Instagram is becoming more and more frequently employed as a tool from which businesses can profit. Think about it – almost every major brand you can think of has an Instagram feed and if the big businesses are doing it, you should probably follow suit. So, before you get started, here are just a few pieces of information regarding the importance of Instagram for your business and how to use it to your utmost advantage!
Understanding the Importance of Instagram
Now, of all of the different types of social media available, Instagram is perhaps the most important for small businesses, as it holds the most potential for them. So, what raises Instagram above the crowd? Well, consider how you sell products to people online. All they have to go by is an image and a product description. They cannot hold the product, get a feel for it, or try it out. They have to go by visuals.
Instagram is perhaps the most visual platform out there. It is quite literally an app with the sole purpose of sharing images and videos with short captions attached. So, you can incorporate product photography with product descriptions easily through a simple interface that’s designed for anyone to be able to use. As Instagram is so popular, it also has the potential to expose your brand to a huge number of users. In fact, it is now estimated that Instagram has around 800 million users, 500 million of whom are active daily. By creating a profile and using the app in the right way, you are able to expose your brand to a huge proportion of these people!
Setting Up a Profile
So, as you can see, Instagram is a brilliant tool for your small business and it’s about time that you set up a profile. The process is easy and should only take a matter of moments. But here are a few tips and tricks to help you to get started on the right foot.
Incorporating Appropriate Information
It’s important that you set your profile up right the first time around. Incorporate as much information about your brand as possible while keeping things short and sweet. Find a username that is as close to your brand name as possible. The fewer numbers and dashes you have to use, the more easily people will be able to find you. Next, upload your logo as your icon. After this, write up a short bio. This could succinctly detail what kind of products you’re selling. Finally, add a link to your website. This way, people viewing your feed will be able to easily redirect to your site if they wish to make a purchase.
Gaining Followers and Accumulating Likes
Once your page is set up, it’s time to consider how you’re going to gain followers and accumulate likes on the things that you post. This is because the more followers and likes you receive, the more likely Instagram is to recommend you to other users. People are also more likely to notice that others are interested in what you’re doing and selling, and will consequently want to take a look for themselves too. The more desirable your products appear, the more likely people are to invest in them. We’ll go into further detail with this with our next steps. But to get the ball rolling, it may be of interest for your business to buy likes on Instagram. This bulks up your numbers and allows you to start out well.
Capturing the Perfect Images to Share
Now, the next big step towards appealing to people enough that they choose to follow your page is to curate your content and only post high-quality, interesting images. The product photography that you use for your website is likely to have a plain white background with little else going on. All of the focus is on the product alone.
But, with Instagram, you want people to buy into a lifestyle. You want to show them your products as part and package of a desirable aesthetic. You’re going to want images that are exclusive to your feed. There are two ways to go about this, and whichever you choose is likely to be affected by the budget that you have at hand. The first option is DIY and the second is to bring in a professional product photographer.
DIY
If you have a low budget, it is still possible to capture relatively good product images yourself. The quality of cameras on smartphones is constantly improving, so they really could be sufficient. The key to getting a great photograph with your smartphone is lighting. Something that greatly affects any image is the lighting. This almost goes without saying, as the word “photograph” comes from the Greek word “photos” (which means light) and “graphe” (which means drawing). In short, photograph kind of translates to light drawing. So, wherever possible, try to use natural lighting. If this is not possible and you’re taking pictures at a time or in a location where natural light isn’t available, remember that it can easily be replicated with artificial lighting. Just take a little time to practice and your images will improve with time.
Bringing in a Professional Product Photographer
Your second option is to bring in a professional product photographer. They will be much more experienced in staging images, will have all of the high-quality equipment you could possibly need ready and at hand, and will also be able to edit your final images to perfection. They come with a larger price tag than doing it yourself, but if you have the money to spare, it’s a really positive investment, so definitely something that you should look into.
While Instagram can hold a whole lot of potential for your small business, you are going to have to work pretty hard at grasping the app and curating your feed in order to reap the benefits of mass exposure and increased interest in your products and wares. But it’s more than worth the effort and definitely something you should consider trying out as soon as possible!