Leveraging Instagram for Your Small Business
OVERPRICED V. UNDERPRICED ATTENTION
When most people think of “marketing,” they probably think of billboards and TV commercials. While those have historically been the most popular methods of advertising, we consider them “overpriced” because:
1) They are established advertising channels
2) Their advertising costs reflect that
It’s not that billboards and commercials “don’t work” – it’s that in many cases they can be expensive relative to the amount of people that those channels reach. Think about it — When was the last time you paid attention to a TV commercial that wasn’t airing during the Super Bowl? When was the last time you pulled over to save the phone number on a billboard? The truth is that the pricing for these advertising methods is outdated and doesn’t map to actual human behavior in 2024.
Instagram, on the other hand, is “underpriced” because you can reach a very sizable audience with just a little effort and strategy. The effort part is entirely on you, but we’re here to provide some insight. If you want help developing content strategy for your business’ IG page, you’ve come to the right place.
Instagram Features At your Disposal
Let’s explore a list of Instagram features and how you can use each to build your brand’s online presence:
Images: Post photos from your camera roll or take an original photo in-app. Once uploaded into Instagram, choose from a library of filters for that finishing touch. Instagram allows photos of varying sizes; a ratio of 4×5 is best because it takes up the most real estate on someone’s screen. More real estate equals more attention.
Videos: Photos are always good, but videos give you a real opportunity to highlight the experience your business offers. Use the reels feature to share short videos with your community. Make sure you use a vertical format to film them. Don’t turn your phone sideways.
Stories: Have fun with Instagram’s stories feature, which allows you to share posts that will disappear in 24 hours. Stories are an important way to stay active on the Instagram platform.
Lives: The livestream feature allows you to broadcast live video from your phone while followers leave comments in real time. This is the best way to share unscripted moments.
audience insights + metrics
Once you’ve nailed the above, you’re going to want to pay attention to how your audience interacts with your content. Analytics provide important data on how your content performs. It answers the questions you’ll inevitably ask yourself:
“Is this working?”
Look at the raw engagement numbers. How many people are sharing? How many people are leaving comments? How many views are your videos getting?
These are very important basic engagement numbers, and they help. It’s nearly impossible to measure how promoting your business on Instagram will affect your sales. But if you are provoking a reaction in the people consuming your content, that’s great news. The fact that someone goes out of their way to share or comment means a lot!
Now, let’s review some basic content ideas that you can begin implementing right away. Run these by your staff. They might be able to add some ideas that are specific to you and your brand. They might consume similar content and have ideas on how to make videos more creative.
