Instagram is a vital piece of business growth.
Unlike in recent years, it’s not enough to just USE Instagram, you must optimize your account for maximum visibility! As entrepreneurs, we need to be leveraging every last little bit of potential Instagram has to expand our audience and help us reach more clients.
How to Use Instagram For Business: The “Work Smarter” Way
It’s important to work smarter, not harder. On Instagram, that means using the right hashtags for your business. Hashtags are more than just random phrases following the pound sign!
The right hashtags function like code words; making it easier for your ideal client to find you! So it’s important to strategically put them to work!
Three steps to maximizing hashtags when it comes to Instagram for business.
Use the right hashtags to attract your target demographic
Any good entrepreneur knows their target demographic. What’s your customer avatar into? Think about what your ideal client loves, do a little research on the best hashtags for those loves, and then hashtag your photos accordingly. Just be mindful that super popular hashtags, like #entrepreneur and #love, are WAY overused or may attract the wrong type of client. So definitely do your homework!
Another way to find the right hashtags? Study those who use Instagram for business and are like you or who you want to emulate!
Imitation is not just a form of flattery, sometimes it’s a form of smart business strategy!
You can study other influencers, educators, and professionals in your niche and check out what hashtags they are using! Keep it honest, though: I’ll NEVER encourage you to straight up copy other accounts when you use Instagram for business. If a hashtag is SUPER specific to someone else’s brand, don’t use it.
Invite your followers to follow a specific hashtag you’re using.
If your followers and clients love you {and I know they do!} they will love following your specific, branded hashtag!
Here are a couple ways to make the ask and get them following you:
“Hey, friend! I want to be sure you don’t miss a thing and the easiest way to do that is by following my custom hashtag! In fact, I suggest that you follow 2-3 of your very favorite hashtags so get the most out of your Insta account! Do a quick search for #putyourawesomehashtaghere at the top of your app and click the blue follow button. That’s it! After you’ve followed the tag, double tap or leave a comment when you love what I share! It would mean a lot to me!”
There’s one word of caution here, too:
Make sure you invite your peeps to follow whatever branded hashtag you’ve chosen for your biz {i.e. #sparklesociety in my case}, and not a hashtag with hundreds and hundreds of posts each day. You don’t want to give your followers hashtag fatigue because their feed is FULL of something you suggested, and nothing else!
Other than that, choosing to follow hashtags is a simple one-time instruction that can yield big results. We all know that Instagram {and cousin Facebook} reward us with visibility for good interaction and engagement! So let’s do all we can to get seen in that newsfeed!
Put a hashtag in your Instagram bio.
Did you know that hashtags in your Instagram bio are clickable? Yes, indeed! A hashtag in your bio is another chance to get your followers looking at what YOU want them to see! Leverage this by curating content with that hashtag, then use this as a tool to bring in clients.
A few examples?
“Peep at my portfolio → #immersephotography”
“Get to know me → #cyrissa”
“Connect with our community → #sparklesocietyworkshops”
Be creative and use that hashtag in your bio to up-level your account and help your clients really understand who you are and how you can make their life better!
Now you’re ready to use Instagram for business like a BOSS! Little changes can make a big difference online!
If you take the time to optimize your Instagram account, study and use the right hashtags, then intentionally connect with your potential clients – Instagram can become a powerful tool that you can use to book more clients online!
Ready to uplevel your Instagram strategy, connect with your audience, and build your brand? Get our Ultimate Guide to Instagram for Business.
