Instagram is fast becoming one of the most popular social media sites available, particularly where younger viewers are concerned. Recent reports have touted the mass exodus of the younger demographic from Facebook to Instagram. However, despite its growing popularity, many business owners still do not know how this social media site can help them. Below are six ways that local businesses can benefit from using Instagram.

Sponsored Ads

For quite a while, Instagram refused to become commercialized and did not offer any sponsored posts or advertising. But now, while still done on a smaller scale compared to other sites like Facebook and Twitter, Instagram offers sponsored posts to companies. Because there is not a lot of competition on Instagram businesses can reach a large audience by partaking in the sponsored ads.

Tradeshows

If your business sells any kind of product or service and regularly appears at tradeshows, using Instagram to show off your booth as well as your products can be a great way to draw more interest. Whether it’s to show other businesses that might be interested in your services, or to show consumers who are interested in stopping by to see what you have or had offer, using this social media outlet to share photos of tradeshow items and booths is a great to get more people to engage with your brand.

Customer Feedback

Another great way to use Instagram is to find out what customers think about your product. By snapping pictures of your product and posting them, your followers and other Instagram users who see the images of your products can engage, comment and provide feedback. Most of the time this feedback will be gained without even asking for it, and if it’s something that people love, it is very likely that the photo will be shared, providing you with free advertising.

Humanize Yourself

One mistake that businesses often make when they enter the world of social media is to only promote products, discuss their business, and post deals. While these things are important, the point of social media is to humanize your business and yourself. Post things that are going on in your life, without getting too personal of course, or post pictures of the employees such them performing performing their duties.

Share Sales

Of course, your social media accounts for your business are still business oriented, and you will want to share some deals from time to time. Sharing sales, discounts, or promotions with your followers on Instagram is a lot of fun, because you can use attractive graphics instead of just using text. Using images is actually quite effective, as well, and if you say that the deal is only for your followers, you add the element of exclusivity, which is another great way to attract buyers.

Brand Recognition

Even if you use Instagram for no other reason, use it for brand recognition. A while back, having a Facebook page or a Twitter account for your business may have seemed rather strange. Not a lot of people did it, and some people were unclear as to how it could help their business. Now, if your business does not have a Facebook or Twitter account, you have very low brand recognition and it is hard to compete. Instagram will soon become the Facebook and Twitter of tomorrow, and eventually those businesses who do not have an Instagram account will may suffer. Take the opportunity now to create an Instagram account for your business, and enjoy the brand recognition that comes from it. By getting used to it before it becomes a necessity, you will be ahead of the curve.

There are many other ways that local businesses can benefit from having an Instagram account, but these are six. It is important to stay current where social media is concerned, not just for brand recognition and audience engagement, but for search engine optimization, as well. Look at social media sites as an investment portfolio; diversity is extremely important. Your business should be on as many social media sites as is professionally manageable, including Instagram.