Being a startup or entrepreneur, you’ve often got quite a lot on your plate. Marketing is one of the things on your plate, and an easy trap that startups get caught in is the gadgets trap. Spending hours and hours on end every day trying out new tools and platforms with little luck because your time is spread to thin, and not knowing the best way to approach each medium.
It’s very apparent these days that Instagram is a platform which you should be thinking about utilising as a start up. However, you do not want to get caught in the trap of spending too much time here with little to no result.
Looking to use Instagram for Startups? Below is a list of a couple of things that we think will be really useful for your startup to do on Instagram to start getting some following and returns!
4 Tips: Instagram for Startups
#1 Show by doing, not telling
Of course, what you have to say and what you have to offer are probably worthwhile. No doubt.
However, there are certain channels where outright promo is ok, and others where it’s absolutely not. Instagram is in the latter. To be honest, I think that this is probably the most misunderstood tip out there. People often this this means that you have to stick to showing pictures of food and quotes.
NOTE: YOU CAN STILL SHOW YOUR OFFERING
There is nothing wrong with demonstrating to your potential consumers what it does or how it functions by posting real pictures. But remember, people want to experience the real feel of the product by its visual appeal, not just be shown mini ads.
Shoe brands often show culture behind the shoe (i.e. Nike or Vans), Fashion labels show behind the scenes of what makes their product such high quality or so personal.
Tech and Software people, you don’t have to be left out either! Show cool little snippets of your offering, or show people using it – it’s ok to demonstrate just don’t tell people what to think!
Tipception (Tip inside a Tip): If you are quoting the price, or a “But wait, there’s more!” line, then you have probably crossed the line into selling.
This tip is not only valid for those looking to use Instagram for startups, but for a business at any stage.
#2 Hashtags are your vehicle for visibility
Hashtags as a concept are really just an information filter. By using a hashtag in a post like #startupadelaide, means that people who click on this filter or search for it will see everyone who is using this hashtag – including your posts.
As a startup, getting the word out can be the hardest part of the business, so leveraging this relatively simple yet powerful element of Instagram (which is also useful on Twitter) is highly recommended.
“You just got to be heard!”
Whilst it seems like people wouldn’t actually go for a general wander through hashtags, Instagram users do this as a discovery mechanism, so you’d be silly not to make the most of it.
Just give it a try! If you choose the right hashtags, you’ll probably find more people liking your posts that the amount of people actually following your page!
The key phrase there is choose the right hashtags. It is important that you spend a bit of time coming up with a combination of hashtags that you use each time, in order to be seen.
#3 Don’t forget to have fun with it!
Products don’t have fun – people do.
There are people behind your startup – whether you are thinking global or not. Don’t let the concept of being a global brand known by every man and his dog fool you into thinking that the ‘personal’ side of a startup isn’t a big asset and advantage for you.
Show your team, your culture, the wins and the mistakes that you make along the way. It shows that you are real and people like to get involved with personalities.
Instagram for startups really is about telling the story and showing the journey – so make time and room for this! Here is a resource which shows some Instagram accounts which show the Entrepreneurial journey really well. Of course these are much more personal given they are personal brands, but worthwhile if you aren’t sure how you can go about this point.
#4 Nice looking content always helps
If you’re a bit of a lazy dag, who takes quick un-thoughtful images and videos, then you’ll probably find there is very little ROI to be received from your Instagram efforts.
It is important that whatever you are putting out there is in its best light. If this means that you need to spend an extra 10-20 seconds lining up your shot, choosing a good filter and taking some time to think about a good caption then so be it. This will ensure that people take notice of your content, start actively following you and getting involved with your content because they like it, and hopefully leading to people moving through your startup sales funnel.
In other words, make sure your photos, videos, boomerangs and other content posted are looking as great as you want your brand to be!
Have any other tips in regards to Instagram for Startups? Feel free to comment below 🙂
Also – don’t forget to give us a go! Instagram Scheduling will make your life easy in ways you never imagined 🙂
