Businesses have been lining up for Instagram like Jimmy Buffet fans at the bar in Margaritaville. It’s the most interactive and influential social media platform available. It even offers an Instagram for Business so you can reach everyone in both a social and professional setting, while you promote and brand your business at the same time. With Instagram having a whopping 600 million monthly active users, you should start to invest some quality time in creating an account. Here are three ways you can use Instagram to grow your business.

Show Your Creativity

Instagram flourishes by capturing moments, memories, and appealing visuals for your followers. For a business, it is a great opportunity to display what your company has to offer. Think of it as an opportunity for your customers to virtually window shop. The better the image, the higher the demand.

If you own a restaurant and have a beautiful entrée that’s a signature favorite, take a picture/video/ story and post it. Nothing drives hunger like seeing mouthwatering food on your feed (how about some ‘Za? You’re welcome). Use Instagram to capitalize on what you do best in a way that catches the user’s eye.

Expand Your Reach

300 million people are active daily Instagram users. Does this mean 300 million people will see your post? Not necessarily. Expanding your reach as a business, however, can increase the familiarity and demand for the product and/or services that you provide. Learn more about Instagram statistics and how they can help grow your business’ presence: Instagram by the Numbers: Stats, Demographics & Fun Facts (via Omnicore)

What are the best ways to expand your reach?

1. Use Hashtags—Hashtags will become your best friend when you are trying to connect with people who are interested in the same type of posts. A retailor using #denim for a post promoting their jean selection is a great example. Be wary of how many hashtags you use. Too many hashtags can come off as spammy and desperate.
2. Use Geotags—When you take a photo/video, the coordinates of where you were are attached to it. If you allow Instagram to publicize this, you can tag a photo with the location of where you are. For brick-and-mortar businesses, people who select your geotag location can see all the other posts that people are uploading in that same area, including products, services, and events.

Build Anticipation

If your business has an event, promotion, or new product launch coming soon, Instagram is a great tool to build awareness and anticipation. Posting teaser images and sneak peaks is a great way to spark curiosity.

Instagram can also be a great opportunity to reward new and loyal followers by doing giveaways. If you’re launching new products, you can run a promotional giveaway for free merchandise. Giveaways provide your business the chance of increased engagement and excitement for what’s to come, and also create brand loyalty.

Instagram has helped many successful businesses in a wide range of industries and markets. Businesses should be incorporating mobile marketing into their overall marketing strategy if they want to increase their presence, which can lead to the goal of increased revenue. Instagram provides you with a tool that allows you to enhance your niche in your own unique and creative way. So, what are you waiting for? Contact our social media experts at Vision Advertising so we can get started on promoting your business today!