How to Start Promoting Your Business on Instagram

With the rise of social media, it’s essential for businesses to ensure they’re present on major platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to name a few. Customers love seeing regular updates from their favorite brands and are more likely to engage if their posts appeal to them. Customers may even share some of the most popular updates with their followers, maximizing a business’ reach among its current and potential customers.

However, as a business owner, it can feel intimidating to step into the world of social media if you’re not familiar with it. Don’t be disheartened, a few tried-and-tested tricks can go a long way. All you need to do is come up with a powerful social media strategy. Here are a few tips to help you plan your next steps on Instagram as you start promoting your business online.  

1. Focus on building your brand’s voice

Your business needs to have a distinct presence on social media; it helps your followers easily identify with your brand and engage with your posts. As a business owner, your biggest strength is your brand, so talk about what makes it unique. Come up with a content calendar for Instagram that aligns with your brand and keep your posts consistent. Posting around the same time every day helps your audience see you as reliable.

For example, a new pizzeria that’s known for experimenting with unusual pizza toppings would greatly benefit from posts, stories, and reels that introduce its followers to some of the quirkiest options on the menu. Instagram users are more likely to be intrigued by a series of posts that promise to introduce them to exciting toppings as opposed to something mundane they’ve already seen.

2. Keep it relevant

It can be difficult to come up with new content ideas for your business on social media platforms, but it’s essential to keep innovating instead of falling for old tropes. When in doubt, turn to trends and see if something catches your eye. Ask yourself whether you can use a trending version of a popular song to create a reel that subtly promotes your business.

While it’s a good idea to experiment, don’t lose track of your bigger goals, and make sure your posts are relevant for your followers. Don’t post something just because it’s popular. Your Instagram updates still need to add value and keep your followers engaged. An easy way to analyze this is to scan the comments under a post and find out what your followers are saying. Are they impressed by the post? Do they have interesting recommendations or questions that you can address in a Q & A through Instagram Stories? The options are endless!

3. Use paid marketing to your advantage

Instagram (along with other social media platforms) allows you to boost your posts via paid marketing tools. This can help your posts gain traction among Instagram users and even increase engagement on your previous posts.

Paid social media marketing can be strategic - if you have a big launch coming up and want to generate a buzz, you can use the platform’s paid marketing features to ensure that your posts are seen by as many people as possible. You can also get more ambitious by advertising a product launch across multiple platforms.

Another useful tip that’s definitely worth considering is collaborating with established social media influencers who already have a large number of followers on Instagram and can help your brand get noticed through targeted posts and reels.

4. Don’t forget the basics

As you try to figure out a way to promote your business on Instagram, remember that sticking to a few ground rules will help you create a solid impression among your followers. For example, pay attention to your captions on Instagram and make sure they’re high-quality and fun to read. Useful tip: relatable, informative, and insightful posts work well. Have a big sale coming up? Use witty copy to catch your customers’ attention! Or schedule a giveaway that doubles up as a fun contest for all your followers (and will increase engagement).

Additionally, as a business owner, you should prioritize quality control and ensure that you’re using the right hashtags instead of cluttering your posts with too many hashtags that aren’t relevant. It also helps to have a call-to-action ready for your followers. For example, if you’re posting an informative guide on basic skincare, you can encourage your followers to save the post for future reference.

Last but not the least, make sure you’re interacting with your followers on Instagram and responding to their queries. This can have a significant impact on your customers. Your followers will be more inclined to root for your business if they feel like they’re being heard.

WRITTEN BY: BOSHIKA GUPTA