Whether you’re a freelancer or you own a business, you may have started to think about advertising and marketing. What usually pops into people’s minds first can be the traditional types of advertising like radio, tv, billboards, etc. However, now that social media is a part of our everyday lives, it has also become an affordable and easy way to promote your business.
We’ve talked about Facebook and how to advertise on the platform but now we’re going to focus our attention on Instagram and how to use it to market your business.
If you’re new to Instagram or you’re not sure what to be posting, continue reading!
Define your audience
Starting your new Instagram journey will start similarly to how you started with Facebook or even started your business. Before you do anything, you need to define your audience and who you’re targeting. This should be easy enough as I’m sure you know who buys your product or service!
However, this is important when it comes to Instagram marketing because we need to be thinking about which demographics are going to be on the site. For example, if you own a hairdressers then your demographic can be from 13 to 50 years. It also depends on who is more likely to use Instagram in their day-to-day lives. Younger generations spend more time on Instagram than older generations, meaning that they’re more likely to see your posts when you upload and will, therefore, be quicker to engage with your profile.
Create your own aesthetic
If you’re unsure of what to post or what types of posts you’d like to create, it’s time to do some research on your competitors! If you’re a hairdresser, look at what other hairdresser’s accounts post and see if that matches your aesthetic. Once you have an idea of what you’d like to post and how you’d like your account to look once people discover you, you’ll find it much easier to post regularly.
Highlight User Experiences
This goes for any businesses that use Instagram regularly. If you want to promote your business in a way that doesn’t feel too ‘salesy’, then this can be a great go-to!
Once people use your service or product, they sometimes post pictures online of said service or product. They may even write reviews or post stories about the product. Think of it as free advertising!
A before and after picture of someone's haircut or a snap of your product that’s just arrived in the mail is great content to share. It shows your audience that real people use your service and they had a positive experience. This will encourage those who haven’t had a chance to try it for themselves!
Be consistent
Remember the saying ‘out of sight, out of mind’?. Your audience is following you online for a reason - because they like your content! Try to be consistent with posting as it will show everyone that not only are you a running business but also that you care enough to showcase your work! Try figuring out a regular posting schedule if you have trouble finding the time to post. If you have a guide as to what days you like to post or what time of day, you’re much more likely to stick to it. For example, if you usually have meetings during the morning, carve out some time in the afternoon to do a quick post!