How to Promote Your Business Locally using Instagram
How to Promote Your Business Locally on Instagram: 4 Tactics
Most local businesses market their products or services on the internet as 91% of consumers search for local businesses online first. That’s why you need to know how to promote your business locally.
When searching for marketing tools to speak to people in your area, Instagram isn’t the most obvious option to promote a local business.
But here’s the deal:
As one of the world’s most popular social media platforms that has over 2 billion monthly active users, Instagram has great potential for local businesses of all kinds to reach out to their local customers. Plus, it also has in-app features like geotags and location hashtags to market products or services within a specific area.
In this post, I will explain the potential of Instagram for local business promotion as well as walk you through four actionable strategies to promote your local business on Instagram.
Table of Contents
Why Should You Promote a Local Business on Instagram?
For local businesses, it’s important to show up where your potential local customers are searching for your local business and Instagram is a perfect place to market your local business for the following three reasons.
First, the Instagram audience is large and engaged. Instagram has quickly become a powerful marketing tool to grow an audience as it has a huge user base and 90% of users show interest in brand communication with different businesses.
This means your local business can market products or services within a large and engaged audience of potential local customers.
Next, people seek out local reviews online. Around 34% of consumers use Instagram to find local business reviews. And users are happy to share their customer experiences with their followers and businesses to help other customers make the right purchase decisions.
Thus, it’s a perfect place to provide customers with authentic reviews of your local business.
Lastly, Instagram has in-built features to promote a local business. From geotags and hashtags to the searchable map, Instagram can help local businesses reach their potential customers in a particular geographic area.
And here comes an example from Soloway Coffee, a coffee shop in Chicago, on how this business uses Instagram for local business promotion.
Now that you realize the importance of Instagram to promote your local business, let’s go through four actionable strategies on how to do it right, backed up with detailed tips and real-life examples.
Optimize Your Instagram for Local Search
Write a Descriptive Instagram bio
When you’re just starting out with your local business promotion on Instagram, it’s important to set up a business profile and take care of your Instagram bio to make sure your business can show up in local searches.
Why? Your Instagram bio is a visit card for your business that helps visitors understand more about your local business and it can also include relevant keywords that relate to your business and/or location so that it increases searchability among your local community.
Here’s how to create an Instagram bio to promote a local business:
- Write about your local business. Make it clear for readers to understand what your local business is doing to attract the right audience who can become your local customers. However, keep in mind that you have 150 characters only.
- Add relevant keywords. People do research on Instagram and they search for particular places, so it’s a smart idea to add keywords that tell more about your business and your location.
- Include your location and opening hours. This information will help visitors and followers learn more about your local business and hint them at where and when they can give your business a try.
- Optimize your link in bio. Instagram gives you an opportunity to include one clickable link in the bio, but you can rely on relevant tools that create dedicated landing pages with all information about your local business you would love to share (website, other social media handles, reviews, menu, etc.)
- Make good use of Story Highlights. If you use Instagram Stories, you can save and organize relevant content into separate Story Highlight albums and therefore help visitors find information or navigate your profile with ease.
Let’s take a look at an example of a well-organized Instagram bio from Jackie:
Include Geotags and Location Hashtags
With the introduction of Instagram’s map feature, when users can tap on the map and see what’s nearby their location, businesses that operate within a certain area has gotten more opportunities to reach their local communities on Instagram.
What is more, location-based content is easier to find for people who search for content in a specific location, so it has great potential to market your business among the right audience. Thus, it’s important to include geotags and location hashtags that inform users where your business is located.
Local businesses have two options: create a custom location or add a possible location geotag near you (your city or popular location in your district/city). This will provide viewers with more information about your area and help to get more exposure among users who have interest in this area.
Check out how one nail bar uses Instagram geotags:
Team Up with Local Influencers
Influencer marketing has become one of the most effective marketing tactics. Working with smaller niche Instagram influencers is one of the influencer marketing trends as it’s more cost-effective yet powerful–these people have loyal followings.
When it comes to promoting a local business, it’s important to team up with local influencers whose audience lives within your area. Not only can it help to improve brand reputation, but it can result in more local customers.
For instance, if you have a local restaurant, you can find influencers who specialize in doing restaurant reviews and invite them to visit your place and share their thoughts. Check out an example of this strategy in action:
As a result of a similar collaboration, you can get a business review, user-generated content to use on your profile, and more exposure among the already-established community of potential customers. Not bad, huh?
At first blush, it seems difficult to secure collaborations with relevant influencers. But the majority of them are open to brand collabs. For example, here’s what the above-mentioned restaurant blogger says about herself in the bio. She invites relevant brands to slide into Direct Messages and discuss collaboration.
Turn Your Instagram Into a Business Card
Tell About Your Local Services
To attract the local community and turn residents into customers, you need to interest them in your local services. To promote a local business on Instagram, the first step is to tell Instagrammers more about your local business–your stuff, values, and products or services.
First, if you have a website, don’t forget to link back to it in your bio. Not only can it provide visitors with more information, but it also results in more traffic.
Next, you need to create product content. With the help of carousel posts, when you can add up to 10 visuals in one post, your local business gets more opportunities to implement storytelling to tell followers more about a particular product or even showcase various products/services without posting much on the feed.
And if you want to keep up with the trends and increase user engagement, think about creating Instagram Reels that provide users with more information about your local business in a fun and engaging way.
How To Promote Your Business Locally – Share Customer Reviews
With the variety of options on the market, potential customers pay close attention to peer recommendations and customer reviews as they want to check out the quality of your business first.
When existing customers share positive reviews about your business, other people find it as social proof that encourages them to give your business a try.
Thus, it’s important to post customer reviews on Instagram, just like in the example below:
Do you lack reviews from Instagram followers? If your local business uses Google My Business and you collect Google reviews, there’s no need to ask Instagram followers to share their thoughts about your company to post reviews on the platform.
Instead, you can see what other clients say about your local business and repurpose their reviews for the Instagram feed.
Invest in Instagram Ad Campaigns
No matter how many followers you have on Instagram, it’s nearly impossible to have all of your target audience as subscribers. Thus, it’s important to put effort into reaching a wider audience of potential customers and running Instagram paid ad campaigns is a great way to market your local business among your local community and get more exposure fast.
Tracking metrics for Instagram ads will help you optimize campaigns and targeting. While with the advanced targeting, you can deliver your ad to the right audience who lives within your particular area.
Here’s how TreatWell uses Instagram ads increase wellness appointments for its local business:
The company used the collection ad campaign to tell about all their services with one ad and therefore target a wider audience.
This campaign resulted in a 19% increase in purchases and a 7% lower cost per order price compared to other campaigns.
Turn Your Local Visitors into Instagram Followers
Make it Easy for Visitors to Find Your Business on Instagram
When you think about promoting your local business on Instagram, think outside the box and focus on merging offline and online marketing for maximum impact. This means you can find your followers offline, too.
And one of the best ways is to offer your existing customers an opportunity to join you on Instagram.
Why? People who visit your local business are more loyal to your brand so they can also become brand advocates and share your profile with their friends and family which may result in more followers and customers.
For any local business, it’s a good idea to generate dynamic QR codes and add them to your visit card or entrance to help your local visitors find out more about your social media handles and therefore become loyal followers on Instagram, too.
Offer Exclusive Bonuses for Instagram Followers
When people visit your local business this doesn’t mean they are ready to be among your Instagram followers. At the same time, it’s crucial to grow your Instagram following and your customers can help you promote your account and therefore raise interest in your business.
Thus, it’s important to encourage visitors to follow you on Instagram and one of the most actionable ways is to offer something valuable for your followers.
For instance, you can give special discounts, free tickets, or branded freebies.
Some local businesses have a practice of telling their local customers about the benefits of being among their social media followers during the checkout process to motivate them to follow the business.
It gives wonderful results, so you can also think about a bonus system for followers and promote it at your local store.
Give Your Local Customers a Reason to Promote Your Instagram
Organize an Instagram Giveaway
When your followers have interest in your Instagram content and they share your profile with their friends and family, not only do you get more engagement, but you also get more exposure which results in more potential customers.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could turn your Instagram followers into brand advocates who promote your local business?
Instagram giveaways are one of the most effective ways to drive business growth as people love the idea of contests on social media for a chance to get something valuable. Moreover, running a giveaway is another lead gen strategy that helps businesses collect leads and turn these interested prospects into customers.
For example, you can ask your participants to tag friends or repost your giveaway to their Stories to reach a wider audience. And when it comes to the prizes, it’s a smart idea to give away gift cards or coupons and therefore ensure your giveaway attracts the right local audience who can become customers.
Check out an example below.
Or you can also take a look at the example from Ardmore Coffee.
The local business organizes an Instagram giveaway and offers branded merch as prizes which gives them a chance to promote their local business to a wider audience as people who wear this merch become walking advertisements for the business. Win-win!
With a variety of merch ideas, your local business can find something that suits your business best.
For example, it’s no wonder that most coffee shops have custom mugs, stickers, tote bags, or T-shirts with eye-catching designs as merch to give away.
Tag Your Loyal Fans on Your Profile
Instagrammers crave communication with companies they love, so when you make your followers feel valued, most of them are honored to spread the word about your profile among their followers and therefore promote your page.
How to do it? Tag your loyal fans to get them in front of your audience. It shows respect to loyal followers and it encourages other people to promote your company for a chance to be featured on their favorite profile.
And if you don’t get many tags to repost, don’t worry. Today, there are many Instagram tools that allow businesses to analyze their social media presence and keep track of mentions even if your local customers don’t tag your profile.
Not only can it help to understand your customers better, but it also allows you to reach out to customers and ask them for permission to post their content on your feed.
Another idea to promote your local business is to team up with other businesses with a similar audience. You can co-promote each other on the platform or even make good use of the affiliate marketing and turn these businesses into partners who recommend your company to their customers.
In a Word: How To Promote Your Business Locally on Instagram
Instagram can be a perfect place to promote a local business and get in front of your local community if you know how to do it right. Having an Instagram presence for your local business is a great way to reach a wider audience of potential customers and increase brand loyalty or trust.
Thus, don’t be afraid of experimenting with Instagram marketing and give some of the above-mentioned tactics a try to see new local customers.
With 10 years of digital marketing experience, Val works as a freelance SMM consultant who helps both small and medium businesses.
Latest posts by Val Razov (see all)
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Using Instagram for Local Business Marketing
Selling to Small Business BuzzBoard
How to Use Instagram for Local Business Marketing: A Step-by-Step Guide
Are you a local business looking to boost your online presence and attract more customers? Instagram is a powerful platform to achieve this goal. With over 1 billion active users, Instagram offers a unique opportunity to connect with your target audience and drive sales. In this article, we’ll explore the best ways to use Instagram for local business marketing, including creating engaging content, leveraging hashtags, and running targeted ads.
Key Takeaways:
- Optimize your profile: Complete your profile with relevant keywords, address, and contact information to help customers find you.
- Post high-quality content: Share behind-the-scenes glimpses, promotions, and events to keep your audience engaged.
- Use hashtags strategically: Research and use local and niche-specific hashtags to increase visibility and attract new followers.
- Run Instagram Stories Ads: Target local customers with ads that appear in their Instagram Stories feed.
- Monitor and measure performance: Use Instagram Insights to track your performance and adjust your strategy accordingly.
By following these steps, you can effectively use Instagram to promote your local business, increase brand awareness, and drive sales.
How to Harness Instagram for Local Business Marketing
Utilizing Instagram for local business marketing entails more than just merely posting pictures. It involves capitalizing on the features Instagram provides, understanding local and social media marketing intricacies to expand your business’s reach, enhance engagement and ultimately, boost conversions.
Instagram’s geo-tagging attribute and local influencer collaborations can enhance your business’s visibility to potential local customers. Geo-tagging, invaluable if your target audience is within a specific geographic radius, enables location marking on your images, simplifying discovery for local users.
Partnering with local industry influencers is a highly effective strategy in Instagram marketing, offering numerous benefits for businesses looking to increase their online presence and reach a targeted audience. Influencers with a large, engaged local following possess a level of credibility and trust with their followers, making their recommendations highly valuable. By collaborating with these influencers, businesses can tap into their audience and expose their products or services to potential customers who are likely to be interested.
One of the key advantages of partnering with local influencers is the ability to target a specific geographic area. By working with influencers who have a strong following in your local area, you can increase brand awareness and drive sales among customers who are most likely to be interested in your offerings. This targeted approach can be particularly effective for businesses with a physical location, as it allows you to reach customers who are already familiar with your brand and may be more likely to visit your store or engage with your services.
In addition to partnering with influencers, Instagram’s advertising features also offer a range of targeting options that can help businesses reach their desired audience. Sponsored posts and Instagram Stories can be targeted to specific locations, allowing businesses to reach customers within a specific geographic area. This level of precision targeting can be particularly effective for businesses with a local focus, as it allows them to reach customers who are most likely to be interested in their products or services.
Another important feature to consider is Instagram’s shoppable post feature. This feature allows businesses to combine their product catalogue with their Instagram profile, making it easy for customers to learn more about a product or make a purchase directly from the app. This feature can be particularly effective for businesses with a strong e-commerce presence, as it allows them to drive sales and increase conversions.
Finally, it’s essential to stay up-to-date with Instagram’s latest features and updates to help your local business navigate the social media marketing landscape. Instagram is constantly evolving, with new features and updates being added regularly. By staying informed about these changes, you can ensure that your business is taking full advantage of the platform’s capabilities and staying ahead of the competition.
Some key takeaways to consider when implementing an Instagram marketing strategy for your local business include:
- Partnering with local industry influencers to reach a targeted audience and increase brand awareness
- Using Instagram’s advertising features to target specific locations and demographics
- Utilizing Instagram’s shoppable post feature to drive sales and increase conversions
- Staying up-to-date with Instagram’s latest features and updates to ensure your business is taking full advantage of the platform’s capabilities
By incorporating these strategies into your Instagram marketing plan, you can help your local business increase its online presence, drive sales, and stay ahead of the competition.
The Significance of Instagram in Local Business Marketing
Instagram, with its staggering 1 billion active monthly users, has transformed from a simple photo-sharing app to a pivotal platform for social media marketing. Its impact on local business marketing is profound, particularly for companies seeking to establish a strong online presence and attract their target audience. As a result, incorporating Instagram into your marketing strategy is no longer a luxury, but a necessity.
Instagram marketing enables businesses to effectively combine visually appealing content with compelling storytelling, a combination that is immensely effective in boosting brand recognition and spurring consumer engagement. By leveraging high-quality visuals, businesses can create an emotional connection with their audience, fostering a deeper understanding of their brand and values. Moreover, Instagram’s emphasis on storytelling allows businesses to share their unique narrative, highlighting their mission, values, and products in a way that resonates with their target audience.
One of the most significant advantages of Instagram for local business marketing is its ability to tap into the power of local influencers. These individuals have built a significant following in their particular market niche, and collaborating with them can expand your reach, foster credibility, and drive engagement. By partnering with local influencers, businesses can tap into their audience’s trust and loyalty, increasing the likelihood of conversions and driving sales.
Instagram also provides a unique opportunity for local businesses to showcase their personality, enhancing client-business relationships and fostering a sense of community. Using tools like Instagram Stories, Shopping, and live video, businesses can provide behind-the-scenes peeks, product information, and direct interaction, creating a sense of exclusivity and immediacy that is hard to replicate on other platforms. By sharing their story, showcasing their products, and engaging with their audience, local businesses can build a loyal following and establish a strong reputation in their community.
However, harnessing the immense potential of Instagram for local business marketing requires a deep understanding of the platform, its features, and its audience. It’s essential to develop a content strategy that resonates with your target audience, leveraging Instagram’s unique features to drive engagement and conversions. This includes using Instagram Stories to share behind-the-scenes content, leveraging Instagram Live to connect with your audience in real-time, and utilizing Instagram Shopping to tag products and drive sales.
In addition, it’s crucial to monitor your performance, tracking your metrics and adjusting your strategy accordingly. By analyzing your Instagram Insights, you can gain valuable insights into your audience’s behavior, identifying areas for improvement and optimizing your content for maximum impact.
Instagram is no longer just a social media platform, but a powerful marketing tool that can help local businesses establish a strong online presence, attract their target audience, and drive sales. By understanding the platform, embracing its features, and responding to audience requirements and preferences, local businesses can harness the immense potential of Instagram and take their marketing strategy to the next level. It’s time for local businesses to incorporate Instagram into their marketing strategy, and reap the rewards of this powerful platform.
Strategies on Connecting With Local Influencers for Instagram Marketing
Mastering the intricacies of Instagram for local business marketing can be a daunting task, but with the right approach, it can also be a highly effective way to reach and engage with your target audience. One of the most valuable assets for local businesses on Instagram is local influencers, who possess a unique combination of a tailored audience and genuine connections that can be leveraged to amplify your marketing efforts.
To get started, it’s essential to identify potential local influencers who align with your brand values and target audience. Begin by exploring popular local accounts in your niche or industry, and review their content and followers to see if there’s a natural fit. Look for influencers who have a strong presence in your local community, and whose audience demographics and interests align with your business goals.
Once you’ve identified potential influencers, it’s time to build a rapport with them. Start by interacting with their content genuinely and organically, leaving thoughtful comments and engaging with their posts in a way that feels authentic and natural. This will help lay the groundwork for an authentic partnership and establish trust with the influencer.
Collaborating with influencers on content creation can be a highly effective way to reach new audiences and build brand awareness. By granting the influencer creative control, you can ensure that their followers receive content in the format they’re used to, which can help increase engagement and conversions. This could include creating sponsored posts, stories, or even Instagram Live content that showcases your products or services in a unique and compelling way.
Sponsoring posts can also be a powerful way to increase visibility and reach new audiences. By partnering with influencers who have a large following in your target market, you can tap into their audience and capture the attention of potential consumers who may not have been reached through traditional social media marketing methods. This can be especially effective for local businesses that want to target specific geographic areas or demographics.
Finally, it’s essential to assess the return on investment (ROI) of your influencer marketing strategy. Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) such as conversions, website traffic, and engagement metrics to evaluate the success of your campaign and make data-driven decisions about future partnerships. This will help you refine your approach and optimize your results over time.
By following these steps and leveraging the power of local influencers on Instagram, local businesses can turn this platform into a potent tool for marketing and growth. So, take that initial leap and explore the immense potential on offer. With the right approach, you can build a loyal following, drive sales, and establish your business as a leader in your local community.
Examples of Successful Instagram Marketing Campaigns for Local Businesses
Local business marketing has discovered a powerful ally in Instagram, thanks to the platform’s captivating visuals and storytelling capabilities, enabling companies to establish a strong brand presence. One prime example of this is Doughnuttery, a New York-based donut shop that has successfully leveraged Instagram to differentiate itself in a city overflowing with delicious options.
To stand out from the crowd, Doughnuttery has creatively presented its artisan donuts on Instagram, posting behind-the-scenes videos and utilizing geo-location tags. This strategy has not only piqued local interest but also garnered the attention of tourists seeking unique culinary experiences. The success of Doughnuttery’s Instagram marketing campaign highlights the effectiveness of visual content in boosting audience engagement and underscores a growing trend of local influencer collaborations.
These local influencers, who have a substantial regional following, can significantly extend the reach of your marketing efforts by promoting your products or services to their followers. Partnering with local influencers can be a cost-effective strategy compared to securing celebrity endorsements, making it an attractive option for small businesses looking to amplify their marketing efforts.
By harnessing the potential of Instagram marketing, local businesses can develop a niche and establish a strong online presence. This can be achieved by creating engaging content that showcases products, services, or behind-the-scenes moments, and by leveraging Instagram’s features such as Stories, Reels, and IGTV.
Moreover, Instagram’s algorithm favors content that is visually appealing, interactive, and engaging, making it an ideal platform for local businesses to showcase their unique offerings. By incorporating Instagram into their marketing strategy, local businesses can increase brand awareness, drive website traffic, and ultimately, boost sales.
In addition to its visual appeal, Instagram’s community-driven nature makes it an ideal platform for local businesses to connect with customers, respond to feedback, and build relationships. By engaging with customers and responding to comments and messages, local businesses can foster a sense of community and loyalty, which can lead to increased customer retention and advocacy.
Furthermore, Instagram’s shopping feature allows local businesses to tag products directly in their posts and stories, making it easy for customers to purchase from their feed. This feature can be particularly beneficial for local businesses that rely heavily on in-store sales, as it enables them to reach a wider audience and drive sales.
Instagram offers local businesses a wealth of opportunities to establish a strong brand presence, increase engagement, and drive sales. By leveraging the platform’s visual capabilities, storytelling features, and influencer collaborations, local businesses can develop a niche and reach a wider audience. As the platform continues to evolve, it is essential for local businesses to stay ahead of the curve and explore the many ways in which Instagram can benefit their marketing efforts.
The Challenges and Benefits of Using Instagram for Local Business Marketing
Embracing Instagram for local business marketing presents a vast array of opportunities and challenges. While navigating the platform’s complexities can be daunting, the strategic use of Instagram marketing can significantly increase brand visibility, foster strong customer engagement, and drive a substantial boost in conversion rates.
However, before diving into the benefits, it’s essential to acknowledge the challenges that local businesses may face. One of the primary hurdles is Instagram’s algorithm, which can be perplexing for businesses unfamiliar with the platform’s intricacies. Mastering the art of creating an effective visual narrative is not an easy feat, and achieving the right balance between promotional and organic content can become a significant struggle. Moreover, the competition on social media is fierce, making it crucial for local businesses to stand out by leveraging local influencers or optimally using relevant hashtags.
Despite these challenges, the advantages of integrating Instagram into your local business marketing strategy cannot be ignored. Instagram’s visual-based platform is a remarkable tool for showcasing products and services, connecting with target audiences, and building a loyal following. By utilizing Instagram stories, live videos, or IGTV, local businesses can provide an authentic insight into their operations, building trust and loyalty among their followers.
One of the most significant benefits of Instagram marketing is its ability to facilitate geo-targeting, allowing local businesses to reach a targeted audience based on their location. This feature enables businesses to promote their products and services to people who are most likely to be interested in their offerings. Additionally, partnering with local influencers can help increase brand awareness and credibility, while utilizing user-generated content can provide social proof and encourage customer loyalty.
To maximize the ROI of Instagram marketing, local businesses should focus on creating high-quality, engaging content that resonates with their target audience. This can be achieved by posting a mix of promotional and organic content, using relevant hashtags, and leveraging Instagram’s features such as stories, reels, and IGTV. It’s also essential to monitor and analyze performance metrics, such as engagement rates and conversion rates, to refine the marketing strategy and optimize results.
The key to successful Instagram marketing is understanding that it’s more about crafting an engaging story rather than the hard sell. Establishing a dialogue with your audience, engaging with them, and providing value through your content can lead to customer retention and loyalty. As always, we’re here to support local businesses in their online marketing journey, providing guidance and expertise to help them navigate the ever-changing landscape of social media marketing.
If you’re excited about the potential of Instagram marketing but unsure about where to start, we encourage you to share your experiences and join the conversation. By working together, we can help local businesses unlock the full potential of Instagram and achieve their marketing goals.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Instagram is a powerful platform for local businesses to market themselves and attract new customers. By optimizing your profile, posting high-quality content, using hashtags strategically, running targeted ads, and monitoring your performance, you can effectively use Instagram to promote your local business.
Whether you’re a small boutique or a large chain, Instagram offers a unique opportunity to connect with your target audience and drive sales. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can increase your online presence, build brand awareness, and attract new customers.
Remember, Instagram is a visual platform, so make sure to post high-quality content that showcases your products or services. Use hashtags to increase visibility and attract new followers, and run targeted ads to reach local customers. By combining these strategies, you can create a strong Instagram presence that drives results for your local business.
So, what are you waiting for? Start using Instagram for local business marketing today and watch your business thrive!
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