for day to day communication
During the pandemic, a lot of smaller businesses started posting their opening times on Instagram. This was to keep customers informed when regulations and staff fluctuation was uncertain. This trend has the potential to continue, for example in smaller communities. This day to day communication is beneficial for other types of information as well, such as advertising sales or letting customers know when a popular item is low in stock and encouraging them to hurry down to the store.
We hope this gave you an idea of Instagram’s possibilities and that you and your customers will enjoy the authenticity and direct communication the platform has to offer.