Instagram is essentially a virtual networking tool as well as a landing page for potential clients. There are over 29.6 million Instagram users (and that number continues to grow!) so your page needs to not only stand out, but to reach the right audience!

Your page should be crafted in a way that makes it findable for those who might be searching for your services and branded in a way that is obvious it is your company as well as obvious as to what your company does.

Too often, we focus on likes and followers as a way to view Instagram success. While reaching a milestone of followers or receiving a high number of likes on a post is exciting, there’s more to the platform and here’s how to get there.

Branding

When it comes to branding your Instagram, utilize your bio space properly. These 150 characters are how people looking at your profile will learn what you do. If it’s not utilized properly, you run the risk of people not understanding what your company offers and clicking off the profile too soon.

Another way to brand your Instagram page is with your highlight covers. These help to tell the story of what is important to your brand, further integrate your fonts and colors, or graphic icons to help tell your story.

Branding isn’t just for your bio. Branding is throughout your posts as well. Writing coping that is in line with your brand voice and photos that are in your style is another way to establish your brand. This makes your profile look more professional and polished, which leads to an increase in engagement.

The copy is a way to form a deeper connection with potential clients so showcasing that you’re elegant, whimsical, or whatever else, is important. Having branding guidelines for your social media manager or employees to use is essential when having someone take over your marketing so that your business stays on brand and utilities keywords and phrases!

Make Connections

If you're someone who posts a picture and quickly shuts off the app, then good news, you have so much room to maximize your Instagram presence starting today!

It is all about the connections.

Establishing a connection is how you can form relationships with potential customers and fellow event professionals. It is a great way to keep in touch between in-person events, emails, and calls. Connect by replying to their stories, direct messaging, commenting on and liking their posts. By engaging with your audience, they’re more likely to engage back with your profile. Did you know that the more comments your posts get, the more profiles Instagram will show that post to? That is why engagement is key to gaining more exposure on your account!

Genuine Connections

We hear a lot about being authentic or real on social media. So what does it mean? It means posting genuinely, making jokes (if that fits your brand), sharing stories, and pieces of your personality. 

You can do this as a solopreuner or even as a larger company. Do this by sharing behind the scenes photos setting up for an event and highlighting yourself or your employees. How do they take their coffee? What is their favorite type of event? How do they spend their weekends? The options are endless and you can get as creative as you want with it.

People crave connection and being relatable is how connections form online. When you are authentic, you naturally draw people who are interested in your posts to your page. It is better to have 100 followers who get excited when they see your posts, then 10,000 who keep scrolling.

So how do you find your potential customers?

You can search within Instagram by looking up hashtags or locations. Depending on your business one or both can be useful. You might search hashtags such as “#eventvenue” or specific locations you service. 

That way, you are leveraging the time you spend on Instagram with profiles that make sense to your business.

How to grow brand awareness

It truly is about reaching the right people and beating the dreaded algorithm. So how do you do that?

• Spend time each day, even if it is only 5 to 10 minutes, interacting with relevant accounts.

• Post consistently on your feed and on your stories. 

• Play with your hashtags! Mix up the ones you use, and the amount.

• Only use hashtags that make sense. Instagram can tell if you’re using a hashtag just because it’s popular and not because that is what your photo is about.

When it comes to Instagram, continue to post, interact with other accounts, and play with the new updates as they are released and you will be using the app to its full potential which will enable your business to reach yours!

Michelle is the founder of Marketing Mix by Michelle and she is a Digital Marketer and Content Creator for hospitality industry businesses. She lives in Cherry Hill, NJ and when she's not spending time on her digital marketing business, she can likely be found on a hike or eating sushi. You can get in touch with her through Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and through her website.