When I first started this business we decided to go full-on Pinterest instead of Instagram, because I thought that would be a better platform for my clients’ target audience. My perception was that nobody was really on Instagram. Well, I could not have been more wrong! And I’m excited about it!
There are three main reasons why, in my opinion, now, after doing my own experiments and research, every small business should be using Instagram.
1. Target Local Residents
Instagram’s geo-targeting is insanely great! What this means is that if you are a business in McKinney, you can instantly locate people who are using Instagram in the city of McKinney. You can do this by searching hashtags like #mckinney and #mckinneytx, but there’s also a feature that lets you search by location which shows everyone posting in a specific city. You can also look at profiles to see if the poster fits the demographics of your client base, or your client persona. That alone should get you on Instagram! I’m so excited about this because it’s very difficult—it’s not impossible but it’s very difficult—to find location-specific people on Pinterest.
2. More Reach
The second reason why every small business should be on Instagram is the fact that there’s no algorithm! On Facebook, a lot of people get frustrated because not everyone sees their posts. There are so many posts on Facebook that Facebook is forced to show you what it thinks that you want to see! If they didn’t do that you’d never catch up, it would be crazy. But on Instagram there is no algorithm. It’s all in real time. This gives you a lot more reach, a lot more potential for engagement … in fact I’m already seeing it work right now! I did some experiments with my wife’s business, and we got a lead almost immediately. It’s amazing!
3. Everyone’s there!
The third reason why I think local businesses need to be on Instagram is—everyone’s on there anyway! Again, going back to my initial statement, when people first told me that they weren’t on Instagram, I just took their word for it. But then I started noticing that they are on Instagram! And they’re posting and they’re using it! Maybe this is one of those things people don’t like to admit? But they’re there! In fact, if you set up an Instagram account, you’ll see that most of your Facebook friends are on Instagram too! And Instagram does a good job of suggesting those people to follow.
I want to close with saying that there are millions of people on Instagram and you can really target your audience, especially from a local standpoint. It’s going to be a major player. It’s not just pictures—you can do videos, and ads! Get your business on Instagram! If you’re not comfortable using it, give me a call, and we can definitely add this to your plan! 214-856-0492
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