5 (Good) Reasons to be on Instagram
I have some pretty big pet peeves when it comes to content. (At the top of that list would be when people misuse your and you’re... but that’s another blog.)
But also on that list for me, is when businesses have social media platforms for no good reason. Do Financial Advisors need to be on Pinterest? Probably not. Do Lawyers need to be on Instagram? Yup, some of them do. The rules of social media (like life) are not black and white. But if you know who you are and, more importantly, who your clients are, that will make your marketing plan much more successful.
When clients ask me about social media, I share these two important notes:
Do 2 platforms really well. (3 if you have advertising dollars to spend).
Track engagement to converted clients for 6 months. Have data for what’s working.
My social media channels surprised me when I began my business. LinkedIn is the #1 channel for bringing in new clients (makes sense, because I work with other businesses). But Instagram beat out Facebook for the number 2 spot and I wasn’t expecting that. Facebook, in fact, hasn’t done much of anything for me except when I was promoting my book. The vast majority of book orders came from Facebook than anywhere else.
But let’s just stick with Instagram for today. Curious if you should be on it? Here are 5 Reasons you should be:
Your organic posts do well on Facebook (Engaged audiences are migrating to Instagram.)
You have money to spend on Facebook Ads (Facebook Ads run on Instagram without any additional dollars - spread that wealth!)
You have really amazing photos (Nature, Food, Drinks, Employees, etc.)
You are hiring (Ask an HR Recruiter: your candidates are looking at your Instagram feed to get a sense of your company culture).
You have a dog, cat or cute baby to exploit. (Doesn’t matter how they can relate to your business - just make sure they do). Max is the king of my Instagram, and he only knows slightly more about marketing than I do.
It’s OK if Instagram “isn’t really your thing.” That’s why there are scheduling platforms like Hootsuite and Sprout Social. You don’t have to be into Instagram - as long as your clients are. But promise me this - if you are there, make it worthwhile. Have good content. Speak to your audience. And please, I beg you, use you’re correctly.