Instagram is heavily used in marketing efforts for big and small brands alike. Despite how powerful it has become, small businesses that can’t afford their own in-house marketing teams struggle with understanding how to properly use it to grow their business.

I would never advise any business to focus to heavily on any one marketing tool, but if harnessed properly, Instagram can be an extremely useful platform. If you are going to utilize social media for your business, do not ignore these basic steps.

Have a content calendar!

If you don’t think you have the time to sit down and create a marketing calendar, think of it this way: You are simply mapping out the month with pre-determined buckets of content to fill. Identify what you want to talk about or promote ahead of time and you’ll know exactly what content assets you’ll need to fill those buckets. If you aren’t sure what to talk about or promote, use the content bucket ideas in the info-graphic above.

Identify your brand voice and value?

Sadly, many Instagram accounts in the same niche look completely identical. How does yours compare? Would people see a post as they scroll and know it was your brand immediately, or are you hidden in the mediocre noise?

If you want your brand to have a social presence you must:

• Identify the value you can offer to those who follow you.

• Create the visuals and branded copy that will get your messaging across to your audience in the most impactful way.

• Analyze what works, and ditch what doesn’t.

• Do not randomly post content without a purpose or a strategy.

Focus on the ROI, not social platform counts.

Just because a business or brand has a high number of followers or a good engagement rate does not mean they are immediately profitable (or that those numbers are even real). If your marketing budget is slim or next to nothing, focus on slowly building organic growth on the platform(s) that are the most responsive to your business. Invest in evergreen content that you can continually re-purpose, and be present and responsive on your social platforms. The return worth having takes time. Remember likes and comments mean nothing if they do not produce traffic.

If you are interested in more in-depth information as it relates to marketing campaigns, strategies, best practices, or an overall consultation on your current state of digital affairs in the restaurant or retail world, feel free to reach out.