3 Tactical ways a small business can increase visibility on Instagram

Instagram has changed the way businesses sell and market products online. Create a business profile, upload content and videos, suggest followers to buy merchandise through website links and hopefully followers will be attracted to your page and stay engaged.

In 2019, Instagram hit one billion monthly users almost an eighth of the world’s population.

The pro: more opportunities to reach a wider consumer pool and the con: competition is higher than ever.

It's hard for an emerging business to standout amongst a deep ocean of established brands and famous content creators dominating the online market space.

One way to rise to stardom is to have a defined business strategy.

For the newbies entering the social media race, it’s important to develop an angle that separates your company from the pack and can gain traction.

Here are three tactical ways to increase visibility on Instagram for business owners.

1. Develop a Brand

The good thing about Instagram is that it can be utilized as a social media platform and a learning tool for beginner brands coming onto the app.

Lets say you've opened a restaurant and are looking to expand on Instagram (IG). I would recommend browsing through restaurants selling similar products. For example, your restaurant sells burgers, fries and shakes. Mc Donald's, Wendy's and In N Out are established competitors in the same food field.

Go through competitors IG platforms and distinguish differences each brand in terms of color schemes, types of pictures, style, tone and unique angles these businesses are known for.

Mc Donald's has recently rejuvenated there company by partnering with celebrities supporting local charities and causes that change lives. You'll see a lot of pop singers and rappers repping the Mc Donald's signature M in order to spread love and united peace. This goes back to Mc Donald's original appeal that drew in customers: to provide a enjoyable setting where busy families can eat a tasty meal in a fun-loving environment. Family, unity, and peace.

Take pictures that would best suit the companies mission statement.

As I mentioned before, Mc Donald's brand ties into family, unity and fun. Pictures on Mc Donald's IG are of families eating their products, children consuming happy meals and friends laughing and eating together.

Discover an angle.

Questions to ask yourself: how is my brand different for other companies selling the same thing? What unique qualities does my company have that will continually draw customers?

Referencing Mc Donald's again, Mc Donald's sells cheeseburgers that can be served in under one minute, Mc Donald's golden arches are universal staple pieces and they were the first resturant chain to have a dollar menu.

2. Post 2-3 times a day

Consistency is power.

It's true.

Opening a business profile on IG is the easy part and the reason why so many people have accounts. The hard part is actually committing to work on the IG every day whether the page is experencing trendmendous growth or struggling.

To grow on this platform, posting 2-3 times a day is a must.

Social media service provider Social Buddy recommends, "Aim to post on Instagram between one to three times per day. Major brands post on average of 1.5 times per day, so if you aim to follow the same rule you should do well."

Think of posting everyday to watering a plant. Scheduled watering increases a plants success. Skipping watering sessions ensures plants demise.

When actively on IG, posting stories and content, updating new and exciting videos energizes followers. Followers will see your business as a reliable brand they can go to and postings broadens viewership.

IG is a sharing-app tangled in sensitive algorithms and responds to views and likes. Having consistent followers allows IG to place your content on its larger forms like the IG discovery page which would introduce your company to a bigger market.

3. Get Personal

Trust is what's selling nowadays.

Where as twenty years ago companies would team up with a famous athletes or a movie stars to tap into niche demographics. That form of marketing isn't as effective as it is today.

Consumers are drawn to influencers they genuinely like and trust. It's more knowing the person selling the product than it is about the product. Bigger businesses are struggling with this concept.

Its vital businesses get up close and personal with their followers.

Creator of Twitter and Instagram celebrity Gary Vee's words of wisdom, ""You have to understand your personal DNA. Don't do things because I do them or Steve Jobs or Mark Cuban tried it. You need to know your personal brand and stay true to it," Vaynerchuk said. With a commitment to authenticity, entrepreneurs get a chance to display what makes them and their business different from the rest."

Share details you wouldn't normally tell anyone that is related to the brand or the reason for the brand. Take followers behind the scenes because they want to know how your business is made and who are all involved. These tactics transition the basic business to consumer relationship into a friendship.

Followers that care about your company and are willing to support your cause are good for business because supporters can transition to loyalist. Followers will relate to your brand so much that they won't want to buy a similar product because they have faith in you.

Adding stories is also a fantastic additive to incorporate.

A study conducted by Google concluded, "6 out of 10 people would rather watch online videos than television."

Cisco, "By 2022, online videos will make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic — 15 times higher than it was in 2017."

The future is videos. Posting clips of your product, creating the product and explaining what the product is very effective.

The bottom line is this, hard work produces results and success does not happen overnight. Be patient, commit to these learning practices and put your all into using every platform out there to grow your business. Instagram is one of the best apps in its realm and if used properly, can change the face of any organization on social media.

Give my advice a try because you never know what could happen.