Social networks are not only used to see someone’s photos and publish our own pictures, but a lot of people also use them for business purposes. For instance, Instagram, is one of the most used social networks in the world. Over 500 million users log in each day! Smart people use this social network to promote their products or services since such a huge potential customer base can’t be ignored.
Of course, you won’t be able to attract the attention of all these 500 million users, and it’s not needed. But you can appeal to your targeted audience by using Instagram. This social network has lots of useful tools and mechanisms that will allow you to promote your online course. In this article, you will learn some methods that will help you to engage more customers through Instagram.
Advantages of Advertising on Instagram
Any social network has a ton of users visiting it each day, but Instagram has one huge advantage. The audience is more active and easily engaged on Instagram. So it’s the best way to promote products or services. Plus, even though everyone knows that Instagram has a huge audience, promoting on Instagram is a less popular method than promoting on YouTube or Facebook.
These advantages can be used to your benefit. The audience consists mostly of younger generation – 18 to 29 years which comprise 55% of the users. 28% of users are age 30-49. As you can tell, Instagram holds the attention of people who might be very interested in taking an online course.
Another great advantage of Instagram is that the ads are very targeted. They are being shown to exactly those people who have an interest in what the ad is showing them. You can pay less, but you will get a lot more.
One reason why some people might be discouraged from using Instagram as an advertising platform is that you have to use pictures. Instagram is focused on photos, pictures and videos. The content should be of good quality, and it should be interesting. You can’t put a lot of text explaining why your product or services are better than what others offer. But you can show it in pictures and videos.
The advantage of promoting your services by using this method is obvious – visual aids are perceived better than plain text. So you have to work hard on the concept of your advertisement, but it will bring you more advantages, especially, considering how active the Instagram audience is.
You can decide what the budget should be for your ads. For example, if you are not feeling confident at first, you can start with daily ads with a limited daily budget. That way the amount of money spent on advertisements will be limited. Or, you can choose a bigger budget and set ads that will be shown at certain periods, or only during a specific period, and the ads will be shown until the budget reaches its limit. You control how your money is spent.
Based on recent research, people claim to have found out about new products only because of Instagram. And 75% of those people also bought those new products that they found out about. So Instagram is actually a great way to boost your sales, whether you are selling products or services.
How to Promote Your Services: Tips
These simple tips will explain exactly how you can use Instagram to your advantage and to promote your business.
Profile
You can’t promote your courses only with your individual profile; you need a business page. As you know, you have only 150 characters to write a description of the page. Be creative and try to stand out. You shouldn’t forget about the link to your company. Instagram allows only the biography link, but you can add the link to the section about your company so Instagram users can learn more about your brand.
Presentation of Your Product
Before you start interacting with potential customers and influencers (see below), you need to think about the concept of how your service should be displayed. You want to sell more of your online course subscriptions, so the ad should be distinctive. It should stand out among other similar services. It’s best to show shorter presentations, but with useful information.
For example, what is of big interest to your potential customers? They want to know how the courses are being created and what information they can learn from the classes. You can display the concept of creating lessons, how people learn from each lesson, etc. Be creative and fun, so you can catch the audience’s attention.
Use Instagram Stories
Everyone loves stories since they are short and fun, but you can make them informative and creative thus catching user attention. The best thing about Instagram stories is that they top the timeline list, making it likely that potential customers will immediately notice your advertisements.
You can make the story fun and enjoyable by showing how your courses are created, how they might help users in the future, etc. Such content when users can see the benefits of having a subscription can promote your product better than any ad on YouTube or Facebook.
Interactions
Engaging your audience is a must. Your business page is a place where you can answer potential and existing customer questions. You need to do it regularly. Whenever someone makes a comment, you should pay attention and reply. In this way you show that you care about your customers, you are aware of their issues, and you are 100% ready to solve any problem concerning your services. Such interactions with customers are helpful when it comes to building trust.
Another way of engaging customers is to start liking their posts. People tend to check out who is liking and commenting on their posts, and they are more likely to return the favor. So, if you are active, you will engage more potential customers which will make your brand more recognizable. It’s best to engage your targeted audience, increasing the chances they will decide to subscribe to your courses.
Hashtags
If you want to broaden your reach and start interacting with a bigger audience, using hashtags is a must. Your hashtags must be relevant and related to the topic of online courses. That way you have a chance to gain additional audience that is seeking online courses to subscribe. Make sure you combine the hashtags that have connection to your business, but don’t neglect using most popular hashtags. And try not to use too many hashtags. Five, or less, is enough.
Perks to Customers
Discounts are not the only way you can engage more customers. Offer something unique to your dedicated followers and existing customers. Being noticed and valued is something that each person strives for, and customers are no exceptions. Create content specifically for your most dedicated followers so they will feel special.
Analyze Results
Analyzing results is important. Without keeping track of your progress, you won’t be able to tell whether your strategy is working, or if you should make some slight or significant changes. Make sure you check whether you are still gaining new followers, how many people click on your posts and actually visit the page of your company, etc.
Conclusion
Instagram has an audience that can’t be ignored. It is active, eager to find something new, and it could be a lot easier to promote your online courses by using this social network. Make your followers feel special and wanted, try to engage new audiences to broaden your reach. And always keep track of your results so you can be even more efficient with your strategy.
