Today’s savvy marketer knows you have to be active on social media if you want to grab your share of the market. Facebook has been pretty well established as “the” social media road to take, but what if your target market is most active on Instagram and you are totally missing your opportunity to connect with them because you aren’t active there? If you are wondering will Instagram help you grow your business, let me set your mind at ease with one word, yes.
How to Make Sure You are Instagramming for Maximum Business Impact
Know Your Target Market
Before you spend any time establishing which social channels you will choose, you have to first establish who your target market is and where they are spending their time. If you know your target market well, you know their age range and gender and can readily apply that information to how you communicate with them on social media.
Active Instagram users are typically female (but by a small margin). 90% of those active Instagrammers are under the age of 35, with 42% of them between the ages of 12 and 24, according to recently published statistics. If your target market falls in that niche, you can’t afford NOT to be active on Instagram.
Find your Target Market on Instagram
If you have done the work and know who your target market is, then there are some simple ways to find them on Instagram.
- Follow Event Hashtags
No matter what business you are in, there are likely events related to it. Search for hashtags related to upcoming events in your industry and follow those. Then get active. Begin by following the followers of those events. This will result in a significant bump in the number of followers you have. But don’t just be a taker! Give more than you take is always the rule when it comes to social media engagement. Like photos, make comments, ask questions, compliment the photo, offer helpful advice, and just be engaged. - Follow Your Competitors
Your competitors have followers. Those followers are looking for the product you offer. Why not follow your competitors and even maximize traffic by using the same hashtags? The same advice we gave you for number one works here too! - Follow Their Interests and Hobbies
You have done the work and know your target market, so use that information to follow the things they follow (then repeat number one!)
Don’t Be Afraid of Using Too Many Hashtags
This is probably one of the most common mistakes business newbies to Instagram make. They think using too many hashtags makes their post look cluttered, messy, or chaotic. But those hashtags matter because they connect you to the people, places, and events your target market is following. If you don’t like the clutter, post your photo and caption. Then comment on your own photo and list all the hashtags there!
Use All The Instagram Tools
Finally, don’t kill yourself doing research when there are tools out there that will do it for you. There are so many Instagram tools out there to choose from, but here are a few of our favorites!
- Webstagram helps you find the best hashtags to use to reach your target market
- Populagram is another popular site that tells you not only the hashtags your target market is searching but also their favorite filters and people!
- IconoSquare is pretty cool and filled with lots of Info, analytics, and insights into the people who follow you.
The Beef
If you know your target market well (and you should if you want to be successful in business, any business), then answering the question, “Will Instagram help you grow your business,” will be easy for you to answer. We’ve covered some Instagram basics for business, as well as given some Instagram pro tips and tricks. Now get out there and get engaged! And hey, if you need help getting all those incredible social media posts scheduled, Beefy has a free scheduling tool you can download to get started!
