Are you fed up with all the hours tirelessly spent posting on Insta with little to show for it?
Well, whilst you will still have to put in the hard miles there are ways that you can better your chances of posting your services effectively to grow your audience and bring in paying customers.
It's Not Just About Surviving - It's About Thriving!
For a business to survive, they need to be able to promote their services in a useful and effective way – no matter what platform they choose to do so on.
That means you must have a cohesive, tailored strategy in place for each and every platform and channel that you use for marketing and promotional messages.
For some time now Instagram has been one of the leading social media platforms that business (and customers!) use to promote their service. In fact, there are over 2 billion active monthly Instagram users, so it is easy to see why businesses would want to use this platform.
But the question is: how do you do so efficiently and effectively so that the returns for your time spent planning, preparing and scheduling are the best that they can be?
In this post, we will teach you how to do just that, allowing you to target your ideal audience, and generate bigger returns!
How Do I Use Instagram For My Business?
First things first. Here are all the different ways you can use Instagram to promote your business:
Grid Posts - these are your main posts that everyone sees first on your profile page so it is vital that these you nail this!
Instagram stories.
Stream live videos - this could be behind-the-scenes and active real-time events.
Interact with your followers - Liking, commenting, ‘mentioning’, tagging, direct messaging. Not only will your followers love this but so does Instagram's algorithms!
Hashtags - Staying on trend will help you generate interest, grow your following and hopefully convert them into paying customers.
Instagram reels - Instagram seems to really push these so they are a great way to gain interaction and build your following.
Paid advertising.
Shop = Sell under the Shop tab or create posts/ reels/ stories with product tags.
Why Should I Promote or Sell My Services On Instagram?
It should go without saying but the first reason you should use Instagram is because it is absolutely free!
Secondly, Instagram is a visually appealing, interactive and an ever-growing platform – with billions of active users worldwide, meaning that the potential audience reach for your business is absolutely ginormous!
You can also build customer relations through Instagram. You can share shots of your team, working day, testimonials, and your products. This allows you to build your brand and a personal connection with your target audience by interacting with them through comments and direct messages.
Then there is Instagram's hashtag feature which allows you to stay up to date with trends – meaning that you can create your posts based on what’s relevant, and reach a wider audience.
You can also use Instagram to keep in contact with influencers in your industry – allowing you to share audiences, tips and create useful partnerships to generate more sales.
And don't forget that Instagram allows you to drive traffic to your website by sharing a link in your bio!
Finally, you can share offers with your audience. This could be for a new product launch or simply for your regular services.
Ultimately, Instagram is a brilliant platform to use to build your brand, promote your services and generate sales!
How to Avoid Getting Lost in the Crowd
Statistics show that there are over two billion Instagram users visiting the platform at least once every month – and thus countless new profiles being created each and every day.
As a result, a profile can quickly get buried in the sea of others, especially within your own industry – let alone the platform as a whole!
The first thing you should do to avoid getting lost in the crowd, is to focus on the content that you create: remember, it must be engaging, tailored and constantly evolving!
Know your limits. It is better to post 3 great posts throughput a week instead of 1 meh post everyday.
Creating appealing, interesting and related content allows you to maintain your audience’s interest and engagement levels – making sure that you are always relevant and grabbing people's attention.
And make sure it's professional! Either pay for some professional images to be done for you, purchase some mobile presets to make your phone photos look more professional or use stock photos - all of which we offer here at Georgia-Beth Photography! In fact, we have a 28 day free trial for our stock photography membership meaning you can try before you buy to see how it could benefit your business.
Having a consistent posting schedule allows you to stay in regular contact with your audience so that you are always present on the app and in your follower’s feeds (and their minds). Use the 'insights' (analytics) tool to find put when your audience is online to maximise your interaction.
If you'd love to receive more tips and guidance like this, be sure to sign up for our newsletter email list - where you will receive monthly tips, offers and advice that will take your business to the next level!
Ways to Promote Your Services on Instagram
Convert your Profile to a Business Account (if you haven’t already) so that you can see post and follower analytics, allowing you to assess what is working and relevant.
Design your Strategy (e.g. using Social Media management tools). I use my sales funnel to create visually-appealing posts, aesthetic to capture and maintain people’s attention.
Choose the Right Posting Time = Use your analytics to target the times when your followers are active and browsing on Instagram.
Collaborate with Influencers = This is not only a quick way to find potential clients, but it also allows you to create useful business partnerships that can be beneficial in the future.
Use Hashtags = Your content and account will stand out, reach and expand your ideal audience and ensure you always stay relevant.
Forms of Promotion on Instagram
There are many formats that a promotion can take on Instagram, from regular posts to the rapidly-preferred ‘reels’ (short, informative and entertaining video clips or still photos) – it is important that a business utilises multiple aspects, to create a well-rounded approach.
Posts and Carousel Posts = Use designed infographics and templates (e.g. audience FAQ, testimonials etc.), share behind-the-scenes content, organise competitions etc.
Stories = Use the below features to elevate your content and capture your audience’s attention, driving them to purchase within your business.
Captions = Makes your content easier to understand (more accessible).
Countdown = Useful for announcements and products with reminders for followers.
Time = Creates a connection with audience; shows your business in ‘real-life’.
Weather = Creates a connection with audience; shows your business in ‘real-life’.
Donation = Allows you to develop connections, relationships and good opinion.
GIF = Elevate content, make it more interesting and ‘down to earth’.
Mention = Useful for cross-promotion, generating audience following and interest.
Music = Develops your brand, personal opinion and makes your content engaging.
Poll = Encourages audience interaction and free market research.
Emoji (sliding reaction bar) = Encourages conversation and seen as down to earth.
Questions = Allows audience interaction/ response, free market research, tailor-made.
Quiz = Audience interaction, free market research, develop connections.
Reels = Short videos (or photo stills) that can be used to share interesting information to engage your followers (e.g. adverts, tips, stories etc.)
Lives = Allows you to share content in ‘real-time’, to create connections and share a human side of your business so people can trust your business and purchase from you.
Sponsored Adverts = You can share your content with anyone who falls into the demographics of their target market, extending their reach further than before.
Remember to use a combination of the above formats: never rely on just one, as this will limit you from reaching a wider audience – creating engaging, save-able and relevant content is at the heart of promoting your business!
For more inspiration on how to post effectively on your Socials, check out our Stock Photography Instagram - it's packed full of tips, tutorials and guidance on how to post to reach your ideal clients!
Conclusion
Promoting your services on Instagram is one of the best things a modern, small business can do: it puts you in touch with an ever-growing, active and diverse following – allowing you to share your business and your story in a personal and individual way!
At the centre, lies a strong strategy that optimises Instagram’s best features and allows you to generate an interesting and active feed.
Consistency and patience is key: a cohesive, well-thought out and designed brand will generate greater returns – even if you have to wait a few months for it.
And remember to always be open to communication: show your followers that you value and want to hear their contributions – they help you develop and grow!
To help with promoting your services in a personal and effective way, we’ve created a library of beautifully curated post templates for you on as part of our stock photo membership! And don't forget that we are offering 28 days free so you can try before you buy. Check us out!
And should you love the membership, we also offer an affiliate programme so you can earn a little semi-passive income as a thank you for promoting us to others. Sign up here if you are interested and start earning today.
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