Why Instagram Is Better Than Ever For Small Businesses

We’ve all heard that Instagram is dead and small businesses can’t grow anymore.

You want to know who is saying this?

The people who haven’t started their business yet!

Take it from someone (me) who has three companies that have all started with simply posting on Instagram.

It’s still possible and here’s how YOU can grow like a wild fire in Northern California!

If you are new here, my name is Joeseph. I’m just a 21 year old entrepreneur who chose to dedicate the first 10 years out of high school to grow a company to the moon. Three years in and my largest company has an evaluation of $526,000 and my other two companies coming in just under that.

My goal is to turn the average business owner into a digital marketing expert so you never have to worry about not being able to sell your products or services!

As always if you need help, send me an email and I’d be happy to answer questions!

If you found this information useful, follow for weekly digital marketing strategies from beginner to advanced!

So why are people saying Instagram is dead?

From what I’ve seen and experienced in the world, people love to hate on what they aren’t good at.

It’s easier to say Instagram is dead rather than admit they don’t have the skills required to grow an engaged audience.

Even if it is dead, IT’S FREE!!!

How can we hate on a platform that can grow your brand at no cost!

All it takes is a little planning and a sprinkle of strategy!

Do the best strategies incorporate some sort of digital marketing strategy too?

Of course.

But the focus of this article is to get you (the business owner) to discover new and fun ways to grow your audience at NO COST!

Here is a list of all the topics we will be covering :

1. Tools Instagram Provides Business Owners
2. What To Post
3. Discovering Your Personality
4. Content Strategy

Posting for your business doesn’t have to be complicated. I see tons of business owners who want every single post to go viral which will ultimately drive you to burn out when you don’t see progress.

I’ve always said that Instagram is a marathon not a sprint.

Those who chase the followers will simply chase them away.

If you know your brand and continue to post authentic entertaining content, those masses will be sucked in like a magnet.

Tools Instagram Provides Business Owners

1. Business Profiles
2. Further In-Depth Analytics
3. In-App Shopping Abilities

Business Profiles

• Instagram allows you to create business profiles for people to identify you and your brand easier. This includes the little text at the top of your profile describing what your business is.
• It’s also WAY easier to integrate your Business Facebook Page to allow seamless posting on both platforms. Everything can be controlled in the business facebook suite including, running ads, scheduling posts, interacting with your community, viewing analytics, integrating content partners and contributors without having to give everyone your admin login… the list goes on forever!

Further In-Depth Analytics

• The analytics for a normal Instagram account is nothing to brag about but for a business account, it’s amazing. They do a really good job at making the numbers understandable and simple for the entry-level users. If you haven’t upgraded to the business account, I’d highly recommend it!

In-App Shopping

• This is by far my favorite feature. Users an now shop in the app! It’s like combining Amazon with Instagram! This feature really streamlines the process from discovery to checkout!

These features truly come in handy and have allowed me to scale not only my businesses through Instagram but also help other businesses grow too!

If you need any help with these features, leave me an email!

Joeseph@beckmannproductions.com

What To Post On Instagram

I went really in depth on this topic in this article called What To Post On Instagram

I’ll break it down real quick for you.

It all starts with posting content with no strategy.

In the early stages, we need to figure out what works. To do this, you will have to get out of your viral mentality and post things that won’t get any like!

For example, after posting random things for a clients coffee shop, I found that the engagement came when I posted shots of the business owner interacting with the customers.

I then came up with a strategy posting those shots three days per week and the Instagram page took off!

You see, when Instagram sees your current followers really engaged with a piece of content, the AI will send that post to new people, therefore expanding your audience.

Once you figure out what works, don’t keep posting the same thing everyday.

It’s important to incorporate “filler content” or content that doesn’t necessarily perform the best but shows your brand more in depth and connects with your current followers.

Reels are an amazing way to get exposure fast.

Create fun engaging content with a quick (3 second) call to action why someone would benefit from following you.

If you want a more in-depth explanation of what to post on Instagram, check out the other article!

Discovering Your Personality

Every brand should be unique.

One of the biggest mistakes on Instagram that small businesses make is copying their competitors content because they see it’s performing good.

Yes you should do market research and pay attention to the conversation in your industry but here’s why copying will hurt you.

When you chase the followers by trying to go viral, you will scare that audience away.

When you are authentic and carve your own path, you will be a magnet for your audience.

People want something unique and new.

If I follow Starbucks for their content, why would I follow another coffee shop that just posts the same things?

Your brand will just be a watered down version of the bigger more established company.

You need to develop your voice and style for not only content but also your WHY.

WHY are you different and WHY would someone follow you over the competitor.

Be different, be unique and try different things!

It took me a year to really understand my strengths and weaknesses as a creator. Put out content and test test test!

Instagram Content Strategy

Posting on Instagram needs to be consistent but not spammy.

I immediately unfollow accounts that post 5 times per day because it’s just annoying.

I’ve found the best posting schedule is 5 posts per week and 2–3 reels. You should also be posting 5 stories per day.

For your feed, make sure to create high quality content! If you need to, hire a photographer or invest in something better than your phone camera! Also the right lighting can make the biggest difference!

Reels can be filmed on your phone but again, just make sure the quality of not only the video but the audio is good. You can invest in a cheap $20 mic on instagram that clips on your shirt and plugs into the phone.

Stories are a little different. This is where you can show more of your personality as a brand and some behind the scenes of what’s going on. It’s also a quick way of reaching your audience.

Keep in mind that this strategy is a frame. Don’t take everything in the article as a set in stone way to grow. This is simply the route I take when testing out the right strategy for individual businesses. Use this strategy for a few months then look at your analytics. Post more, post less, try different types of content… you need to always change it up to get the most out of the platform.

I am releasing articles on digital marketing twice a week!

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As always if you need further help, you can send me an email.

Joeseph@beckmannproductions.com