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B2B companies are increasingly using Instagram to reach potential customers by showcasing their products on services creatively. Instagram allows interactive and video-format posts. It is important to optimize content strategies to get the right audience; in your case, a professional looking for the services you provide. The primary purpose of social media advertising is to either increase brand visibility or to form a connection with the client. Instagram lets you do both.
Here are some ways to tap into the professional side of this social media platform;
- Short-form video content
Customers are more likely to lean into products and services with visual references of type and performance. This applies to B2B customers as well. The "reels" feature on Instagram allows you to showcase your product within a short time frame of 7-15 seconds. Although longer formats are available, this suggested timeframe has been the most impactful as it allows the video to loop and gains more views from the same user.
Some reel content ideas include product information posts, client feedback, behind the scene shoots or even videos from a trade fair that the company attended. This content portfolio can also be enhanced through animated visuals. Tying these posts to targeted or sponsored advertisements is essential to bring the user back to your business page.
- User-generated content
Collaborating with another business on Instagram could help you pull the right audience. For example, user-generated content has a 4.5% higher chance of conversion to sales than other types of content. In addition, showcasing client feedback or a shoutout from a known influencer in the same space can significantly impact brand awareness.
A message is more effective when it comes from a credible source. For example, a shoutout from a business that has benefitted from the services of an event planning company would provide more significant positive evidence than the "Our Services" section of the company's website.
- Active engagement with followers via Stories
Stories on Instagram last for 24 hours. You would think that this impermanence makes it a useless feature when it is quite the opposite.
The engagement that stories receive is based on the fact that stories are temporary and will expire after a limited period. Moreover, Stories is the most interactive feature on Instagram, with multiple features like Q&As, multiple choice questions and polls for users. B2B brands use these stories to talk about their clients and past experiences. You can use polls and Q&As to educate customers about your product or service and build strategies based on the responses. These curated stories must become a core part of your social media strategy to keep the customers engaged; this is how your company reaches the "awareness stage" of a consumer's buying journey.
- Hashtag Strategy
Hashtags were a part of the foundation of Instagram and hold even more relevance now. Adding a mix of generic and specific hashtags is essential to get more engagement on posts. New hashtags can be created to bring uniformity across centres and to build a brand identity. These hashtags can be further used as a promotion tool for giveaways or user-generated content. In addition, your company page must also include the essential keywords in the bio. For example, a B2B Financial Services company would specify the type of services they offer, its location and the critical keywords to make sure that it stays on the top of all possible searches that start with "Finance".
- Integrate digital marketing strategies
The work continues when your online brand is set up. The next step is integrating all your digital marketing strategies to lead the customer to your website.
To fully integrate your socials, website, store, and videos and provide a link to your latest blog, a social media reference landing page can be linked to your Instagram page through Linktree or other free online services. This allows the potential client to navigate through easily multiple companies' links and successfully connect with your product or service. In addition, Instagram lets you link your contact and email on the company page.
Whether you are looking to make a casual scroller aware of your services or to connect professionally with a client, investing time in an Instagram strategy should be at the top of your list as a B2B company.
