How Can Instagram Help Your Business?

How Can Instagram Help My Business?

Thanks to the complexity of the pandemic, not everyone has had to operate under the same rules. Inconsistent regulations from state to state have fueled everyone’s frustrations, especially if you’re trying to run a business. One thing, however, that has helped eliminate that gap is social media. Apps like IG have served as a way to level the playing field for small businesses and allow them to stay relative and competitive. Check out this scenario:

Golf courses in Illinois were closed, so many golfers ventured next door to Indiana where golf courses were open. If you were the owner of an Illinois golf course and you were active on Instagram, you would be able to stay connected to your previous clients by posting content like golf tutorials and tips, offer virtual lessons, or IGTV interviews with a golf pro. Those types of efforts would keep your golf course top of mind to your followers. IG could even serve as an avenue to sell items from your pro shop. Then, and maybe more importantly, posting reopening updates, new operating policies, and tee time reservation information will have eager golfers jumping in line.

Here’s a few more bigger picture ways IG can keep your company relevant in (and out) of times of crisis:

• Instagram puts a face to your business/brand. By sharing pictures and videos of your team, your products, and your happy customers, this visual platform allows you to create personal connections with your current and future clients. It’s always easier for a consumer to give their hard-earned money to another human, instead of a perceived company.

• Boost your sales. Many businesses post to IG to introduce new products or promote sales. Publishing your ad campaign to IG creates awareness and drives more sales.

• Storytelling. People don’t like to buy from companies; people like to buy from people. IG allows you to creatively tell the story of your business, your people, products, and services in a genuine way via posts and IG Stories.

• Building Connections. Social connection is more important now than ever. IG is a great place to find like-minded people and those who have similar interests. Influencer collaboration can help expand your business’ social network.

• Get trendy. IG generates trends that everyone wants to be a part of. Why should a business join in on trends? Because it simply generates interest about your company. Plus, your brand can stay up-to-date by posting topical or holiday-specific content.

IG is proving itself to be one of the top leading platforms for showcasing small businesses. Unlike other platforms such as TikTok, Twitter, Pinterest, or even Facebook, Instagram provides a multitude of ways for a business owner to reach their customers. Because of this, IG has the highest engagement rate of all social media platforms. Straight talk - Instagram users take much more action on your posts compared to

other platforms. Instagram is all about providing tools (like IG Stories, IGTV, reels, direct messages [DMs] and in profile links that drive followers to your website) that help you build and maintain relationships with your followers. And it’s those followers who turn into clients and customers after they know, like, and trust you on the ‘Gram.

While there is a worldwide push for social distancing, social connection remains a top priority. There’s no doubt your ideal customer or client is on IG, just waiting for you to connect with them. More people now than ever are working, learning, and shopping from home. It’s up to you to take advantage of this opportunity in the middle of adversity by finding creative ways to engage with them. These days, consumers expect a brand or business to be on IG.

Coming up, we’ll dive into the what, when, and how of posting content to IG to aide your digital marketing efforts in the age of COVID-19. But first… let’s chat about building trustworthy profiles and IG etiquette.

Got a question?

You’re not the only one! In fact, a lot of small business owners starting out on Instagram all have similar questions, regardless of their industry. Check out page 35 for my top five most frequently asked questions, and my answers!

Social media is here. It’s not going away; not a passing fad. Be where your customers are: in social media.