Selfies, filters and pictures. This is what some think Instagram is all about. No. There is more to this photo sharing website than just selfies. And budding entrepreneurs, who are also social media savvy, should think outside the box to explore and maximally take advantage of this very influential social network for their small business. This is a cost-effective way to reach customers.
Entrepreneurs have unhindered access to over 400 million active users, over 60% of users log in daily, making it the second most engaged network after Facebook; 30% of internet users are now on Instagram and 90% of Instagram users are younger than 35. If this doesn’t appeal to you, perhaps the marketing statistics will; 48.8% of brands are on Instagram and by 2017, it is expected to rise to 70.7%. In addition, engagement with brands on Instagram is 10 times higher than Facebook, 54 times higher than Pinterest and 84 times higher than twitter according to brandwatch.com.
So, small enterprises don’t need to break the bank to market their businesses. In line with this, Jumia Travel, Africa’s number one hotel booking portal shares some ideas on how Nigerian entrepreneurs can effectively and properly deploy Instagram for their small businesses.
Connect Instagram to your other social media channels
For persons who are familiar with Instagram, you can link your account with others like Twitter and Facebook. So anything you post on Instagram will simultaneously be shared on your other accounts. This will go a long way in helping you get more engagements and tractions.
Don’t overlook videos
You don’t need a video camera to shoot a video. You can simply use your phone to record the services that you provide. The interesting thing is that these videos are simple and short and it can easily maintain your follower’s attention span.
Respond to comments
When your followers comment on your postings, they always expect a response from you. In addition, follow your fans back and try as much as possible to interact with them regularly.
Use Hashtags
Hashtags (#) is the way to search for images on Instagram. So, you use as much as 30 hashtags. However, ensure that they are related to the image and what you are marketing.
Reward your followers
To maintain and sustain your presence and your followers on Instagram, it is important for you to reward them. You should do this intermittently. And it doesn’t really matter how small the reward is.
Use flawless pictures
Instagram is all about images. If these images are blur, sooner rather later, you will lose your followers. So, always post flawless images!
