A favourite with celebrities and social media high risers, Instagram has built an enviable reputation since its launch back in 2010. After securing second prize for the Best Mobile App in its first year of trading and with its CEO and founder being featured on lists like ‘The 100 Most Creative People in Business’ and ’30 Under 30’, Instagram has all the accolades to back up their status, but for years now smaller businesses have overlooked this picture perfect platform as a contender in their social media marketing mix?

Instagram isn’t just reserved for businesses looking to sell visual products or big, market leading brands with even bigger marketing budgets, it can be used by businesses of all sizes and niches to promote their wares to real followers – which is more than can be said for Twitter! Read on to discover whether Instagram is really worth it for small businesses like you and discover the Instagram marketing tips that will help you build a base of suitably engaged and active followers.

The stats that say give Instagram a go!

According to a recent study conducted by research and advisory firm Forrester, Instagram secures a pretty impressive engagement rate, performing 58 times better than market leader and social media superstar Facebook.

The platform provides a direct link to teenagers, who consider Instagram to be the most important social network, as well as lesser influenced 18- to 29-year-olds, an age range that has been notoriously difficult to impress with social media marketing in more recent years. Whilst most of Instagram’s 600 million users are aged within these brackets, it’s important to note that six out of ten adults have Instagram accounts. Of these users some 60% are active every single day. Just over a quarter of Instagram users are also high earners, bringing home more than £55,000 per year, which means plenty of disposable income to spend buying products or services from your small business!

Three quick steps to small business Instagram success

There are many ways you and your small business can make Instagram a profitable and successful part of your wider marketing strategy. Here are just three top tips to take on-board when using Instagram to promote your business…

Use your profile to reach your target audience

It’s amazing to think that Instagram profiles were launched two years after the network’s initial inception and five years on, your profile makes it simple to define and share what your business is all about. Customise your profile with your marketing aims in mind using it to push the products and services at the centre of your brand as well as provide an insight into your company culture.

Discover and engage with potential customers

Finding and following the individuals that may be interested in working with your brand may be easy – just look at the profiles and followings of businesses similar to yourself – but establishing a genuine connection is a little harder. Don’t spam users with pushy sales posts and generic content, make an effort to create content that really appeals.

Enjoy the creativity of Instagram

Instagram is so much more than sharing pretty pictures. There are tons of content types to explore (and exploit) so do it and engage with your target audience on many levels. Behind the scenes videos, inspirational quotes, employee stories (and of course selfies), blog images, product arrangements and product reveals are all great options for boosting the creativity of your Instagram marketing campaign. Keep images high quality and don’t forget those hashtags!

Want all the joy of Instagram without the hard graft? Let us take care of your social media marketing strategy for you. Contact our team today to discuss your social wants and needs.