The year 2020 has not been a happy year due to the coronavirus outbreak. Social distancing, lockdowns, and physical stores being shut down to contain the virus have forced people to stay indoors. Large corporations are now going digital when it comes to reaching out and connecting with their customers.
Small to medium scale businesses do not have the funds or manpower to help them transit to the digital world suddenly. This is where social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc., are supporting small business owners when it comes to connecting with their targeted audience.
Grow your small business and connect with the targeted audience
With people indoors, eCommerce and social media marketing has shot up multifold in the post-pandemic era. Lockdowns are being lifted; however, people are not venturing outdoors unless needed as the coronavirus threats still loom high.
When it comes to small to medium scale businesses, they are the worst sufferers. Many of them are not even aware of how a free platform like Instagram or Facebook can help them reach out and connect with their targeted audience.
Experts in social media marketing suggest more awareness should be shared about the benefits of Instagram marketing for small to medium scale business owners. Instagram is a mobile app that helps business owners stay in touch with their targeted audience round-the-clock.
How Can Small and Medium Businesses Grow On Instagram Post Covid-19?
It is simple for them to upload photographs of their products with a simple interface and share them with their followers.
Instagram is an affordable platform for advertising and promoting products
Instagram is a super affordable social media platform for small to medium-scale businesses if appropriately utilized.
Now, the question is, how can Instagram be utilized for promoting and marketing a small to medium scale business in the post- Covid- 19 era?
This guide will help you as a small to medium business owner to engage your followers on
Instagram and boost your business in 2020-
1. Links to your website will not work in Instagram Captions- To post your website links on Instagram, they should be included in the bio. Many small to medium scale users do not know that links cannot be posted in their photos or Instagram captions. This is why
most of them deter from using Instagram.
2. The posts you publish must be relevant to your business brand- Small to medium business owners should be aware that posts should always be related to their business brands if they want to engage the targeted audience and increase their follower count. You should check your targeted audiences’ profiles to know what their preferences are and how you can cater to their needs.
You do not worry about whether people can see when you look at their Instagram or not, so long as you are not stealing any information
or doing anything not right, you do not need to be worried about whether the user
knows you have visited their profiles or not.
3. Engage your users with promotions and giveaways- You should post content on your Instagram profile informing your users that you are promoting a contest, a sale, or a
giveaway. You can ask your followers to repost the content and use a custom hashtag to
share with their friends and enter the contest.
Promotions of this sort will help you as a business owner to reach out and interact with your targeted audience. Most of them will share your post with their network on personal pages. Encourage people to visit your profile when you decide to run a sweepstake or contest. However, when you are hosting such contests and online giveaways, make sure you follow all the rules and regulations agreed to.
4. Embed posts of Instagram on your business site- You can get an embed code that helps you share videos and images from the desktop to your company site. This displays to visitors that you are present on Instagram and invoke them to follow you there. In this
way, you can increase your follower count and the number of shares, likes, and
comments on your posts. To do this-
- Chose the image you wish to embed
- Select the button for ellipsis at the right corner at the bottom
- Choose Embed
This option will pull up a box with the embed code that offers you an option to display its
caption. From here, you can copy-paste the embed code and place it where you want to on your site.
5. Contact influencers on Instagram to promote the business brand- You can contact and ay social media influencers on Instagram to market and promote your business brand to their network of followers naturally. These posts are quite subtle when it comes to marketing and promotion.
They never look like advertisements, and they generally have
high conversion rates. They help you boost user engagement better as people generally
do not like advertisements and look for businesses to give them products and services
with value. Social media influencers ensure they get recommendations for your product,
and since they have a large following, the credibility factors work well.
6. Share business posts directly to Instagram Stories- This feature was launched in 2018, and users can now post their content directly to Instagram Stories. It helps them
interact with their network of followers while promoting the business brand if you want
to use this feature for promotion and marketing.
Therefore, with these simple and affordable tips, any small to medium scale business can grow their business in the post-Covid-19 era. Can Small and Medium Businesses Grow On Instagram if you are a business owner, you do not need to worry about spending a lot of time and monetary resources on sophisticated digital transformation like web or mobile apps?
You can simply bank on Instagram and enjoy the advantages of growing your business during Covid-19 and its aftermath. Just follow the tips listed above and ensure you post content regularly to engage and interact with your targeted audience with success!
Author Bio –
Kristen Smith has been working on the importance of social media in marketing with thousands of real Instagram followers for her postings.
