Instagram has taken the social media world by storm. Currently, the platform has more than 7.7 billion users.
Each social media platform has its own distinct identity. Facebook connects you with the people around you, Twitter involves political and social issues, Linkedin is for professionals to connect and Instagram is the platform that allows users to share photos and videos.
However, Instagram isn’t just for personal use anymore. It has diversified itself into a global platform that solves multiple purposes such as product videos and images, live streams of product launches and events.
The platform has shown the fastest growth rate as compared to other apps since its launch in 2010. When it was launched, it was merely a photo-sharing app. And as of now, research says 80% of users follow at least one brand on Instagram. That essentially means your audience is definitely on Instagram.
Instagram has shown small but impactful developments over the years. Instagram has evolved into a great marketing tool for businesses. And not just for B2C.
For B2B marketing there’s a lot more, even though it is clear that the masses are using Instagram. The new advancements might help you improve your marketing strategy and I’m sure you don’t want to miss out on any of them.
Instagram is a strong visual marketing channel and an opportunity to grow your B2B business. Over 200 million Instagram users visit at least one business profile every day. B2B brands have begun to incorporate Instagram into their marketing plans. If =you have not planned yours, let’s dive right in.
1. Instagram can help increase leads clicking on landing pages, reduce the cost of lead generation, and allow your company to target a niche market. Generating leads through Instagram becomes easy when built into your overall marketing strategy.
To use Instagram lead generation ads, you’ll need to create a Facebook page and an Instagram business profile. Then follow these steps:
- Choose your marketing objective
- Define your audience
- Select your placement
- Set your bid (optimize for leads or for link clicks)
- Choose an ad format
- Create your lead form
2. As a B2B marketer, the challenge might be to view live streaming as a part of your marketing toolkit that you can reach for on a regular basis.
However, the reality is different. With Live Videos you can give customers a live aspect of your business, showcase products or answer live questions through the comments.
Host Q&A sessions regularly with your customers, or webinars that add value to your products or services can be an effective way of using live streaming to regularly engage with your customers. These can focus on training customers to get the most from your products and services.
Every business has its experts, you might also be having your experts, and these have valuable experience that is of real value to your existing and potential clients. For a business to invest in your products or services, buyers have to feel reassured that they will secure an irresistible ROI over time.
It will allow you to make your interactions memorable.
3. Create a Hashtag Haven
Using hashtags is very important for you on Instagram to gain a wider reach for your content.
Instagram allows a maximum limit of 30 hashtags per post and 10 hashtags per story. For B2B marketers, it is recommended to use hashtags that are a best fit for the SEO of the company. You’ll need to brainstorm a series of hashtags that you’ll choose from and implement in your social messages regularly.
Through a hashtag, you let the audience participate.
PayPal users use the hashtag #PayPalIt on Instagram, and that’s been applied on over 8000 posts. While the narrative is set by Paypal, the users push the narrative along by participating with the brand on Instagram.
4. Instagram offers B2B companies a display to humanize
Before you engage with your audience, you first need to build trust. For that you need to give them a reason to choose you over the sea of other options out there on Instagram.
An excellent way to ensure that your brand has an accurate voice, add more of human elements to it.
Humanize your brand by putting a face to it while connecting over ideas that others can believe in and easily understand.
Consider the example of IBM-
IBM takes a unique approach to Instagram, as their profile is much more personalized than most. The company reveals who is managing the account to help followers realize that there is actually a team of real people behind the brand.
They even take this a step further by giving photo credit and tagging the employees present in each picture. This profile takes its followers on a tour of the brand from one office to another, while providing a peek behind the scenes to see who truly making things happen at IBM.
Additionally, Instagram is a great source of organic traffic, but investing in Instagram ads will help you get your content in front of more people. Instagram Ads include features such as call-to-action buttons that allow users to take action right away, minimizing the number of steps required to get to your website.
Your B2B business can and should be on Instagram, you just need to understand what kind of content to post and how to best communicate your message.
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