What are 5 Social Media Tips to grow your business on Instagram?
We all know social media is a great platform to have as a business. One can say it’s a necessity, especially in the digital age where almost everything is done on your screen.
If I’m going to be honest when it comes to places I’m going to visit or buy from social media is the first thing I go too. Nine times out of 10 it’s Instagram that I hit up first. I think this is why it’s key that any business has a social media presence of some sort. But I get it, small business owners barely have time to work their actual business…now we add one more thing!
Well thankfully there are people out there to help us with social media like founder and CEO of Thrive Collective Co, Nicole Hamzeloo, social media consulting firm that provides social media consulting and management services to online small businesses and education to small business owners.
Nicole got her start working for media agencies and for creative agencies doing planning, strategizing, marketing, sales and business development. While working at her 9-5 she realized that she wanted to start and run her own business to create more freedom and flexibility in her life. When Covid hit she was laid off from her job and knew that that was her sign to finally go for it and start her own agency.
Now, she owns a social media agency that focuses on helping other small businesses convert followers to clients, optimize their social platforms and grow using social media strategies.
We sat down with Nicole to pick her brain on some main questions a lot of small business owners might have and even got some tips for those who want to get started on their own.
What are 5 Social Media Tips to grow your business on Instagram?
1. Use social media as a way to be social - focus on connection and relationship building.
2. Share your story - this can be powerful and a way to really connect with your audience.
3. Be yourself - just because someone else was successful doesn't mean that's the only way to become successful.
4. Optimize your account - make sure it's clear what you do and you actually have a variety of content on your page
5. Create content pillars - pick 3-5 topics that are relevant to your business that you stick to with your content
We know social media is important but honestly how can I tell if it’s going to actually work for my business?
It's all about trial and error. Any business can be effective on Instagram with the right strategy that works for them. If you really understand your audience and know not only the type of content they like but the stories that resonate with them it will definitely contribute to your success. But even beyond knowing your audience, having a clear brand message and knowing what you're doing and why you're doing that and making sure that is present throughout all your content is another important factor to success on Instagram.
What are the mistakes most businesses make and how do I avoid them?
The top mistakes I see businesses making on Instagram are not creating engaging content and not utilizing social media as a tool and a way to connect further with their audience. Social media is a powerful platform and is an amazing way to get real-time feedback from your audience, if you use it correctly. You can have conversation with your audience in the comments of your posts, through your stories and in the DMs to really get feedback and create more loyal customers. Most businesses I see focus too much on their end product or service which doesn't make for engaging content. Instead of just using social media as a way to promote your business, use it as a way to show what's happening behind the curtain, what your business is all about beyond just the product or service.
If I can’t do all 5 tips what are the most effective to implement and why?
If you aren't able to do all 5 tips I would prioritize optimizing your account. People may find you from your website or feature and check out your socials from there so having an account that's optimized and reflects the rest of your marketing, website and business overall is important. Having an optimized account that is easy for people to get a clear idea of what you do, how to get in touch and how to purchase from you should be the number one priority, otherwise you are most likely missing out on sales.