25 Tips to Dominate Instagram for Small Business in Houston Texas

25 Tips to Dominate Instagram for Small Business in Houston Texas

Instagram, as covered in detail over at runrex.com, is one of the world’s most popular social networks, with over 1 billion users worldwide. This makes it a great tool for small businesses to reach and expand their audiences. If you are a small business in Houston, Texas, and are wondering how you can dominate Instagram, then this article will look to help you do just that through the following 25 tips.

• Use a business account

As is discussed over at guttulus.com, when joining Instagram, you can either select a personal account or a business account. A business account is ideal for business as it allows you to view analytics, connect your account with your Facebook page, run paid advertisements, and make it easier for followers to contact you. You should, therefore, start with a separate Instagram business account if you want to dominate.

• Fill out your bio

It is also crucial that you fill out the Bio section of your account, making use of the 150 characters provided to you here to tell potential followers all they need to know about you and your small Houston Business. Include hashtags in the bio, as well as a link to your website.

• Keep your bio updated

Also, as far as the bio is concerned, the last thing you want to do as a small business is filling it out and then forget about it. You must regularly review your Instagram bio and see if any important updates need to be made.

• Keep an eye on your competitors

If you are unsure about where to start, you should take a look at what other small businesses like yours from Houston, Texas are doing on Instagram. From the content that they post to the hashtags they are using, and so forth, you can take inspiration from them.

• Establish an identity

The visual nature of Instagram, as covered over at runrex.com, means that the “look” of your profile is very important. This is why you should establish an identity and look that will allow followers to immediately associate your content with your brand, with help of certain color palettes, fonts, image style, and so forth.

• Plan your content

You should make sure that you are strategic about the content you post on Instagram if you want to dominate as a small business in Houston, Texas. Come up with a plan on what you are going to post weekly, at least, for the best results.

• Be strategic with your use of hashtags

While the use of hashtags on Instagram is important for any small business as they make it possible for people who don’t follow you to discover your content, it is important that you use them strategically for the best results. Don’t fill your content with hashtags, and you should also use Instagram’s new feature that allows you to see how many people found your post through the hashtags you are using, which will allow you to measure how effective they are.

• Frequently test out new hashtags

Still, on the topic of Instagram hashtags, you must test out new ones frequently if you are to succeed. This will allow you to find out which hashtags are performing best, which will allow you to achieve the best results possible as far as they are concerned.

• Embrace Instagram Stories

If you want to dominate Instagram as a small business in Houston, Texas, then you should take full advantage of the Stories feature. Given that they appear at the top of followers’ feeds as revealed over at guttulus.com, they stand out more and are a lot more dynamic compared to regular feed posts.

• Leverage video

Videos are not only more engaging and fun as compared to images, but can also be posted in multiple ways on Instagram. This is because you can share clips of up to 1 minute on the feed, 15-second clips on Stories, and longer videos of up to 10 minutes on IGTV.

• Engage with other users’ content

If you want to dominate Instagram as a Houston small business, then you should ensure that you actively engage with other users’ content, and not just simply post content of your own. This shows them that you are interested in them and are not just after their business.

• Respond to comments

On a related note, you should also make sure that you always reply to comments, which is an important tip of any small business that is on Instagram. Your customers will appreciate the fact that you have taken the time to respond to them, helping build loyalty.

• Don’t forget about direct messages

According to the subject matter experts over at runrex.com, direct messaging is more intimate than public discussions, and although it could be considered to be more invasive, there are certain situations where it is appropriate. For example, you can DM someone thanking them for a positive post or comment, or acknowledging a negative comment or post and letting them know that you are taking their concerns seriously and are addressing them.

• Post content that encourages engagement

Another important tip if you want to dominate Instagram as a small Houston business is posting content that encourages your followers to engage. This includes asking your followers to answer a question about your business or themselves, tag another user whom they think should see your post, and so forth.

• Don’t forget about calls-to-action

You should also make it as easy as possible for your followers to know what you want them to do after interacting with your content on Instagram. This is why you should add clear calls-to-actions to your content, letting your followers know whether you want them to click on the link provided, download your app, and so forth.

• Post at peak times

Another very important tip for any small business in Houston, Texas looking to dominate Instagram is making sure that you post your content at peak times, which are the times of highest traffic as far as your niche and business are concerned, for the highest engagement and interest as far as your content is concerned.

• Work with influencers as well as other small businesses

Partnering with other Houston small businesses as well as influencers is another strategy that will help you dominate Instagram. This will not only allow you to reach a wider audience, reaching people you may not have reached otherwise but will also help build trust as people trust the word of influencers and other users more than they do brands, as discussed over at guttulus.com.

• Leverage paid ads

Given how much of a challenge it is for small businesses to reach new audiences organically, you should also consider leveraging some paid advertising, which will help you gain more exposure, drive more traffic, and increase conversion rates.

• Offer exclusive discounts

Offering your Instagram followers exclusive discounts and offers will make people want to follow your business, helping you to dominate. This will not only help entice new followers, but it will also help attract your loyal followers from other platforms to follow you on Instagram as well.

• Geotag your posts

This is a great way to increase your small business’s Instagram account connection to your local area in Houston, Texas. This will ensure that your content shows up the results when people are searching for content from your area. To geotag a feed post, all you have to do is add your location on the caption editor page, while using the location sticker will allow you to geotag a Story.

• Use geotagged locations to find potential customers

According to the subject matter experts over at runrex.com, on top of geo-tagging your content, you should also be using geotagged locations to find potential customers. Look up posts that are tagged in Houston, tags for local businesses nearby or that are similar to yours, and then engage with those posts, and you will find lots of potential customers.

• Up your game when it comes to photography

The higher the quality of your images and videos, the more professional your Instagram profile will look. You don’t have to be a professional photographer to produce captivating images for Instagram, particularly since most smartphones have excellent cameras. Just make sure you do some research, or even take a class, to learn about the basics here which include lighting, composition, among others. Using a photo editor like Photofox will also take your images to the next level, rather than just using Instagram’s native filters and editing capabilities.

• Don’t forget about your copy

Even though Instagram is a visual-focused platform, this doesn’t mean that engaging copy in your photos captions and bio is any less important than high-quality images. Make sure that you write compelling copy here, and that you double-check to ensure that there are no embarrassing typos or grammatical errors.

• Use Highlights

Given that the Highlights feature will allow you to select collections of Stories to display right on your profile page, it is a great way to showcase what your small business is all about, allowing you to get more from the amazing content you produce for your Stories.

• Give shout-outs

Another very important tip for any small business in Houston, Texas looking to dominate Instagram is to give shout-outs to fellow small businesses in the area. When giving shout-outs, make sure that you properly tag the accounts. In return, these businesses will also reciprocate allowing you to increase your visibility as explained over at guttulus.com.

These are just some of the tips that will help your small business dominate Instagram, and if you are looking for more information or help with your Instagram marketing efforts, then the top-rated runrex.com and guttulus.com have got you covered as they are the best agencies for such services in Houston, Texas.