Big or small, a good IG presence is super important. If you have a small business chances are your customer base is on IG also. Let’s face it, people love to scroll, they don’t call it social media for nothin’. Having great photos on your IG is a great way to make a great first impression. However, did you know there are a few simple tweaks you could make to your Instagram to make an even better impression?
1 – Your handle
We recommend using your business’ full name on any profile where you are trying to build an audience. When people come across a shortened handle, they tend to pass it by without clicking because it doesn’t look like an account owned by a small business. It looks more like one of the thousands of spam bots that you probably block daily. Besides, what good is it for someone interested in your business to stumble upon your shortened handle? You want them to have to type the full name of your biz into the search bar so you can get discovered by those looking for you. If your handle is a jumble of letters such as “lksccp”, someone may not believe you are a legit business.
2 – Your name
This should only be the name of your business. It should not be the name of the owner, an employee or anything else. If your business name is not listed on your profile, potential followers will be confused and lose trust in your business.
3 – Page link
As a small business owner you should absolutely be utilizing the page link option on your Instagram account. This is an easy way to get more traffic to your website or maybe a mobile ordering page. There are also several different services available to allow for multiple links in your bio. Utilizing a site like linktr.ee will allow you to create a list of links you’d like available to your audience. However, be careful with this option, because too many links can become overwhelming for a viewer and they may leave without converting to your site.
4 – Profile image
As a small business owner, your business’ Instagram profile image should be of your logo. This will make it easy to identify that the account belongs to your business. If you own a service business where you are branding your business around yourself, then it is okay to have an image of yourself as your profile image. A great example of this would be for a single realtor to use a headshot of themselves. However if you are a major real estate company that employs multiple realtors, you should be using your logo as your profile image.
5 – Your bio
There is no such thing as a bio that should be 100 words or less, or the bio that has to include your location and why. When it comes to instagram bios, use your creativity! Your bio is a way for you not only to describe yourself in a few sentences, but also get someone excited about following you. The key here is to not overdo it, but instead make it simple, eye-catching and give the user a solid understanding of what it is you do, and why they should give you a follow.
6 – Story highlights
On Instagram, your account’s story highlights are a vital part of your user experience. These allow you to show the best parts of your story without the full range of chronological order to distract or confuse. They also allow you to advertise your account and encourage viewers to follow along with full-screen images and large text.
Regardless of whether you do a lot or a little, these tips have the potential to make a difference in your Instagram experience. A good Instagram pIresence is important for all kinds of businesses, and it definitely serves as an effective marketing tool when done correctly.
