How to get Started Using Instagram for your Local Business
Instagram isn’t going anywhere and just keeps on getting better and bigger. If you haven’t started your local business on instagram yet, there’s no better time than now to start enjoying the latest instagram upgrades and benefits. And if you are using instagram already, these advanced local business tips for your company’s instagram will give you a competitive edge.
This guide is tailored to getting your local business started on instagram, If you’d like a broader audience, check out my ultimate guide how to get your business started on instagram.
How would you like your small local business to gain global traffic?
Sure, you can target just local business and I’ll show you how, but it’s also possible to gain global traffic! Instagram constantly impresses me with its capabilities to level the playing field for both small local business and large global businesses. That’s right, you’re competing with big brands using the same app. I have seen small local businesses succeed in marketing a service or product on instagram that literally sells out overnight! I have witnessed small business’ beauty salons services become overbooked and apparel becoming out of stock after instagram posts are published.
Today you can literally grow a small business by networking on instagram. It really is exciting to think of all the possibilities and witnessing people becoming “quit your daytime job” successful from instagram.
I’m going to let you in on some instagram hacks for local business
These local business instagram tips will help you get started on the right foot and ahead of competitors. realistically, you will gain local followers, global followers, brand exposure, and revenue. And with this recipe, if If you’re really lucky , you could have an instagram image go viral and gain overnight stardom.
That’s right, instagram – the free social media app for sharing photo rich content, descriptions, and hashtags.
Take your pick!
Instagram is capable of delivering large truckloads of consumer traffic to your brick and mortar business or to your online retail store
Let’s make sure your instagram is optimized correctly from the start
Setting up a Local Business Instagram Account
Be sure to use your company’s name as your instagram user name. Do not use a cute or sexy username, keep it professional. If you run into the unfortunate event seeing your business’ name taken already on instagram, don’t worry follow this user guide to take action. If your local business is not your username, I suggest you change your instagram username. Once your instagram username is setup properly, let’s set up your profile correctly.RELATED POST How to Rank Higher on Yelp FREE
Instagram Profile Page Optimization
Link your website: The instagram profile page is essential for properly optimizing your business page. This is the only place you can place a link to your website or website landing page to drive targeted traffic. It’s crucial that your website is responsive. A responsive website adapts perfectly to your mobile device. The user should not have to struggle zooming in and out of your content. It always amazes me how many small businesses don’t list their website on their profile page or even worse they don’t have a website.
Profile picture: Make sure you have a high quality profile photo of your logo. Meaning, make sure it’s not blurry or pixelated. Make sure the photo looks good with both rounded corner and squared corners because your profile photo will be displayed squared on the web and rounded on mobile devices. Your profile photo cannot be more than 110×110 pixels. Your photo updates cannot be larger than 612×612 pixels. I recommend that you don’t alternate profile photos. People will slowly but surely recognize your profile photo and company name. Changing one of them could cause you to lose followers.
Build your local instagram powerhouse
You will need to be self disciplined when it comes down to what to post, when to post, and how to engage.
- Only post high quality photos you’re proud of
- Post consistently
- Find the best time to update. What time did you post your most liked content?
- Repost your fan’s photos and give them credit
- Answer your audience’s questions
- Get to know your fans
- Post some local photos of your surroundings
- Use your city as a hashtag
- Follow local people that use your city’s hashtag
- Have contests
Recycle your instagram content
It can be a chore to create amazing posts sometimes when you’re not inspired. Study what’s receiving likes for you business’ instagram page, go that direction. Give your fans more of what they want. You can even upload photos you already posted but apply a different filter.
Boring Instagram Posts? Get these 10 Creative Ideas to Use instagram for Business
Plan your instagram content ahead of time
You can take at least thirty minutes a week and plan your instagram posts ahead of time. Plan a weeks worth of high quality photos that will get your audience intrigued. Perhaps pick a theme of posts for the week. Having a saved library of stored photos ready to post at anytime is a smart idea. This way you can use these saved photos when you don’t have time to photograph or you’re stuck in the office all day or doing business errands. You can mix it up, take fresh photos and weave in your saved photos.RELATED POST How to Get Your Business Started on Instagram
Are you a Marketer? Top 10 Instagram Facts Marketers Need to Know
Related: 5 tips how to get local instagram followers
Get local followers for your instagram business
Geotag your instagram photos
Using Instagram for your Local Business is done best when you geotag your photos. This will help you gain local instagram followers and attract local instagram users walking into your local business. Do this with every photo you post when you’re at your local business.
How to geotag instagram photos
- Make sure your location settings are turned on
- Click Add to Photo Map
- Find your business location
- Click on your location
Now all your instagram followers can see what else customers have tagged in the location, simplify by clicking on your location link.
Follow Local, Gain Local
You should follow local instagram users that geotag their location at your business. Get creative, find local followers by searching your city’s hashtag. Have a nearby local competitor? Follow their followers. When they see who’s following them, they may thank you and learn about your competitive services on your page.
Include instagram on your current marketing channels
You should include your social media usernames on all your marketing material. Everything from in store signage, flyers, postcards, coupons, email marketing, on your website, and mention your instagram account on your twitter and Facebook page.
Creative Ideas Using Instagram for your Local Business
- Model your product at your local landmarks
- Geotag your local photos
- Repost your local followers photos
Network Locally
Do you have any local followers that have a HUGE following? Contact them, offer them free services or products in return for promotion on their instagram account and social media feeds. These people are also known as influencers. Find a few that you think will do a high quality job and watch for an increase of followers and foot traffic. Nearby local business owners will most likely like to network and boost foot traffic in the area too. Collaborate and ask them to share your business on their page and vice versa. Perhaps they can promote your products or services. It’s usually a win win situation.RELATED POST How to Get Local Instagram Followers
Have an instagram contest/giveaway
Contests can run like wildfire when you have something amazing you’re giving away for free! Free products or services will engage and attract a large amount of attention. Word of mouth about the contest generates brand exposure like nothing else I’ve seen on instagram. Instagram users LOVE a good contest. Don’t forget to promote the winner of your contest to gain more credibility. You will also want to select a winner that has a huge list of followers because they will share the news about their win. You will usually want to have a custom graphic made that shows everything the contest is offering, include your logo, and include the word contest or giveaway. When you post the photo, be sure to geotag, ass some has tags such as #contest #giveaway #free #freebies etc. Give instructions on your description by having users repost the photo and “tag 3 friends” for extra points. Users will most limey be glued to your page waiting to find out who won the prize.
Interact
Use instagram to communicate and engage your customers. Talk to them, like their photos. Have fun on instagram! Don’t limit yourself by only talking to local instagram users, talk to everyone you follow.
Local Hashtags
Don’t forget to use local hashtags. When you update, be sure to use your city or state.
Any ideas or suggestions? Please let me know in the comments.
And there you have it some hacks for using instagram for your local business.
