In this era of digitalization, the mass majority prefers purchasing and even window shopping on online platforms. Instagram has proven to be one such platform that has helped numerous businesses touch base with potential clients. From handling client queries to making products go viral and much more, Instagram offers various features to help promote small businesses.
Since small businesses have a limited number of employees and customers initially, it is comparatively easier to keep track of their activities. Just as you choose the best employee monitoring software to track your employee’s performance, you can also use Instagram metrics to check their behavioral patterns. Especially, in terms of purchases and preferences. Besides activity tracking, here are a few other ways Instagram can assist your small business.
Helps Reach a Wider Audience
Attracting and reaching out to new potential customers can be a difficult task to achieve. Even more so if you’re not taking help from any social media platform. Your product may be carefully crafted and you may develop the most eye-catching website. But unless anybody knows your brand exists, to start from, all these efforts go in vain.
This is exactly where Instagram steps in. Instagram has made it easy for small businesses to compete with larger ones on equal grounds. Using the latest features of this app, you can create engaging content in the form of picture posts, reels, stories, sponsored ads, and much more. This content reaches a massive audience by using hashtags and other tools, and encourages them to make purchases from your brand.
Small Business Supporting Stickers
Instagram now provides its user with various sticker options that make your stories stand out and available to the vast majority. Using this sticker in their stories, people can show their support for small businesses very conveniently. You have the option of mentioning your business’s name directly on the sticker. This gives your followers a preview of your brand’s profile when they tap it. Moreover, when used, it allows your story to be added to a shared Instagram story, in order for their customers to watch yours too. Furthermore, once mentioned in a sticker, businesses can even repost the same content on their story or message those who tagged them.
Displays Valuable Content
This platform is the best way to visually display your products and services so that they may be made available to a massive list of followers. You have the option of setting up your profile as aesthetically as possible. While Instagram provides you with a grid format for display, you can use it to your benefit. You can do so by breaking product images into several boxes or adding them separately in each box.
Whichever way you choose, remember that your profile is the first impression any client gets of your brand. Hence, it should be as catchy as possible. This will make them scroll down and navigate through everything your brand has to offer.
Helps Understand Your Competitors
While having full focus on your own content is key, it is also essential that you always keep an eye out for what your competitors are up to. Apart from keeping up with the latest strategies they must be using, to give you ideas for your own, you can even learn from their mistakes and refrain from using them for your own brand. You can learn if they outsource marketing strategies, use reels or live stories, or which recruitment model they have out of centralized and decentralized recruitment. Having a record of your competitor’s data is a vital part of developing an effective marketing strategy.
Builds Lasting Relationships with Customers
You may think people use social media just to post aesthetic pictures with catchy comments. But that is not the case. In fact, this platform is about much more than that. It provides the perfect base to build long-lasting relationships with your clients. It is very important to nurture such connections since these clients become your loyal customers eventually. Additionally, they may promote your products to friends and family through word of mouth.
Hence, you should show your customers that you care about them. You can do so by being available to them through Instagram messaging 24/7. Moreover, you can handle their queries with timely resolutions. So, when you acquire a strong connection with one client, you’re potentially building connections with their followers as well.
Conclusion
Instagram marketing strategies and tools keep on evolving with time. Each one offers a better way of reaching the masses than the previous. If you’re starting out with your small business, this is one of the best platforms to help you put your brand out there. Additionally, after you’ve acquired a certain number of followers, this platform will help you transform them into permanent customers.