Instagram for Small Business Marketing: 10 Ways to Grow Your Following

2. Start a Weekly Challenge

Weekly challenges on Instagram are so much fun! To keep your content engaging for your prospective customers, you’ll have to get creative. Weekly challenges are one way to do that and even grow your follower count in the meantime. 

Let’s say you’re a yoga studio that wants to connect with other users and maximize engagement. 

Your weekly challenge posts can look something like this:

• A weekly series of Motivation Mondays where you start the morning with a stretch
• A weekly challenge that encourages your followers to exercise more
• Weekly sessions where you explain certain exercises

Whatever you choose to turn into a weekly challenge, make sure that it fits your target audience, it peaks at your prospective customers and revolves around your main content pillars.

You can nurture your community by featuring users who participate in your challenge. This way, you’ll also introduce user-generated content into your Instagram feed. 

3. Geotag Your Instagram Posts

Geotagging and sharing location, in general, can benefit your Instagram performance greatly. People often search for a location on Instagram or click on a geolocation tag on their followers’ feed to see where they can find it on the map. 

When they do so, an entire page of people who shared content from those places pops up. If your post ranks well, chances are visitors will stumble upon it and discover your profile in the process. 

Therefore, posts tagged with a location mark usually perform better. In fact, geotagged Instagram posts can have up to 79% more engagement than those without a location tag. Keep that in mind the next time you post something on your Instagram account. 

4. Collaborate with Other Small Business Instagram Accounts

Sharing is caring – literally. When it comes to your Instagram strategy, engaging with your peers and other small businesses can take your marketing efforts to a whole new level. 

Cross-promotional posts between small businesses can help you and your collaborator’s account stand out and grow Instagram performance in the process. 

Here are the main benefits of collaborating with other accounts on Instagram:

1. You can reach out to a wider audience
2. You can find new prospective customers
3. You can share insights from the industry with each other
4. You can cross-promote your offerings 
5. You can share & borrow ideas from each other
6. You get to grow together and network as a team

To find small business owners that want to collaborate with you, simply try to look them up through hashtags from your industry, search profiles that match your field, or try to post shout-outs where you call for industry experts to connect.

5. Host a Giveaway 

Giveaways are a great way to stand out on Instagram, as everyone is excited to hear about free offerings and new companies reaching out to other users.

A successful giveaway has the following characteristics:

1. It offers a sought-after product or service relevant to the company’s profile
2. It’s bound by a time frame
3. It clearly states the rules of the game (mentions, comments, sharing to one’s story, etc.)
4. It actually gives away the prize, preferably publicly on their story and asks the winning contestant to vouch for the legitimacy of the Instagram account

6. Don’t Shy Away from Instagram Reels

Reels are the equivalent of TikToks on Instagram, meaning that they’re short-form videos that you can upload as another form of connecting to your audience. 

You can use Reels to share information, for entertaining purposes, do lifestyle or travel displays, or whatever you see fit.

As a small business owner, you can use Reels to:

• Promote your products
• Show users how to use your items
• Do relatable videos similar to your content pillars 
• Entertain your audience through funny videos

If you want to use Instagram for your small business, you’ll have to find all the ways to use the platform for your benefit and get creative with its features to get the most of it. 

7. Share Multiple Instagram Stories a Day

By multiple stories, we don’t necessarily mean spamming your Instagram audience, but a healthy dose of sharing is required to keep them engaged and updated with your progress.

Instagram stories are one way to connect with your Instagram follow and upgrade your strategy. Sharing behind-the-scenes content, various updates from your business’s life, and asking your audience about their experiences throughout the day can help you establish a deeper connection with them.

What’s better is that you’ll get into the mind of your followers and they’ll remember your brand easily if you keep them engaged with your content at all times. 

You can save your stories to your Instagram highlights section as well if you feel like they deserve to have a permanent spot on your profile and want your followers or other users to review them. 

8. Go Live and Answer Customer Questions

Don’t be shy and go live on your Instagram page at times. Instagram live can help you connect with your audience and establish a friendlier tone with them once they can put a face on the brand. 

Live videos allow your audience to ask questions, clear their concerns, interact with you and see your reactions in real-time, all of which help build your brand’s voice. 

Here are some topic ideas for your next Instagram live video:

1. A live Q&A session
2. An explanatory session about your business, how you started it, or what it takes to run it
3. A behind-the-scenes of your business
4. A simple update & check-up on your followers

9. Keep the Interaction Flowing

A successful Instagram strategy is all about keeping yourself on the map, visible, and in the eyes of your audience. Therefore, you’ll want to make sure that you interact with other small business owners and other Instagram accounts at all times.

You can do so by replying to comments, encouraging your audience to express their opinion in the comment section, leaving a significant remark on other profile’s posts, and overall being present online.

When someone comments on your post, make sure to reply to them professionally. Always be careful with your words on social media, as they are a staple of your Instagram account and business overall. 

If you want to be a professional in the online environment, SocialBee can help you grow organically by interacting with other profiles for you. It’s as simple as 1-2-3! All you have to do is choose your plan and watch your page grow month by month.

Grow your Instagram following organically with SocialBee’s IG Community Service.

Get started today!

10. Collaborate with Influencers

Influencers are a huge part of the Instagram culture and they have become a landmark for the Instagram community in time. They dictate what’s new and hot on the markets, help small businesses grow online, inspire others to live up to their dreams, and set the pace for upcoming trends.

Collaborating with influencers is one of the most clever strategies you can opt for in your Instagram strategy, as they already have your prospective customers in the same place. 

Essentially, influencer marketing is all about reaching out to famous online users in your area of interest to ask them to feature your offerings on their page.

This way, you’ll instantly reach a wider audience and connect with more users at once, without having to own a notorious page beforehand. The aim of the deal you’re closing with your choice of influencers will be worth it in time, as it’ll help you grow as well and ultimately increase revenue. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Is Instagram Good for Small Businesses?

Instagram for small businesses is a great choice for any brand that wants to grow its online reach and increase conversions. 

Instagram can help you connect to a wider audience and find new ways to promote your offerings, all while growing with a community of people interested in your products or services. 

2. How Do I Start a Small Business Account on Instagram?

Instagram is an intuitive platform that can help you set up an account easily. All you have to do is go to the main website, press the “sign up” button, and follow the steps to create an account. 

If you’re a brand who wants to set up an Instagram business account, simply go to setting and switch your profile to a professional account. Don’t forget to choose your industry when you set it up. 

3. Is Instagram a Free Marketing Platform?

Instagram is essentially a platform free of charge for its users, as you can post any type of content and have all your followers engage with you for free. 

However, if you want to grow at a faster pace, save time in the process, and reach a wider audience, paid Instagram ads are a great way to do so. The ad feature is built-in app and it takes little time to set up a campaign. 

4. How Can I Promote My Instagram Profile for Free?

You can promote your Instagram profile for free by collaborating with other businesses for cross-promotion posts, or by promoting it yourself on other social platforms like Facebook (now Meta), Youtube, Snapchat, or any other social media app.

5. How Much Do Instagram Ads Cost?

Ads costs can vary, depending on your budget and campaign goals. Here are the average prices for different ads models on the Instagram app:

• The average price for CPC (Cost-per-Click) is between $0.40-$0.70. However, if you add a clickable URL, the price can go up to $0.95
• The average price for CPE (Cost-per-Engagement) is between $0.01-$0.05
• The average price for CPM (Cost-per-Thousand-Impressions) is between $2.50-$3.50

Take Your Instagram Strategy to the Next Level

Building a successful Instagram marketing strategy is a challenging process, considering the aspects you have to keep in mind when running marketing campaigns. Regardless of your goals, knowing your target audience and your marketing objectives are the key to an Instagram strategy that works.

If you want to add value to the platform, build successful networks, and create a successful Instagram account for your small business without having to create and implement your strategy from A-Z, we’ve got you covered! 

Start your free 14-day trial today with SocialBee to create, schedule, and share content on all your platforms from one intuitive dashboard!