Is instagram helping or hurting your business?
Instagram profiles are an extension of your business + essentially YOU. When you don't use it to it's full potential, it can hurt more than it helps. Keep reading to find out how + why!
Time + time again I have heard the phrase, "your Instagram profile is like a website landing page” + here’s why that phrase is important. Your instagram profile is another touch point for your customers + clients. That's why it's so essential for each one of those client facing touch points to be just as good as the last. Every single public facing touch point should evoke your brand’s essence. Whether a person is coming across your website, your Google business page, or your Instagram profile they should be able to tell that it is associated with your brand within the first couple of seconds of looking at it.
Not only does each touch point need to reflect your brand, they also have to be equally as interesting + intentional. Every single one of your touch points, including your Instagram profile, needs to have a greater purpose. What is the main focus of your business? Are you trying to encourage profile visitors to visit your website? Then make your Instagram + easily accessible form of your website by giving them a glimpse into what it would be like to visit your website + if they enjoy that piece of content + make it as easy as possible for them to get from your profile to your website. Okay Bianca, how do you do that?
Let me tell ya, to put it simply you need to minimize the number of times a person is redirected. If my friend Emma sees a piece of content that she likes, then my goal is to direct her to the longer form of that content with the minima amount of step possible. So my post call to action would be to check out the link in my bio + from the link in my bio Emma should be able to access the blog from my post within one click. link in my bio to have her click on my newest blog post. buy directly from your Instagram shop, or do you want them to inquire about a service you provide? When you have a social page for business purposes, it should so exactly that— service a purpose for your business.
The first thing you should evaluate when initiating an Instagram business account is, "Are my Ideal Clients on this platform?” or “Do they use Instagram daily?” If the answer is no, don't use Instagram. It’s that easy. Now if your answer is yes, then you should move on to questions like, “Who am I talking to?,” “What kind of follower do I want engaging with my posts?,” + “How can I talk to Ideal Client throughout his platform?” By answering questions like this you are deciphering what content you should be producing. If you're a service provider, post about your services + topics that are relevant to your services––what problems will you solve for your Ideal Client? If you sell products, tell people about your products + show them what a life using your products looks like.
Finally, you have to be honest with yourself about your business’ capacity. If your business does not have the capacity to manage an Instagram account with consistency + intentionality, then you have two options –– wait until your business is at a point in time to be able to put the effort necessary into building a content strategy that is helpful + relevant to your brand OR hire a professional who can take that activity off of your hands so that you're able to focus on your business. As a brand developer + content strategist with a background in public relations, I would not suggest having an Instagram account that doesn’t reflect your brand in the bets light or do your business justice. Without an Instagram profile with purpose, you are actively losing business + quite possibly driving business away from your brand.
For a professionally curated content strategy that not only converts, but in addition saves you time, money, + sets your business apart–– contact August Design Company at theaugustdesignco@gmail.com.
