Instagram for Business Part 9

Your engagement efforts will be pointless if you don’t have Instagram followers to engage with. To get more followers, start by linking to your Instagram account from your website and promoting it on your other social platforms and newsletter. You can share your Instagram posts on Twitter and Facebook directly from the app, letting your followers on those platforms know that you also have an Instagram account.

You can promote your Instagram account in the real world as well, by adding your user name to business cards, print ads, invoices or other handouts.

create two-sided business cards that use one side to promote logo, hashtag and brand awareness and the other side to share social media links. When products are shipped, this card is placed in a very visible location. Customers have often taken and shared photos of the product as they un-package it and you can see our card right there.

You can also get new followers by following them on Instagram. The most important way to gain new followers and engaged fans is to follow, like and comment on other people’s posts.

Looking at the list of followers on your competitors’ Instagram accounts and following their followers, then liking some of their photos and commenting on some. (Instagram sets limits on how much following you can do at once, so set aside 10 minutes every few hours to do this.) If you are dedicated, hundreds of people will follow you every week that will be engaged with your brand.

Should You Buy Instagram Followers?

No. You simply can’t fake social engagement on any platform. Buying followers is a waste of money at best, and at worst it could harm your reputation on social media.

Since the fake followers you buy aren’t really your customers, it does absolutely no good for them to fake-see your photos or even fake-like your posts. Paying to advertise your business to fake followers is even worse. Plus, it’s not hard for your real followers to see through all the fake accounts following your business, which could make you look less-than-reputable in their eyes. If you’re not engaging with actual customers on Instagram, you’re just wasting your time.

Why Instagram is Important for Your Business

With an audience of more than 500 million active users—and growing—Instagram is one of the most popular and powerful social media platforms.

It’s important to stay relevant, in-the-know and active on as many social channels as your business can handle, and this is definitely one of them. It’s a great way for a business to add a humanizing touch…without being intrusive to their audience.

Instagram’s location-based tools and mobile-friendly design make it especially important for small, local businesses. Instagram functions as a search engine as much as a social network.

Just imagine a tourist coming to New York City. They want to see things to discover so they begin to browse content tagged #NewYork or #GreenwichVillage. Smart businesses who geotag their content are basically creating links to make it easier for customers to discover them.

This is the same for ecommerce. People who are shopping will use Instagram to search for inspiration. If your posts are structured right—with beautiful images, an impactful write up, and a clear call to action—you’ll be able to convert those eyes into paying customers.