We’ve asked some successful Bristol based Instagram accounts how they get customers through Instagram, how they use analytics and if they collaborate with other accounts. Find out what they had to say below……
Do you get customers through Instagram?
What do you do to encourage this?
– Yes a lot, it’s our top platform for conversions and where a lot of our customers initially find us.
– We do, a lot of customers come in to the shop requesting or referencing items they’ve seen on our instagram. We run competitions that widen our awareness and we work with local & international influencers to build our following – the food we picture is often enough to entice new customers in on its own!
– Of course! We share information about our services, what we have done for our clients and give value. Then people want to know more…
– We do! We’re really fortunate… most of our products really do the talking for us, so we can just use Instagram to showcase our blends and the great things that can be done with them. And then we of course want to make sure that our customers know to head to our website or into one of our stores to purchase the blends, if they’d like to grab some for themselves!
– Yes I get a lot of sales through Instagram. Taking clean bright product shots helps, I then get direct messages from people who ask if the product in the photo is for sale, I will then set up a custom order so the customer can purchase the product. I know that you can now sell direct from a photo through Instagram which I hope to set up soon!
Conclusion: Instagram is a fantastic place to get leads for your business.
Do you use the Instagram analytics? Which do you find to be the most useful metric?
– Yes, it’s key. The audience analytics are really helpful, plus seeing which posts are performing the best, which have lead to clicks through to the website, follows & conversions.
– Yes, a little. The most useful is probably the statistics on the age and gender of our followers, which allows us to better plan what tone our posts will take and what sort of content we post at a particular time.
– Yes! Knowing when our audience is online.
– We do use them – it helps us to look at the posts that are particularly popular and try and work out what it is that made them so great. We want to make sure that we’re always engaging with our audience and posting the content that they want to see!
Conclusion: If you’re wondering if your posts are being seen by anyone, or if your followers are content with the content you put out – use Instagram’s built in analytics.
Do you collaborate with other businesses on Instagram?
– It isn’t something we regularly do, but we have put together short collabs with other like minded brands. If there is a crossover between out audiences and they hold the same values as Chroma, then it works really well. This has worked in the form of, competitions, giveaways and custom product collaborations.
– We don’t often collaborate with other businesses on Instagram but have done so occasionally in the past. We enjoy doing it, but mostly wait for other companies to approach us because of the time involved with planning a successful collaboration.
– We collaborate with hundreds of businesses in or #InstaBizWeek challenge – where we work together as a community to improve our Instagram presences.
– We do sometimes collaborate with other companies to run giveaways and competitions! We like to work with small, independent companies that share a similar ethos to us – we like to do this because we want to celebrate and promote the companies that we love! We ask customers to comment on a post and we’ll select a winner, who receives a selection of goodies (usually a mix from us and the company that we’re collaborating with!) We do try to do these every couple of months!
Conclusion: Competitions and collaborations are quite effective for engagement! Try to look around for similar or complimentary accounts to work with.
What advice would you give to new businesses that would like to use Instagram for business?
– Plan ahead, develop your style and always post quality content. It’s better that you post quality, thought out posts rather than a scatter-gun approach or poorly thought out content. Oh and always makes sure your photos are of the highest quality.
– I think the most important thing is having visually appealing images that showcase some element of your business, as well as making your followers feel connected to the business in some way, whether they relate to what you are saying or there is an effort to make them feel like they belong and are gaining something from following you.
– Come on one of our courses 😉 – No seriously, download the app – create an account and have an explore. Have a look around and play with it, the best way to learn is to have a go. See something you like on someone else’s account? Write it down and try to replicate it.
– Put a piece of yourself on your Instagram! People can easily spot boring, disingenuous accounts, so try to make sure you’re always staying honest and true to yourself and the ethos of your business.
Conclusion: Find a style you like, plan and make sure you use quality images. One of the best ways to make your brand stand out is by being authentic (be yourself)! The only way to do this is just by starting up an account and seeing what works for you and your followers!
In Conclusion
According to Hootsuite there are 23 Million users in the UK alone (2018) – that’s 23 Million people your business could reach out to!
Hopefully you found some of the insights from these fantastic Bristol businesses useful!