5 Instagram Marketing Tips for Small Businesses from an Instagram Addict

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by Aaryck Enriquez who is currently petting a good dog.

Instagram is fun and addicting. It’s so much fun that I try to showboat how cool my life is by showing how many dogs I can pet in one day. While posting all the dogs I pet on Instagram, I’ve noticed that more companies are marketing on the app and you should too as a small business owner. After doing some research, here are some facts that should excite you as a small business owner for using Instagram:

• Today, the amount of users surpassed 700 million.
• 59% of Instagram users are on the platform daily, with 35% visiting the app several times a day.

It looks like your business is a gold mine on Instagram. (Hallelujah hands emoji)

So, here are 5 Marketing Tips to get  ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶t̶a̶i̶l̶ ̶w̶a̶g̶g̶i̶n̶g̶ you excited to market on Instagram:

1. Use #ApplicableHashtags
Hashtags on Instagram are used to organize and categorize all of the photo and video content and increase your chances at being found in all of the visual clutter. Essentially, hashtags are the lifeblood for each of your posts.


Since hashtags are very helpful in being found, use hashtags that are applicable to your business and to the specific post. For instance, a Mexican restaurant might feature a new burrito that has carne asada and a new hot sauce, so try using your city/geographical location #FortCollins, what the product is #CarneAsadaBurrito, and add something that might be trending, e.g. #picoftheday and #FeedAaryckMoreMexicanFood. Hashtags like these work, because they help grow your reach to your audience and preferred demographics. Just be careful not to use too many hashtags, because it’s not a good look for a visual content-rich platform!

2. Post quality content

Good and engaging content on Instagram is a great way to gather a following and market to them. However, it’s not always easy to just snap a photo and have it be good content, because it requires time, effort, and energy to create good content for Instagram. Amra and Elma Beganovich at Forbes Magazine understand this and said, “Lackluster images or posts are not worth sharing and will turn off your audience. This is why it’s critical to invest time and energy into the quality of your content. Sometimes this may require extensive research, editing and planning – but in the long run, it’s worth it.”

Let’s visit the burrito example again:
A picture of a burrito is kind of boring – all the good stuff is inside! So, to post good content, think outside the box. Maybe take a photo of the freshly cooked carne asada made for the burrito to showcase the quality ingredients. Perhaps, take a video of the burrito being made or make a graphic of all the ingredients.

This might be time consuming and overwhelming, but don’t worry. We love creating content and we can help! Especially when it’s carne asada burritos…

3. Collaborate with Other Businesses

Back in the day, Aerosmith had clout. Aerosmith collaborated with then super hip-hop group RUN DMC in the 80’s and came out with the hit single, “Walk This Way.” The song topped the charts, was a massive success and I still the dig fun-spirited rock/hip-hop collaboration.

Like music, social media collaboration on Instagram can and does lead to success. Social media marketing veteran, Lisa Karl says, “The trend on Instagram now is to share the love, so to speak, by tagging others or even by outright promoting other companies, products and services.” 

The reason behind this strategy is simple: it leads to more reach and more sales. Karl explains further, “The results are threefold: higher recognition for everyone involved, increased followers (who in turn tag the businesses during visits) and increased traffic and sales for the local businesses.”

So who can you think of that you can collaborate with?

If I was making that carne asada burrito, you can best believe that I’m gonna collaborate with the tortilla company...

4. Invest in Paid Ads

Instagram did a survey in 2015 and found that 60% of people discovered new products on Instagram. Additionally, 75% of users take action after being inspired by a post.

Based off of the data above, I always highly recommend an Instagram ad budget, because paid ads increase your reach and exposure above and beyond your organic reach. With the assistance of a paid ad program, you will gain more followers and influence anyone else who sees the ad to take action.

5. Use the Insights Tool

Instagram has a cool feature on how to track posts called “Insights.” Used exclusively for business pages, Instagram offers daily insights on how each of your posts are performing and how people are engaging with your posts. Using this tool will help you make better decisions on future posts.

Using the Insights tool allows the you to see how many likes and comments each post is getting, thus giving you an idea which content you post tends to perform better overall. Once you know what content performs best with your audience, focus more on those kind of posts – obviously.

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I hope these tips were helpful in getting you started because Instagram is a rewarding social media platform when it’s used properly. As a marketing professional, I love being able to figure out what works and what doesn’t for my clients. I also love creating designs, taking photos, engaging with people on there and trying to figure out the next trending hashtag – it’s a rush! However, if you need help with your Instagram marketing, contact me here at Canopy Creative Marketing!