With the emergence of social media as a game-changing communication tool, everyone—from local teenagers to global corporations—has more diverse platforms through which to promote their ideas, causes, and businesses. What’s especially great about social media for businesses is that it has become a low-cost, powerful marketing tool that puts creative direction and control of advertisements in the hands of business owners. It allows all businesses, large and small, to reach out directly to their current and potential customers using easy, real-time social media marketing tactics.

One social media platform that really helps businesses engage with consumers is Instagram. Here are some easy-to-use tips that can help you expand the market reach of your business on Instagram:

  1. Use hashtags strategically – Hashtags are great for helping consumers find and follow you based on your business category and the types of products/services you offer. Make these hashtags as specific (but brief) as possible. Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags per post. Participating in hashtag games (e.g. – #tbt, or “Throwback Thursday”) can also boost your exposure. Additionally, you can utilize hashtag tracking tools like Websta to identify popular hashtags that you may be able to use to your advantage.
  2. Get “Instagram Referrals” – Ask individuals and other businesses to create a post on their Instagram profile about your business. This is an effective way to increase brand awareness and can also help with reputation management—for instance, customers could post reviews of their experience with your products and services. Having other businesses in different markets and demographics promote your services can help you diversify and widen your customer base as well.
  3. Use catchy photos and videos in your posts – Make sure your posts are visually appealing and relevant so they don’t get overlooked, and try to encourage users to take action when applicable, such as visiting your website for more information. Creating posts for things like charity events, celebrity appearances, and new product/service launches can pull in many Instagram users. Posts for product demonstrations and product usage tips will also help users remember and connect with your business so that they ultimately become (or remain) customers.
  4. Create compelling & concise copy – Make the content below your pictures and videos as detailed as possible without being too long. Instagram posts are naturally meant to be short and sweet, and too much verbiage will either overwhelm or bore users, driving them to leave and move on to other Instagram pages. Avoid big block paragraphs, and try to use bulleted lists when possible. Using suitable emoticons/graphics and all caps for important points can also help by catching readers’ eyes. Including things like sales deals and discount promotional codes to use on your website will also draw users in and encourage them to spread the word about your business on Instagram and elsewhere.

While the above tips for promoting your business on Instagram are all fairly easy to get the hang of, they can make a big difference when it comes to reaching more (and more relevant) customers through social media. What are some of your favorite ways to interact with your users on Instagram? Let us know in the comments!

Meet Jessica Pierre

Jessica is a publisher at Launch Digital Marketing. In her spare time, Jessica enjoys learning about trends in web design, movies, reading, and music.