Perhaps you have never considered Instagram for your business. If you are an accountant or an attorney, maybe you didn’t think your line of work was creative enough. Now it might take a little more work, but you can definitely sell your skills and services on Instagram.
Instagram, like Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter, is all about building your online community. You want people to connect with you and your company on a more intimate level. Let’s say for an example that you are an attorney, you can use Instagram to share quotes, photos of your office, shots of the courthouses you work in, and favorite activities outside of work.
If your business is in graphic design, you would want to share your portfolio of work and places where you draw inspiration. If you are a landscaper or a landscape architect, share before and after photos of your completed gardens and lawns. You could also share helpful hints for the home gardeners and inspirational photos from the top landscape architects around the world.
When it comes to Instagram, you want the images you share to be a reflection of you and your company. Some other tips to get you started include:
Short Links—The links on Instagram aren’t active, so make sure that any links to your website or blog are short and easy to remember. You can use a service like Bitly to shorten long links. You will have to retype these if you share on Facebook or Twitter, so a short link is key.
Email List—Using your email marketing program, take a screenshot of the opt-in page or use another image and provide the link for new users to sign up. Instagram also gives you a chance to create a 15-second video, so you can give viewers a few great reasons to sign up for your emails.
Video—As stated above, you can create 15 second videos for your page. If you’re a graphic designer, create a time-lapse of your work. If you are a hairstylist, show a sped-up braid tutorial. Share testimonials from your clients or colleagues.
How To—Invite your customers to share a photo of a common issue and give them solutions on how to solve it. If you are an electrician, it might be on how to remove a broken bulb from a lamp. If you are a carpenter, you could show the best method of removing paint and sanding furniture.
Build a Community—Instagram is all about building relationships, so comment on and share photos from your followers. Also follow some of your colleagues in the industry and comment positively on their work to build a relationship.
Instagram is a great way to market your business in a fun, visual, and entertaining way. Remember to play it safe with posting, don’t post anything that you think might offend someone and steer clear of political posts. When you are commenting, keep your tone light and conversational. You want to treat your followers as your friends.
Do you have any other tips for using Instagram for business? Talk to us in the comments.
This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases (https://www.ereleases.com), the online leader in affordable press release distribution. Grab three ebooks, including My Facebook Formula, a free report on Facebook and why you should be using the largest social network for your business, here: https://www.ereleases.com/free-offer/big-press-release-samples-book/