5 Instagram post ideas for business owners
Instagram is the go-to for most business owners on social media. It’s user-friendly, easy to post photos to, and gives you access to the widest range of users. But then you need to post consistently, use reels, and do all the things!
It can get overwhelming.
Continuing our deep dive into Instagram after the last post about how to set up your account, today I wanted to talk about the different types of Instagram posts you can create for your business account and then dive into some great examples.
Post types on Instagram
I’ve gone into the subject of how to use Instagram for your business before, but let’s take another look at those post types.
Feed - The Instagram feed is the function that most people are aware of, as all platforms have one. It’s the place where you post your actual photos, add a caption and hashtags and interact with your followers.
Stories - These are videos or images that live in your ‘story’ for 24 hours. That’s the circles at the top of your app as soon as you open it. You can also find them by clicking on a user’s profile image if there is a ring around it to highlight the presence of a story.
Reels - Reels are what Instagram created to compete against Tik Tok. They are pre-recorded videos up to 90 seconds and can be shared directly to your stories. All video posted on Instagram is turned into Reels.
Messaging - Your messages are a place where you can send a private message to a follower or someone you are following without others seeing your conversation. This can be done via the messaging tab or by someone replying to your stories. Direct Message is very popular on Instagram, especially for business and collaborations.
How to choose a post type on Instagram for your business
Each different post type on Instagram has different benefits and advantages when it comes to the algorithms. Yes, I used the word algorithm in the plural—each section or function seems to have its own distribution when it comes to the algorithms.
According to Instagram themselves, there are multiple different algorithms for the different formats of content (feed, stories, Reels, etc.) Understanding the different functions and how they play different roles is essential to reaching your ideal clients and achieving your Instagram strategy goals.
Do you use all the functions together? One at a time? None? All? That can depend on your business and how much time you have to spend on Instagram in the span of a day/week/month.
In general, it’s a great idea to check your insights on a regular basis and see what type of content your current followers are enjoying.
Alright, we now know how you can use Instagram for your small business; now let’s chat post ideas!
5 post ideas you can use on Instagram for business
#1. Educational
Instagram is the ideal platform to share educational information about your product or service. You can share educational posts in your feed either as a single image or a carousel, in stories, a reel or in a live video.
There are so many options. In most businesses, you don’t only have one educational piece, so your educational pieces could turn into weekly or monthly campaigns.
Before creating your educational post, think about the actual message that you want to deliver to your followers.
Do you want to show them the benefits of your product/service?
Do you want to show them how to use your product?
Do you want to show them a unique way to use your product or service?
Know what you want your audience to know, and then figure out the best way to deliver the message according to your capabilities and capacity.
Examples:
#2. Before and After
Does your company have a product or service that can change someone’s appearance or someone’s home?
Over the years, people have fallen in love with seeing the before and after transformations! Examples of businesses that before and after could work are: hair stylists, furniture refinishing, makeup artists, renovations, restaurants, fitness, home stagers, builders, interior designers etc.
Being open and honest and showing the end result alone doesn’t make a huge impact like the wow factor of before and after!
Even though you often see the before and after side by side, a more dramatic reveal can be done in a carousel post to make it more exciting. When using this type of carousel, be sure to place the after image first, so it displays in your feed and has a greater chance of appearing in your followers’ feeds.
Examples:
#3 Get Personal
People are following you and your company for a reason. They want to know about you, your staff, your product, and your office. They want all the behind-the-scenes information and what makes you and your company motivated to do what you do!
Customers appreciate getting a glimpse of your business processes and understanding how the final product or service comes together. Taking your followers behind the scenes is a great way to build trust and a deeper connection with your audience. The Like, Know, and Trust factor is huge when it comes to brand loyalty!
Examples to use this: A typical day in the business, How to make _____, package an order, make a dish etc.
Another way to get personal is to host a live Q & A. Tip: schedule it in advance to have more people attend live.
Reels and Stories are also a great option for behind-the-scenes content since you can clip pictures/videos together to tell a complete story.
Examples:
#4 Promotions
I always recommend the 80/20 rule, aka 80% of your posts should be educational, entertaining, informative and Engaging, and 20% should be sales-related!
You are in business for a reason, so while all of your posts shouldn’t be about promotions and sales, you still need to let your audience know what you are selling. So make sure you are promoting your team, your latest sale, your events, your webinars, etc.
Examples:
#5 Jump on a trend
Late 2021 saw Instagram announce a major push toward Reels, telling the world that short-form video was one of the most important types of content to learn and create. Hint: Take a look at daily/weekly trends and then see if your business can use the trending sounds to put your own spin on them.
You remember the Tik Tok pasta, right? So many trends have helped businesses sell their products!
Examples:
Make your posts your own
There are so many different posts that you can do as a business but in general, always remember that your followers are following you for a reason. In the end, they want to learn about you, your business, your products, your services and why they should be following and buying from you as opposed to your competitors.
If you haven’t jumped on the Instagram bandwagon yet, it’s time! These Instagram post ideas generate engagement, grow your audience, and can even drive sales. No matter if your business is a team of 1 or a team of 100 or more, Instagram is the place for you!
Still not sure how to get started or if you’re on the right track? Book your 1-on-1 brainstorming session.