Because of its image-orientation, Instagram is instinctively thought to be more of relevance to people and businesses that are engaged in activities that have a more visual appeal. However, many users who are in professions or businesses that are not remotely visual oriented have made a success of their marketing on Instagram, simply because they have taken the trouble of adopting approaches that were creative. Some lessons:
Client Testimonials on Video
It is well recognized by marketers that testimonials from happy clients are among the greatest ways of promoting products and services because of their inherent credibility that other forms of advertising seem to woefully lack. Marketers should try and actively get client testimonials on videos and share them on Instagram. You can increase the awareness factor by using hashtags strategically, which can put the posts in front of clients looking out for similar products or services. If you are among those who prefer not to hard-sell on Instagram, you can instead post a video testimonial of a client.
Show Off Your Workplace
Irrespective of whether you are a one-person business, a budding startup or a large thriving business, your office space is a reflection of what you are and what you stand for. Posting photographs of the office space is a good idea of engaging customers or inviting attention from potential ones. If your workplace is a fun place to be in or you get your best ideas in the coffee shop, then Instagram can be a great opportunity to show off your corporate culture. Posting photos when you achieve significant milestones also lets your Instagramfollowers share your joy and increases the level of engagement with the business. Behind-the-scenes shots of office expansion are also a great way of sharing the fun with your followers.
Give Your Followers a Glimpse of Your Culture
The culture of startups and small businesses is unique and fascinating, especially for those who are employed in large bureaucratic organizations. If you have got a great and fun-loving team working, then Instagram is the perfect platform for showing off the great times that you are having. It is good to keep in mind that you always don’t have to push sales hard, rather if you engage in brand building in a variety of ways then sales will automatically follow because customers would have bonded well with your brand. Apart from driving sales, a good brand is also a great way of attracting the right talent to your business. A convivial atmosphere in the office is a great talking point and resonates well with followers.
It is also a wonderful idea to introduce your employees to customers and potential customers as this can work well to connect with them. Faceless businesses tend to be very boring,and highlighting your employees can be a very effective way of making your business more approachable and warm. Welcoming employees who have joined on Instagram is a great way of announcing to the world how much the company prizes its staff and is a good technique of humanizing the brand and the business.
Showcase a Case Study
Unless your business sells only standard products and services, you would invariably need to analyze a customer’s specific requirement and then work out an effective solution. When you are really proud of having solved complex problems for a client, it can be a very good idea to put together a study of the case where you put forth the client situation, identification of the requirement and how the solution was worked out to the client’s satisfaction. This process helps to prove how good the business is in its domain and builds brand credibility. Often,a simple picture of happy clients is a good way of building a case study.
Offer New Insights to Followers
Most people are extremely concerned about finding out effective ways of accomplishing a vast assortment of objectives. Businesses that can demonstrate good ways of teaching their followers something that they did not know about are rated consistently high by their followers. Every customer is delighted to discover a better way of doing something that makes their life more interesting or easier. With a great selection of photos and videos, you can make a real difference to the lives of your audience and they will forever remember and thank you for that.
Conclusion
Given that today Instagram has over 500 million active users, every business should be able to find its own target audience. Engaging them with content that is creative, interesting and value-added is the foundation of building a thriving business.