Every beginning is difficult. Surely most startups are not surprised that winning new customers is one of the toughest tasks of the day.
It is therefore all the more important to establish contacts that can become customers.
Instagram helping founders
In this context, Instagram has established itself as an important tool. The platform makes sense especially for companies that sell visually appealing products or services.
With over 800 million active users, the platform is made for companies who want to bring their products to the man or the woman.
Nevertheless, there are some points to note that could otherwise pose a major obstacle for companies.
Who belongs to your target group?
For customer acquisition on Instagram, it is necessary to differentiate between two different types of companies.
These are:
• Companies that sell products or services to the end user
• Companies operating in the B2B sector
These two types of companies require a completely different approach.
In addition, you should ask yourself the following questions:
- What age does your target group have?
- From which region do your customers come?
- Are there specific interests that your target group shares?
After you have answered these questions, you can make the first strategic decisions.
First strategic decisions
To win customers on Instagram, there are 4 ways:
- Influencer Marketing
- Instagram Shopping
- Advertise via Instagram
- Instagram Marketing
Especially for companies with a focus on end consumers, a combination of Instagram shopping and influencer marketing makes the most sense.
This is usually cheaper than resorting to Instagram advertising. Furthermore, you can arrange with the influencers billing by commission.
Then you only have to pay when a sale takes place.
For companies in the B2B area, I would especially recommend influencer marketing and Instagram advertising.
Take, for example, a locally based company that offers fitness classes. Then especially people from the area are interesting.
This can best be achieved through Instagram advertising. Finally, it is possible to define the target group exactly and narrow down.
Above all, influencer marketing helps you to reach people with specific interests. A determination to a specific location is then difficult.
Above all, influencer marketing makes sense if you sell products nationally or internationally.
Influencer Marketing: You should pay attention
Although influencer marketing brings numerous benefits, there are a few points to keep in mind.
It is especially important to analyze the influencers exactly. Many Instagram users pretend to be influencers, even though they do not have the necessary active followers.
It often turns out that users are buying fake followers. This is not a sensible investment for you.
After all, you will then stay at your expense without additional sales or inquiries.
Furthermore, an interaction rate of 5 – 10% should be a condition for every collaboration. You should consciously strive for higher interaction rates.
The higher the interaction rate, the more people like and comment on the image of the influencer.
Get statistics on reach, number of comments and likes, and subscribers.
On request, reputable influencers like to share this information.
Tip: Get the rights to the images the influencer. Then they can access the images in offline marketing campaigns.
Instagram shopping
For some time there is the possibility for companies to mark their own products in their contributions.
Thus, users have the opportunity directly in Instagram post prices. With one click you will be forwarded directly to the online shop and can buy products.
For startups in the e-commerce sector, this is a quick way to attract customers.
Compared to Search Engine Optimization (SEO), no long startup phase is necessary. First sales can be realized after a short time.
Also published on Medium.