For B2B companies, Instagram is a powerful visual marketing tool. It’s great way to establish a following that can boost your brand’s customer base and sales. Instagram for business is used by more than 2 million enterprises worldwide.
Even if business decision-makers don’t have official Instagram accounts, the business leaders you want to reach likely use social media on a personal basis and via their company accounts.
Let’s talk about how your B2B business could benefit from Instagram and how you can master this marketing technique. Lastly, we’ll discuss one case study from which you can draw inspiration!
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The Ultimate Guide to Instagram Marketing for Small Business
Why should B2B brands leverage Instagram?
Before making any changes to their strategies, most marketers would like to see stats. Fortunately, there’s much evidence to back up the benefits of Instagram marketing for B2B brands.
Let’s explore the leading reasons why Instagram should be a part of your marketing strategy:
You get access to a huge pool of customers
Consumers’ use of social media is at an all-time high. This time spent on social media isn’t just for catching up with old friends and following influencers. People also use social media to connect with brands.
In fact, well over 50% of consumers follow businesses on Instagram, currently the second most prominent network for business followers.
Visual content aids the buyer journey
Marketers consider videos and images essential content formats for accomplishing their goals. Simple, digestible content is the key to effectively communicating your value propositions.
However, you might notice that it’s biased toward B2C brands. Afterall, they have more leeway with new products and user-generated content. That, however, is only a misconception.
According to some marketers, short-form video plays a significant part in the B2B buyer journey. Through video posts, reels, and live-streaming, Instagram can help direct more people to your online store, increasing cash flow and boosting sales. It can even assist brands in obtaining a position on a highly prized vendor shortlist.
Instagram ads can bolster brand awareness
Brand awareness accounts for the majority of all B2B marketing content. Marketers can reach new audiences by using eye-catching content in Instagram advertising.
Insta ad campaigns generate twice as much recall as Nielsen benchmarks for online advertising. A robust ad strategy can ensure that potential clients remember your company when it matters the most.
Tips on how to use Instagram to grow your B2B brand
Although Instagram is a powerful platform, it’s also very easy to use it incorrectly if you don’t have a proper plan.
Many business managers treat their company page as their own, disregarding the need for brand consistency. This undermines your brand’s credibility and frustrates potential customers. To avoid the obvious Instagram mistakes that most B2B brands make, check out some helpful tips below!
Set up your Instagram business account
While this seems obvious, you’d be surprised how many people are unaware that a business account is different from a regular account. An Instagram business page comes with many useful features.
For example, setting up a business account grants you access to data insights that personal accounts don’t provide. You also get access to additional contact options. Plus, you need a business account to create and run ad campaigns and set up Instagram shopping.
If you already have a business profile and a handle that you want to keep, follow these steps to transform your profile into a business account:
- Open the Instagram app
- Navigate to your profile
- Tap the three dots in the upper right corner
- Select Settings
- Tap Account
- Follow the instructions after selecting “Convert to Business Account”
Create curated content
Sharing real-life customer photos can help to humanize your brand. Using only professional graphics can make your profile appear too polished and sales-focused. Posting UGC (User Generated Content) is an excellent way to demonstrate to your viewers that existing customers appreciate what you do – it is relatable.
If your service seems to be something your consumers are unlikely to discuss on their Instagram accounts, consider how you can persuade them to do so.
For example, if you assisted a company in securing their first office space, tell them that if they take some pictures and tag you in them, they’ll get a chance to win something for their new office. Alternatively, you could say this to all the businesses you’ve helped relocate. Consider holding a lucky draw and announcing a winner every quarter.
Create transparency
Trust in brands is at an all-time low. Transparency about your supply chain, culture, and working methods effectively creates trust with your audience. Transparency allows you to demonstrate to your viewers that you value the same issues.
Be truthful. According to a Havas Worldwide study, 73% of buyers think businesses should do more than just provide a product or service, and 57% are willing to boycott a brand that does not align with their social views. Show your customers that, even if you aren’t there yet, you are working to make a difference.
Use Instagram ads
Although Instagram can be a fantastic source of organically generated traffic, investing in Instagram Ads allows you to get your business account noticed by more people. Instagram’s in-app ads include CTA buttons encouraging users to take immediate action, reducing the time required to reach your website.
Cross-promote other channels
Inform your followers about your company account if you have a large following on other social networks. Tell them what kind of content you’re sharing so they understand why it’s worthwhile to follow you in multiple places.
Additionally, if your B2B company has a site or a blog, incorporate your Instagram posts directly to display your content and encourage more followers.
A B2B marketing example we love — Litmus
Litmus, an email marketing platform, uses Instagram to share their knowledge and experience. That’s easier said than done when working with complex subjects such as email deliverability and performance insights. Nonetheless, their team accomplishes this by utilizing Instagram carousels.
In just a few lines, they can include suggestions from members of the team and subject matter experts. This information helps position its brand as a leader in the space while providing high-quality information to followers and potential buyers.
The takeaway: carousel posts have a greater audience engagement than standard posts, according to socialinsider.io. This is a massive victory for B2B marketers, who can use the extra space to analyze complex concepts without sacrificing quality.
Conclusion
Creating a popular Instagram account that raises brand recognition and drives business growth is difficult. The founders of some of the biggest Instagram accounts on the platform can tell you how much effort goes into maintaining a steady stream of high-quality content.
However, some Insta pages are killing it. And if you follow the steps outlined above, you can too!
Guest Author: Nahla Davies is a software developer and tech writer. Before devoting her work full time to technical writing, she managed – among other intriguing things – to serve as a lead programmer at an Inc. 5,000 experiential branding organization whose clients include Samsung, Time Warner, Netflix, and Sony.
