6 Instagram Tips for Small-Business Owners, by Small-Business Owners

Plan ahead

Scheduling out content and time to publish Instagram posts is critical for busy small-business owners’ productivity.

Angel Kwiatkowski, founder of Cohere Coworking in Fort Collins, Colorado, says her best advice for new small-business owners is to "photograph everything relentlessly." That way, you don’t have to rack your brain for content ideas — or lean too heavily into promotional content.

To avoid the latter, Chelsea Huddleston, marketing director of ELEV8 Climbing and Fitness in Traverse City, Michigan, tries to strike a balance on the gym’s Instagram account: 60% photo content and 40% promotional content

Share the spotlight with staff and customers

When you’re not sure what to post don’t be afraid to pass the baton off and give your staff and customers some attention.

Lopez says following your employees is a solid first step.

If they share your passion, they might "share things that are in alignment with the business" on Instagram already.

Repost their relevant content — with credit.

Be sure to look at posts that tag your business.

Reposting customers’ positive interactions with your brand shows off your business while showing your customers some love

Leverage the features that make sense for your business

There are numerous ways to promote your business on Instagram — but they won’t all make sense for your specific brand.

"I definitely think that overwhelming your Instagram with two, three posts a day is not the way to go," Lopez says.

That’s where Stories come in handy, she adds.

Stories are a great way to share snippets of your day without inundating your followers’ feeds.

Like polls or questions, you can better understand your audience and what they want from your account.

Maria Romo, owner of The Brow Shaping Queen in Frisco, Texas, finds tagging specific businesses to be more organic than hashtags, so this is where she directs her energy.

"I feel like you’re probably seen more if you tag other businesses because they re-share you," she says

Findings

At least 90% of people on Instagram follow a business, according to Instagram data from October 2019

Let apps do the work for you

There’s no shortage of small-business apps to make every aspect of your company — including social media — easier.

Remember that Instagram isn’t the end-all-be-all "It’s so easy to believe that any methodology is the thing that’s going to make or break your business," Kwiatkowski says.

Your business’s future doesn’t hinge on any single thing alone — Instagram included.

"The more you do it, the better you’re going to get at it."