If you’re in business, you understand the importance of effective marketing — and how expensive it can be.
That’s why you need to be sure you’re getting it right.
You’ve been considering giving Instagram a try, but are wondering if it’s really the best marketing option for your company.
We can help.
In this article, we’ll talk about how to use Instagram for B2B marketing and why it’s a tool you won’t want to overlook.
Can Instagram Be Used for B2B?
Absolutely!
B2B marketing is marketing that’s geared towards an organization or business. There are two great benefits to using Instagram for B2B:
- Increasing your website traffic — Instagram’s high level of engagement easily boosts traffic to your site.
- Building trust with your audience — Instagram allows you to engage with your audience by sharing personal, day-to-day glimpses of life at your company.
If you want to grow your business, Instagram is a strategy you should seriously consider.
Why Instagram Is a Great Platform for B2B Marketing
What makes Instagram so great as a B2B marketing strategy? Here are a few reasons:
- It has a huge number of users. According to CNBC, over 2 billion people use Instagram every month. And on top of that, each user spends approximately 30 minutes a day on the platform.
- It is a visual storytelling platform. Instagram was created to showcase stories, making it the best place to display your business’s culture.
- It’s easy to cultivate a target audience.
- It easily hosts video, text, and photos all in one place, so users don’t have to click away for different types of content.
Inspire and Engage
At Pretty-Impressive, each client is unique. Which is why we create strategies tailored to the needs of each company. Reach out and we’ll help you get your brand exactly where it needs to be — ahead of the rest.
How to Use Instagram for B2B Marketing: 2 Strategies
If you’re planning to use Instagram for B2B marketing, it’s important that you understand how it works. You have two options, organic or paid Instagram.
#1: Organic Instagram B2B Strategy
At its most basic, organic Instagram marketing consists of
- Posting captioned …
- Images
- Graphics; and
- Videos
- Engaging with your customers by responding to their inquiries through comments and direct messages; and
- Interacting with other Instagram accounts by …
- Liking
- Commenting
- Sharing; and
- Following
Let’s take a look at what you need to do if you decide to dive into an organic Instagram B2B strategy.
Step 1: Establish An Instagram Business Account
You can use Instagram to target users with self-identifying marketing strategies.
For example, if you are a local electrician in Houston, you could use Instagram ads to target specific demographics of people, such as those who:
- Live in the Houston area
- Are interested in home improvement; or
- Have recently purchased a home
Using a self-identifying marketing strategy like this is a great way to reach potential customers who might be interested in your business.
Additionally, using retargeting ads allows you to continue reaching your target market even after they have seen your ad or clicked on it.
Step 2: Define Your Target Audience And Set Achievable Goals
Once you have your Instagram business account, you will need to decide who you’re marketing to.Take a look at your current customer base and ask yourself:
- How old are they?
- Are they mostly male, female — or a mix?
- What kind of content seems to catch their eye?
- What kind of content are they sharing with their friends?
If you also utilize other social media channels, examine the analytics to determine exactly who is following you. Conducting a competitor analysis to find out what is working for them can also be a great idea.
When you’ve determined your target audience, you will want to create goals. Seek to generate a set of goals that is:
- Relevant
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable; and
- Time-sensitive
Step 3: Focus On Creating Valuable And Consistent Content
Once you start to build a base of followers, they will be expecting to see regular content.If you want your Instagram B2B strategy to be successful, you’re going to need to be consistent in posting.
Create a schedule and make sure your content is what your followers are looking for. Put thought and effort into creating your captions and utilize high-value hashtags.
But don’t be obnoxious. You don’t want to overwhelm your followers with an exorbitant amount of content.
You can keep them up to date when it comes to:
- Sales
- Hiring opportunities
- New product launches; and
- Behind-the-scenes glimpses into your business
Your goal is to keep your followers engaged with your content and to keep your business at the forefront of their minds — and their spending.
And be sure to use all the tools IG offers — including IGTV and Instagram stories.
Step 4: Engage With Your Audience
We’ve all experienced the frustration of asking a question or making a comment on an Instagram account of a business we love — only to receive no response.
It leaves a bad impression and gives the appearance that the business doesn’t truly care about its customers.
Don’t underestimate the importance of engaging with your audience. After all, social media is all about social interaction, right?
You can engage with your audience by responding to comments and mentions while cross-promoting other brands they also follow.
Step 5: Track Your Statistics
It’s important that you know what’s working for your business, and one of the best ways to do that is to track your stats.
You want to regularly check in to see if you’re meeting your goals, and Instagram Insights is the perfect way to do it. This analytical tool provides in-depth demographics and data on your followers.
Instagram Insights makes it easy to find out how effective your ads are and to see just what kind of content is working best for you — so you can tweak your strategy if necessary.
#2: Paid Instagram B2B Strategy
The second Instagram strategy for B2B marketing is to use Instagram as a paid service.
Similar to a pay-per-click type advertising effort, you can purchase ads on Instagram to market to your target audience.
There are a few ways you can do this, including by:
- Using video content
- Showing up in stories for ads; or
- Showing up natively as consumers scroll through their feeds
Paid Instagram ads look similar to a normal post, but display a “sponsored” label to let consumers know they are paid advertising.
Paid ads on Instagram can be used as your only source of paid digital marketing or can be combined with Google Ads or display ads.
Inspire and Engage
At Pretty-Impressive, each client is unique. Which is why we create strategies tailored to the needs of each company. Reach out and we’ll help you get your brand exactly where it needs to be — ahead of the rest.
Which Instagram Strategy for B2B Marketing Is Best: Organic or Paid?
So, the question arises, should you use an organic or paid Instagram strategy for B2B marketing?
It all boils down to customer acquisition cost or CAC.
If you’re getting hundreds of customers through only using Instagram as an organic tool, you may not have a need for paid Instagram.
But if you’re not meeting your goals, you may want to opt for paid Instagram.
One way to do this is to take a list of your email subscribers and upload it to Instagram. You’ll then create a lookalike audience on Instagram and start paying for ads.
Now you’ve got a large customer base at a low acquisition cost. If you find you’re getting a positive ROI, you may want to continue to use Instagram on its own.
But if you’re getting lots of new traffic to your site, you may opt to continue with paid Instagram, using it to remarket to your site visitors.
Develop an Effective Instagram B2B Marketing Strategy With the Help of Pretty-Impressive
Instagram can be a powerhouse for B2B marketing — but it’s got to be done right.
Pretty-Impressive is here to help.
We start out by scheduling a 30-minute session to help you determine the best path for your specific business.
Then, we formulate a personalized plan outlining the best way to implement an Instagram B2B strategy into your business.
But we don’t stop there. Our plan also includes a wide variety of other social media strategies, including:
- Facebook ads
- Email marketing
- Google Ads
- Growth marketing; and
- Marketing analytics
At Pretty-Impressive, our goal is to empower you to generate revenue at a ROI by turning your $1 in ad spend into $12 in profits.
If you want a social media marketing strategy that’s done right, look no further than Pretty-Impressive.
Get in touch with us today to schedule your free ad-optimization audit.
