How to Make Instagram Work For Your Business in 2020

Promote your digital loyalty card on Instagram like @looksbyalia

Having grown to a staggering 800 million active users, Instagram is the fastest growing social network in the world. From international giants to local, mom and pop shops, brands around the world are driving proven results with promoting their product or services on Instagram.

Especially if your businesses cater to a younger audience it’s a good time to be using Instagram for driving increased visitors and revenue for your business. Especially when you consider that 80% of users follow one or more businesses on the mobile-first platform.

The team at Loopy Loyalty has put together 10 of the top tips from other, small business owners, just like yourself, to help you optimize your Instagram presence, and ensure you make the most of the opportunities on the platform.

1. If your target clientele is young you should be on Instagram. A lot. Don’t just post but follow people and other businesses you are truly interested in and genuinely interact with them on a regular basis.
2. Never, ever, buy followers or likes. Your goal here is to attract potential customers and fake followers or bots aren’t going to spend a penny. Young and savvy users will easily spot fake interactions which will do more harm to your brand than good. Don’t obsess over the number of followers your business has but keep growing it organically and steadily.
3. Try and focus on the solution you provide, not the products you sell. On Instagram, it’s super important to add value to your followers and look great while doing it. Never forget the fact visual content is what Instagram is all about.
4. Instagram is by far the best social media for showing collaborators and sharing customer success stories. Team up with other companies on Instagram with the same target market. It will help pull in real followers.
5. Go with the flow. The algorithm is your best friend. Be genuinely active on the social network and be on top of interaction, post often, send and respond to messages, watch stories, etc. There are no shortcuts to success here.
6. Check the analytics for business inside the app. This information is incredibly useful for gaining insight into who your audience is, which days and hours they are most active and much more.
7. Be personal and give your business a face. Share videos of yourself or your staff talking on Instagram stories and using your product or service in the day to day life. Everyone enjoys seeing real en passionate people behind small businesses!
8. Share reviews & testimonials from other customers. This is a powerful way to tell prospective customers about who you are and what you do and what other’s have to say about your business. Check out these tips on encouraging your customers to leave reviews for your business
9. Involve your followers in decision making. Your customers might have more great ideas than you might anticipate so why not ask them for input on naming your next product or service for example? Don’t forget to reward the winner :)
10. Use photos and video in album-style. Did you know you can showcase up to 10 photos or videos in a single post? This allows your followers to swipe through each individual piece of content in the post, similar to the slideshow storytelling format. This is a great way to show off a new clothing line, food menu or even 10 different nail designs of your beauty salon.

Is your business on Instagram yet? And do you have any tips to share? Let us know what works (or not!) for your business in the comment section below!