15 Ways to Add Instagram Promotion for Business Success in 2020

Believe it or not, Instagram will be having its 10th anniversary in October 2020. Throughout the years, it has remained one of the most popular social media platforms with the highest engagement rate in the industry. Thus having a business, you need to make sure your Instagram promotion tactics are going well. And there is no shortage of ideas to try.

Why is it Important to Promote on Instagram?

Social media remains one of the top marketing platforms available to businesses. However, social media is a very broad term as there are many platforms to choose from.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Snapchat, Reddit, and WhatsApp are just a few of the major ones.

Each one has a unique way of marketing to understand. Depending on the nature of your business, the platform you choose to market on will make a difference. And Instagram is one of the more unique platforms.

Your business will have a lot of freedom and creativity when it comes to promoting your brand on Instagram. However, what makes the platform ideal for businesses are the users.

The majority of Instagram users are between the ages of 18 and 34, which is the age group that is most valuable to businesses.

15 Ways to Add Instagram Promotion for Your Business

I have assembled a list of 15 strategies for promoting on Instagram as a business that are proven to work. This will help you learn how to promote on Instagram, but keep in mind that whenever it comes to marketing, the effects of what you are doing could take months to see.

So don’t expect overnight results.

1. Cross-Promote Your Instagram Content on Other Platforms

The first rule of marketing is to spread out your marketing efforts across different platforms. So, it should not come as a surprise that you should utilize your best Instagram content on other platforms. Take a moment to think about what type of content you find on Instagram.

Images.

Images are very important on every social media platform, and it is a great way to connect your business Instagram account to any other. This is especially true when you may spend hours taking some of your pictures.

Reusing your content on other platforms is perfectly acceptable and can get you a much higher ROI in the long term.

2. Create Your Own Brand Hashtag

If you are serious about promoting your business on Instagram, then you are going to need your own brand hashtag. A hashtag is how someone is going to find the content you are producing on Instagram.

However, it is also how you are going to spread your brand throughout the platform. For example, if you plan on doing a collaboration, you are going to share each other’s hashtag. If you want to integrate Instagram on your website, you’re going to want to use your own.

Hashtags are what make Instagram work. Thus with a business, you need a hashtag.

3. Tag Other Brands

Tagging on Instagram is critical for success. Whenever you are out, tag as many other places, businesses, and people as possible.  This helps spread your profile name and can open up a lot of opportunities.

In many cases, other businesses are very willing to return the shoutout, which will help you grow fast.

And just to be clear, tagging is not the same as a hashtag. Tagging is when you use the “@” symbol. This can be used to highlight other user’s posts, photos, and locations. It’s just as important as using hashtags, so don’t forget to use them.

4. Instagram Stories

Every day, 500 million people use Instagram stories. And as a business, you need to make sure you have content in this area.

In case you are unaware, this is a unique feature within Instagram that allows you to build your own stories with photos and hashtags. It has become something that many people check each day.

If you can manage to create entertaining content for your followers, you are going to grow fast. If you are looking to create Instagram promotion material, Instagram Stories is the best place to do it.

5. Produce A Lot of Content

Unlike other platforms where this may be seen as spam, producing a lot of content on Instagram is extremely successful. In fact, it’s definitely the fastest way to grow.

However, you need to make sure there is a certain level of quality.  In reality, not every post is going to be a gem, and most people understand that. But if you have enough posts that are bad, it can send followers a red flag.

Thus, producing more content that is within a certain quality range that is acceptable to your brand’s image is a simple, but effective way to grow.

6. Share Personal Experiences

The biggest mistake a business can make when it comes to Instagram is keeping it too professional. Instagram was created to share experiences, and that is exactly what you should be doing.

Spend a day on the beach and share it with your followers. Went camping for a weekend? Share it. Get the picture?

To further prove this, selfies are the most popular type of content on Instagram. Now just to be clear that doesn’t make selfies the most successful type of content, but it reflects what the average person uses the platform for.

And if they use it to share an experience, they are probably looking to follow another one.

7. Team Up with an Influencer

Influencers have really become important when it comes to social media platforms. While you typically have to hire them, the benefits of a big-name influencer with thousands or even millions of followers have a lot of benefits.

In fact, the term influencer marketing is something you should become very aware of when you are looking to grow your brand on any platform.

On Instagram, this is when you have a paid agreement with another Instagram user with a lot of active followers. There are a lot of ways to use an influencer to your advantage.

For example, if you run a clothing store, you could send them a fashion item and ask them to take a photo with it. It is really effective, and finding the right influencer to match your brand is the key, here.

8. Run a Contest

Contests are successful on every type of social media platform, and Instagram is probably the best one to do it. As I said previously, selfies are the most popular type of content that other users post.

Thus, it only makes sense to run a contest that asks users to take a selfie and tag your business profile. Of course, there are many other ways to run a contest, but the more important concern is to offer a prize.

What you offer definitely depends on your business. The best rewards are typically a gift card or discount code at your store or online shop.

The end result is your followers mentioning your profile and winning a reward that brings them to your store; it’s a win-win situation.

9. Make Memes

Accounts that focus on delivering memes to their followers are the fastest-growing Instagram accounts. And it is not hard to understand why.

Memes are funny, and when you see something funny, you share it with your friends. It’s not just Instagram either, memes have taken over just about every other platform.

In particular, memes resonate really well with millennials and younger generations, which is exactly what most businesses are targeting. However, they are simple enough for older generations to enjoy as well.

Thus, if you make more memes, people will come.

10. Change Your Presentation Style

What kind of photos you post are really important because they need to resonate with your audience. But in reality, it is how and why you are posting them that matter.

For example, are you just posting a picture of a new clothing item, or are you posting that clothing item on an attractive person? Trust me, there is a very good reason that models are used when presenting new clothes.

You should consider treating your Instagram feed just like an extension of your business. This means making sure your presentation is a priority.

11. Use Images Taken At Your Store

If you own a physical location, you can use that to your benefit on Instagram. Take images from inside of your store regularly and post them.

The restaurant industry really excels in this area. You can post images of the food you prepare, your staff working, and happy customers. It helps you build an image of a fun place to eat.

Another great example of this is when furniture stores take photos of their products in use. Or they arrange them in creative ways to show customers how their sets look together.

12. Use Your Website to Grow Your Instagram Account

Now, this may sound like the exact opposite of what you are trying to achieve. But trust me, when you are starting out, you’re going to want to use your website to convert visitors into Instagram followers.

This is very important because every follower has the potential to help you spread your account. This is because when you follow someone on Instagram, depending on your settings, your friends can also see who you are following.

Thus, one follower may lead you to multiple. Your website should integrate your Instagram in one way or another.

13. Buy Instagram Ad Space

If you can afford it, Instagram ads are a great way to help your business grow. Instagram is fully equipped with a very detailed ad program.

You can use it to get stories, photos, videos, carousels, collection, explore, and other types of ads. There is an ad option available that is perfect for showing off your brand.

However, it is worth noting that ad space is getting more expensive. And that’s because it works really well. This could take time to see the effects of your ad campaign, so I only recommend this method if you can sustain it.

14. Utilize Friends And Families When Starting Out

The hardest part of Instagram promotion is right when you start. You begin at 0 followers and need to grow.

Something that has become very common is to ask family members and friends to follow you on these platforms. This gives you a base of followers to work with, which has 2 key advantages.

The first is they can help you spread the word about your account. It’s just like when you hand out business cards; you hope they get around and reach potential customers.

The second is that your account has some followers. Trust me, people are hesitant to be your first follower or follow small accounts in general. Thus, you should be asking and accepting all of the help you can get.

15. Jump on the Trend Bandwagon

Trends come and go on Instagram. However, when they come, you need to take advantage of them.

For example, last year, Instagram stories really were a big trend. Both regular users and businesses were making fewer posts. Instead, they were all making stories, which is why it has become so popular.

And you could have easily made a name for yourself if you did it well.

However, you can also look at trends by what is going on in the world. For example, we mentioned memes as the fastest-growing account types before. They were once a trend that people were skeptical about, but now they are everywhere.

Take a chance and jump on a trend bandwagon whenever you have a moment.

Instagram Promotion Is The First Step

Let’s be perfectly honest, picking out an Instagram promotion strategy is just the first step. Implementing it is the real challenge, which is why I strongly recommend picking only a few strategies.

You absolutely will need to do different strategies at the same time, but if you spread yourself too thin, you will fail at all of them.

As long as you keep delivering regular quality content to your followers, though, you will grow. It may take months, but it will happen. And it all begins with the strategies you select.