Social media: Is your company utilizing Instagram?

If you aren’t already familiar with it, Instagram is an online mobile photo sharing, video sharing and social networking service. It enables its more than 500 million users to take pictures and videos and share them (either publicly or privately) on the app. From there, your followers can like and comment on your photos, tag people in photos, use the Geolocation feature, interact with hashtags and so much more. So, what would any business in the construction industry want with Instagram? Well, if you didn’t notice from the description above, Instagram (sometimes “Insta” for short) is entirely based on visuals. Since other social media platforms require more words, links and all sorts of details, Instagram is refreshingly simple. And since companies in the construction industry are surrounded by great photo and video options all the time (even when you might not realize), it’s a perfect match. So, whether you’ve got an account for your business already or you haven’t even thought about it, here are some helpful tips to help your company utilize Instagram:

Have an informative profile description.
Of course, your Instagram profile will include your company’s name but besides that, it will also display a link to your website (or a link to wherever you want to direct traffic) and some space for a short bio. In this bio, you need to accurately explain what your company is and what you do. And it would also be helpful to include where your company is located. Luckily, Instagram has recently made an update that allows you to make your account a “business profile” that will provide a contact button, making it even easier for people to reach you.

Post pictures and/or videos regularly.
Now I’m not saying you have to post every single day, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to try and post multiple times a week. By posting a few times a week, you will be creating a constant presence that people will notice and find worth following.

Be consistent and inspirational.
Besides just posting regularly, you also need to be constant with the look and feel of your content. Your followers will notice (and probably reject) anything that strays too far from what you usually post, so stick to what works and don’t try too hard to post things that just don’t fit. Instagram users are looking for pictures and videos that are interesting and inspirational, along with content that helps them discover new things. For example, if you are a home builder than post regular pictures of homes you are working on and the finished product to show your work to those that follow you or discover you on Instagram.

Don’t be afraid to interact.
First off, follow other accounts. Whether it’s any of your clients, other companies in the industry, companies you admire, or companies you partner with, give them a follow. And second, interact with them! Like photos, comment on them, tag each other in photos, use hashtags … these are all ways of interacting with your followers and the Instagram community.

Cross promote your social platforms.
Talking about Instagram on your Facebook page might seem silly, or even wrong, but cross promoting your social platforms like that is a great way to boost your following. Many of your current Facebook fans, Twitter followers or LinkedIn connections might not ever go searching for you on Instagram, so by cross promoting, you’re letting them know you’re on Instagram and that they should give you a follow if they want to see more content from you.

It’s important to remember that the potential that Instagram holds for companies in the construction industry is powerful, but that doesn’t mean Instagram is right for every company. There are a number of things – such as your strategy, the type of content you have to share, target demographic, whether or not you have someone to dedicate their time to the platform, etc. – that need to be considered when deciding if Instagram is right for your company or not.

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Buildertrend Staff