5 Must-Know Instagram Tips for Small Business Owners

Instagram is a famous photo and video-sharing platform which has surpassed 700 million active users—and is continuing to expand. Over 80% of users follow a business account, making it a perfect hub for small business owners to connect with prospective clients.

According to recent research performed by my company, only 24% of small businesses use Instagram for social media marketing. Unfortunately, this lag may be because many are unsure how to begin. Nearly 40% admit they have no idea how to make use of Instagram.

Instagram is a simple application to use. Now is the perfect time to leap ahead of the competition and begin communicating with clients on Instagram with less competition. These tips can help you in getting started.

Create an Instagram Business Account

After creating an average Instagram profile (or upgrading an existing one), you’ll want to switch it to an Instagram Business account. This provides you access to capabilities that are not available to personal users. You can do the following with an Instagram Business account:

• Include instructions to your establishment in your profile.
• Allow followers to contact you with a single tap.

Coming to the content, you’ll generally want to differentiate personal images shared with friends and family from professional ones shared with customers. You can manage up to five 5 Instagram accounts from a single app, making it simple to toggle between personal and business accounts or several business accounts when you do have multiple products or locations.

Initiate A  Conversation

While Instagram is primarily a visual platform, you can also talk to customers via text. When sharing a photo, write a question in the caption and invite your followers to react under the comments section. Ensure that you respond to their comments. Make it a discussion.  Additionally, you should monitor the feedback customers give about you in other Instagram profiles. You will be notified when they share a photo that includes your company location or if they mention you in a post. Visit the person’s post and leave a comment expressing gratitude for their patronage.

Utilize the Appropriate Hashtags

Hashtags—words preceded by the # sign are used to classify content on social media sites such as Instagram. Incorporating the appropriate hashtags will improve the discovery of new followers  and help gain automatic Instagram likes for the images and videos in your feed.

Small business owners must use hashtags that are relevant to their industry:

• Your profession or industry, such as #Plumbing, #Remodeling, or #LandscapeDesign
• Your #Cabinets, #SwimmingPools, and #Furniture
• Unique characteristics or characteristics, such as #MadeInAmerica, #Handmade, or #ShopLocal

While you can develop any hashtag you like, it will be pointless if others are unfamiliar with using it. Therefore, if you establish an exclusive hashtag for your brand, ensure that it is promoted on your site, email newsletters, and in-store displays.

Include a Location

When you publish a  video or photo on Instagram, you may add a location tag to the image. Posts tagged with the location of your business will have the name and company address directly above the photograph. Users of Instagram can then touch on your location’s name to see:

• Your geographic location on maps
• Additional images and videos that you’ve tagged with your business data
• Your customers’ photos and videos have been tagged with your business’s information.

It’s simple to incorporate a location into your posts. When you’re prepared to post a new photo or video, click the “Add Location” option. A list of potential sites will display beneath this question; tap to add your business to the list. If your company does not appear automatically, touch “Add Location” or “Search” for a more comprehensive list of potential places.

Instagram can be an extremely beneficial marketing platform for small company owners, and its popularity is expanding daily. Verify that you are not left behind. By following these guidelines, you could immediately and visually express the brand story while also building relationships with customers.