Social media has fundamentally changed the way we do business today.
Using social media, in your marketing strategy opens many doors for your business, enabling it to attract a much wider audience.
Instagram has grown tremendously over the past several years and is no longer just a platform for users to share their favorite photos with their friends and family.
Instagram reports having over 1 billion active monthly users and over 500 million active daily users.
While many businesses use Instagram to engage with their existing customers, the photo-sharing platform has proven to be a great source for generating new leads.
According to Instagram:
90% of Instagram accounts follow a business on the platform with
over 200 million users visiting at least one business profile every day. In addition,
60% of people said they discover new products on Instagram.
This article will outline how to use Instagram to attract and generate new leads for your business.
Update Your Profile First
Setting up an Instagram business account is very easy.
If you already have a personal account, convert it to a business account.
Here is the deal.
If your personal account does not accurately reflect your business, you may want to open a new business account.
An Instagram business account offers access to insights and data not available for a personal profile.
If you have a Facebook business page, you can link it to your business’s Instagram profile.
Pro tip from Jeff Arnett, CEO of an event security product manufacturer company
Upload a good profile image (can be your logo) and craft a well-written bio. Don’t make the bio too long but make sure you explain who you are, what your business does and why a visitor should want to follow your business (exclusive offers, product information, etc.).
Make sure you include a link to your business website in your bio.
Unlike Facebook, your bio is the only place you can include a link to your business website on Instagram.
Create and Post Good Content
To attract your target audience, post entertaining, high-quality content and images.
Take time to plan your content and what you want to share with your audience.
Think about what type of content your audience would be interested in seeing.
On Instagram, the goal is to be as creative as possible.
Schedule photo shoots if you need to create high-quality content. Make sure your captions are compelling to draw in your audience.
E-commerce businesses can share product images, creative features, discounts, special holiday sales, etc.
Small businesses can post images of their services, company events, infographics, etc.
Create a balance between informative posts and life in the office.
Consider mixing in video content.
On Instagram, photos typically receive higher engagement rates, videos are becoming the preferred way for users to consume content.
Videos also achieve more reach, especially if the video goes viral.
Use all of Instagram Features
Instagram offers several features you should take advantage of to optimize your lead generation:
-
Instagram Stories – users post photos and videos, which vanish after 24 hours. More than 500 million Instagram accounts use Instagram Stories every day with a third of the most-viewed Instagram Stories posted by businesses. From face filters, drawings and different handwriting, to gifs and polls; there are apps and templates to get even more creative.
- A perfect example from conducting polls is seen below from an online kitchen and bath renovator; Hausera.
Using polls in your Instagram stories allows you to gather insight and data from your audience.
There are two different options for polls: An A/B option and a Slider Poll. When using A/B poll option, it allows you to replace the Yes and No text with the answers you want to get your audience to vote on.
- Instagram Highlights – if there is content you want your audience to always have access to when sharing stories, create a Highlight on your profile to keep it from disappearing after 24 hours.
-
Hashtags and geotags – using hashtags and geotags enables your profile to stand out from others and makes it easier for others to find your page if you use specific, relatable keywords in your hashtags.
For E-commerce Businesses
When using your Instagram profile for your e-commerce business consider using giveaways to attract new leads.
People love to receive free things, so a giveaway is sure to attract lots of new users to your profile.
Discount codes are also a great lead generator. Create codes for special occasions (i.e., reaching a certain number of followers), new product launches, etc.
Influencer marketing is very powerful and helps you reach a ready-made group of loyal followers, who might be interested in your business.
Although some influencers do require payment for promoting your brand on their page, some influencers won’t pass up the opportunity to receive your product for free. Find influencers who fit your brand and your budget. Micro-influencers may have a smaller following, but their audience is likely very engaged.
- Instagram does offer the ability to connect your product catalog to your profile through Facebook. Connect your catalog through Facebook. Your Instagram audience will be able to tap on a photo and immediately identify the product, making it easier for your audience to shop.
- Ensure all your posts contain a call-to-action to drive your audience to your website or take another action.
Maintain Constant Posting
Engaging with your audience is the key to attracting lead and expanding your reach.
- To keep your audience engaged, you need to constantly post content and interact with them.
- If necessary, use a tool such as Hootsuite or Buffer to schedule your posts.
Here are some ways to increase audience engagement:
-
- Comment or like other users’ posts, especially influencers in your target market.
- Respond to all comments on your posts
- Review posts from your competitors and engage with their followers.
-
Try Facebook Ads
Sacha Ferrandi, CEO of Texas Hard Money states,
Facebook owns Instagram so your ads can run on both Facebook and Instagram, extending the reach of your content. Facebook ads are relatively inexpensive and allow you to select the specific audience to target.
Instagram ads include call-to-action buttons for users to take action straight from Instagram, reducing the number of steps required to get them to your website or promotion.
Summary: How to Generate Leads Through Instagram
Whether you want to attract more sales or just build more awareness for your brand, as you learned from this article, using Instagram as part of your marketing strategy is a must if you want to generate new leads and sales.
Use the tips in the article to get started and you will soon see how Instagram can make a difference.